Michigan's Adventure (MiA) Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Oh that's a fun promotion. Get fun all winter long, then get a pass which you'll use once but lets you upgrade to a Platinum so you can go to Cedar Point instead.

[Parker821]

2019 operating hours are on the website.

[VF15]

I'm planning on visiting Michigan's Adventure for a day at some point this year, likely in late July or early August. What's the best order to hit the coasters in the park (I assume Mad Mouse first due to low capacity), and are there any other tips for a first time visitor? Also, are there any hotels nearby in Muskegon that are relatively cheap but not terrible?

[Canobie Coaster]

Even though it has the best capacity of any coaster in the park, I recommend going to Shivering Timbers first. I know the odds of it breaking down are slim, but when a ride is that much better than everything else in the park, I'd say to do it first.

 

In terms of lines, the worst coaster was Wolverine Wildcat for me. It ran one train and had bad dispatches. Plus it was actually a fun ride for me.

 

Corkscrew also runs just one train and can build up a line.

[coasterbill]

are there any other tips for a first time visitor?

 

Leave early and do this.

 

Honestly I like this park. I don't mean that as a dig, but unless you're doing the waterpark it's not really a full day park. The dunes in Mears are amazing. Honestly, the Michigan western shore is one of the coolest places in America that nobody talks about.

Edited April 29, 2019 by coasterbill

[grsupercity]

Also make sure to stop in downtown Grand Rapids. They have an amazing craft beer scene

 

As for the park. Unless you go on a Saturday the dry side shouldn't have crazy lines. Wildcat and Mad Mouse are the ones that really ever build up a crazy wait. Thunderhawk seemed to have some issues early in the season and kept having to go down to one train last year. If you are into waterparks they have a massive one. 3 wave pools, 2 kids areas, lazy river and lots of body, tube and family raft slides.

 

We plan on going opening weekend and will report any noticeable changes we spot and then give my usually yearly prediction for the next off season that is always wrong lol

[VF15]

Thanks for the input, I’ll be sure to hit Corkscrew and Wolverine Wildcat early on but my gut still says to hit Mad Mouse first (since I’d rather not wait more than 5-10 minutes for a Wild Mouse). I plan on going on a weekday so I’ll definitely consider the suggestion of spending half a day at the park and then visiting another local attraction.

[Coasterguy21]

Also make sure to stop in downtown Grand Rapids. They have an amazing craft beer scene

 

As for the park. Unless you go on a Saturday the dry side shouldn't have crazy lines. Wildcat and Mad Mouse are the ones that really ever build up a crazy wait. Thunderhawk seemed to have some issues early in the season and kept having to go down to one train last year. If you are into waterparks they have a massive one. 3 wave pools, 2 kids areas, lazy river and lots of body, tube and family raft slides.

 

We plan on going opening weekend and will report any noticeable changes we spot and then give my usually yearly prediction for the next off season that is always wrong lol

 

I can't stress the first sentence enough. Depending on which way you plan to drive, the Beer Scene between Kalamazoo & Grand Rapids is just astounding. If you like beer, then stopping at one or two of these is recommended (in Downtown Kalamazoo, Bell's is the place to visit but then visit the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange which has been voted one of the best bars. Beer prices there reflect actual buying trends, so its just like the stock market. Founders is a must visit in Grand Rapids as well, the atmosphere is great and they have terrific beer)

 

I'm with Bill on the Dunes as well. Visiting anywhere along the Lakeshore is a plus. Michigan's Adventure isn't too far from Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon.

 

As for the park itself, the waterpark is fun. If you only plan on doing the ride side, then its a half day (just like everyone else said). The longest lines you'll see will be at Wolverine Wildcat and Corkscrew probably (one train operation on each). Shivering Timbers may have a line, but you'll still be able to get a few laps in on it (same with Thunderhawk, which is a smoother SLC than many out there). Mad Mouse is hit or miss with lines sometimes. Big Dipper and Zach's Zoomer, the two smaller coasters, would be the last two to hit to finish the coaster lineup (both run one train but usually wait times aren't too terrible for them. Zach's Zoomer is actually a pretty fun junior woodie).

 

In respects to flats, a lot of them are just your standard carnival type flats. Falling Star used to be my favorite flat there until the Gliders opened (and Falling Star has since been removed). Once you finish your coaster laps, maybe just a few of the flats would be appealing to you. If you want to do RipCord, you have that option. If you are interested in the water rides then you have Grand Rapids, Adventure Falls & Loggers Run. HydroBlaster is a fun waterslide type raft ride that's in the dry park and you don't really get too wet on it. But, at that point, you might as well hit the waterpark (which could get really busy).

 

If you stick with the rides, then yes, half-day and move on to the Dunes or something beach related.

