coasterdude5

1989 15th Season As Charleston prepares for a deadly hurricane, I thought it would be an appropriate time too look over the past few years at Charleston Gardens Amusement Park 1984 1984 was a landmark year for the park. Vulture, one of the park's largest coasters, started the season off with a bang. The coaster brought in the largest crowds the park had ever seen. However, at the end of the year we saw the closure of Carolina Calamity to make way for 1985's addition. 1985 New for 1985 was Gardenhill Pass which was a break from the traditional amusement park fanfare. The heavily-wooded area featured an outdoor amphitheater, a cafe, swan boat rides, and midway games. 1986 Vortex was added to the Gardenhill Pass area in 1986, bringing another thrill ride to the park. Some disliked the thrill aspect Vortex brought to the Gardenhill Pass area. 1987 1987 was a relatively quiet year for the park. Except for a new parking lot and tram system, no major additions were seen. Various areas throughout the park were fixed up to improve the overall image. 1988 Emerald Bay debuted at the park in 1988. Emerald Bay's lakeside setting was something that had not been seen at the park. A family coaster and flatride were added as a part of Emerald Bay. 1989 The park's final season as a FPI park, The Magic Carpet opened adding another family attraction to the waterfront.

1989 15th Season Today is September 18th, 1989. It seems unlikely that the South Carolina coast will miss a hit from Hurricane Hugo. Residents are now beginning to evacuate the area. My family has luckily already moved to Ohio, I was to remain here until the park until the park closed for the season, but I am clearing my office out now and taking a flight to Ohio tonight. Funtime Parks, Inc. has done little to protect the park's structures from the Category 4 storm. FPI has not told us whether or not the park has invested in hurricane insurance. There's no telling how this will end. If you are in Hugo's path, I pray you move inland. It has been an honor to work in the area for so long and I have grown attached to the people and the culture here. I wish this area all the best in the future. Hopefully I will be able to return someday to a prospering Charleston Gardens Amusement Park. Goodbye my friends. - Joseph Reynolds One last overview of Charleston Gardens Amusement Park...

1989 15th Season Today is September 15th, 1989. Our problems with the park have taken a backseat to the development of Hurricane Hugo, a newly-formed category 4 hurricane. While there is still some uncertainty with the storm, as of right now South Carolina could take a direct hit in a worst case scenario. Please keep up in your thoughts. The park will still open this weekend. - Joseph Reynolds The birds are flying in from the west... not a good sign.

1989 15th Season Today is September 9th, 1989. The park has two more weekends of operation left. - Joseph Reynolds

1989 15th Season Today is September 1st. We have a few more weekends left until the park closes for the season. Schools have started back. We're still waiting for a buyer.

1989 15th Season It's August 1st and before you know it the schools will be in session once again. The deadline is quickly approaching for the park to be sold and so far we have not heard of any serious developments. The park is running out of time. - Joseph Reynolds I'm hoping that an owner is waiting for the park to close before making a formal announcement. A tremendous amount of hard work and dedication has gone into establishing this park. I would hate to see it all go to waste. But I suppose all good things must eventually come to an end. Only time will tell...

Because no one ever finishes them - they just end up falling off the map. I am very against letting a project do that.

1989 15th Season We're approaching the hot months of July. This is usually the time that the park is at its peak... the lines are long as are the days. Unfortunately that's no longer the case. - Joseph Reynolds Gardenhill Pass and Derecho. The "steel skyline" of Charleston Gardens Amusement Park. Millipede, the park's newest coaster. To me, the Emerald Bay area represents the potential the park has... now it's just time someone take advantage of it. Have a nice day.

1989 15th Season The summer season is underway and while the crowds are coming, they are not what we would normally see this time of year. - Joseph Reynolds Vulture's station stands silent as the ride was down for most of the day. It was a nice day for the log flume. SkyWheel Have a nice day!

1989 15th Season It's midseason and we are already starting to feel the effects of Funtime leaving Charleston Gardens Amusement Park. I received notice last night that I would be relocated to a different Funtime property in Ohio. Seasonal workers have been notified that Funtime will not be rehiring again next year. This has all been difficult to swallow but we cannot forget that all hope is not lost for the park. I have heard rumors that two separate entertainment companies are looking at Charleston Gardens. Both have expressed interest in the park but have not made any serious committments yet. I will try to update you on this as frequently as possible, but it looks as if I need to start searching for a new home in Ohio. - Joseph Reynolds The Magic Carpet at Charleston Gardens Amusement Park Funtime constructed this path to make the park seem easily expandable to possible buyers. During the offseason the ground was raised around what was the train bridge to reduce flooding risks. It's also not as long of a walk up the hill.

^ I'd love to upload these to TPR, but because of the lack of time and the fact that I post these updates at several other forums, it just isn't feasible. I have a Dell Studio XPS 16 computer... it gets the job done! 1989 15th Season Crowds are dismal. That's the only way to desribe the current situation. The attempt to find a new owner has, as of this moment, been unsuccessful. - Joseph Reynolds This is the first weekend of the summer vacation season. This area of the park should be packed. However, the park looks more like a weekday after schools have started back. We have lowered ticket prices but unfortunately we haven't seen an increase in attendance. Hopefully a new owner will be found.

