USRoadTripper Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I decided that, in the name of collecting up some stray credits in the southeast, I'd head into Alabama today. The main objective was to get the credits at Alabama Adventures, and hopefully the kiddie one in Huntsville. Since Joe was too busy filing papers to accompany me, my cousin Emily played the role of "Joe Substitute" today. Stop One...Southern Adventures! This is a family entertainment center located about three miles from the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. We got a bit turned around on the way in, but eventually found it. We had one of those "Is it closed, as in, for good?" moments that R&E talk about when we arrived! The place was deserted...only three people in sight, and those were employees! I paid my $3, and was led out to the otherwise abandonned rides area. I handed over the job of picture taking to Emily, and boarded. But as soon as the train hit the lift hill, the lap bar popped wide open! Thank heavens it wasn't too wild of a ride, else I may have been headline news at 10:00! Somehow Emily didn't manage to get any pictures of my first ride, so I had to go around again! When I told the guy that the lap bar popped open, his only response was "Well, you should probably sit in the second seat then." Once I had a few decent pictures, we went back inside and played a couple of games. I got enough tickets to get three rubber bracelets, which made me feel cool since all the hip youngsters are wearing them these days. When we were done, we got back in the car, ate our picnic lunch, then headed towards Birmingham. Thanks for filling up spot #191 in my count, Lil Renegade. But it's time to move on to bigger and better things. Whowoo! I survived! Here I go...up the lift in the second row of seats. I was praying that I was not gonna be ejected like a VHS tape! "Top news tonight at 10:00...a Nashville woman fell to her death today when she was ejected from a childrens amusement ride..." Oh, who am I kidding? This place looks completely abandonned! The inside of the FEC was reasonably nice. I guess that kids could find plenty of things to do here. Ok, first stop, Southern Adventures FEC. I believe that this coaster fits the Tommy and James standard of luxuriousness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollerholden Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 That's pretty scary your lap bar just opened like that. I agree, good thing it wasn't a bigger ride! Glad you're getting some smaller credits so X will for sure be your 200th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowfanman Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thanks for the TR Julie! You know I love them...the even the non-coaster related bits! Look forward to more! -Jahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USRoadTripper Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Part 2...Ave Maria Grotto! Ok, no coasters in this segment, but we did stop at a famous roadside attraction. The Ave Maria Grotto is this huge collection of miniature cathedrals, basillicas and other important buildings. It's in this sort of winding garden path, and has flowers, fountains, stained glass, and loads and loads of catholic symbolism. Since neither of us are catholic, I'm sure a lot of the importance was lost on us, but we found it very interesting nonetheless! This was some place I'd wanted to go since I visited the Crystal Shrine Grotto in Memphis (this grotto was a million times nicer, and much less creepy!!) At the end of the tour, we perused the gift shop, but didn't buy anything, then kept on moving. Thus concluded our visit to the Ave Maria Grotto. Hey, have you ever seen a black guy monk surfing the internet? Well, now you have! ...then proceed to cross the pathway between the two yellow lines, as is demonstrated here. Almost at the end, we encounted this chipmunk crossing. Here's how it works...chipmunks approach the area, notice the thoughtfully placed chipmunk ramp... The theming towards the end of the tour seemed to fizzle out a bit, as can be seen by the placement of this "Lizard Condo." I'd say we both enjoyed our visit very much! If you're in the Cullman, AL area, it's worth a look! I'm not sure what it has to do with Catholicism, but here's a shot of the mini-Alamo, just cuz I'm random like that. And another hillside. This section is all different kinds of buildings and churches in Europe. Here is one of the hillsides that is covered from top to bottom with these miniature buildings. It really is insane how much work went into this, and just how detailed everything is. Emily enjoyed the grotto also! Religious symbolism on top of religious symbolism. This was just about the only thing I recognised since I'm not catholic! Just inside my favorite monastery slash summer camp, you will find the Ave Maria Grotto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollerholden Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 That reminds me a lot of the Storybook ride at Disneyland! