BigDipper 80 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Every year in late March, the I-X Indoor Amusement Park returns to Cleveland for a month of greasy fair food, terrifying rides, and even more terrifying carnies, for the, ahem, unique kind of country fair fun that is normally reserved for the summer months. It's become something of a northeastern Ohio tradition, and I decided to take a trek out to the I-X Center after having not visited for a number of years. It's great fun to enjoy fighting urge to vomit from the triple-threat of fair food, seizure-rific lights, and the maniacal devices vying to permanently throw your inner ear out of whack, all under one roof in the middle of March! It sure is a lovely day out. There's no better way to enjoy 70-plus degree weather than inside a windowless convention center that smells of grease and regurgitated stomach acid! The first thing one sees upon entering the I-X Center. The building is actually a World War II-era tank factory and sits on the grounds of Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Supposedly, the basement levels of the building are still sealed off and classified by the US military! You can't go to a carnival without riding a potato-sack slide. I must confess: until I went to the IX Indoor Amusement Park, I had never had the pleasure of riding most carnival staples. I was actually quite surprised with how good this one was! Just a standard portable drop tower. Nothing too special, but the lighting package was nice. I had never seen one of these before, but it was certainly one of the most impressive-looking letdowns of a ride. It was like a large-scale version of those self-operated Butterfly coasters in Germany. It's also not a true fair without some barnyard animals. "All of these flashing lights are causing my milk to curdle." Just a standard Yo-Yo. There was a tiger show. It was decent for a carnival sideshow, I guess. That white tiger in the front was named Vanna. Barry White here liked to pounce on wooden sticks with a chunk of raw meat on the end. Leena the Liger leaping through a loop of lights. Come on audience! Look more interested! This tiger is baring his teeth at... oh. You can't see his teeth from where you're sitting, can you? Carry on. Just looking pretty. RAWR! Hooray! A credit! "This is going to be more fun than Dragster H20!" Top Thrill Crazymouse Force XL-200. In the past, the park had a Galaxi coaster as well, but it was absent this year. Perhaps it's been gone for a while now? I have discovered a new least-favorite flat. My leg is still bruised from the metal bar that was jammed into my thigh because of the laterals. Seriously. Hurricane is awful. Still to come: Lots more rides and the park's centerpiece. Edited March 27, 2012 by BigDipper 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 How much of the I-X Center does the carnival take up? I remember when it first opened it used to take up the whole building but when I went a few years ago it was at least half the size and the ride selection not as great. Did they bring the KMG Freak Out again this year? That has been, IIRC, the main attraction the past several years. I look forward to seeing the rest of your photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 I'd say that slightly over half the building is being used this year. The ride selection has definitely gone down since my last visit, as I remember in addition to the aforementioned Galaxi there was also another Yo-Yo, a portable Disko, a log flume, an upcharge dark ride, as well as a lot more kiddie rides. I'm not sure if Bates (who owns all the rides) downsized themselves or it was getting too expensive to hold such a large event, but at any rate it's much smaller now. It used to be the best collection of carnival rides at one time anywhere in the state. And yes, the Freak Out was still there. I've got some photos I'll be putting up later. It was surprisingly quite good. The back end of the building was blocked off by curtains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitterOldHag Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I believe the ride duties are split between Bates and North American Midways. The Crazy Mouse is booked in through Amusements of America. The mid 90's were the best years for this event. In addition to the aforementioned Galaxi and Reverchon Log Flume, there was a Pinfari Looping Coaster, a Larson Crazy Train, the first ever Top Spin in North America, and the most evil ride ever created, the Tivoli Force 10 (known as the Black Out). Based on your TR, I may pass on this year's installment. Thanks for posting and I look forward to seeing the rest of your photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Yes, it was definitely a better carnival in the past. That's not to say that it still wasn't fun for a few hours, but it really has shrunk considerably. Do you have any knowledge as to why it's been downsized? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Let's move on to Part 2: The park's centerpiece, and perhaps the most famous attraction at the I-X Center, is the ferris wheel that rises through the roof of the convention center and affords views of planes taking off and landing at the airport a few hundred feet away as well as the Cleveland skyline in the distance. Another view. A look at the children's area from the wheel's load platform. There was quite a bit less kiddie rides than in years past. A small chunk of the thrill zone. You can barely make out the Pharaoh's Fury. The looping starship, which I seem to have not taken any photos of, was located just to the left of the frame. Some of the rides get perilously close to the ceiling, as evidenced by the Freak Out in the background. If you think that you could stomach an elephant ear after any of these rides, then look no further than the food midway. Now for a segment I like to call "fun with GIFs". I knew I'd find a use for all the photos I took when I accidentally set my camera to "high speed burst" mode! When animated, the lights on some of these rides actually look really cool. I have discovered that I'm not a fan of Hang Gliders. Looks like someone's having fun. It's probably best to lay off the absinthe and king cakes for a few days, ma'am. The Star Flyer also came perilously close to the ceiling. I witnessed more people vomit after riding the Tilt-a-Whirl than any other ride. I figured that perhaps it would be best to pass, seeing as I was queasy enough as it was. I'll leave you with what is probably my favorite