cfc

Aqua Blast is the longest of the three tube sildes, and it "meanders" a bit--which is why it would be perfect for skittish kids. There were two little girls who kept dithering about riding Paradise Plunge and kept me from riding for about 10 minutes (when one of them took the drop, while the other bowed out).

No. This is just around the corner from the park near the waffle house(across the street from it). Actually, I was asking about the one near Charlotte that Philrad 71 mentioned, but it was off-topic, anyway.

It does look much better--that area needed some freshening up.

^Was this Super 8 near what appeared to be a rock quarry? If so, I may have stayed there back when Paramount still owned the park. It wasn't bad then.

If we can hold off speculating about what we hope Kings Dominion might be getting in the future, let's take a look at what they got this year. Soak City Media Day I'm sure many of you have taken advantage of Water Works, KD's water park, which is part of regular park admission. Well, you can't go to "Water Works" anymore--because it's been rebranded as Soak City, complete with a new play area, slide-tower complex, cabanas, and food offerings. Here's a set of "Fun Facts" the park provided: And how was Hurricane Heights, the park's new tower complex from Whitewater? The Paradise Plunge was quite intense and disorienting and knocked me for quite a loop! Maybe I'm getting old, but I preferred the tamer tube slides. My favorite was the Thunder Falls slide with the double-down drop. I was catapulted off my tube as soon as I hit the pool, which was pretty refreshing. Hurricane Heights is located on the other side of Rebel Yell, near Tidal Wave Bay. The new cabana set-up is nice, and we enjoyed the lunch they provided that day, which included coconut shrimp, "Aqua Blast Burgers" (BBQed sliders with a slice of pineapple on top), tasty fried potatoes, and pina colada cupcakes. The potatoes and cupcakes will also be part of Soak City's regular food offerings, but I don't know about the shrimp or the little burgers. It was all pretty good--a step above KD's usual fare. Here's a look at what to expect at Soak City. Goodbye Water Works. Hello Soak City! Snoopy and Charlie Brown are very excited. Snoopy is ready to go sliding now! But I guess Charlie Brown just prefers baseball. There was a brief ceremony, which included some remarks from the park's general manager and VP, Pat George: "We’re excited to finally open the gates of Soak City for our guests to enjoy all the improvements made over the past several months. We are dedicated to providing the best summer experience for families to create memories that will last a lifetime.” Looks like Soak City bought some advertising space from Backlot Stunt Coaster. Need to cool off? Here's a nice spot. Hmm--I guess there's a good reason for calling it "Splash Island." The park's lazy river circles the new play area. Hurricane Heights offers six ways for you to get wet. You have to walk under Rebel Yell (and cry "more, more, more") to get there. Sign photo for Larry. Here's a closer look at the complex. It does offer fun for the whole family (provided they're at least 48" tall). The tube slides are fun for anyone, and the trapdoor slides at the top offer a bigger, more intense thrill. By the way, the two blue tube slides are Thunder Falls, while Aqua Blast is the purple one. These slides also have some lighting effects inside--a nice touch. Looks like the lifeguard is grooving to the sounds of . . . . . . the Beach Bumz. Let's see . . . they drop the floor out from under you there . . . . . . and you end up here . . . . . . courtesy of this company. You displace a fair amount of water when you hit the bottom. Tidal wave! Oh, there is a person in there somewhere. This tube slide with the double down was my favorite (the one next to it was fun, too). Shall we have some lunch in our cabana? Here's some of the spread. I liked the ginger beer, and the cupcakes had mandarin-orange slices in the middle (very nice). Here are some of the cabanas. They surround the Tidal Wave Bay wave pool. You can get some nice views of Intimidator 305 from Tidal Wave Bay and Hurricane Heights. But beware of Anacondas attacking from the trees! One last look at someone getting very wet on Thunder Falls. And here's a look at the Eiffel Tower being very patriotic for Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks for reading.

^Keep reaching for the stars, Jake!

^You're halfway there now--don't give up!

^The crowd on Monday won't be too bad, but you should still hit Tempesto first before the line gets too long.

"L-o-o-o-o-k into my eye-z-z-z-z-z . . . You will do my bidding . . ." My god! The eyes follow you around the room!

Holy Game-Changing Potential for Six Flags, Batman! This attraction looks like a hit.

Six Flags Great America

I think he will, too.

Judging by the angle of that first effect (behind the ice?), I have the feeling this might be part of the lift hill in the mountain. Time will tell. I was thinking the same thing--where they used to have the "blizzard" effects. I like the old "wrecked" bobsled, too.

The Joker animatronic is very cool.

Perhaps they were eaten by this guy.

The Hanson Brothers from Slap Shot.

I'm now within $60 of my goal of $1,000! Again, my thanks to all those who have contributed.

Looks like a good fit for Knott's--perfect for families (pretty much what I expected). Snoopy is looking pretty stylish there.

^Agreed--StormRider was the park's weakest attraction.