larrygator

I think the Flash Pass for 3 people at SFGAdv is more than $30

CanobieFan - thanks for pointing out Crossbow, I whored the park today. For the record they have excellent pizza at Bowcraft. I also tried to whore the new family coaster in Ocean City, NJ but Atlantic City and Craps got in the way.

Just a note... Beech Bend also had pretty decent sweet tea. BUT I think it was more or less a product of their caterer, Whitman's, or maybe not.. I don't remember. // sweet tea enthusiast True about Beach Bend sweet tea, the only good thing in the park except Rumbler and their fudge. For the record Freeman's BBQ at HersheyPark and Kris Kringles at Holiday World also have dawn good sweet tea. I never saw them make it but it sure tastes like the real thing. I might be a Northerner but I went to school in the South.

I may have to coaster whore Bowcraft tomorrow

Depends on how you define Top performing. The ones with the highest attendance are not necessarily the ones that generate the most revenue or highest profits.

You need to start promoting age discrimination!

Hercules - I never did finish that analysis, haha Knoebels Overall the park has a great variety of food at very reasonable prices. The International food court near the Log Flume has many different options from standard American fare, Mexican, Italian etc... Also, outside the Haunted Mansion you can find the popular fried pierogi stand and the shack that sells boneless BBQ rib sandwiches. Cesari's Pizza is also in this area, many rave about the pizza but it was too doughy for my liking. Of course no meal is complete without being washed down with the regional soft drink of choice, birch beer For treats, Stony Gables, next to The Flyer, is not too be missed for fudge, chocolate covered treats or if you desire roasted peanuts. Busch Gardens Williamsburg Known as having some of the highest quality amusement park food. The prices are as high as the quality, but worth it. The most popular and well received restaurants are Trapper's Smokehouse in the New France area and Ristorante della Piazza in the Italy area. We will start with the nation that is represented the worst; England. No you can't get Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie, Haggis, Toad-in-the-hole, or everyones favorite, Spotted dick (Don't believe me, look it up). England is represented by classic British food such as hamburgers and corn dogs. What is there is done very well, if that's your cup-of-tea. The Squire's Galley is the "Denny's" of BGW. You can get almost anything there. From burgers, to pizza and fajitas. It is the only place that serves any type of breakfast too with biscuits and waffles. Like most of the dining places in the park they have salads and pastry's and different types of beverages including beer! Pigs-in-a-kilt is in the Scotland area on the way to Loch Ness Monster. It serves corndogs and chicken strips. Now on to Ireland. This has probably the least popular food place with Grogan's Pub. The food is very hearty and filling which sometimes isn't that appealing for patrons on a hot day when you are going to ride roller coasters. The Irish Stew in a soda bread bowl is very good as is the baked potatoes and corned beef sandwich. Ireland is a perfect choice on a cooler fall day at the park. Now to France and New France. France isn't well represented either although a new full service restaurant has been put in called Le Mans Bistro. It serves much more unique and "fancy" food then anywhere else. They do have some strange choices like grilled pickles and some classics like hickory & oak smoked beef brisket. It gets you off your feet and they take care of you. In New France is the king of theme park dining: Trapper's Smokehouse! We're talking BBQ heaven. Smoked chicken, beef brisket, Ribs, jambalaya, and the fixin's. This is just an awesome place to eat. Easily rivals any BBQ place outside of any park. And the price is very fair! Into Germany we go and here is Das Festhaus. The world's largest indoor eatery. This place has authentic german food like Bratwurst, red cabbage, and hot german potato salad. They serve other favorites like pizza and an awesome Alpine sandwich which is just huge. They also have plenty of desserts like Jell-O and puddings. But the one to try is the three-layer black forest chocolate cake. This thing is like a foot tall. Italy has the last major eatery, Ristorante della Piazza. They serve some great pastas and other favorite Italian dishes. They also have excellent bread sticks, maybe better than Olive Garden's. They have an assortment of desserts, salads, and drinks as well. And then to top it off, you can eat at cover outdoor theater where they perform a nice show about every hour. It