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Michigan's Adventure (MiA) Discussion Thread


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Nope! This one has me stumped, mainly because it's been way too silent at the park about future attractions. Guess for being such a small park, they certainly know how to keep secrets well sealed.

 

So list of possibilities:

Windseeker - shorter 213ft, 36 capacity model - more than likely

Surfside Glider - both "water" and "air" in that and could fit in Falling Star's old spot

A water slide complex, although don't know what it could be due to space w/o removing something

Some sort of ride named Firefall

A live entertainment addition

 

Doubtful:

Any type of coaster at this point - too late and no room in this years budget

Any drop tower - due to maintenance, too high of an upkeep for this size of a park

Planet Snoopy - would have been announced already, but could happen in the near future

Dinosaurs Alive - there's just nowhere suitable to put the dinos cause it's pretty much a giant field with only a few short trees

 

 

That's my summary of the guesses and random rumors.

 

EDIT: Oh dear, the comments being made on the park's Facebook page, make me laugh. Someone mentioned giving Wolverine Wildcat the Iron Horse treatment, and lots of people complaining in general. Lots of complaints about the new attraction not being a "Millennium" or "I305" coaster tomorrow.

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Looks like it's going to be another Larson International flying scooter! Here's the info from the manufacturer:

http://www.larsonintl.com/pages/flying-scooters/flying-scooters.html

 

Sweet! The park hasn't announced a name or what it's going to look like, but it is indeed going to be one of these.

 

Always wanted to try one of these and now I can! Great to see this classic attraction coming here!

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This is a pretty good replacement for Falling Star, and i'm sure that'll end up being the location for this ride. Hopefully they'll keep the little pond that was in front of Falling star, that would be a nice little touch that would add to the ride experience. I hope they give it an actual name, but i guess flying scooters isn't as bad as drop tower.

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The only issue with it being named Flying Scooters is the fact that there's also a Flying Trapeze, more than likely right next to it. I wouldn't mind if they brought over the Surfside Gliders name from Knott's for here as well.

 

Added a satellite view picture of where Falling Star used to be. Should be plenty of room for it there. Flying Trapeze only requires 65ft diameter for the fencing around that so adding another 15ft for the scooters shouldn't be an issue.

location.thumb.jpg.f6a185fba69559c079bb65137c6dc1f9.jpg

Former Falling Star location in red box

 

Hopefully the park will release some more information about it, possibly with some concept art. It'll at least give people an idea on what it's going to look like vs the old Woodstock Gliders pic the park put on their Facebook. Makes it look like a short kiddie ride.

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Here's the press release for it:

 

 

MUSKEGON, Mich., December 17, 2012

 

Michigan’s Adventure Amusement Park has announced plans to add a timeless classic to its thrilling collection of rides and attractions.

 

A flying scooter attraction will be added to Michigan’s largest amusement park and waterpark in 2013. The flying scooter attraction is a classic, interactive flying ride which appeals to all ages. Guests will board the flying vehicles and rotate faster and faster fanning out over a large area. The flying vehicles have a stationary rear wing and a moveable front wing which allows the guest to control their flight experience.

 

“We are extremely excited about adding another family ride to our collection of attractions. We believe that families will find this to be a perfect addition to their park experience,” said Camille Jourden-Mark, Vice-President and General Manager of Michigan’s Adventure. “Our guests will love it. They will want to ride the flying scooter attraction again and again!”

 

Guests who purchase season passes will be able to ride over and over while developing their piloting skills. The experience on the flying scooter attraction will become more intense as riders become more adept at maneuvering the scooters. Season passes to Michigan’s Adventure are available through January 13 and guests may take advantage of a “buy now, pay later” offer available only online. Season passes are a wonderful gift idea for adventurous families.

