Airtime&Gravity Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 So a few weeks ago, I went to Michigan's Adventure, and while not a great park, it exceeded my expectations. Then again, I wasn't expecting much so that wasn't hard to do. First off, this park is literally in the middle of nowhere, and the one road leading to it was backed up for miles. The park would be filled to near capacity due to the heat and humidity, and because the schools in the area were starting the following week. Luckily, most of the crowds were in the water park, so most of the rides had a short wait. The only rides that had any sizable wait were Wolverine Wildcat and Corkscrew. Wildcat had a full queue, which took about 30-45 minutes with one train operation. When I got to the park, Corkscrew had a full queue, but I rode later when the line only went to the stairs leading into the station. Still, the wait was probably in the 30-45 minute range. Corkscrew is probably one of the slowest loading coasters that I've encountered. The rides them selves were pretty good, but I only rode the major coasters since the water rides had really long lines, I wasn't feeling like being a credit whore, and most of the flats were kiddie rides. This park only has a handful of non kiddie flat rides, and no thrill rides. I know this park lacks in attendance, but it could really use a drop tower or some other thrill ride. It could also use some family rides too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shivering Timbers: This is my new #1 coaster, and yes, it is even better than El Toro IMO. The first time it wasn't that great, but my rides later in the day were amazing. The air time was incredible, and the ride hauled @$$ the entire time. While it was rough, it was not bad at all. Wolverine Wildcat: Having ridden Predator and heard about all the other Dinn coasters, I was expecting to die on this coaster. I was surprised though as it was very smooth, and there was even some airtime. While it is no top 10 coaster, it certainly doesn't place near the bottom. Corkscrew - A basic Arrow corkscrew. It was a little rough, but nothing too bad. Get the credit and move on. Mad Mouse - I like Wild Mice, so I liked this. The banked track was interesting, and there was some airtime. This was a very smooth coaster though, and it is my second favorite mouse after Dark Knight. (I've only ridden 4 mice though) Thunderhawk - With memories of a painful 2008 ride T2 still in memory, I was expecting to get beat up on this coaster. While there was no headbanging, the train shakes/vibrates a lot, but since I didn't hit my head, I'm not complaining. The ride was fun, and while not as intense as the Batman clones, I like the layout and thrill factor of SLCs more. If only they weren't so rough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Service wise, the park was very clean, although with the amount of trash cans, it was to be expected. Operations, with the exception of Corkscrew were pretty good for the most part with the lines moving fairly quickly. One of my biggest complaints is on the food. There aren't many food options in the park, and unless you leave something in the car, you're stuck there. The only restaurants I saw were: Coasters, a pizza restaurant(seemed to only serve entire pizzas, snack stalls, and outdoor grills selling hot dogs and snacks. I think it cost be $10-$12 for a hot dog, bag of chips, and a drink. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pros for Mich. Adv: 1. Timbers 2. Price 3. Timbers 4. Operations (for most part) 5. Timbers 6. Cleanliness 5. Timbers Cons to Mich. Adv. 1. No shade 2. No thrill flat rides 3. limited food options 4. Food prices 5. Rednecks showing too much skin Bye Michigan's Adventure. It was a fun couple of hours, and hopefully I'll be back soon. Corkscrew Wildcat and Sea Dragon The log flume looked fun, but the queue was spilling into the midway Flying Trapeze Michigan's Adventure It's impossible to get a good photo of Mad Mouse The mini-golf course looked nice. Going up Wildcat's lift. At this point, all I could think of was, "Don't be like Predator" Falling Star Ferris Wheel Just like Kiddieland and Indiana Beach, Michigan's Adv has one of these dinghy slides. It was placed where it could be used by those in both the ride and water park. A Rapidsnerd approved ride that is not Dan friendly Kersplash Thunderhawk again Going up Going down Thunderhawk Thunderhawk Corkscrew Corkscrew Ok, fine, Wolverine Wildcat ended up being pretty good Wolverine Wildcat looks so innocent, but don't be deceived by its look. Few coasters are as rough as this one is. This is pretty much the only part of timbers you can take a photo of while inside the park, and the parking lot was too crowded to get one from there Yep, this is a Cedar Fair park I see concrete...lots of concrete Welcome to Michigan's Adventure
jslim39 Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 Nice TR, looks like a nice park, but I probably won't be going out of my way to get there anytime soon, but if I'm ever down there in the lower peninsula of Michigan I'll try to head there. Shivering Timbers looks like one to ride.
John Peck Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 Cedar Fair has given this park a complete 180. It looks fantastic.
Capitalize Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 I thought Timbers was good, but not nearly as good as El Toro, but to each their own.
Electerik Posted September 4, 2009 Posted September 4, 2009 Nice TR. Don't see too many from this park. Things I like about Michigan's Adventure: Shivering Timbers Arrow Mad Mouse Swinging Ship Um....
Reality15 Posted September 5, 2009 Posted September 5, 2009 ^ He also forgot the awesome Logger's Run crew. Operations up here this year are quite a bit better, as we're able to pick the best employees as compared to previous years. That being said, we still are expected to keep to minimum staffing levels, leaving long lines for rides like Corkscrew, Wolverine Wildcat, Swan Boats, etc. Still love my Logger's Run crew, however, and I think we're the best in the park this year (I know, I'm biased). Glad to see you enjoyed it, hope to see you back here in the future!
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