BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever

You know, I only wish someone saved the coaster at Petticoat Junction.... I don't remember what it was called, but it was another nice woodie that went before its time.

Totally Agree -- it would also be the first non-junior ride at the park.... As great as a family park is -- it still needs some ride offerings for the grown ups. Other than maybe Power Surge or Inverter -- everything at CG is kiddie material. Still, I'd give them 3 years or so to get everything sorted out with their new plans.

Well, I like the Starliner better than all the ones you mentioned (except maybe Cannonball -- that one I have sentimental attachment to)... However, in my opinion (and hence my name), the best out-and-back woodie ever down here was the Roaring Tiger/Florida Hurricane that used to run in Circus World/Boardwalk and Baseball. But since that was taken from us, Starliner was the best -- I'd ride on the Starliner all day before I'd waste my time on Gwazi again. The sad part is: The little Miracle Strip seemed to maintain their Starliner far better than the nearly brand new Gwazi at Busch (maybe that's why I'm biased)! With all the financial resources of Busch, you'd think they could afford to maintain their stuff better.

I hate the Boomerang, too. The Swamp Thing at CG is torture. Hate that nasty head-banging beast. For some reason, its twin at Wild Adventures seemed considerably smoother. I dunno.

What are you kidding me? The Starliner is a John Allen masterpiece! Probably one of the best out-and-back woodies built in the South. The Miracle Strip always was profitable thanks to it.... Its a great coaster that deserved to be saved. Too many good ones have already been lost (the Coney Island Thunderbolt comes to mind -- what a waste)!

That one hurts me.. ANIMAL KINGDOM ROCKS... I love the place, and IMHO is a Imagineering masterpiece... Sure it might not be the thrill ride park most people want here... But you have to admit that the imagineers did an amazing job... Even with my nr one coaster at Seaworld (Yes Kraken is my favourite) I would still go for AK... But tasts are different... So I forgive you (for now) What are you smoking and can I have some? AK sucks. The absolute worst park in the entire southeast and a travesty to the Disney name. Both Sea World and Busch Gardens Tampa destroy AK at the "Zoo with Rides" type park.

What rides does Disney have that Cypress doesn't have? The Tea Cups? Dumbo's Flight? The Sky Jets? Cypress has more coasters already than any Disney park. Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain are cool -- but Splash Mountain is lame.... The combination of Starliner and Triple Hurricane would probably rival Space/Thunder fairly well. Personally, if you've got an extra day -- I'd spend a second day at Islands of Adventures before more time at Disney. You can see all the worthwhile rides at DISNEY and EPCOT in a single day (thanks to the monorail). MGM is so limited, its only good for a few hours.

Well, the more I read about Animal Kingdom -- the more I doubt that CG was beating Animal Kingdom in attendance. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking from the CG employees I was talking to... or perhaps they were talking about a single day.... To their credit, the new owners of CG have already set new records for its daily attendance (its peak year was 1979 with 1.6 million visitors). If they are able to maintain the current pace -- it will set a new record for them... the first year under the new management (a very impressive feat). As for mixing-the-animals-with-rides type Theme Parks -- IMO Animal Kingdom pales to Busch Gardens or even Wild Adventures (CG's sister park). Its sad that Disney made such a half-hearted attempt. ...and I don't think CG's mission is ever to compete with Disney. Disney is a comprehesive tourist destination -- CG is being built up as a regional amusement park (one day outing).

I actually was depressed when Disney officially announced in January 2005 -- that it was closed permanently. Prior to that, they claimed it was being refurbished. I love Disney... I just think Animal Kingdom tarnishes the name. The limited # of rides that are at AK just aren't up to the quality of Disney's 3 sister parks.

Speaking of Dead Disney Parks: I found some recent photos of River Country. http://users.adelphia.net/~tburr/index.html I didn't realized that it has been closed for 4 years already. They've got bushes and algae growning out of the splash pools. I didn't realize just how bad it got. It looks like the janitors are using it as a junk yard. Sad too, it was one of the most charming attractions Disney had. Not like the newer dumbed-down attractions.

Well, I'm a Florida resident and visit the Disney Parks often. Animal Kingdom is indeed crowded on weekends... its also busy on weekdays in the Summer. But go on a weekday, the other 8 months on a year -- and you could hear a pin drop. The weaker Disney Parks don't draw crowds like you think. There is just too much competition in Orlando -- and the fact that AK absolutely sucks -(its the worst theme park in the southeast). So to me, the rumor is possible. Don't get me wrong -- The Magic Kingdom is #1 in the world and will probably always be that way. Epcot is absurdly strong, too. But several of Disney parks struggle. River Country is probably going to get bulldozed for goodness sake! See this link: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/river/river.htm ....Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon do alright -- but they don't draw 1.75 million like CG is projected. CG will soon have a 7 ride water park --so its definitely being molded as a competitor to these parks. As for CG versus Animal Kingdom. Cypress Gardens is ALREADY a better park. I dunno about attendance. CG is out in the middle of freakin' nowhere (Winter Haven). Animal Kingdom is close to the World's #1 theme park. Its a sad day when anyone pays $60 to get into AK. Again, I was just passing along a RUMOR.