 

“This will be a very fun summer at Michigan’s Adventure,” said Jourden-Mark. “We will also be observing the 25th anniversary of Wolverine Wildcat and the 15th anniversary of Shivering Timbers. The 2013 season is going to be a great time to visit the park”

 

Overall, Michigan’s Adventure has more than 60 rides and attractions including seven roller coasters. Since opening in 1998, Shivering Timbers has been consistently ranked as one of the finest wooden roller coasters in the world by Amusement Today’s Golden Tickets Awards. Amusement Today is an international amusement and waterpark publication based in Arlington, Texas.

 

Guests at Michigan’s Adventure can also get drenched in WildWater Adventure Waterpark, Michigan’s largest waterpark. The 10-acre waterpark has body slides, tube slides, 3 wave pools, kiddie play areas, family raft slides, and Funnel of Fear. Use of WildWater Adventure Waterpark is included with admission to Michigan’s Adventure.

 

Park additions in recent years have included Thunderhawk, Michigan’s only suspended roller coaster and Beach Party, a multi-story interactive play complex at WildWater Adventure.

 

The flying scooter attraction is one of the most popular flat rides in the amusement and theme park industry dating back to the 1940’s. It is designed by Larson International Inc., of Plainview, Texas.

 

 

Michigan’s Adventure will open for the summer on Wednesday, May 22. WildWater Adventure will open on May 26. For more information about Michigan’s Adventure, guests may call 231.766.9959 or visit miadventure.com for the latest news.

 

Michigan’s Adventure is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Michigan’s Adventure, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, four water parks, one indoor waterpark, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract.

 

Wonder what they have planned for Wolverine Wildcat's 25th anniversary? Makes it sound like they're going to be doing some promotional stuff for the 2 coasters.

 

Man, 15 years since Shivering Timbers opened, weird with it being that long ago now!

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It's cool that the park is getting Flying Scooters but it's nothing worth driving back for. I was there this past May and back in 2009 and I think going back every three years will be my current habit. Unless, the park gets something real major like a coaster or extreme thrill ride. I'm not heading back there until 2015 - I find MIA to be a wonderful place for families but not something worth going back to every year. But, I have a feeling either way that this'll tide the family crowd over quite well and think it's rather nice of the park to add them.

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Flying scooters are a lot of fun and this is perfect for a park the size of Michigan's Adventure. One more flying scooter in the world is a good thing.

There are three going in to US parks alone next year, last time I checked. It seems like they're making a comeback!

 

Yep, Great Escape, Knott's, & Michigan's Adventure are all getting one next year. A flying scooter comeback is really good.

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Yeah, with the size of the park and with only a few new ride additions over the past 5 years, I can see it being hard to do a small park like this every year, especially if you're from far away. With me living about a 1/2 an hour away from it, I think of it more as a convenience than anything. Next closest park to me is Indiana Beach, with Cedar Point and Great America about the same distance away, so whatever additions are coming this way, I'm always glad to see.

 

Hopefully there will be more info about it release over the next couple months, like the name, location, and what it's going to be themed as. Hasn't even been added to the website yet besides the press release, which that is buried in their Media Center down at the bottom.

 

Also is it just me, or is FastLane missing on a few park websites? I noticed CA's Great America and Carowinds no longer list them on the site.

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Also is it just me, or is FastLane missing on a few park websites? I noticed CA's Great America and Carowinds no longer list them on the site.

It's gone from all of the Cedar Fair parks, including MIA. I wonder why?

 

During the off-season it is not a priority for parks to have all aspects of their websites up to speed.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I managed to drive by the park not too long ago. Not much is happening there, at least nothing visible from the road. Did notice though that the LED sign by the road has updated to graphics similar to what's on the website. Looked great! There also could of been trackwork on Shivering Timbers as there was a cherry picker next to the structure, but nothing that I could tell was changed dramatically like them completely stripping and re-tracking the 1st drop last offseason.

 

With what I've been hearing, it does sound like Flying Scooters is going to be put in Falling Star's former location. The area is still the same way as it was last year though so no prep work yet. Construction at this point probably won't start until it warms up a bit. Would go up fairly quickly though.

