Michigan's Adventure (MiA) Discussion Thread

[XShortestStrawX]

And that Morgan hyper, it wasn't rumored, it was actually going to happen if the Jourden family didn't decide to sell the park in 2001. Would of been the grand finale to the 5-year plan that unfortunately never was completed. The Jourden family did at least end up with their campground (well, really a RV resort) across the street, although it took them quite a few more years before it was built.

 

Well that's disappointing. Any idea what kind of financial troubles they were in back then? Or did Cedar Fair just give them "an offer they couldn't refuse"... heh

[grsupercity]

I'd bet if something new gets put in, it would be in the area between Wolverine Wildcat and Timbertown Railway. There really isn't much to work elsewhere.

 

All that open land next to Timbers they own.

 

 

I went to the park on Sunday may 24th. Rainy day. Everything was pretty much a walk on. Timbers and Wildcat were running smooth this year. The final helix on TImbers is the smoothest its been in years. I didn't notice any other real changes to the park. But it was clean and a fun day

[Lareson]

And that Morgan hyper, it wasn't rumored, it was actually going to happen if the Jourden family didn't decide to sell the park in 2001. Would of been the grand finale to the 5-year plan that unfortunately never was completed. The Jourden family did at least end up with their campground (well, really a RV resort) across the street, although it took them quite a few more years before it was built.

 

Well that's disappointing. Any idea what kind of financial troubles they were in back then? Or did Cedar Fair just give them "an offer they couldn't refuse"... heh

 

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/april99/stories/041399_02.shtml

 

Here's an old press-release on the announcement of the steel coaster. It sounded like it was going to run along the north side of Shivering Timbers and would of made quite the spectacle to see 2 giant steel and wooden coasters running along side-by-side as you pulled into the park. It was a combination of the sale to Cedar Fair and Morgan going out that basically cancelled the coaster. The issues with Morgan is also why Be-Bop Blvd was delayed a year since Morgan up and abandoned the project.

 

There's another article I've been trying to find that told the story of how Roger Jourden expanded the park from when he bought it up until the family sold it, but I cannot find it. I think it was just a combination of wanting to retire and being "too ambitious." Not sure if financial trouble had anything to do with it, but I just think it was getting too big for the family to run and they wanted to sell it to a company. I think the article even mention that they rejected a certain other large company to purchase the park and decided on Cedar Fair because the company's ideals were close to what the Jourdens wanted for the park.

[XShortestStrawX]

I went to the park on Sunday may 24th. Rainy day. Everything was pretty much a walk on. Timbers and Wildcat were running smooth this year. The final helix on TImbers is the smoothest its been in years. I didn't notice any other real changes to the park. But it was clean and a fun day

 

Yeah I went the day before and noticed they retracked the helix. Last year they did the far end turn around. The ride is way smoother than it has been in a long time. Still one of my all time favorites.

 

And please post that article if you find it Lareson. Thanks for sharing the expansion one. I had no idea there were such bold plans for the early 2000s, I was only a kid. I hope CF is just waiting for the right time and not just putting it off because of business reasons pertaining to the surrounding parks.

[Superbatboy]

Wow so a Morgan hyper was only $7 mil back in the day???

[codeGR]

I was at the park for the first time since 2012 on Saturday. Wow, Shivering Timbers and Wolverine Wildcat are much improved. I was very pleased. Of course Lakeside Gliders is great too.

[grsupercity]

Fingers crossed for a hyper gtx!!!! I would also be happy with a nice flat ride (larson drop tower, chance revolution)

[XShortestStrawX]

Fingers crossed for a hyper gtx!!!! I would also be happy with a nice flat ride (larson drop tower, chance revolution)

 

I'd personally hope for something bigger than a hyper gtx. Don't get me wrong, size isn't everything , and I love ejector airtime, but we've waited far too long to have a sub-100 foot drop.

[VF15]

Wow so a Morgan hyper was only $7 mil back in the day???

It probably would have been a pretty short hyper if it had been built because Cedar Fair's other Morgan Hypers (Mamba, Wild Thing, Steel Force) all cost about $10 million.

[MIAfan88]

A GTX coaster would be a perfect addition. Although it would nice if the park added something where Falling Star was. What's the possibility of Planet/ Camp Snoopy invading in the next couple of years?

[grsupercity]

A GTX coaster would be a perfect addition. Although it would nice if the park added something where Falling Star was. What's the possibility of Planet/ Camp Snoopy invading in the next couple of years?