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USRoadTripper Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Part Three...Alabama Adventures! So I heard a lot of people say lots of not-so-nice things about this park before I visited there, so I pretty much went into it expecting a really ghetto dump. But honestly I was very surprised at how nice and pretty this park was! We arrived right at 4:00pm, and after a five minute wait while a man in front of us redeemed his 2005 season pass voucher for a 2006 season pass, we entered for the after 4:00pm price of $13. It had been raining and lightly storming for the last hour or so, so it was no surprise to find Rampage down temporarily when we arrived. An employee told us that they can't run it when some of its sensors are wet, but that it should reopen before park closing. In the meantime, we got the kiddie coaster credit (no kid required) then headed for the boomerang. Once again, I really braced for a horrible, head banging ride...but the ride was actually a lot more pleasant than it could have been! I got ear boxed once, which wasn't so bad, especially compared to all the other boomerangs I've ridden! What's up with Vekoma coasters recently?? I find an awesome SLC in Spain, I find a very rerideable boomerang in Alabama...I wish Vekoma wasn't so hit and miss. Some of their coasters are great, and some beat you within an inch of your life. *shrug* Definitely not complaining though! After the Boomerang, we got some cold drinks and sat down for a bit since the park felt like a steamy rice cooker. As we finished up, I noticed that Rampage was running again, so we quickly heded that way. We had no wait for any of the three rides we took (did I mention how empty the park was?) so we got back row, front row, back row rides. I REALLY enjoyed this woodie! It was surprisingly long, and surprisingly fun!! Not the most extreme airtime machine ever, but there was a decent amount of airtime, and tons of fast twists and turns. It was just rough enough to feel like it was manhandling you, but not so much that it felt like you were getting beaten up! We were both surprised at how good it was! While in line for our third Rampage ride, they made an announcement that the park was gonna close at 6:00 instead of 8:00 as was posted. That wasn't a terribly big deal since we didn't really wanna do much else anyway. After Rampage, I got in three solo rides on their shot tower before everything closed. On the way out, we both wanted a little souvenir, so we stopped in the gift shop. And lo and behold, I found the greatest souvenir ever! I thought that the axe murdering duck was it...oh no. I found a Manduck! It's a rubber duck...with a man's head!!! They were TWELVE DOLLARS each, so we each only got one, but they are so awesome!!! After we left, we stopped at a Whataburger just north of Birmingham for dinner, then drove straight back home to Nashville. -Julie Finally, we ended off the night like every red-blooded American should...we ate at a Whataburger! "They're so weird...but really awesome...but kinda distrubing...but the coolest thing ever..." Hands down, the best souvenir ever!!! It's a Manduck...it's a duck, but it looks like a man...and the best part is that they are holding their boobs! And it comes complete with lounge pool! One last shot of the entry plaza, with the jumping fountains. Right after I took this, and emlpoyee wlaked straight through the fountains! Mmmm...Rampage... Rampage's brakes are weird. The brake run is quite far from the station. Then after the brakes, there is this bobble in the track that makes you pick up a lot of speed, and finally you hit these "downhill brakes." It was kinda strange! Emily and her sandbag friends are excited to ride Rampage again. No caption needed. Everyone knows what the default caption for a photo of this nature would be. Now it's time for Zoomerang, the pleasant Boomerang. Cha-ching. Nuff said. I did find it a bit strange that the entrance to their rides area was covered in the same blue concrete that you'd use to create a zero-entry swimming pool area. The entrance to the theme park side. I found this park to be well kept, clean, friendly, colorful and cute. I also found the clientelle to be quite average for theme park goers, not the neandrethals some people made them out to be! Ok, time for the real reason for this road trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I must know more about Man Duck! Where did they originate from? What shop were they located in? Do they miss their friends? Are they related to poodle llama...oh, so many questions!!!! MUST. KNOW. MORE!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 AA goes one step further and paints their concrete. Take that CF! I can't seem to remember the blue concrete when we were there a couple years ago. Of course, then again, I've tried real hard to forget everything about that place too. Well, all except for Rampage. As always, nice report Julie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Nice TR. I have one of those ducks somewhere. I think it is the Santa Claus one. Anyway, here is more information for Robb: www.celebriducks.com My Personal Favorites are Jesus and Frankenfurter ... and lets not forget Soul Brother Number 1 ... or Mr T ... or Snopp Dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 "Can we visit the basement?" "There's no basement in the Alamo!" Rampage looks like a lot of fun. MANDUCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyfan1313 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Hey! I have that credit at Southern Adventures also.. The place was deserted when I was there as well and they got kinda freaked out with all the pictures I was taking.. Interesting..umm.. place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 They repainted Rampage's train again!?!?? Grrrr. Did you check out the waterpark at all? They actually put a decent amount of money in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeow Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Sweet! My home park! Even if it does kinda suck...The Rampage is great! Especially in the back! I love it! I hate the fact that they repainted Rampage's trains! I loved the "rainbow" type paint job. They also took down the awesome sign! Was the back seat of Rampage really messed up? It was the last time I went (in early July).They didn't have ManDucks last time I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USRoadTripper Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Just when I thought I'd already spent too much money on my