really completes the Italy feel. There are a few snack shops around as well. Their ice cream stores are awesome. Word on the street is that the Brownie Sundae in a waffle cone at the ice cream store in Banbury Cross ( the first area of the park you see when you enter) is sure to please. Some shops have huge funnel cakes and other assorted pastries. There are a few candy stores around too. They have some awesome treats like fresh make fudges and candy apples. Also the stores sell some rare European candies and popular American classics. At BGW there is something for everyone. Great Adventure There are many choices in the parks for food but all are a little bit pricey for the quality and quantity. As far as chain eateries, inside the park there is a Wok and Roll for chinese food and a Nathan's. To me the best food in the park are the hot dogs and fries at Nathan's. Across the midway from Nathan's are Ted's Cheesesteaks (small portions and pricey) and a newly opened place with fried turkey legs (unfortunately this replaced my beloved Jamaican food stand). Between the log flume and Medusa you can food a BBQ food place in the shape of a big stagecoach. The other restaurant of note is the character cafe where they serve burgers and fried chicken breast sandwiches. Some people like to leave the park for a break and drive down the road a mile to the food options they passed on the way to the park. My favored choice is getting a fresh made sandwich at the WaWa deli. Indiana Beach The best quick food in the park is the Taco Stand. The Tig'rr Grill serves chicken nuggets, burgers and that sort. Both places are reasonably priced. Although I did not eat there, many rave about the Skyroom Restaurant and Roof Lounge where they serve steaks, seafood, daily prepared delicacies. At night, the Lounge becomes a place to dance. On Sunday mornings they offer a big brunch. HersheyPark A variety of food can be found in the park including a Subway, Wok & Roll, Nathan's Hot Dogs and Ben & Jerry's. My favorite place to eat is Freeman's BBQ which besides good BBQ serves the best southern style sweet tea (with free refills) outside of the south. Famous Famiglia Pizza, Tumbleweed Tacos, The Deli and the Minetown Restaurant (burgers, chicken) round out the dining options. Hersheypark snacks are the best in the business: highlighted by soft pretzels with chocolate sauce and the best Kettle Corn on the business made right in front of you in a huge vat. DelGrosso's Food created this park. The park is famous for it's Wednesday afternoon pasta lunches (11:30-1:30) and dinners (4:30-7:00). They are reasonably priced at $5.45 for adults, $3.95 for kids including a soft drink and one refill. Although I was not there on a Wednesday I did buy 4 jars of sauce to take home and it was great. Also, on premises is the Pizza Factory with reasonably priced pizza at $1.35 per slice for freshly prepared pepperoni or $7.75 for a 6 slice pepperoni pie. This pizza is on par with a good New York pizza parlor, the crust is a little thicker but the sauce is magnificent. Standard fare can be found at Murfs Kitchen, along with great potato salad or you can try the Tipton Creek Deli for a sandwich. Six Flags Over Georgia This southern park evokes many features of southern cuisine, both modern and from the past. Priced reasonably (you will pay between $6 and $9 for a meal), the food includes southern classics such as Bar-b-que pork and old-fashioned hamburgers, as well as delicacies of the "new" south, such as Mexican items. The Quality of BBQ at Miner's Cookhouse can vary from "ok" to "very good". El Jalapeno offers some nice Mexican eats but still not quite as good as the "mamá y papá" restaurants that now blanket the Atlanta region. As with all SF parks the souvenir cups will be a good buy if you plan on refilling anywhere. Certain eateries offer discounts to all SF season pass holders so "Flash your pass and ask". Tondee's Tavern, which lies in the shadows of the Georgia Cyclone, also has some very good Cheesesteaks. Dollywood This park should offer admission plans where you can pay one price and eat whatever you can handle and do nothing else (no rides, just a big lunch and dinner). Unfortunately, they might end up losing money because the "down home" food is "down right" excellent. The food at Dollywood rivals the best restaurants outside of the park. The aroma of country cookin' is prevalent throughout the park, and tastes as good as it smells. The variety is there too: sausages, beef, chicken and various forms of BBQ are available throughout the park, including Brisket which is a personal favorite of mine. Dollywood is one of only two parks (BG Williamsburg being the other) I know of serving good brisket (which is