 

Camp/Planet snoopy wouldn't fit in the old falling stars spot. If and when MIA gets a snoopy kids area it will most likely be by be bob blvd and Zach's Zoomer in there current kiddy area. Falling stars location is perfect for a disk-o or drop tower!!!! And lightning run may only be a 100 feet tall, but it really packs a punch. I would be thrilled to get one similar.

[whatabeast]

Because of MiA's anniversary tradition, I can see them adding a hyper coaster as their tenth coaster. I know it isn't the same thing as an anniversary, but if they do big things on big numbers... A hyper GTX would make 8, and Cedar Fair seems to think a disk-o counts as a coaster... and I can see MiA getting a disk-o soon. So if my "theory" is right, a hyper wouldn't be too far off.

 

On a different note, their log flume is getting a bit old, and I think somebody mentioned a few pages back that it has outlived its predicted lifespan. If they were to remove it, I bet they would replace it with another water ride... but given the issues with shoot the rapids, I'm guessing it wouldn't be an aquatrax. Are there any other companies that are still making log flumes, or would Cedar Fair go a different route?

[codeGR]

Looks like there are a couple of companies that do (Mack, Intamin, etc.). I was just thinking about Logger's Run this morning and how I find it to be one of their signature rides. Could they, perhaps, build a new flume over near Grand Rapids and then pull a CP and redevelop the current site for a new ride?

[XShortestStrawX]

Intamin flumes don't exactly have the best track record

[maverick_cp]

Michigan's Adventure doesn't need any more water rides. They already have the waterpark! Honestly the water park is great as it is, and they seriously need to give the ride side some attention. I don't care what it is, any kind of big coaster is fine by me. I would even go for a GTX because they're small but pack a punch. If it were up to me I would put something going around the back of the park. Or just tear out the railroad to nowhere and connect that path. It is such a pain to have to walk around the whole park to get to Thunderhawk from Shivering Timbers. Like waiting for the train is a pain and the ride doesn't do anything interesting.

[grsupercity]

Loggers run isn't going anywhere. Its the most popular ride in the park. Its mechanically and structurally fine. Timbertown railway does have me scratching my head. You can see a new service tunnel where the new train is going to sit. The second train should help with operations of moving the people from one side of the park to another. The part that has me scratching my head is if they did want to make a path, how would they do it without moving the train? Also I know MIA has huge plots of land open for development, but if they do get a Hyper GTX where would it go? Parallel to Wildcat across the tracks? Behind grand rapids either to the east or the north?

[codeGR]

I could see them extending the path in front of the train station near Grand Rapids (where the current smoking area is) to the east. Seems like the only way to access the east land unless they build a pedestrian rail crossing.

[XShortestStrawX]

The part that has me scratching my head is if they did want to make a path, how would they do it without moving the train? Also I know MIA has huge plots of land open for development, but if they do get a Hyper GTX where would it go? Parallel to Wildcat across the tracks? Behind grand rapids either to the east or the north?

 

A path pretty much already exists running behind Wolverine Wildcat and then going around Thunderhawk on the lake side, they'd just need to pave it and make it suitable for guest use. And I think a coaster would fit perfectly right in that area as well, maybe having the entrance somewhere in the same general area on the south side.

[codeGR]

And really, depending on the layout, the coaster could cross the RR track, like Millennium Force does.

[MIAfan88]

The designated smoking area is the prime movement area to expand. There is already a service road so the park already has some general ideas of if they wanted to expand that way. The area behind Grand Rapids could have some good airtime hills.

Option area number 2, if I'm not mistaken has some flood/marsh area problems. I didn't cut the screen to show, but a collection of flats or the coaster could easily fit really good in that area.

[codeGR]

On a separate note, does the park use that property across Riley-Thompson Rd that they own? I believe at one point it was overflow parking. Does the parking lot ever fill up enough to need it?

[grsupercity]

Yea that parking lot across the street fills up on Saturdays in August.

[grsupercity]

Yea that parking lot across the street fills up on Saturdays in August.

 

For those saying they have no room to expand, they do. Alot of open land.

[codeGR]

They really do have plenty of room. Not sure if they are able to build over that trail (old RR) or not, but could be neat. I think the challenge becomes how do you connect the 'remote' land to the rest of the park. Obviously extending the path near GR is needed, but would/can it connect near Shivering Timbers? The train is nice, but it's inconvenient to wait 15 mins to get over there.

 

Also, don't think it would be the worst thing in the world to remove some of the parking lot along Whitehall Rd, if needed.

[XShortestStrawX]

Hope all of this speculation and hype is worth it