Hershey leaves Hawaii After a stay in Hawaii for over 60 years, the Hershey company announced plans today to sell its land in Honolulu to the newly-formed Honolulu Biowerks Foundation. The plot of land was originally developed as Hawaiian Escape, an amusement park owned by a local business owner. After four years, the now-defunct Hershey Entertainment company purchased the park and changed its name to Hershey's Hawaiian Escape. For over 50 years, Hershey's Hawaiian Escape was continously ranked among the top tourist destinations in the state, despite it being located in a primarily industrial district. A hotel resort and waterpark, along with countless other new attractions, were added to the park during its half a century stay. After the park's fifty-fifth season, Hershey announced plans to close the amusement park and to seel the hotel resort and open a zoo on a portion of the land. Last year, Hershey announced plans to close the zoo, buy back the hotel resort, and to add an indoor amusement park and retail center, dubbing the entire project 'Hershey Hawaii'. However, the Honolulu Biowerks Foundation approached the company earlier this month with an offer that Hershey "could not refuse," according to a Hershey spokesperson. HBF will pay for the clearing of the land, except for the onsite hotel resort, which will be converted into a children's hospital. HBF plans to redevelop the land as a biomedical research facility. A large part of the land will be utilized as green space as part of the foundation's goal of a cleaner and healthier state. The biomedical research facility will occupy nearly 30% of the land, with nearly 55% of the land being dedicated to green space. The hotel resort will be converted into a children's research hospital within the next five years. ___________________ I think many of you can guess that I took on way too much with the indoor amusement park concept. While it would have been an executable project maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I simply no longer have the amount of free time that would be needed for something of this size. Since I'm sure none of you are interested in seeing the progress of a biomedical research facility, I see this is as realistic yet prompt way out. I've been attempting to bring this project back several times (as referenced in Beyond Pixelation) but due to a lack of free time, I think this is a good time to let this one go (for good). I appreciate all the support this project has gotten over the years!

1989 15th Season The crowds are still lower than we expect for the park, but people are still visiting the park which of course is a great thing. It has yet to be determine whether or not I will be able to keep my job when the park is bought but if not then I will do my best to make this the park's best year yet. - Joseph Reynolds There weren't as many people for the opening today as we usually see. It was the perfect day to go the park! It's quite sad to see the park this empty. Though I can't help but think this lack of attendance is related to lack of major attractions as of late. I hope that the park's new owners will be able to invest more money in this place. It has a great deal of potential.

1989 15th Season This summer, take an adventure on Charleston Gardens Amusement Park's newest ride, The Magic Carpet. Flying high over Emerald Bay, The Magic Carpet will thrill riders as they soar into the sky. Charleston Gardens Amusement Park opens for its 15th season next week. The Magic Carpet is located on a continuation of the Atlantic Avenue midway. Riders will have a great view of Emerald Bay from The Magic Carpet.

1988 14th Season Hello everybody, I know it has been a rough week with the sudden news of the park's sale. However, I would like to announce that Funtime Parks, Inc. is very much interested in the park's well being. That being said, FPI will invest in a new attraction and general improvements for the 15th season as they continue the search for a new owner. I will bring you any updates when I receive them. Thanks for your continued support. And now for photos from the final day of the season. Joseph Reynolds I've had several guests ask me if this was the park's final operating day... it is not. Looking towards a dark Vulture... ...and its station. Millipede Heatwave acts as a nice backdrop to Emerald Bay. Until next time,

1988 14th Season Charleston Gardens Amusement Park has been put up for sale by its owner, Funtime Parks, Inc. FPI says if the park is not sold by end of 1989, the park will close with rides being redistributed to FPI's other properties. FPI will operate the park next season while it actively searches for a new owner. Charleston Gardens opened in 1975 and was bought by FPI four years later. The park recently added "Emerald Bay", which includes two family rides. Attendance has been declining for three seasons now. We will keep you updated on this developing situation.

I think since this park is a historical park they are looking for a historical coaster. At least that's what I see. Zippin Pippin was a great coaster and while I would have loved for it to stay in Memphis I just want it to reopen. I'll make the trip to Green Bay to ride it. Hopefully the guys at Beach Bay can reuse some parts of it so it retains some history.

1988 14th Season We are having difficulties finding new ways to bring in the crowds. Our "$5 after 5" was not succesful and our newest addition is not bringing us an influx of guests as new additions usually do. I will try to keep you updated. - Joseph Reynolds Emerald Bay doesn't seem to be marketable enough to draw in the crowds we saw 3-4 years ago. We received our highest attendance levels in 1984 when Vulture opened. We are communicating with corporate to see what can be done to reverse this decline.

1988 14th Season We're halfway through the season. Time flies! - Joseph Reynolds Guests returning from a fun ride on Millipede! Washout is a twisting, turning ride that is a little less intimidating than Vortex. Looking down Atlantic Avenue towards the entrance plaza. Have a great day!

The Google ad really captivated everyone in the room. People talked through most of the other commercials but the room got silent for the Google one. It was simple yet moving - very well done.

It looks as if the Zippin Pippin will be heading to Wisconsin: Click here for recent pictures of the Zippin Pippin.

1988 14th Season Time for a quick update! - Joseph Reynolds Today was a special "$5 after 5" day. Since we experiencing a dip in attendance, we are doing our best to increase attendance. There was a good crowd of people waiting for the tram. Here it comes! A nice shot to end the day!

I really want to see this park survive, I'm not sure how many others do, though. Hopefully the third time is the charm.

1988 14th Season The fun continues at Charleston Gardens Amusement Park in 1988! See what all is going on at the park! - Your friends at Charleston Gardens Amusement Park Millipede invites guests in as they approach the entrance. Good morning, Charleston Gardens Amusement Park! Millipede's station is the centerpiece of Emerald Bay. Thank you for your interest in Charleston Gardens Amusement Park!

It's actually supposed to be a Zierer Tivoli model, which were introduced before 1988.