Theme and amusement parks' population is being diminished

[ginzo]

Okay, the 90's were considered by many to be the "Third Golden Age", at the the end of the other "Golden Ages", what happened? They ended, I think the turning point for parks in this Golden Age happened with 9-11. But amusement parks, like anything else go through cycles of good and bad. We are probably going to lose alot more parks. But it happens! Don't worry about what you cannot control. Most parks today will probably not be here in fifty years.

My predictions for park losses in the next fifty years:

 

"Hard to see the future is." -Yoda

 

No offense, but making predictions 50 years out borders on uselessness. In 50 years I'll be nearly 80 years old, and probably won't give a crap about Legoland closing. Or, maybe a giant meteor could hit the Earth, and kill us all within 50 years.

 

How about the next 10 years? What major parks will close in the next decade, and why?

[benzo41190]

No one wants to own parks anymore. To them it seems like a really risky business. And with all the lawsuits that are going on. Parks don't want to deal with it. Or in some cases the parks are just in bad areas. The parks doesn't get a new ride in a few years, people stop coming, then they build another ride to attract more people. Well it catches up to them when they stop building new rides and people stop coming. Because they built all these new rides so fast without worrying about quality and then they need all these employees. They don't get enough workers, then rides close, then the parks has a bad reputation for having bad operations. Then no one comes, then they have no choice but to sell the park.

 

That's why parks now days need more quality rides, instead of a crappy record breaker with no quality at all. Or instead of having 16 roller coasters with have of them closed. Have 7 really goods ones.

 

The only park that can really have a quality park with a bunch of rides is Cedar Point. Even though there woods suck, the rest of the park is great. That is the only cedar fair park that focus's on quality.

[coaster05]

Okay, the 90's were considered by many to be the "Third Golden Age", at the the end of the other "Golden Ages", what happened? They ended, I think the turning point for parks in this Golden Age happened with 9-11. But amusement parks, like anything else go through cycles of good and bad. We are probably going to lose alot more parks. But it happens! Don't worry about what you cannot control. Most parks today will probably not be here in fifty years.

My predictions for park losses in the next fifty years:

 

1.Knott's Berry Farm

2.Paramount's Great America

3.Six Flags Magic Mountain

4.Belmont Park

5. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

6.The Adventuredome

7.Six Flags America

8.Enchanted Village, Wild Waves

9. Conneaut Lake

10. Frontier City

11. Sesame Place

12.Lakeside

13.Six Flags Elitch Gardens

14.Lagoon

15.All of what is left of Coney Island

16.The Great Escape

17.Six Flags Darien Lake

18. Cypress Gardens

19.Joyland

20.Legoland California

Thats all I can think of for now, all of these parks have fatal flaws somewhere and while I will miss them, alot of them are ghetto and/or crappy. But so what they aren't closing tomarrow and you don't worry about what you cannot control.

 

This has got to be one of the most useless posts I have seen. Half of these make no sense and like it was said who cares about 50 years from now, heck maybe something will be invented to make parks obsolete. Again if we aren't talking about how to save them what is the point. I say in 100 years they will all be gone and it is a guarantee I'l be dead. In fifty years I'll be too old to ride and chances are you won't care about this hobby in 5.

[coasterdude5]

Yeah, wasn't Legoland voted one of the most family-friendly parks last year? That one really stuck out to me.

[Airtime&Gravity]

A lot of those stuck out since they control such a huge market in the area. Parks like Lagoon, Legoland, Knotts, Great Escape, and SFMM will not close. Even if say SFMM closed, then Knott's attendance would increase dramatically. The list made no sense, and a park isn't "crappy" just because it isn't a leader in attendance/cater to coaster enthusiasts.

[snuggles]

Hell, earth will probably be gone in 50 years

[Airtime&Gravity]

How about the next 10 years? What major parks will close in the next decade, and why?

 

Conneaut Lake-low attendence and large competition from nearby parks

Joyland-Wild West World will be so popular

Cypress Gardens-Well it is already bankrupt

 

It is sad to see small family run parks close, but they have a hard time competing with the large corporate parks.

[Xmeister]

Yeah, wasn't Legoland voted one of the most family-friendly parks last year? That one really stuck out to me.

 

Yes, but have you been there the past few years? The park never really attracts a crowd.

 

Main reasons those parks are on the list:

A.Certain parks are extremely landlocked.

B.A large number of those parks are facing increasing competiton.

C.Certain Parks are too narrow minded in their markets.

D.Certain cities are talking about using a parts of a park's land for venues such as a football stadium.

E. Finacial Difficulties

 

Just my thoughts. When we lose parks, we probably will gain a few parks as well.

[almightyfire]

i feel the reason is because we are now so technological that we want everything virtual. kids no longer go out and play. fun seems to be all done electronically now. going to an amusement park now requires us to get off of the couch, put the remote down and walk to the car and walk through the park.

[snuggles]

How about the next 10 years? What major parks will close in the next decade, and why?