[grsupercity]

The park is like 7 minutes east of duck lake channel which is a really nice beach on lake Michigan. Its so close not to visit

[Parker821]

are there any other tips for a first time visitor?

 

Leave early and do this.

 

Honestly I like this park. I don't mean that as a dig, but unless you'rwe doing the waterpark it's not really a full day park. The dunes in Mears are amazing. Honestly, the Michigan western shore is one of the coolest places in America that nobody talks about.

 

I would even say do the dune rides or a local attraction in the morning then go to the park in the afternoon. The lines are the longest in the morning when the water park is not open. Once the water park opens lines for rides decrease. When the water park closes the lines get longer for an hour or so but after 8PM most families have left.

[DirkFunk]

I'm planning on visiting Michigan's Adventure for a day at some point this year, likely in late July or early August. What's the best order to hit the coasters in the park (I assume Mad Mouse first due to low capacity), and are there any other tips for a first time visitor? Also, are there any hotels nearby in Muskegon that are relatively cheap but not terrible?

 

Mad Mouse is indeed the first thing to do, followed by Wolverine Wildcat. I'd just knock out Timbers after them, then move to doing the other two adult coasters (Corkscrew and Timberhawk) before heading back to the junior rides.

 

Ultimately, it's a rush to do everything that isn't Shivering Timbers so that you can reride Shivering Timbers. The rest of the park is crap.

 

Anything "cheap" there is going to be garbage because it's peak season on the Lake Michigan Shore. You can go do luge at Muskegon State Park 10 minutes away, hit the beach, do the dune rides, go have amazing beer, et al instead of spending time at Michigan's Adventure, the most soulless amusement park in North America. But I don't control your decision making.

[SharkTums]

You can go do luge at Muskegon State Park 10 minutes away, hit the beach, do the dune rides, go have amazing beer, et al instead of spending time at Michigan's Adventure, the most soulless amusement park in North America. But I don't control your decision making.

 

LOL!

 

It's pretty bad when even Dorney is looking down on your park like "Damn, that's a lot of concrete!"

[Parker821]

You can go do luge at Muskegon State Park 10 minutes away, hit the beach, do the dune rides, go have amazing beer, et al instead of spending time at Michigan's Adventure, the most soulless amusement park in North America. But I don't control your decision making.

 

LOL!

 

It's pretty bad when even Dorney is looking down on your park like "Damn, that's a lot of concrete!"

 

 

Lol you guys gotta remember this is a park focusing on kids and families. Not huge thrill junkies like us.

[SharkTums]

^I don't think it's the rides we're saying need help (although they certainly do too). It's the overall vibe, theme, and feel of the place. Kids and families deserve more than rides plopped down on concrete pads.

[coasterbill]

Lol you guys gotta remember this is a park focusing on kids and families. Not huge thrill junkies like us.

 

Exactly. While thrill junkies generally enjoy cobblestone and tasteful decorative pavers, kids and families are always seeking out concrete. Concrete is all the rage right now.

[Canobie Coaster]

Kids also probably enjoy getting a new ride here and there as well.

[DirkFunk]

Lol you guys gotta remember this is a park focusing on kids and families. Not huge thrill junkies like us.

 

No, it sucks because it sucks. As a kids park it blows because it's poorly staffed and they have like, what, three rides that adults and children under 48" can ride together (two of which are coasters)? As a thrill park it sucks because the coaster are, with the notable exception of one, garbage. As a water park, what have they gotten new in the last 7-8 years, some used kiddie slides from Geauga? The food sucks. The buildings are all cinder block construction with (maybe) some paint on them as decoration. The food sucks. The arcade games are perpetually broken. I can't tell you the shows suck because there aren't any. There's not even a stage to do one with. The food SUCKS. There's no lights so the park can never run at night. It took 20 years for the trees to grow back after they were all knocked down in a tornado, during which time they never bothered to open any indoor venues or put up any shade structures.

 

My wife will not go to Michigan's Adventure. She has traversed the world, seen the good and the bad and everything in between, and she will not even bother to go in spite of it being a) the closest park to us b) literally free to enter and park. She will deny that it is her home park to anyone that asks. The number of major parks I wouldn't trade Michigan's Adventure for can be counted on one hand. Darien Lake? Absolutely, you can have Timbers. Six Flags America? In a heart beat! Valleyfair? Unfair; You guys have more than 2-3 things I want to reride. It's in the dregs next to Magic Springs and Elitch Gardens; parks that have exceptional likelihood to be closed and parted out.

[thrillrider]

Lol you guys gotta remember this is a park focusing on kids and families. Not huge thrill junkies like us.