 

Did learn that Rock the Coast is moving the stage from the wavepool inside the waterpark to the empty lot across Riley-Thompson Rd. The waterpark was going to open on that Saturday anyways so having that out of the way means that all 3 wavepools will be ready on the 25th. It also looks like the big name for the concerts is a group called Tenth Avenue North. Never heard of them, but their latest album seems to have sold well since it reached #5 on the US charts.

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http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/lakeside_gliders_flying_scoote.html

 

Flying scooters are the latest attraction coming to Michigan's Adventure in the summer of 2013. The ride had remained unnamed until just recently.

 

The summer of 2013 is bringing the 'Lakeside Gliders,' a new flying scooter ride to Michigan's Adventure.

 

“It has a name as of today,” said Camille Jourden-Mark, pice president and general manager of Michigan’s Adventure. “Many names were thrown out there and Lakeside Gliders was the name that was decided on.”

 

According Jourden-Mark, the name was chosen for the simple reason that the ride is located near the large lake in the center of the park and the scooters “look like little planes.”

 

The Muskegon County amusement park made the announcement about the new ride back in December 2012 to generate interest in the smaller scale flying scooter ride that’s a throwback to simpler times.

 

“It’s a very popular ride that’s been around in parks dating back to the 1940s,” said Jourden-Mark. “It’s a great attraction for families. It’s a ride that parents and their kids can ride together.”

 

According to Jourden-Mark, the flying scooter attraction was chosen based on the interactive nature of the ride. Guests are made to feel like they are in control because they can maneuver the “little planes” utilizing a moveable front wing. This feature allows riders to have greater influence over their flying experience as the ride spins faster and as the vehicles soar higher.

 

So far the feedback concerning the ride has all been positive, according to Laure Bollenbach, the park’s marketing director.

 

“We have had several positive comments on our Facebook page,” said Bollenbach. “Our fans seem to be very excited.”

 

People eager to try out the new ride will have to wait until the park opens for the summer season on May 22.

 

For more details and ticket information, including a “Buy Now, Pay Later” offer for season passes which expires on Jan. 13, visit the Michigan’s Adventure website.

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Aw, you beat me to the punch, was just going to post it.

 

Really liking the "Lakeside Gliders" name. Not only because of where it's going to be, but kind of part of Michigan's Great Lakes region. Very unique and I believe the first flat ride to actually have a proper name vs the manufacture's name at the park.

 

Location is somewhat confirmed that it'll be either near or on the lake. Looks like Falling Star's old location is going to be empty for a bit longer. If this ride is part of an indication on the direction the park is going, I'm really excited for the next couple years. Cedar Fair's smallest park might become a nice little destination and a boost to the tourism here in Michigan as well.

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Methinks this is a good move for Michigan's Adventure to add the Flying Scooters to their park - this is a fun family ride that will go over well.

 

My question is this: where did the Flying Scooter attraction come from? As far as I know both Kings Dominion and Carowinds still have their flying scooter attraction, Knotts Berry Farm is also getting their own Flying Scooters, and I cannot think of any other Cedar Fair Park that has the flying Scooters, so could this be the first "brand new" attaction for Michigan's Adventure in many seasons instead of the old "hand-me-downs" the park received?

 

Next think you know, Michigan Adventures may get their very own Gateway coaster.

 

"I'm not perfect; I just love to ride"

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Yep, this is the first new ride to be built here since 2006. Last one was the Intamin Rapids ride, Grand Rapids. This isn't the newest attraction the park has received though, with Beach Party, a giant WhiteWater West AquaPlay structure, installed in 2011. This will be the first in the ride side in a while.

 

This will be a Larson International flying scooters model. Examples of where it's already installed are Indiana Beach, CA's Great America, and Holiday World. It'll be the same one also being installed at Knott's and Great Escape this year as well.

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