 

Conneaut Lake-low attendence and large competition from nearby parks

Joyland-Wild West World will be so popular

Cypress Gardens-Well it is already bankrupt

Little-A-Merick-A-Small park between the Dells and SFGAM

 

It is sad to see small family run parks close, but they have a hard time competing with the large corporate parks.

 

Joyland is alive and well. With the coaster opening in febuary, their attendance will be insane! I can't tell you how many people turned back because the coaster was closed.

[the sound]

^^^ I agree. C'mon, Sesame Place isn't gonna close until the show stops, and that ain't about to happen anytime soon.

 

 

^no "Golden Age" would refer to a period in history when things are prosperous. The word "Depression" never refers to anything good.

 

They were not the same times in history.

 

The 20's were when tons of parks opened as ways to increrase the amount of people using public transportation. When the Depression hit and 25% or more of the country was unemployed, most of these parks closed down.

 

Did you even read what i said? I said that a lot of Parks closed down in the early 30's, during the depression.

[Airtime&Gravity]

Parks closed down because:

30s/40s-great depression

50s/60s/70s-T.V, emergence of the mega parks

90s/00s-corporate parks running small parks out

 

While some of the parks could close, I seriously doubt most of the ones on the list will close. If a park being landlocked will close, then SFGAM, CP, the parks in the dells, and many other parks will close.

[coaster05]

^During the depression. Was that the golden age?

 

Yep I read it and looking at this statement you are asking if the Depression was the golden age.

[Gnome]

WEll, all the parks that are going out of business I had no plans on visiting anyways. As far as I'm concerned, I would rather spend my money at a qaulity amusement/theme park so its no skin off my back.

[timetrial3141592]

You are right and infact my friend and I have been planing a theme park called Saphyria. The park will include 5 roller coasters including a B&M invert, a Maure Shone spinning coaster, a vekoma invertigo, a Euro fighter, and a custom family invert from vekoma. Flat rides include an S&S tower, dueling swining ships, a disko coaster, either a Zaperela giant discovery or a Huss giant frisbee, and a sally interactive dark ride. water rides include an intamin white water rapids ride w/ wirlpool and drop, an O.D. hopkins logflume, and the jewel of the park an intamin Chute the Chutes simmaler to pirates of the carabian only it will be housed in an artificial mountain and will have a 135 foot 87 degree drop. This ride will be themed to the dragon Saphyra from the book Eragon.

 

for more info visit our web site at www.saphyriapark.com

or email us a saphyriapark@gmail.com

 

I designed a forth of the rides in the park.

 

So you are responsible for that laugh, huh? You got on ARN&R and barely missed Site O' The Weak. And I noticed the Saphira similarity. Oh, by the way, I told this to Paolini. He said it was the stupidest thing he ever heard.

 

--Atrus, who has connections.

[Xtremecoaster]

^ Sorry man, it won't be. I could bet my entire life savings (Which isn't much, BTW) it won't be.

 

Sorry to be mean, but we all dream to build parks, but there is a point were you have to step back into reality with it.

The only thing you need is someone who can finansiate the project!

[Chris Benvenuto]

To the guy who said he's wanting to start his own park and build it, first try and start a REAL business. That's what Theme and Amusement parks techinally are, not some slap-happy "It's a Park and I can do anything!" option way of building.

 

I won't get into the permits and crap, but I do envision you know how hard the building and money rising process be. I'd like to see you start a business and see how it is, I did a mock-business for my Economics class this past year and IT WAS REALLY EFFING HARD!

 

Otherwise, if you can get past that: Good Luck and Happy Building!

[ginzo]

To the guy who said he's wanting to start his own park and build it, first try and start a REAL business. That's what Theme and Amusement parks techinally are, not some slap-happy "It's a Park and I can do anything!" option way of building.

 

I won't get into the permits and crap, but I do envision you know how hard the building and money rising process be. I'd like to see you start a business and see how it is, I did a mock-business for my Economics class this past year and IT WAS REALLY EFFING HARD!

 

Otherwise, if you can get past that: Good Luck and Happy Building!

 

The massive amount of capital required to open a park is going to lock any half-assed idiots out of the game. It's such a high risk venture, and so much money and organizational skills are required. Without large corporate backing and extremely well done feasibility studies (aka is there a market? will people actually come?) you're just nuts to open a park these days. Most of the smaller parks succeeding today have been around for a long time, and have built themselves up slowly.

[RollerC]

How about the next 10 years? What major parks will close in the next decade, and why?

 

Conneaut Lake-low attendence and large competition from nearby parks

Joyland-Wild West World will be so popular

Cypress Gardens-Well it is already bankrupt

 

It is sad to see small family run parks close, but they have a hard time competing with the large corporate parks.

That made me laugh.

[Airtime&Gravity]

^Hey, didn't Joyland close though, but looking back, Wild West World seemed like a success when I wrote that. Yeah, it makes me laugh reading that because Wild West World probably holds the record for the shortest time in business for a park.