NEWS: Baker Leisure Group considers "Orlando Thrill Park"

[jarmor]

I mean look at IOA. Back near dragons that wall is pretty darn high!

[robbalvey]

So it looks as though www.orlandothrillpark.com domain is on sale at GoDaddy for $70. Anyone who wants to buy the domain, go for it!

 

--Robb "Why do they not own the domain???" Alvey

[cfc]

^Because they're too distracted with trying to bring the Big Dipper to Freestyle Music Park?

Edited November 16, 2010 by cfc

[doom1001]

Maybe that won't be the name,I heard on another website that WWE is looking at Orlando as the site for a Wrestling Hall of Fame and that there could be a tie in with the "Orlando Thrill Park" so maybe the park might end up with a wrestling theme with rollercoasters named after wrestlers.I would be surprised if this is true but you never know,that 425 ft coaster could be themed to Andre the Giant?? Crazy but you never know!!

[the ghost]

So it looks as though http://www.orlandothrillpark.com domain is on sale at GoDaddy for $70. Anyone who wants to buy the domain, go for it!

 

--Robb "Why do they not own the domain???" Alvey

THATS AWESOME! The first image of the slide show literally has the url Orlandothrillpark.com in the image. Wow, someone screwed that up!

 

By the way I found the map, thanks Larry. Jesus, this place looks insane and hilarious unlikely! I wonder who they want to build the inverted accelerator? It would have to be an intamin impulse based on what type of rides there are currently. Wow... like I said...this wont happen.

[redmenace8]

Height, Width does it really matter? To be honest, though, I like the idea of a 625' tall wall. They could win over the neighbors with the ultimate soundwall/hurricane barrier. What Florida retiree would say no to that? Until it blows over...

 

It sounds about as reasonable as the extremely ambitious plan, (to say the least) they put forward. Let's see the money and organization. I would think something so expensive would want to be presented in the best light possible from the beginning. What's a few thousand up front, when you are talking about hundreds of millions down the road.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/11/14/1809723/freestyle-rides-to-stay-put.html

 

The former president of Freestyle Music Park says he will not be using any of the rides from the closed attraction in a new amusement park he’s planning in Orlando.

 

Steven Baker resigned as president, along with most of the Freestyle board of directors, after creditors foreclosed on the park in August. The Orlando Sentinel reported in October that Baker Leisure Group, of which Baker is president and chief executive, was involved in a new project referred to as “Orlando Thrill Park.” Baker told The Sun News in a Nov. 4 interview that he is involved personally in the Orlando project, although his company is not.

 

Bloggers immediately began to speculate that the Orlando park might use some of Freestyle’s rides. Baker said that’s not the case. The thrill park has already made a master plan and Freestyle rides are not a part of it, he said.

 

The mortgage holder for Freestyle Music Park has foreclosed on the park's property, leading one industry consultant to proclaim that it is "time to bury" the shuttered, financially troubled attraction.

 

The foreclosure indicates that key Russian investors, who also hold the mortgage and have supported the park since it was bought out of bankruptcy in 2009, have withdrawn their support for Freestyle, which never opened for the 2010 season.

 

The foreclosure suit will go to the front of the line of creditors to be paid by the park, making it unlikely that others who are owed - including a girl injured at the park, sign makers and other suppliers - will ever be paid, lawyers and industry experts said. With a weak real estate market, even paying off the original mortgage may be a struggle if the land is eventually sold at a foreclosure auction.

 

The Horry County Council on Tuesday considered several ordinances that would open up parts of the county to new business prospects, giving the nod to some projects and turning down others.

 

The council approved a zoning change that will allow "carnivals" to take up temporary residence in areas with commercial highway zoning that meet specific requirements. The council also gave a nod to mobile food vendors who now will be allowed in commercially zoned areas.

 

A proposal to bring a new helicopter tour company to the area near Freestyle Music Park did not pass through council Tuesday.

 

The Pavilion may be closed and the former Freestyle Music Park not in operation, but don't go calling B.B. King to sing the blues on behalf of the Myrtle Beach amusement scene. The thrill is not gone when it comes to finding fun and exciting ways to get your adrenaline pumping.

 

In an effort to separate the simply exciting choices from those bound to make grown men scream like little girls, Kicks! sent its creative director, Chris Mowder, out to test six rides and his intestinal fortitude. Here's what he had to say:

 

The majority of Freestyle Music Park's board of directors have stepped down in the wake of a foreclosure suit against the park, former president Steve Baker said in an interview Tuesday.

