MARKET REPORT: NORTH AMERICA
park itself. Fun Spot had purchased Fun Junction family entertainment centre and park in 2017, and quickly rebranded the park as Fun Spot America Atlanta. And while the park began to add rides and attractions, it was not until 2020, while the industry was trying to navigate its way through the pandemic that Fun Spot CEO John Arie got truly inspired. Together with Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), Arie dreamed up the company’s largest investment to date: ArieForce One. Through its partnership with RMC, the company fully cash-flowed the $13 million coaster and opened it in March. Along with incredible thrills, RMC and Arie ensured the ride would be a sight to see. The resulting tri-coloured coaster, complete with red and blue steel track twists, turns and flips inside a stark white labyrinth of track. ArieForce One features the very best of RMC’s globally recognized design innovation, including the first-ever
raven-truss dive and a first-of-its-kind zero-g roll over the park’s arcade building. Riders experience 100 seconds of pure thrill, including a 146 foot (45 m) first drop at an 83-degree angle and top speeds of up to 64 mph (103 km/h) across 3,400 feet of track. The last moments include four “bunny hill” drops. Consumers and coaster enthusiasts came to the park from all over the country excited to try the latest from RMC – and many, to visit the Georgia park for the first time. Within its first six months of operation, ArieForce One helped the park see a 33% increase in attendance. After the grand opening of ArieForce One, RMC continued to employ its ride design prowess and innovation on the East Coast, this time at the sweetest park in the United States. Hersheypark reached out to RMC to honour both the park’s coaster history while creating something for its future. In 1923, the park opened its first wooden roller coaster, The Wild Cat. While it later closed in 1945, the next
generation Wildcat coaster, built by Great Coasters International, opened in 1996. Exactly 100 years later, RMC clawed its way into the park to create Wildcat’s Revenge. RMC’s first coaster in Pennsylvania, the all-new wood and steel I-Box coaster prowls at top speeds of 62 mph (100 km/h), and features four unique inversions, including the world’s largest 270 degree underflip! Debuting in June, Wildcat’s Revenge is Hersheypark’s first hybrid coaster and sends guests racing through the coaster’s massive structure on 3,510 feet of track (1068 m).
Dark rides coast to coast Remaining in the Northeast, Maine’s Funtown Splashtown wanted to provide something spooky and eerily fun for the entire family. Ready to add its first new ride in twenty years, Funtown Splashtown turned to dark ride manufacturer, Sally Dark Rides, to develop Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel. Sally, recognized as a
Haunted Hotel
PARK WORLD Handbook & Buyer’s Guide 2023/24
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