fairly difficult). While all of the main-course food is great, the desserts really put the "icing on the cake". The fresh desserts available at the two bakeries in the park are among the best baked goods you will get at a park. Be sure that for everything you eat that you bring one home too. Some have commented that you find the best funnel cakes here. Along with the options of strawberries or powdered sugar Dollywood will top your funnel cake with Vanilla Glaze. Overall, the pricing is very good for the portions and quality at Dollywood's sit down restaurants. The food at the stands is average and not up to the level of the sit down restaurants. In particular, the cheesesteaks which I found to be lacking in cheese and steak, but heavy on the onions and peppers. Six Flags Great Escape This park has some of the worst food of any amusement park. I asked two ride operators where the best place to eat in the park was and they both replied that the food wasn't very good. It is standard overpriced park fare, burgers and chicken strips but nothing unique. There are a couple of restaurants right outside the park that I have heard may be options. Six Flags La Ronde The best serves the best variety of fried dough that I have ever sampled: The Beaver Tail. Freshly made thin fried dough served with many topping options: fruit and chocolate. Be warned the chocolate topping is plentiful and rich. Thee are a couple of Giorgio's stands that serve a delicious garlic beard. McDonalds and Subway restaurants exist in the park. I was disappointed in the chicken nuggets purchased in the Chick n Chick eatery. Otgher dining options of pizza, Tex-Mex and Asian exist in the park. Cedar Point There are a lot of mixed reviews on the food at Cedar Point. They give you many options. The best food can be found at the Marina with Famous Dave's BBQ. It's expensive for a park but certainly filling and very good. Unlimited refills on the excellent Sweet Tea, also. Chain eateries exist in Johnny Rocket's and at the Breakers Hotel there is a TGIFridays. Finer dining can also be found in the Marina at the Bay Marina, specializing in seafood dishes. Throughout the interior of the park numerous options exist for burgers, chicken strips. One family favorite place to eat is the Midway Market serving buffet style lunch and dinner. It is a little overpriced but if timed right can serve as a combo lunch and dinner. The food at Midway Market is nothing to write home about. Donuts and Starbucks can be bought inside the entrance to the park at DonutTime. If you look around you can find practically anything to eat at CP except TexMex or Asian. Funnel cakes served with fruit or chocolate toppings are usually crispy not soggy. Wisconsin Dells Do yourself a favor and eat outside these parks. Mt. Olympus has a snack bar but the burgers did not look appetizing (I ate a soft pretzel). Timber Falls has a fly infested snack bar that I avoided. At Riverview Park I only tried the sweet shop and was disappointed in the worst chocolate covered cashews I have ever had, extremely weak chocolate. After listening to many others, the way to go seems to be Pedro's, a tex-mex joint next to Timber Falls Lake Compounce The Croc Pot Cafeteria serves burgers, chicken strips, pulled pork sandwiches and some pre-made wraps. The food is mediocre at best, but at least the soft drinks are free. The best food I had in the park was at the Mexican Food stand near Down Time, not great but filling. Six Flags New England My favorite food in the park is the Buffalo Chicken Strips that are now sold at many stands throughout the park. In 2005 they opened a small Brazilian stand in Looney Tunes Food Court that serves authentic snacks, the Brazilian sausage and potato puffs are excellent and the portion are huge. There is also a Subway in this area and another in Hurricane Harbor. Other offerings at the park include Cheesesteaks at Rockville Drive-In, Turkey, Roast Beef, Ham and Prime Rib sandwiches at Riverboat Cafe and Seasoned skillet potatoes and turkey legs at Canyon Turkey Legs. Six Flags Fiesta Texas I expected the tex-mex to be much better being in San Antonio. It wasn't bad but not as good as expected. What really blew me away was the fresh roasted corn on a cob in the husk. Grilled over a big open grill it can be generously buttered with the option to sprinkle Garlic and Onion Powder or Cajun Seasoning on top. This corn is a must. Lakeside Every single restaurant at lakeside offers fantastic food surrounded by wonderful art deco designs. The amount of design detail in every restaurant, sign, ticket booth and building is simply amazing! A single eatery at Lakeside - the College Inn, for example, would be a signature attraction at any other