photo of the bunch, if only because of how vivid it is. There's still more to come, so stay tuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks so much for posting these photos. Been hearing about this I-X "indoor park" for so long and never really got a sense of what it was like. Even if it is past its heyday, I think I'd go just for that Ferris wheel; neat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Wow, I never did know that the I-X Indoor Amusement Park exisited until I saw this Photo TR (another reason why this site was created). In one of your pictures that featured a U-shape track and a spinning apparatus and you never seen one of them before; well, I have and there is one other that is located in Nickelodeon Universe (which I think is called "The Avatar" - I just call it "Awesome"!), Mall of America, Minnesota. It's like a giant sized Disk-O! Who knows: I might have another reason to visit Cleveland besides The Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Err. . . what dates does this indoor fair usually run? " zzzz . . . zzzz . . . zzz . . ." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 This seems like something they should do in early February when the weather sucks outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitterOldHag Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 The fair usually runs somewhere around spring break for the local schools, so a good estimate is Easter. This year's fair runs through April 15. The G-Force ride pictured (the u track ride from ARM) does not have spinning seats. It simply pulls the cars to the top of he hill and drops it. The car rolls back and forth until it stops. It is really quite lame. YouTube has some videos of it if you do a search. And if I recall, the very first IX carnival was held in November. I guess the spring break time frame must bring in more visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks again for the photos. It looks pretty sparse in the kid's area. That used to be one of the largest sections of IXIAP. Out of curiosity does the Ferris Wheel have the no single rider's policy that many Ferris Wheels have adopted as of late? A little off topic but I think a permanent indoor park like Nick Universe at MoA would be a great idea for the Cleveland area. When the outdoor parks close the indoor park would open and run during the late fall/winter season. It would take good advantage of the Christmas holidays and give us something to do during the long off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 I had no idea this existed. It's a cool idea that I wouldn't mind seeing being set up in more cities in the North. Thanks for posting the pics! dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Thanks so much for posting these photos. Been hearing about this I-X "indoor park" for so long and never really got a sense of what it was like. Even if it is past its heyday, I think I'd go just for that Ferris wheel; neat! It's actually quite the speedy little Ferris wheel; perhaps my inner ear hadn't settled but I actually got a bit queasy! But the views from the top on a clear day are quite nice, what with the Cleveland skyline off in the distance and the airplanes taking off right next door. Out of curiosity does the Ferris Wheel have the no single rider's policy that many Ferris Wheels have adopted as of late? I don't remember personally seeing any single riders, but I don't believe that there were any signs posted stating that single riders weren't allowed. Thanks for the comments, everyone! I have one or two more batch of photos that I'll be uploading soon, so stick around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 One more batch of photos: A look down the Thrills midway. This scrambler was quite festively lit. Another look. Hurricane, torturing more innocent souls. The Crazy Mouse actually e-stopped! Trying to be artsy. Whee! It seems that these smaller Frisbees are a lot more intense than the larger ones. I was quite nauseated afterwords. Then again, I don't think there was a ride where I wasn't nauseated when I got off. A Fire Ball right next to a Thunder Bolt. Also on the Thrill midway, but not pictured: A pirate ship, an enterprise-style ride, and a looping starship. One more little GIF for good measure. (If it's not working, try clicking on it) I suppose it's time to leave now that I can no longer walk in a straight line. Goodbye, I-X Indoor Amusement Park! You may have been smaller than in years past, but for $11 bucks, you were a good way to spend a few hours during the much-too-long offseason. Thanks for taking a look, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 That Zipper looks gorgeous. Do they ever turn off the overhead interior lights? It seems like there would be enough illumination from the rides themselves and create some much needed ambiance from the sterile Wal Mart looking interior. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 It is quite a large building, so the rides may not be *quite* enough to light up everything, but it certainly would be a unique thing to experience. The lighting packages on some of the rides was fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 As a rider and amusement park flyer, I've seen lots of scrambler rides, plus some interesting names besides scrambler (such as Shazam! in St. Louis and the Runaway Ricksaw that once ran in Astroworld), but I never saw a scrambler ride like the one you pictured at the I-X Indoor Amusement Park and dubbed "The Twister" before. That thing looked intense and bright. Two types of attractions I didn't see in your photo trip were the dark rides ( nor even a walk-through attraction) and the bumper cars. I do know that there are portable bumper cars attraction, but I was thinking that there were also portable dark ride attractions, plus they could have set up a maze of some sort. Were those attractions there, but you didn't photographed them, or they just wasn't there. April 15 is the last day. Rats, I can't make it, but there's always next year ( and maybe visit the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for good measure)! "Somebody do a favor for me: knock him out and put him to bed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 ^ That's because it wasn't a Scrambler, it is an A.R.M. Twister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 ^ An A.R.M Twister? That thing? Well, it doesn't need to twist my arm to ride that! "Knock him out for me, please . . ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now