rubber duck collection, Ted goes and posts a Dr. Frankenfurter duck!! Gah, they are so expensive, but you know I'll buy them any time I get the extra money!! Frankenfurter will obviously be the first. I think my duck is Jeff Burton?? I didn't really know any of them, so I picked the one that wasn't wearing sunglasses. And no, we didn't go into the water park. Since we only had a few hours, we just bought admission to the theme park side. Had we been spending a whole day, we'd have done the water park too. So maybe the question is...what makes people dislike this park so much? Really, I saw nothing to complain about! Did I just miss the bad stuff since it wasn't crowded? EDIT: ^ I didn't notice anything messed up about the back seat. I did notice that half the lap bars are orange and half are black, but other than that, nothing stood out. -Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 So maybe the question is...what makes people dislike this park so much? Really, I saw nothing to complain about! Did I just miss the bad stuff since it wasn't crowded? Could be the lack of crowds. Or it could be just a case of "different strokes." Remember, we're the ones that really liked Beech Bend! But you can see from our Photo TR in 2004 that the place was less than stellar: http://www.themeparkreview.com/dolly2004/vl1.htm We had the "dirty bathroom" experience and the "near death baby stroller crossing the Rampage Station" incident. Here are some of the other highlights from that trip: Elissa points out how the park carefully places the benches in the sun, while there is shade just 10 feet away! Not offering shade to their customers seems to be a theme at this park. Notice how all of us stand in the hot sun while the station is empty because they only fill enough rows for each train. And now begins our tour of the "Un-usable toilets in the women's bathroom..." No toilet paper, broken dispenser, clogged toilet...This one gets a score of 8.5! Oh, look...nothing in this toilet...but wait...no toilet paper and a broken dispenser! Score of 7.5! Did we mention that this place was *PACKED!!!* And to bring you all up to speed on the "baby crossing incident", since I realize that was probably posted on Westcoaster as our trip was before we had our forums, we basically witnessed the ride ops attempting to carry a baby stroller across the tracks....WITH THE BABY STILL IN IT...while the train was coming in the station. And the worst part was, they weren't being very careful. We watched the baby flop around inside the stroller nearly falling out, and they ride ops finally made it across with the train grazing the leg of one of the ops!!! Anyway, that was the "bad stuff." Maybe the park has improved since then, I dunno. But it's not a place I'm dying to get back to until they get something more than a used Boomerang (and Elissa's already got that credit anyway!) --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Another fine TPR by the RoadTripper! I have to admit, the manducks scare me....kind of like how clowns scare me..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgwfreak Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Awesome TR as always! I didn't know these still existed! We used to have one YEARS ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Julie, I think the thing that did it for me was just a complete lack of character. It's sort of like Wild Adventure's twin brother. Although we didn't experience any horrid bathrooms on our visit, the place just felt like a blah wasteland with one great coaster. I will say that, along with the aforementioned WA, at least the place was kept fairly clean. I can certainly appreciate that. But otherwise, I think going there gave me the feeling a lot of people have about Dorney these days......meh. One final, unfortunate but true thought. I think the general clientele has alot to do with our distaste for the place, much like a certain SF park in the "Garden State." There was more trash riding Rampage, than resting in the garbage cans if you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niiicolaaah Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Manduck is better than Geoduck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGuy06 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 They didn't re-paint the train. The "rainbow" style train is being re-furbed. They also replaced the seats in the blue train about 1- 1and a half months ago, but a couple of the new seats have tears in them. They also painted the pavement blue before this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I didn't know these still existed! We used to have one YEARS ago. Dude, yea, they are all over the gulf coast states, just not in Atlanta Nice mention of Rampage between the brakes and station, that s*** is crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatOne Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I didn't know these still existed! We used to have one YEARS ago. Dude, yea, they are all over the gulf coast states, just not in Atlanta They're all over AZ and New Mexico as well. I miss Whataburger...but I misss Sonic and In-N-Out more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdave Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Always good to see a PTR on Alabama Redneck Adventure. Glad someone had a great time at this podunct of a park. I have fond memories of handing the ride op the seat I was riding in when I stopped by in June. The park is just an accident waiting to happen, but the people seem to really love that waterpark when I was there. Have yet to see why people are so high on Rampage? The coaster is so blah. Could really use some TLC. Glad you had a great time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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