 

A single member, appointed by the park's Russian investors, stayed on the board and continues to try to sell the park, said Baker, who also resigned. All other members of FPI MB Entertainment LLC, the park's owner, resigned after the park's mortgage holder, FPI US LLC, filed a foreclosure suit on Aug. 5, he said. Baker said he could not confirm the identity of the remaining board member with FPI MB Entertainment.

 

Coming soon to a bookstore near you: multi-million dollar intrigue, shadowy Russians and devious fraud that are all part of... Freestyle Music Park?

 

The fictional "Grand Strand," released Oct. 26, is based on former Freestyle employee Reid Barwick's work at the park in 2009, but quickly departs from reality when a dead body washes up in Carolina Beach. The book, released for online purchase only, could not be bought and shipped in time for this column, but Barwick previewed the thriller in an interview with The Sun News last week. Barwick said he is working with his publisher to get the book into stores.

 

“None of the rides at Freestyle park are in our plan that we submitted, none of them. Nothing from Freestyle is part of this,” Baker said.

 

Coasters at the park include water ride Soak’d and mine train ride Iron Horse. The largest coaster is The Time Machine, formerly a Led Zeppelin-themed ride under Freestyle’s predecessor, Hard Rock Park. One other coaster called Round About remains subject to a lawsuit by automaker BMW, which says the cars on the ride too closely resemble the BMW Mini and seeks an injunction to prevent future use.

 

“They blog, and they talk with absolutely no information at all. They make it up.”

 

The park is in foreclosure, making it impossible to go in and take the rides, Baker said. The thrill park in Orlando is in early planning stages, Baker said. That park is planned for the southwestern Orlando area near Universal Studios Florida and would require zoning changes to the area.

 

The foreclosure suit against Freestyle is slowly making its way through Horry County courts. The mortgage holder, FPI US LLC, named 22 of the park’s other creditors as co-defendants and all must be notified and given time to respond. before the suit proceeds.

 

The longer the rides sit, the more they will be damaged by salt and weather, Dennis Speigel, an industry consultant not affiliated with Freestyle, said in an August interview. Speigel appraised the rides for Hard Rock Park in 2008 when the attraction first encountered financial difficulty. He valued the rides at $25 to $30 million at the time, but that figure continues to decreaseas they are worn by exposure, he said.

 

The Baker Leisure Group, founded in 1988, had done projects in North and South America, Europe and Asia, including work with big names such as Coca-Cola and FIFA, organizer of the World Cup, prior to its work with Freestyle.

 

Baker says he is no longer involved in any of Freestyle’s operations. His company has no plans to do work in Myrtle Beach, he said. but would welcome future opportunities in the area.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

That article is all over the place! And there is even a book being released too? I feel like this is almost to the craziness of a day time soap opera (and just as addicting, lol)

 

Here is a link to the book if anyone wishes to buy it... Grand Strand - Reid J. Barwick

[BeemerBoy]

Product Description

Regional media conglomerate Kaitlyn Tufts and her managing editor, Jack O'Banyon, have set out to discover the real story behind Rocktime Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Originally built for $400 million, the park went bankrupt only four months after it opened. And then it was purchased four months later for $25 million and renamed Good Times Park. Kaitlyn believes something strange is going on. New park owner Melvin Rollin has been an amusement park junkie all his life. He was employed at the amusement park under its original ownership...when Rocktime Night Club impresario "Real Bobby Steele" was in charge. So when the bank comes looking for a new owner, Melvin knows he's the right fit. But Melvin Rollin has no idea of the park's sketchy history. Soon, Kaitlyn and Jack will discover the story behind the once bankrupt amusement park; but will Jack be able to protect Kaitlyn from the danger she has stirred up? About the Author: Reid Barwick resides in Nashville, Tennessee where he works in the hotel business. Publisher's Web site: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/GrandStrand.html

Bless their hearts. I think they left out the part where the meddling kids investigate things along with their crime-solving dog.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^Haha, thats great I half want to read it!

[beatle11]

^^Ha! I'm definitely gonna have to put in an order to Amazon for that!

[dragonskeep]

Here is an interview with Chuck Bell about the proposed park. Sounds cool for sure.