park. At Lakeside, it's just another building. The marble and pewter counter inside the refreshments building takes a while to be noticed because of all the other little details inside the building. Once you get your food, you can go outside the restaurant and eat in a shaded courtyard. The atmosphere is fantastic! There are many other fantastic places to eat at Lakeside. Burrito Joe's is one of the best mexican restaurants around! Just walking into it makes you feel like you've stepped back in time! If wood oven pizza is your thing, eating at the College Inn should not be missed. Martin's Fantasy Island This little park doesn't have much assortment with regards to food, but they do have one place that stands out. Basgetti's resteraunt near the Carousel in the front of the park sells better than average amusement park pizza. For about $5, you can get a big slice of their pizza and a medium drink, which is hardly more than what you would pay outside. They also sell Belgian waffles with powdered sugar that are a nice treat, but can get very messy. However, for $3 at most, its affordable and yummy. Finally, the park has a place called "Marty's Finger Lickin' Chicken" that serves some nice and spicy chicken. Fresh squeezed and shaken lemonade is available in the park. Lake Winnepesaukah Lake Winnie is an old fashioned park that serves up some really good (yet standard) amusement park food. The first thing to comment on is the wide selection. They offer the typical fare, dogs, burgers, chicken and nachos but also serve chicken wings, chili, sub sandwiches, BBQ sandwiches, cheesesteaks, salads and even grilled cheese and PB&J sandwiches. In addition to the selection, the park serves up quality food that doesn't require a new mortgage. One of the cheapest parks to eat at, a three course meal (salad, entree, some desert) with a drink could go for as little as $10. In 2005, the park opened up a new food court that is similar in style to the boat house at Lake Compounce. Carowinds To me the only place to eat at Carowinds is Chic-Fil-A. You will get the best value and quality. The park does have quite a few other places to sit down and eat but none really had a big appeal. These featured restaurants include: CBS Cafe (Paramount Plaza), Wild Thornberrys Outpost Canteen (Nickelodeon® Central), Nick Toons Cafe (Nickelodeon® Central), Subway (Carolina Showplace), Board Wok (Carolina Boardwalk), Outer Hanks (Carolina Boardwalk), Happy Days Diner (Thrill Zone), Wings (Carolina RFD) and Sharky's (WaterWorks). Kings Dominion The kids will love The Wild Thornberry’s™ Explorer Café. The family can have lunch with Forest Gump at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Shack, or enjoy our award winning ribs at the Country Kitchen. The Subway is in the park and Rising Sun offers some quick Chinese options To be quite honest I have not sampled any of the above. I did have the cheesesteak at Volcano Grill and chicken fingers from the Border Cafe and found nothing special about either selection. The park website claims to have the World's Greatest Funnel Cake, but again nothing special. Knotts Berry Farm So the one tip I heard ahead of time was to make sure and sample Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken. There is an express stand in Fiesta Plaza that was closed so I sampled at the main restaurant right outside the park. While I'm not a fried chicken aficionado, while the chicken was tasty it wasn't as juicy as I expected, however the biscuits are wonderful. It was fairly priced and certainly worth a try. Since the Mrs. Knotts inside the park was closed I tried the tacos at Cantina. I expected better tex-mex since I was in SoCal, but nothing special. I was told afterwards that I should have tried the food in Ghost Town (Fireman's BBQ or Ghost Town Grub). One of the more unique places for a snack is "Pemmican and Pickle" which offers Beef Jerky and pickles. Of course, typical amusement park fare can also be found in the park. Coney Island Of course you should go to original Nathan's, but with that stated this is not the typical Nathan's you find at the mall. They have a huge variety of food, including fresh seafood in the summer to go along with dogs, burgers and chicken. However, if you have already sampled Nathan's you can't go wrong with the local places (on Surf Avenue or the Boardwalk) especially the pizza place right across from the Cyclone. The general rule of thumb is that if there are locals eating then it is worthy of your time and money. For those not familiar with New York, the local fried dough treat is called a Zeppole and can be found at most of the pizza places in the area. Williams Candy on Surf Avenue is a good option for old time seaside candy.