 

No, it sucks because it sucks. As a kids park it blows because it's poorly staffed and they have like, what, three rides that adults and children under 48" can ride together (two of which are coasters)? As a thrill park it sucks because the coaster are, with the notable exception of one, garbage. As a water park, what have they gotten new in the last 7-8 years, some used kiddie slides from Geauga? The food sucks. The buildings are all cinder block construction with (maybe) some paint on them as decoration. The food sucks. The arcade games are perpetually broken. I can't tell you the shows suck because there aren't any. There's not even a stage to do one with. The food SUCKS. There's no lights so the park can never run at night. It took 20 years for the trees to grow back after they were all knocked down in a tornado, during which time they never bothered to open any indoor venues or put up any shade structures.

 

My wife will not go to Michigan's Adventure. She has traversed the world, seen the good and the bad and everything in between, and she will not even bother to go in spite of it being a) the closest park to us b) literally free to enter and park. She will deny that it is her home park to anyone that asks. The number of major parks I wouldn't trade Michigan's Adventure for can be counted on one hand. Darien Lake? Absolutely, you can have Timbers. Six Flags America? In a heart beat! Valleyfair? Unfair; You guys have more than 2-3 things I want to reride. It's in the dregs next to Magic Springs and Elitch Gardens; parks that have exceptional likelihood to be closed and parted out.

 

While I agree with some of your points, it's not as bad as you are painting it.

They do have lights now, but are not open late enough to use them. Shivering timbers, wolverine wildcat, log flume, Zacks zoomed, and thunderhawk are all fun rides that I can ride a bunch of times. I totally agree that the ride side is lacking quite a bit though.

The waterpark is the bread and butter of Michigan's adventure. They have added a few small attractions to it the past few years, and also spent a lot of money redoing part of the waterpark a few years ago. To be fair, most waterparks dont add big new attractions every year. Soak city at cedarpoint went many years without anything new.

Live entertainment has always been a weak spot for this park, but let's be honest....do they really need it? I can maybe see a water ski show or high dive show, but I dont think the park has enough attendance to support much more than that.

 

I find it sad that they dont invest much into this park. It reminds me a lot of what they did to geauga lake. I think they are afraid to add anything, as it may effect the cash cow(cp) a few hours down the road.

Didn't they just remove the boomerang from knotts? Why wouldn't they send it to Michigan's adventure? That would have been a great fit for this park...Hell, anything would be at this point.

And yea...the food does suck.

[Parker821]

it's poorly staffed

 

So is CP.

 

they have like, what, three rides that adults and children under 48" can ride together (two of which are coasters)?

 

I count 22 (Dry side), three of which are coasters. (According to the website)

 

As a water park, what have they gotten new in the last 7-8 years, some used kiddie slides from Geauga?

 

The park revamped a kids area called Half Pint Paradise will all new equipment in 2017.

They also got a new attraction called beach party in 2011, also completely new.

The park has only gotten one attraction from geauga lake, Thunderhawk. NO new additions to the waterpark have been relocated from other parks.

 

The food sucks.

 

All Cedar Fair food stands and locations suck. Classic tenders and fries. (Cedar Fair OWNED, not including Subway, Chick Fil-A, Panda express etc..)

 

The buildings are all cinder block construction with (maybe) some paint on them as decoration.

 

They do need a new entrance. Not gonna lie.

 

I can't tell you the shows suck because there aren't any. There's not even a stage to do one with.

 

Your hating on stuff that's not even there lol. They A. Don't have the staffing. And B. Don't have the attendance base to warrant a show.

 

There's no lights so the park can never run at night.

 

They have been adding lights the last few years.

 

It took 20 years for the trees to grow back after they were all knocked down in a tornado, during which time they never bothered to open any indoor venues or put up any shade structures.

 

Added coasters, an indoor restaurant. Umbrella's can be found around seating areas. The carnival ride area used to be known as "the oasis". Now it is cluttered with trees.

 

My wife will not go to Michigan's Adventure. She has traversed the world, seen the good and the bad and everything in between, and she will not even bother to go in spite of it being a) the closest park to us b) literally free to enter and park. She will deny that it is her home park to anyone that asks. The number of major parks I wouldn't trade Michigan's Adventure for can be counted on one hand. Darien Lake? Absolutely, you can have Timbers. Six Flags America? In a heart beat! Valleyfair? Unfair; You guys have more than 2-3 things I want to reride. It's in the dregs next to Magic Springs and Elitch Gardens; parks that have exceptional likelihood to be closed and parted out.