No, I was going by the estimates for annual attendance. Cypress Gardens is now projected to hit annual attendance of 1.75 million visitors. That's nearly double what they projected for the first year (prior to re-opening). Of course, attendance could drop off, too. The novelty of CG might wear off on families. The thrill seekers who CG doesn't have much to offer might only go once and never come back. Wet & Wild beats that attendance figure -- but Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon only get about 1.2 million visitors.... Don't have figures on Animal Kingdom, couldn't find them. Although the few times I did go to AK, it was a ghost town (weekdays).

Cypress Gardens easily beats Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Cypress Gardens beating Aninal Kingdom in attendance is just a rumor -- and it comes from a few friends of mine who work at Cypress Gardens (so take it with a grain of salt). But in their defense, Animal Kingdom has performed very poorly since its opening. And if you go to Cypress Gardens on concert days -- the place is packed beyond belief..... So it might be true. I dunno. As for B&B, it was probably the nicest traditional amusement park I've ever seen (regarding landscaping/aesthetics). The real reason it was closed was that Busch wanted to eliminate competition to its park 50 miles to the west. But compared to B&B, Busch's park was a joke at the Time. Boardwalk and Baseball had the superior flume and roller coaster.

Busch is about an hour from Cypress Gardens. Just take I-4 to SR-570... Its really a quick and direct route. I just spotted the 5th coaster on RCDB.com that Cypress Gardens is building... I'm a little disappointed -- its just a wild mouse named Galaxy Spin. Well, at least the Starliner is a really awesome coaster (John Allen was a genius with woodies). The new animal pavilion and model train layout open next month. The Night Magic laser show in June. Splash Island in July. Pirate Show, Bird Aviary, Galaxy Spin Coaster are all due for Winter. So, Cypress Gardens seems like its adding new attractions faster than anyone else. The Starliner wooden coaster will probably be running early next year. Supposedly, Cypress Gardens is already beating several Disney Parks in attendance (namely Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon). If true, the park was never able to do that for any of CG's previous owners.

I do find it interesting.... Both Boardwalk & Baseball and Cypress Gardens were part of the defunct HBJ theme park trio (with Sea World). They both went out of business.... and they both had a wooden roller coaster as their main attraction -- that was named Hurricane. ...Quite a few things in common between these former sister parks. Its interesting, too. Because Boardwalk and Baseball was inspired by Coney Island.... and it seems vice versa. Coney Island recently built a minor league baseball stadium right next to the Boardwalk!

No argument there. I am a huge fan myself. Prior to the demolition of Boardwalk and Baseball's last existing structure (The Imax Theater).... I and a couple of members of the Florida Historical Foundation (a student organization) got permission from the new owners (Posner Park) to save what ever remaining pieces of the theme park. We are hoping to start a theme park museum one day. We got a lot of great old pieces -- including planks of wood from the boardwalk, several lighted marques, seats from theater, the giant film reel of the Imax movie (six feet wide), large aerial photos (4 foot long) and more.... We even found a birthday card addressed to the CEO of Boardwalk & Baseball, Dick Howard, with signatures of all the B&B employees. The building was a time capsule. We filmed hours of DV footage of the final days of what was left. When we got to the top floors of the imax building (which was also the HBJ theme parks corporate headquarters) -- we saved schematics of the park, artist renderings, internal memos and more.... We even found some Circus World (the previous version of the park) paperwork!!! It turns out that Busch lied about the reasons to why they closed it. We now have attendance logs of its operations -- and the park was profitable in both 1987 and 1988.... When it closed in 1990, Busch claimed the park was never profitable.... and we have balance sheets that prove otherwise! That Imax Building was a truly amazing building in itself. Built for Circus World -- it had trap doors and secret passages (mostly where the money vault for daily operations was kept)... The building held up well considering it had been vacant for 14 years. There were several areas that looked brand new inside and still smelled of fresh paint! .... and of course prominantly displayed throughout the Imax building were huge photos from HBJ's other parks, namely Cypress Gardens and Sea World.

Seriously, ArachnaAngel is way off base. The park isn't built for thrill seekers -- its a family park... If you want thrill rides in the Southeast, go to Six Flags of Georgia or Busch Gardens. As a family park -- its probably one of the best in Florida (only the Magic Kingdom matches it IMO). If you're a kid that's 12 or younger, its the ultimate park -- trust me. My younger cousins rant and rave about Cypress Gardens more than any Disney or Universal park down here in Florida. They are working on better rides for adults. But right now, obviously their selection is limited. The concerts and live entertainment are great (so adults still have something to do -- a fair amount of '80-90s groups appear there: again "family friendly"). Senior Citizens will always flock to the gardens... So overall -- there is something for everyone. Cypress Gardens is adding 2 more roller coasters this year. Both are big ones, too (not juniors like the existing coasters). First off, the Starliner -- probably the best wooden coaster in the Southeast is being relocated there (from the defunct Miracle Strip park). A second steel coaster built by Vekoma is also being added. Not sure which model -- but my guess is it will be identical to either the Boomerang or the Hangman that already operate in the sister park, Wild Adventures. A recent trip to the gift shop even reveals it -- you can already see the outline of the looping steel coaster on some of the Cypress Gardens T-shirts! So, by early next year -- Cypress Gardens will have SIX roller coasters (even if a few of them are tame). Not bad for a one year renovation -- that's more than any Disney or Universal Park (considering that CG had ZERO a year ago)..... and that's what matters down here in Florida. ...and I didn't even mention the seven rides they are adding to the new water park that is being built for the summer.