 

http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/874298113

[BeemerBoy]

^ Suggestions from the listeners? Sure, how bout

?

[dragonskeep]

^ That is great I don't see why they wouldn't consider something like that.

[KCForce]

^^OMG that was so bad it was hysterical....

[The_Mad_Hatter]

"No theming... Just THRILLS!"

 

Sounds like these guys should be designing RCT3 parks instead.

[ernierocker]

"No theming... Just THRILLS!"

 

Sounds like these guys should be designing RCT3 parks instead.

 

Actually, this sounds more like Six Flags' attitude in the 90's.

[dragonskeep]

There are many good arguments for this failing but I am not getting the argument that there has to be themeing. What I have seen from the plans is a lot of water and some landscaping, in my opinion thats perfectly conceived. It is exactly what I would do if it was my money. By arguing there has to be themeing you are saying they should try to compete with the big guys already here, that is a recipe for guaranteed failure considering their respective budgets. I would have the most awesome light package I could afford and stay open as late as possible on as many days as possible...and have killer signage and great names for the rides.

 

I would have loved to hear from Chuck Bell that more of the money had been raised. Not a surprise however it is pretty early. Personally I see the money as the only real hurdle. Anyone have a guess at what the land will cost? I would hide Baker himself for a while, somebody else has to be the face of this thing. Chuck Bell I think would be better, he reminds me of Pat Williams a little when he was trying to bring the Magic here. I don't see any way they could come out of the box with as many big time rides as they are talking about but it has to be a great line up from day 1.

[dragonskeep]

A Screamscape reader noticed the layout at the lower left of the plans is an exact match for Europa's Blue Fire. I know you guys are skeptical but damn this would be sooooo cool.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

Posted on December 1st from the L.A. Times Funland Blog: Link

With 14 rides, including eight roller coasters, the proposed Orlando Thrill Park hopes to cater to enthusiasts underserved by Florida's theme parks.

 

Scheduled to open in summer 2013, the proposed amusement park would include rides from several manufacturers, including Intamin, Vekoma, Chance Morgan, Mack, S&S Power, U.S. ThrillRides and Mondial, according to Chuck Bell, spokesman for the Orlando Thrill Park.

 

Plans for the 77-acre park call for an assortment of towering thrill rides and every variety of roller coaster -- including hydraulic launched, inverted, flying, motorbike and 4th dimension coasters -- with room set aside for future development. View a photo gallery of the 14 rides proposed for Orlando Thrill Park.

 

Located on International Drive across the I-4 corridor from Universal Studios Florida, Orlando Thrill Park would be a 5-mile drive from SeaWorld Orlando and about 10 miles from Walt Disney World.

 

Developers hope to secure financing in the coming months and submit plans for city approval by summer 2011, Bell said. Neighbors have raised concerns about noise and traffic.

 

During a pair of interviews, Bell stressed that the preliminary plans were subject to change and that the detailed park layout and proposed ride mix would continue to evolve with the project.

 

Bell pointed to two parks as inspiration for Orlando Thrill Park: Cedar Point in Ohio and Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, which have been dueling for a decade over the title of "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."

 

But with half as many coasters as Cedar Point and Magic Mountain, OTP's ride inventory would likely look a lot like Knott's Berry Farm in California -- without the Wild West theme, Bell acknowledged. Indeed, eight of the 14 rides envisioned for Orlando Thrill Park can be found at Cedar Point, Magic Mountain and/or Knott's.

 

Orlando Thrill Park hopes to fill a void created by the absence of any Six Flags or Cedar Fair amusement parks in Florida. Indeed, the Orlando-area parks -- Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens -- are dominated by theme rather than thrills.

 

"We're not trying to out-Disney Disney," Bell said. "We know we can't do that."

 

The hope, he said, would be to steal a day from tourists on weeklong vacations to Orlando and draw locals from throughout Florida. Bell anticipates Orlando Thrill Park could attract 2 million annual visitors out of the roughly 50 million (nearly 47 million last year, says the local tourist bureau) who come to the Orlando area every year. The project includes plans for a 3,300-space multi-story parking structure.