 

Okay, sorry the park is such a disappointment.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Parker821

[grsupercity]

Is this really a debate? Chance came through and completely refurbished the ferris wheel, Trambant and Sea Dragon. So those all look brand new. Most of the buildings have been completely repainted. The worst bathroom in the park by Zach's Zoomer was just remodeled. There is no crumbling cement or decaying buildings. The park looks nice and well landscaped now. If you went in 2006 and said everything looked shabby I would agree. Not anymore. They have touched the park front to back. I have to plenty of parks with coaster stations that have rotted roofs, torn canopy's in the water park and run down buildings. That is not this park. This park may not be a massive thrill park but its well kept and clean.

[coasterbill]

Personally I sort of like this park (for what it is) but I don’t know why everyone’s jumping on Dirk, he’s making pretty valid points. He’s also right on the money about the height requirement thing which I didn’t even consider.

 

People get so defensive when someone else doesn’t like their home park. Why? Who cares?

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

There's no lights so the park can never run at night.

 

They have been adding lights the last few years.

Okay you know the park must be bad if this is a point of debate.

 

Michigan's Adventure is a bit less than a 6 hour drive for me, but if I'm going to drive that far there are so many better parks I'd rather go to. I'll make it to Michigan's Adventure someday but I don't think I'll want to go super out of my way to visit it based on the general consensus of it being a terrible park.

[VF15]

I find it sad that they dont invest much into this park. It reminds me a lot of what they did to geauga lake. I think they are afraid to add anything, as it may effect the cash cow(cp) a few hours down the road.

I’d bet Cedar Point isn’t the reason for infrequent additions to the park. It seems like Michigan’s Adventure caters to families first and foremost, and if you’re a thrill seeker, you’re pretty much expected to go to Cedar Point. From what I’ve read on this thread before, Michigan’s Adventure still has relatively high profit margins, if that’s true I doubt it’s going the way of Geauga Lake anytime soon. I don’t think proximity to Cedar Point is a reason for sparse additions either, if that were the case, Kings Island would not have gotten the significant additions they’ve received over the past decade.

 

I’m still planning on going to MiA despite some of the negative comments here. I’ve wanted to ride Shivering Timbers for a while now, and this year seems like a good time to cross it off the bucket list since I’ll be living only a few hours away this summer. Now how much time I plan on spending in the park is still in question.

Edited April 30, 2019 by VF15

[fredoflasvegas]

My problem with Michigan's Adventure isn't the small selection of rides, it's the horrendous park operations. We cannot expect MiAdv to get new rides very often. It's located in a rather small market. When I last visited there I was disgusted with the park operations (typical me). Shivering Timbers had a seriously obxious crew that was slow as molasses. I remember the day when the Shivering crew would dispatch a train as soon as the other train headed into the helix. Now, you'd be lucky if the new passengers started locking their seatbelts at that point. This happened repeatedly. An 1 hour, 10 minute wait with only one switchback. That was when I bought Fast Lane for $45.

 

Then there's Wolverine Wildcat. It only has one train. But why does the park only have ONE (1) person checking lapbars and seatbelts? That's one person for BOTH sides. One dispatch took 8 minutes long, thanks in part to a guest that was so obese she couldn't fit into the seatbelt. One train on Thunderhawk, which resulted in probably in a two hour wait. I didn't even bother with Fast Lane since I would have taken at least 45 minutes with the extra large station.

 

I will return to MiAdv only for Shivering Timbers. It's still an amazing ride even after 20 years. I would hope that the park would invest in a second train for Wolverine Wildcat. Its a good enough coaster that warrants it.

[thrillrider]

My problem with Michigan's Adventure isn't the small selection of rides, it's the horrendous park operations. We cannot expect MiAdv to get new rides very often. It's located in a rather small market. When I last visited there I was disgusted with the park operations (typical me). Shivering Timbers had a seriously obxious crew that was slow as molasses. I remember the day when the Shivering crew would dispatch a train as soon as the other train headed into the helix. Now, you'd be lucky if the new passengers started locking their seatbelts at that point. This happened repeatedly. An 1 hour, 10 minute wait with only one switchback. That was when I bought Fast Lane for $45.

 

Then there's Wolverine Wildcat. It only has one train. But why does the park only have ONE (1) person checking lapbars and seatbelts? That's one person for BOTH sides. One dispatch took 8 minutes long, thanks in part to a guest that was so obese she couldn't fit into the seatbelt. One train on Thunderhawk, which resulted in probably in a two hour wait. I didn't even bother with Fast Lane since I would have taken at least 45 minutes with the extra large station.

 

I will return to MiAdv only for Shivering Timbers. It's still an amazing ride even after 20 years. I would hope that the park would invest in a second train for Wolverine Wildcat. Its a good enough coaster that warrants it.

 

The reason that wolverine wildcat only has 1 train, is because it doesn't have a transfer track. There is no room to put it anywhere.