Yep, I've done some eating in my day so here are my thoughts: Best Fudge - Beech Bend, yes better than Holiday World Best Kettlecorn - Hershey Park Best Lemonade - Conneaut Lake Park Best Pizza - DelGrosso's, yes better than Knoebels Best Hots Dogs - Coney Island Best Corn on the Cob - SF Fiesta Texas Best Fries - Kennywood and sister park Lake Compounce Best Restaurant - Famous Dave's at Cedar Point (I know it's a chain but I love the food anf the Sweet Tea) Best Park for Overall Food - Busch Gardens Williamsburg and for my favorite category: Best Fried Dough product: The Beaver Tail at La Ronde

^what's really disturbing is those two pictures right on top of each other

The most common US coaster name acronyms I have heard are: S:ROS = Superman: Ride of Steel S:KC = Superman: Krypton Coaster S:TE = Superman: The Escape S:UF = Superman: Ultimate Flight B:TR = Batman: The Ride B: DK = Batman: The Dark Knight DD = Dueling Dragons ST = Shivering Timbers BD = Boulder Dash TG:TJC = Top Gun: The Jet Coaster SoB = Son of Beast GASM = Great American Scream Machine BandR:TC = Batman and Robin: The Chiller DBH = Dania Beach Hurricane LoCoSuMo = Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain AC = Apollo's Chariot MF = Milennium Force CCMR = Cedar Creek Mine Ride FoF = Flight of Fear LNM = Loch Ness Monster BBW = Big Bad Wolf RotM = Revenge of the Mummy EE = Expedition Everest RR = Riddler's Revenge TTD = Top Thrill Dragster KK = Kingda Ka V:BC = Volcana: The Blast Coaster WT = Wicked Twister or Wild Thing these ones I've seen used but less frequently CE = Cornball Express LR = Lightning Racer SDL = SuperDooperLooper PR = Phantom's Revenge ME = Manhattan Express S:TR = Speed The Ride KR = Kentucky Rumbler sorry if I repeated any from earlier posts or missed any. Of course it is the coasters with longer names that usually get initialized

Disney's America From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Disney's America was a theme park that was to be built by The Walt Disney Company in Haymarket, Virginia. After concept plans were drawn up for the history-based attraction in 1993, it became Michael Eisner's pet project [1], and he even obtained the support of the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development [2]. The plan was withdrawn on September 28, 1994, after Protect Historic America organized national opposition to the park. Protect Historic America's Director Rudy Abramson had selected Shelby Foote, made famous by Ken Burns' Civil War series on PBS, as one of the opposition spokespersons. Local press revealed that the Foote family once owned the land where the park was to be built. Many Haymarket insiders believe this revelation may have finally forced Eisner to withdraw his support.

I found a great flight out of Newark through a Travelocity special in February (thanks Big Mike) that was much cheaper than any other fares I had previously seen ($408 versus $685)

send me a flyer to: iamignorant@tpr.com

3 out of 10, I'd rather ride them than care about the details anyway.

Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock

when someone asks you if a ride is rough and you say, "Smooth as a baby's bottom"

and for some of the other US parks IB = Indiana Beach HW = Holiday World MtO = Mount Olympus LC = Lake Compounce KBF = Knotts Berry Farm KW = Kennywood DW = Dollywood GL = Geauga Lake PKI = Kings Island PKD = Kings Dominion PCW = could be confusing as somee mean Paramount Canada's Wonderland and other mean Paramount's Carowinds BGA fomrerly BGT = refers to Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa) BGE formerly BGW = refers to Busch Gardens Europe (Williamsburg)

Stupid question - Is Canada's Labour Day weekend the same as the US Labor Day weekend? The first weekend in Spetember???? I will go use Google and find out. EDIT: I just used Google and apparently the US stole this holiday from Canada. I did not know!

Paul: Labor Day weekend - I might be trying that myself, I'll send you a PM as it gets closer if I'll be traveling to The Great White North.

That's OK, Casey is no David Cassidy, either. He's more like Wilt "10,000" Chamberlain

Ryan - thanks for asking but I can't make it. I used most of my vacation time between the Final 4 and the UK Trip and I'll also be out in LA at the end of September. It is good to see that Carl is going, he can step it up and help with Operation Tackle Ryan.

I know I'm shattering some guy's dreams, but it is all part of the big plan. Load up a TPR trip with Casey fangirls and maybe I can get some scraps. Even Danny Bonaduce got David Cassidy's scraps. Come On, Get Happy!

OMG, Nicole's place looks like a motel! Have fun kids and say hi to Silver Comet for me.

Something I forgot to post before. Someone asked what goes on at the hotels at night. Some people stayed up and drank in the bar catching up on World Cup action (or WWE pay per views), some congregate in rooms, some enjoyed a dinner at a restaurant. The one constant was large groups of people sitting around talking about the day, sharing pictures and videos. And then there is Lou who was working overtime to fund her trip. LOL. For the record that is completely sarcastic. Lou is a very respectable women who is very funny and self-effacing and doesn't mind being the butt everybody's jokes, but some people just don't get her humor. You might not realize this, but every night Robb was constantly borrowing pictures and clips from others and downloading it to his laptop so that the time consuming TRs could be posted as soon as Robb had laptop access. And when we had Internet access, we were reading what the rest of you were saying about our trip in the UK Trip thread. Especially Jew and ParkTrips entertaining posts wishing us ill will.

In the process of buying a condo so only one trip for me next year (Spain/Italy).