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Rotors

Washington State Fair - this one is my favorite. Comfy wall, and the floor drops a LOT. Only open during the September fair, but it sometimes travels. Look for Diskotek on the ride list.

Canobie Lake Park

Worlds of Fun

 

There are also some traveling ones. Battech (formerly Dartron) currently makes a version called the SpinDrome or Rave.

 

Caterpillars

Canobie Lake Park has one with the canopy. IdleWild recently removed theirs, but it's been rumored that it will be back.

 

I don't know about funhouses, but newer portable ones often have a lot of traditional stunts like rotating barrels. Being used to ones that just have mirrors and slides, I didn't know there were so many that have a lot of moving parts.

 

I can vouch for these rides operating in years ranging from 2010-2013, FYI. I always make sure to check out Rotors and Caterpillars to enjoy the novelty of riding such rare, classic rides!

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Darn I miss caterpillars. There was always one during our annual PNE here in Vancouver.

But eventually, it stopped showing up. And it always sat beside an original Mad Mouse, lol.

 

I think there was one in Mirabilandia, Italy. I saw it in actual operation, and the covering was

a beautiful red velvet-like draped "curtain" that just enveloped the cars.

 

But I didn't ride it. Now I wish I had.

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Valleyfair still has an operating caterpillar, it goes by the name of SuperCat now instead of The Caterpillar. Unfortunately they do not operate the yellow and black stripped canopy anymore but still run the rest of the ride. They took out the canopy in the late 90's. Don't know if it was for safety or it just stopped working but wish they could refurbish it and bring it back. The Rotor at VF was removed to provide space for Power Tower.

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Jenkinson's Boardwalk on the Jersey Shore has a nice funhouse, but I agree with Larry that the best are in Scandi, and the one at Grona Lund is a standout.

 

I haven't seen a caterpillar or rotor in quite a while, except for the newfangled rotor-type rides.

 

Whips and turtles are easier to find, and they're not too common.

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  • 2 months later...
The best funhouses are in Scandinavia

 

So, which ones do you think are like the most "traditional".....i.e. with rotating barrels, air jets, dark mazes??

 

I'm not Larry, but here goes... My favorites from Scandinavia were at Bakken (near Copenhagen) and Grona Lund (Stockholm). It seems like almost every park had one, though, and there weren't any that I thought were "bad". I wish more US parks had these!

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Rotors and caterpillars I haven't run into overseas, much.

 

But I agree with Thad ^ about the funhouses in Bakken and Grona Lund.

They, and the one in Linnanmaki were a good workout, I remember.

And the one in Linnanmaki had long lines throughout the day, which is a

good sign of a good attraction.

1822780106_ResizeofIMG_5982.JPG.8d328b06b764e618ce18b45dc37bed80.JPG

This is Linnanmaki Park's funhouse, in Helsinki. Before the lineups start.

(Taken during this summer's TPR Scandi Tour.)

401414367_ResizeofIMG_5982a.JPG.e36c8cf0a34e5215dd71fbc18b825bab.JPG

And here's the other "half" of the funhouse building.

Edited by Nrthwnd
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SHOCKED this didn't come up immediately. . .

 

but Kennywood outside of Pittsburgh has a GREAT funhouse in "Noah's Ark"

 

(no rotating barrel. . tho you walk thru one on an elevated platform, if I recall) but TONs of vibrating/shaking floors, the main ark rocks quite forcefully, and there are air jets hidden thruout the dark maze portions.

 

I loved it.

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Sorry, I didn't address this sooner. Here is how I rate the European FunHouses with the best on top (Last year I visited each park)

 

Grona Lund (2009)

Linnanmaki (2009)

Wiener Prater (2010) Both the Calypso FunHouse and Funball

Bakken (2009)

Parque d'attraciones Madrid (2007)

Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach (2006)

VidamPark (2010)

Tivoli Gardens (2009)

Sarkanniemi (2009)

 

Although I like Noah's Ark at Kennywood (it really doesn't have many traditional working stunts) and I think the one at Jenkinson's is the only one still left in the US that is similar to the European ones.