 

Florida certainly has its share of top-notch coasters: the SheiKra floorless dive machine at Busch Gardens Tampa, the Manta flying coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, the Incredible Hulk launched coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

 

But only one central Florida park would compete with Orlando Thrill Park's eight proposed coasters: Busch Gardens Tampa, which also claims eight. SeaWorld has only four coasters. and Universal boasts only seven coasters between its two parks. And it’s the same for Disney, which counts a mere seven coasters among its four parks. (All counts are according to Roller Coaster Database)

 

Orlando Thrill Park would have no themed environments, no costumed characters, no dark rides and few if any shows, Bell said. Instead, it would be all about the biggest, tallest, fastest, longest, steepest and greatest thrills.

 

No price tag has been pinned to the new park, but by my estimate the ride inventory alone would top $100 million. Bell said he hopes OTP would serve as a proving ground for the latest and greatest from the amusement industry, showcasing one-of-a-kind, prototype, record-breaking, envelope-pushing, adrenaline-based extreme rides.

 

"To us they're just giant Tinkertoys," Bell said. "After a while, we'll just sell the old rides and add new prototypes."

 

And here are the pictures showing some of the rides:

Link to Photos

 

Plans for the Orlando Thrill Park envision 14 rides built by major manufacturers in the amusement industry. But developers are quick to stress that the detailed preliminary master plan will continue to evolve and change in advance of the scheduled summer 2013 opening. A look at the proposed rides, which we rank from least to most anticipated:

 

Mondial Splash Over

(Knott's Berry Farm)

14. The 48-foot-tall Mondial Splash Over blends the thrill of a head-over-heels spinning gondola with the soaked-to-the-skin jolt of a water ride. Plans for the Orlando Thrill Park place the flat ride on an elbow of land overlooking a central lagoon. Knott's Berry Farm features the similar $3-million Rip Tide (built by a rival manufacturer).

 

U.S. ThrillRides SkyQuest

(U.S. Thrill Rides)

13. SkyQuest riders fly like hang gliders in a harness while suspended from a ski lift-style moving cable. The $2-million concept by US ThrillRides will be unveiled for the first time in 2012 at the Indianapolis Zoo. The 120-foot-tall Orlando Thrill Park version would travel a circuit around the 77-acre park.

 

S&S Power drop tower

(Knott's Berry Farm)

12. Orlando Thrill Park plans call for a 312-foot-tall S&S Power drop tower, identical in height to Supreme Scream at Knott's. The pneumatically powered freefall ride rockets riders at 40 mph, generating 4 Gs as well as three seconds of zero gravity. The $10-million Power Tower at Cedar Point includes both space shot and turbo drop towers.

 

Mondial Revolution

(Mondial)

11. The 115-foot-tall Mondial Revolution features 40 outward-facing seats on a spinning disk attached to the end of a giant swinging arm. The $7.5-million flat ride planned for the Orlando Thrill Park can be found at a number of U.S. parks, including maXair at Cedar Point (built by a rival manufacturer).

 

Intamin Mega-Splash

(Knott's Berry Farm)

10. Intamin's 125-foot-tall Mega-Splash shoot-the-chutes water ride sends riders down a 78-degree drop that generates a tsunami-size splash. The Orlando Thrill Park version of the ride would be identical to the $9-million Perilous Plunge at Knott's Berry Farm. Cedar Point features a similar shoot-the-chutes ride (Snake River Falls) built by another manufacturer.

 

Chance Morgan Unicoaster

(Chance Morgan)

9. Chance Morgan's Unicoaster simulates a looping roller-coaster experience over an undulating Himalayan-style track. Sitting two abreast in roller coaster-style seats, riders control the forward and backward direction of a spinning car as it rotates around a circular course. Belmont Park in San Diego plans to unveil a $2.5-million Unicoaster before the end of 2010. Hopefully, the Orlando Thrill Park version of the flat ride would do away with the nauseating beach-ball theme.

 

Vekoma motorbike launch coaster

(Vekoma)

8. Orlando Thrill Park would be the first home of a Vekoma motorbike launch coaster in the U.S. Themed to look like motorcycles, personal watercrafts or horses, the hydraulic cable-launched coaster reaches 50 mph within three seconds. Rival manufacturer Zamperla built the similarly styled $3.4-million Pony Express moto-coaster at Knott's Berry Farm.

 

Mack launch coaster

(Mack)

7. Mack's launch coaster remains essentially a prototype, with the only version of the ride found at the company-owned Europa-Park in Germany, which serves as a proving ground for the manufacturer's newest rides. The 160-foot-tall version of the coaster at Orlando Thrill Park would be significantly taller than Europa-Park's Blue Fire, which features heart rate monitors and video screens for each rider. With a 60 mph launch and four inversions, the lap bar-only Blue Fire is unique for its lack of over-the-shoulder restraints.

