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ParkHoppin’ with Paul Ruben
Gators R Us
Attending the grand opening of Legoland Florida this winter left me yearning for the charm of the original Cypress Gardens. Portions of Cypress Gardens remain in this Lego-themed reincarnation of the property, but it felt like an afterthought. While watching the children’s entertaining misadventures in the Lego driving school, my thoughts drifted to other classic pre-Disney Florida roadside attractions. And then the thought hit me... Gatorland! This 110-acre (0.45 sq km) park and wildlife preserve was located not far from my Orlando hotel, and I had never been there. Have you? I’ll bet that of the 25,000 IAAPA Attractions Expo attendees each year, maybe only a few hundred have. Shame on the rest of you.
Gatorland is located just a few miles from the Orange County Convention Center, a hidden jewel of a park. It was founded by Owen Godwin in 1949, and is still privately owned by his family. Billed as the “Alligator Capital of the World,” Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, reptile shows, aviary, petting zoo, swamp walk and
educational programmes. Legoland had alligators, but theirs are made of plastic bricks. Leaving Legoland (it was jammed on opening day anyway), I found my way back to Orlando and Gatorland. Free parking? Yes, indeed. Now that’s nostalgic. I walked in and found gators to the right of me
and gators to the left of me. In a word, Gatorland is authentic. I watched people leaning over the protective fences watching gators, and the gators watching people. The gators were looking for a hand out. Eventually I wandered back to the 800-seat gator wrestling stadium. It has a large sand-covered stage with a surrounding moat. During the 20- minute show, a wrangler jumped into the reptile-infested waters and hauled a thrashing gator onto the stage. He said he was paid minimum wage. You couldn’t pay me enough to do this. He toyed with the gator, and told the audience some little-known facts about the creatures. For example, I learned that a gator won’t attack you if you are carrying a flashlight. But it really depends on how fast you are carrying it. At the conclusion of the show, he invited members of the audience to wrestle the alligator and have their photo taken.
I couldn’t resist, but only because the gator was a female named Mona. This was inter-gender wrestling at its finest. Here’s the picture to prove it. OK. I have a confession. The gators’ jaws were taped shut. But it was still great fun. I think Mona liked it, too.
Gatorland has an Allan Herschell train ride that meanders through its swamp and around the property. It’s a classic ride. It also has 1,200ft of zip lines from Global Highline Adventures that carry riders over the marsh infested with what else? Gators. This offers a great view for those of us who have faith in thin flimsy steel cables. See you later, alligator.
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Parques Reunidos Spanish group sn
Slagharen
The Spanish group Parques Reunidos has been on a shopping trip and recently added new parks to its portfolio from Europe and North America.
Based in the Dutch town of the same name, Slagharen attraction park was founded by the Bemboom family in 1963 and now entertains over one million
guests a year, making it one of the largest parks in the Netherlands. The award- winning facility, which is anchored by an American theme, features over 40 rides and attractions, live Western shows and on-site accommodation, in addition to its signature pony rides.
Meanwhile in the United States, Parques Reunidos subsidiary Palace Entertainment has completed the acquisition of Noah’s Ark waterpark from Tim and Dan Gantz. Billed as America’s largest waterpark with over 50 attractions spread across 70 acres, the venue was pivotal in the development of Wisconsin Dells as the “Waterpark Capital of the World.” The property also features two hotels, offering over 300 rooms. With these latest acquisitions, the Parques Reunidos froup now operates 72 theme, water and animal parks, as well as family entertainment centres, making it Europe’s second largest leisure park operator. The group operates attractions in 11
Michael Severn Lamb 1948-2012
The former chairman and chief executive of British specialist transport manufacturer Severn- Lamb has died. Michael Severn-Lamb was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the end of November last year and passed away on February 7, aged 63. A celebration of his life was held at a civil ceremony on February 16. Michael was the son of Severn-Lamb founder
Peter Severn-Lamb and his wife Rita and was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He began his career as an interior designer but joined the family business in 1975 following the untimely death of his father at the age of 53.
Under the leadership of this larger than life character, the company grew significantly. What had at one time been a relatively small model making company building miniature railways, developed into a major player in leisure transportation, supplying trains and other people-moving products to parks ranging from Drayton Manor to Disneyland.
In 1995 Michael won the title of (UK) Businessman of the Year and during the same year Severn-Lamb won the Queen’s Award for Export. During the late 1990s and early 2000s the company enjoyed continued success although the challenges of the business took their toll on Michael’s health and he retired as chairman in 2004, at which point his eldest son Patrick took to the helm. “Michael’s father was an excellent engineer and when Michael took over the company he showed a great ability to adapt what his father did to the changing requirements of the industry,” recalls Drayton Manor managing director Colin Bryan. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of discussions and great friendship with Michael over the years and now with his son Patrick at the helm, Severn- Lamb continues to help us with a variety of projects on the park.” Michael leaves a widow, Francoise; two sons, Patrick and Richard; and two grandchildren, Harrison and Olly.
APRIL 2012
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