Edited by larrygator
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Caterpillars were great. I loved Idlewild's because they ran it with all the features, like the canopy and fans. I can't remember where, but didn't there used to be an indoor one with a space theme? I'm sure someone here will remember.

 

Rotors were also good rides. Maintenance nightmares, but fun. Luna Park and Lake Compounce have the best currently in operation. Fantasy Island in NY and Conneaut Lake used to have great ones named Devil's Hole and Hell Hole respectively.

 

As for fun houses, Noah's Ark takes the cake. Another great one was the Magic Palace at Crystal Beach. It had the air blowers, a tilted room, lily pads, and many other features.

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I found this pretty cool time lapse video of how a traveling Ferris Wheel is assembled and a few other videos of fair rides being assembled. The nerd in me is happy.

 

Couldn't find a "Traveling Fair" type thread and didn't want to create one just for this.

 

I found those very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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Caterpillars were great. I loved Idlewild's because they ran it with all the features, like the canopy and fans. I can't remember where, but didn't there used to be an indoor one with a space theme? I'm sure someone here will remember.

I think that you might be talking about Space Odyssey at Delgrosso's.

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Canobie Lake Park has some awesome old school flats that are kept in very good shape. Caterpillar, Twist n' Shout, Rowdy Roosters, Turkist Twist, 1902 carousel: just to name a few.

 

Palace Playland has an old school troika and matterhorn that run better than most.

 

Quassy has a really old trabant. They also have the basics like the yoyo, music fest, tilt a whirl ect.... Their Giant Slide is pretty unique and fun, nothing else like it around here.

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I forgot about Linnamaki! That was a really good funhouse. I wasn't impressed with Tivoli Garden's funhouse.

 

My thoughts on Tivoli Gardens are based on the TPR experience there. I think it was the first FunHouse of that trip and quite a few TPR member acted liked buffoons and I remember quite a bit of air time on the slides.

 

But on my reflection it was more like a playground than a FunHouse, so I will amend my rankings

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Rotors were also good rides. Maintenance nightmares, but fun. Luna Park and Lake Compounce have the best currently in operation. Fantasy Island in NY and Conneaut Lake used to have great ones named Devil's Hole and Hell Hole respectively.

 

Lake Compounce has not had a Rotor in a few years. (Well, technically they still -have- it, in pieces, behind the employee parking lot...) It was falling apart, several attempts to rehabilitate it failed, and they replaced it with Revolution (Mega Disko) a few years ago. Canobie Lake still has theirs, though, and it's a great one.

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^Chuck I'm glad you brought that up because it reminds me to say there are two different types of funhouses.

 

Some are just big rooms with a variety of props, stunts, mirrors where the activities are not sequential in nature. I think the one at Luna Sydney is the last true example of this kind. Remember, we also did the one at the old Southport Pleasureland on the frist TPR trip. The one at Tivoli Gradens falls in this category, also.

 

The other type are the walk throughs, where a sequence must be followed and is the style of most of the Scandi ones. In the US the following remaining ones that I know of are:

Aladdins Lamp and Pirates Cove (Trimpers)

Pirates Cove (Waldameer)

Noah's Ark (Kennywood)

FunHouse - Jenkinson's

Grand Orient Funhouse - Old Orchard Beach

Surf Shack - Playland Castway Cove

Persian Kamel and Jungle FunHouse - York's Wild Kingdom

 

Of course there are also portable ones on the fair circuit

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Rotors were also good rides. Maintenance nightmares, but fun. Luna Park and Lake Compounce have the best currently in operation. Fantasy Island in NY and Conneaut Lake used to have great ones named Devil's Hole and Hell Hole respectively.

 

Lake Compounce has not had a Rotor in a few years. (Well, technically they still -have- it, in pieces, behind the employee parking lot...) It was falling apart, several attempts to rehabilitate it failed, and they replaced it with Revolution (Mega Disko) a few years ago. Canobie Lake still has theirs, though, and it's a great one.

 

I always get Lake Compounce and Canobie Lake mixed up. They're pretty similar. What I originally meant was Turkish Twist at Canobie. Thanks for the correction.

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