Elitch Gardens Discussion Thread

[CrimsonKnight]

I can vouch, this ride is a lot of fun. Was able to ride it opening sneak peak weekend for the season pass holders. The Facebook for Elitch Gardens gets a lot of flack for this ride and some others as just Carnival rides. I can somewhat agree, and Would like to see ownership invest more into new coasters next year.

[I<3RMC]

Elitch Gardens building new office, commits to staying in downtown Denver

 

It appears that Elitch Gardens will look to stay in their current location in downtown Denver. They say the park is doing well, but I wonder if that is the truth. They also claim they continue to add new attractions, but the newest ride is the star flyer (which is a fun experience) and a giant "rethemed" fireball carnival ride.

 

I would personally like to see a total overhaul of this park or completely different use of this area. In my opinion, Elitch Gardens in its current form is an embarrassment to the city of Denver. The park could stand to use a major overhaul or that property could be used in much more productive ways.

 

Anyone else have different opinions? What do people think?

[Jaykethekid]

Elitch Gardens building new office, commits to staying in downtown Denver

 

It appears that Elitch Gardens will look to stay in their current location in downtown Denver. They say the park is doing well, but I wonder if that is the truth. They also claim they continue to add new attractions, but the newest ride is the star flyer (which is a fun experience) and a giant "rethemed" fireball carnival ride.

 

I would personally like to see a total overhaul of this park or completely different use of this area. In my opinion, Elitch Gardens in its current form is an embarrassment to the city of Denver. The park could stand to use a major overhaul or that property could be used in much more productive ways.

 

Anyone else have different opinions? What do people think?

You think Elitch is an embarrassment to Denver? Have you seen Lakeside? Sure, Elitch Gardens may not be the best park in the world, get stellar new additions, or have the most insane lineup of rides, but it sure beats the giant pile of rubble that is Lakeside. It seems the only thing they maintain at Lakeside is Cyclone. Everything else is crumbling, falling apart or rotting away in the piles of trashed ride parts all around the park. Anyways, Elitch is doing well it seems. They always have a decent crowd when i go. It could use some work, but its far from a bad park.

[Jelenp]

I didn't think the park was that bad, I just think that it needs a new "bigger" coaster. This is actually one of those parks that a Chance Hyper GT-X would be perfect for. Otherwise I don't really see another reason for me to revisit this park.

[I<3RMC]

You think Elitch is an embarrassment to Denver? Have you seen Lakeside? Sure, Elitch Gardens may not be the best park in the world, get stellar new additions, or have the most insane lineup of rides, but it sure beats the giant pile of rubble that is Lakeside. It seems the only thing they maintain at Lakeside is Cyclone. Everything else is crumbling, falling apart or rotting away in the piles of trashed ride parts all around the park. Anyways, Elitch is doing well it seems. They always have a decent crowd when i go. It could use some work, but its far from a bad park.

 

Yeah, I do think Elitch Gardens is an embarrassment to Denver. I do agree with you though, Lakeside is worse, but Lakeside is not adjacent to Denver's downtown. Unlike Lakeside, Elitch Gardens is there for all who visit Denver to see (or not to see).

 

Just because Elitch Gardens has a crowd does not make it a good theme park. It is an asphalt nightmare where the best ride for negative G-forces is the Sidewinder. In my opinion Elitch Gardens needs serious work before I would consider going there again. I have been to carnivals with better value.

[robbalvey]

I would personally like to see a total overhaul of this park or completely different use of this area. In my opinion, Elitch Gardens in its current form is an embarrassment to the city of Denver. The park could stand to use a major overhaul or that property could be used in much more productive ways.

I always feel like comments like these are made by people who don't have a single clue on how the amusement park industry operates.

[WestCoasterKing]

^ This comment here

[bill_s]

The purpose of a park isn't to make a city proud, it's to amuse. Looking at Elitch, I can see how it could be seen as a tease for a solid park, but if I lived there it would still be better than nothing (or only Lakeside).

[Jaykethekid]

You think Elitch is an embarrassment to Denver? Have you seen Lakeside? Sure, Elitch Gardens may not be the best park in the world, get stellar new additions, or have the most insane lineup of rides, but it sure beats the giant pile of rubble that is Lakeside. It seems the only thing they maintain at Lakeside is Cyclone. Everything else is crumbling, falling apart or rotting away in the piles of trashed ride parts all around the park. Anyways, Elitch is doing well it seems. They always have a decent crowd when i go. It could use some work, but its far from a bad park.