 

Vekoma suspended looping coaster

(Vekoma)

6. Vekoma's 109-foot-tall suspended looping coaster features five inversions -- including a roll-over, sidewinder and a double-inline twist -- over 2,200 feet of track. The $10-million inverted coaster proposed for the Orlando Thrill Park can be found at Georgia's Wild Adventure (Hangman) and California's Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Kong).

 

Vekoma Stingray flying coaster

(Vekoma)

5. Vekoma's Stingray flying coaster remains a mystery to most enthusiasts, with the only known version at the Giant Wheel Park in China. The Orlando Thrill Park version of the 104-foot-tall vertical lift coaster would feature horseshoe and Immelmann inversions and a stinger curve over 1,200 feet of track.

 

Vekoma/Chance Morgan Dive Pretzel coaster

(Orlando Thrill Park)

4. The prototype Dive Pretzel coaster, built in conjunction by Vekoma and Chance Morgan, proves the most visually intriguing of the rides proposed for the Orlando Thrill Park. Riders would climb to the top of a 148-foot-tall vertical lift before diving into a series of tight giant loops that make the 2,000-foot-long track look like a tangled ball of steel.

 

Intamin ZacSpin coaster

(Six Flags)

3. The Intamin ZacSpin vertical coaster features fourth-dimension suspended trains that rock back and forth on the straightaways and rotate head over heels as the cars plunge over freefall drops. At 82 feet tall with a 465-foot-long track, the compact Orlando Thrill Park version of the ride would be smaller than the $7-million Green Lantern ZacSpin coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2011.

 

Intamin inverted accelerator coaster

(Knott's Berry Farm)

2. An inverted version of Intamin's accelerator coaster has enthusiasts salivating. The $25 million hydraulically launched coaster reaches 120 mph as it rockets up a towering top hat element – making it one of the fastest coasters in the world. At 425 feet tall, the Orlando Thrill Park version would be taller than its siblings at Cedar Point (Top Thrill Dragster) and Knott's Berry Farm (Xcelerator).

 

S&S Power fourth-dimension coaster

(Six Flags)

1. A 200-foot-tall S&S Power fourth-dimension coaster similar to X2 at Magic Mountain would be the marquee ride at any park, including the Orlando Thrill Park. The $30-million prototype coaster features seats that rotate 360 degrees forward and backward at speeds topping 75 mph.

[Ace Of Spades]

This sounds like every RCT player's dream come to life. How the hell are they planning to pay for all of these coasters at once?

[A.J.]

This sounds like every RCT player's dream come to life. How the hell are they planning to pay for all of these coasters at once?

 

It's probably because they have so much money, but Chimelong Paradise built five coasters and a bunch of flats at once when they opened. Eight coasters does seem a bit farfetched though.

[Midgetman82]

I think I'm going to faint... This IS an RCT player's dream come true. I don't think I've ever seen such a large variety of great rides come to one park before. I would love to see how this goes, if it does go well than it could possibly be one of the best amusement parks in Orlando, because so far it looks the most thrilling!

 

It seems they just hand picked the best choices of rides, That's a very gutsy move in my opinion.

[Ace Of Spades]

^^Well it's not that it's just eight ostensible normal coasters though. They picked some of the absolute largest, most expensive and temperamental coasters in the business (including Intamin's Stratacoaster and S&S Power's 4D, two of the most expensive coaster types in the world if I remember correctly). That's why I see the purchase of all of them as an obvious problem.

[Airtime&Gravity]

It's probably because they have so much money, but Chimelong Paradise built five coasters and a bunch of flats at once when they opened. Eight coasters does seem a bit farfetched though.

 

Yeah, but Chimelong was a success. Baker Leisure Group's parks haven't. Well, they've been a success at showing how not to run a park, but I don't think that is what they wanted.

 

In all seriousness though, this park has zero chance of succeeding. The fact that it'll just be thrill rides, the high cost of the intended rides, the saturated market, and because of whose behind it are more than enough reasons to see this park being a failure if it gets built. I doubt it will get built though, as it seems like only slightly more effort than the Save the Big Dipper campaign has been put in. People seem to expect a certain level of quality at Orlando parks, and this park just seems to lack any.