 

Yeah, I do think Elitch Gardens is an embarrassment to Denver. I do agree with you though, Lakeside is worse, but Lakeside is not adjacent to Denver's downtown. Unlike Lakeside, Elitch Gardens is there for all who visit Denver to see (or not to see).

 

Just because Elitch Gardens has a crowd does not make it a good theme park. It is an asphalt nightmare where the best ride for negative G-forces is the Sidewinder. In my opinion Elitch Gardens needs serious work before I would consider going there again. I have been to carnivals with better value.

Most of things it seems you don’t like about that park are only things Coaster enthusiasts would really view or have issues with. The 99% if other patrons to the park aren’t going to hate the park because it doesn’t have a world class coaster. The General public will say “ooh, rides and coasters yay”. The park is making a good deal of money it seems and a lot of the locals I talked to or over heard really love the park. Look at their social media pages, most of the comments are extremely positive.

[Ed Farmer]

They need to Rocky Mountain the shit out of Twister II.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I'm enjoying this conversation, but I haven't been to Elitch Gardens. Am I remembering correctly that Twister II is a clone of a coaster that Knoebels also cloned to create their Twister?

[robbalvey]

I'm enjoying this conversation, but I haven't been to Elitch Gardens. Am I remembering correctly that Twister II is a clone of a coaster that Knoebels also cloned to create their Twister?

It's like an old VHS tape copy of a copy of a copy where the quality degrades each time. Using this scenario, the coaster would have been several copies down the VHS chain!

Edited December 8, 2017 by robbalvey

[PKI Jizzman]

the best ride for negative G-forces is the Sidewinder.

 

You're not going to mention the park has a Gen 2 Intamin drop tower? Or an Intamin half pipe coaster? Try riding those, I'd say they have better airtime than an Arrow shuttle.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I'm enjoying this conversation, but I haven't been to Elitch Gardens. Am I remembering correctly that Twister II is a clone of a coaster that Knoebels also cloned to create their Twister?

It's like an old VHS tape copy of a copy of a copy where the quality degrades each time. Using this scenario, the coaster would have been several copies down the VHS chain!

That's a great description. Thanks!

[I<3RMC]

I would personally like to see a total overhaul of this park or completely different use of this area. In my opinion, Elitch Gardens in its current form is an embarrassment to the city of Denver. The park could stand to use a major overhaul or that property could be used in much more productive ways.

I always feel like comments like these are made by people who don't have a single clue on how the amusement park industry operates.

 

You got me, I have absolutely no idea how the amusement park industry operates.

 

I'll be honest, as others in this thread have pointed out I really am looking for better rides. Rides like

[WestCoasterKing]

I'm enjoying this conversation, but I haven't been to Elitch Gardens. Am I remembering correctly that Twister II is a clone of a coaster that Knoebels also cloned to create their Twister?

It's like an old VHS tape copy of a copy of a copy where the quality degrades each time. Using this scenario, the coaster would have been several copies down the VHS chain!

Reminds of that Michael Keaton movie where he clones himself and then that clone clones himself and the next clones himself and that last clone winds up a little retarded. In the movie they use that same VHS anology

Edited December 9, 2017 by WestCoasterKing

[WestCoasterKing]

Most of things it seems you don’t like about that park are only things Coaster enthusiasts would really view or have issues with. The 99% if other patrons to the park aren’t going to hate the park because it doesn’t have a world class coaster. The General public will say “ooh, rides and coasters yay”. The park is making a good deal of money it seems and a lot of the locals I talked to or over heard really love the park. Look at their social media pages, most of the comments are extremely positive.

I agree. 90% of people never visit parks outside of their region. This is why I have no problems with clone rides. Yeah coaster nerds might not get excited but parks don't build stuff for nerds. They build them for their home crowd. That's how the amusement industry works, as Robb was saying.

 

Anyway, I know lots of people in the Bay area that have never been to SoCal parks and vice versa. In more remote areas with fewer parks like SLC and Denver and even Seattle (where I'm at) its probably even worse. There are people here who have never even been to Silverwood. They think Wild Waves is the shit because that's all they know. People in SLC and Denver are probably the same. I've been to Elitch and if you've never been anywhere else then you have nothing to compare it to so of course it's cool to you. Especially if you've been across to Lakeside. If you think Elitch is a big steaming stool then Lakeside is Ebola infected diarrhea. Elitch is a fine park for what it is. And it has a cool skyline. How many big city downtown parks are there? Plus Mile high Stadium is there too. So if Elitch is crap at least it smells like Rosy poo.

[robbalvey]

I'm enjoying this conversation, but I haven't been to Elitch Gardens. Am I remembering correctly that Twister II is a clone of a coaster that Knoebels also cloned to create their Twister?

It's like an old VHS tape copy of a copy of a copy where the quality degrades each time. Using this scenario, the coaster would have been several copies down the VHS chain!

Reminds of that Michael Keaton movie where he clones himself and then that clone clones himself and the next clones himself and that last clone winds up a little retarded. In the movie they use that same VHS anology

You know, I have not seen that movie in YEARS, but I actually think that's probably where I got it from, although I didn't remember that until you just brought it up! lol

[fumankame]

Yes, please RMC Twister II. I think it's actually decent as is (but I don't have that many credits besides El Toro), but the park needs something really fresh. I agree the GP loves Elitches. It's always packed solid in the summer, I think mostly cause the water park is much cheaper and closer to downtown than Water World. I think it's a fun little value park. They do need a new coaster, and I think there is room if they tear down the empty/ storage building by Shipwreck Falls and take out Thunderbolt.

[christianscoasters]

I lived in Colorado for a bit. You wouldn’t believe how many people think Mind Eraser is the greatest coaster in the world.

[WestCoasterKing]

I lived in Colorado for a bit. You wouldn’t believe how many people think Mind Eraser is the greatest coaster in the world.

Well, it's probably the thinner air, starving their brains for oxygen. That combined with the low hanging cloud of reefer fumes. But no,seriously, if you think about it Mind Eraser is the greatest coaster ever built if that's all you know. There is a certain crowd out there that hates woodies. I know so many. I knew a guy who said he would never go to Holiday World because 3 of their four coasters are wooden. I told he was missing out but whatever. So if you only like steelies and your choices are between Mind Eraser, Sidewinder, Boomerang and Half Pipe, most people would choose Mind Eraser. They'd be wrong but again, thin air combined with weed.

[ALT2870]

I lived in Colorado for a bit. You wouldn’t believe how many people think Mind Eraser is the greatest coaster in the world.

Well, it's probably the thinner air, starving their brains for oxygen. That combined with the low hanging cloud of reefer fumes. But no,seriously, if you think about it Mind Eraser is the greatest coaster ever built if that's all you know. There is a certain crowd out there that hates woodies. I know so many. I knew a guy who said he would never go to Holiday World because 3 of their four coasters are wooden. I told he was missing out but whatever. So if you only like steelies and your choices are between Mind Eraser, Sidewinder, Boomerang and Half Pipe, most people would choose Mind Eraser. They'd be wrong but again, thin air combined with weed.

 

And it because of remarks like that I hate that we legalized it. (Or at least started first, remember Washington also did the same year.) To be honest I see more tourist then locals doing it but that is a topic for another day. (Air has little to nothing to do with it around here unless you are on alcohol, and people are surprised how fast they get drunk. lol)

 

Here is the fact, Elitch Gardens has the monopoly on the market in quite a large area. The next parks of comparable size are Lagoon, WOF, and Adventureland all of which are around 10 hours away. So ya, does it really surprise anyone what the GP's general preference is? Colorado is a huge tourist state so when people from the Front Range (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, etc) go on vacation, they rarely ever leave the state. (People are surprised when they found out the park I work at exist, even though it is 3 hours away.) Most peoples other park tends to be Disney when we talk about other parks.

 

That fact is that Elitch Gardens is doing fine where it is and how it is doing. Remember, this location is even bigger then the old location. To be honest their additions are usually solid and unique in the area. (Not too hard. )

 

Shameless plug, come up and check out Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park if you are in the state and don't want to go to Elitch's. Mine Drop is open all Winter.

[christianscoasters]

^Last time I was at Glenwood, they didn’t have the S&S swing. The swing they did have looked like a homemade science project It was fun at least. Nice to see how much the park has expanded!

[ALT2870]

^Last time I was at Glenwood, they didn’t have the S&S swing. The swing they did have looked like a homemade science project It was fun at least. Nice to see how much the park has expanded!

 

Man, that has been sometime then. There are some big plans for the future so hopefully you can come back.

[robbalvey]

Shameless plug, come up and check out Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park if you are in the state and don't want to go to Elitch's. Mine Drop is open all Winter.

Yeah I still need to get out there!