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Park Hoppin
In association with Park Hoppin’with Susan Storey I
love Halloween; it’s my favourite holiday. I also enjoy anything that celebrates or lends itself to spooky fun. As far as I’m concerned,
we should celebrate Halloween all year. It appears the attractions industry agrees
with me. While October has become synonymous with Halloween-themed special events at parks around the world, we’re starting to see more ‘calendar creep’ when it comes to the things that go bump in a park
at night. Universal Studios kicked off 2023 announcing it would open a year-round attraction à la Halloween Horror Nights in Las Vegas, Nevada. In March, Six Flags Inc. hosted Scream Break at select parks. For one week guests could purchase special event tickets that included limited-run haunted attractions with scare zones, coaster riding in the dark, and more. Walt Disney World’s Halfway to Halloween event continues to grow each April, as the parks and resorts have limited-time Halloween-themed treats, Halloween merchandise sneak peeks, and even ghostly Photo Pass options. The promotion also kicks off the sale of tickets to its annual Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. (Yes, I have mine!) Special events aside, theme park haunted houses offer a taste of
Halloween year-round, and often are a child’s first foray into the scary side of the industry. This month I had a whirlwind tour of several parks. While they were primarily professional visits, I also found time for a few rides. While at Carowinds in North Carolina, I took a spooky ride through Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. Built and designed by Sally Dark Rides, its original iteration opened in 2001 as one of the Scooby-Doo’s Haunted Mansion experiences. The ride went through several storyline updates over the years and eventually was renamed and rethemed when Cedar Fair Entertainment Company purchased the park. Today it continues to transport guests through a mystical manor. With a Boo Blaster in hand, guests shoot at targets to avoid ghosts and collect points while moving through various themed rooms and sets. During my visit most of the guests at the park were part of a school
trip from around the state. Various groups of students in matching t-shirts would line up at the attractions, and the haunted mansion was popular. Regardless of age, Boo Blasters provided giggles for all who dared to ride. When it was my turn, I rode with two school chaperones. While we shot our Blasters, we also listened to the students ahead and behind us. A haunted ride combined with excited pre-teens definitely made everyone’s imaginations and emotions run wild. It was a shrieking-ly fun time! A trek further north on Interstate 95 then took me to Busch Gardens
Williamsburg in Virginia. I visited so I could see the new experience located in the park’s ‘abandoned’ fortress. In 2005, Busch Gardens opened the Curse of DarKastle, a hybrid dark
ride with a storyline about an icy abandoned Bavarian castle that was haunted by ghosts, a werewolf and the mad King Ludwig. A longtime guest favourite, the legend - and the ride - closed in 2017. No good haunt is ever truly vanquished, and in 2022 the park
announced the castle would reopen. I had the good fortune to be among the first to brave the next chapter of the spooky story. DarKastle has evolved into DarKoaster, bringing with it a multi-launch roller coaster billed as North America’s first all-indoor straddle coaster. Designed by Intamin, the coaster features four launches as it takes riders around 1,400 feet of track, twice, in the dark. Admittedly I never rode the original DarKastle but research about the
storyline made me think of Beauty and the Beast - minus Beauty coming to reverse the curse. For this update, Busch Gardens reincarnated the
MAY 2023 5
original character, the cursed King Ludwig and now invites guests to investigate supernatural forces while embarking on Dark Tours through his castle. Guests enter an indoor blizzard of sorts, inspiring the question if it’s part of a snowstorm that is a natural phenomenon in the DarKastle, or the result of something supernatural? New scenery and props include paranormal investigating equipment,
skis and snowmobile parts demonstrating that the tours are ready for the unusual weather elements. Twists, turns, special effects and more sent us zipping through the cavernous castle. Special lightning effects, wind, and fog enhance the eerie experience. I rode DarKoaster several times, trying each of the coaster rows. The front seat was my favourite, but the back row does give riders the quick, and cool, view of the track switching ready for the second round. The best haunted attractions feature great theming, and DarKoaster
gave me the ghostly manor vibes I love. A cryptlike courtyard, wolf statues and lush ivy and prickle bushes surround the castle and the courtyard queue area. Once you enter, flickering lanterns and howling wind help prepare riders for the dark coaster experience. Once you board the unique snowmobile-style cars, the supernatural forces take over as the coaster launches into the bizarre storm within the castle walls. How can I describe it? A
creepy setting. A ghostly tale. A spooky trek. A hauntingly fun time. And still a great family coaster. All of it comes together perfectly. DarKoaster launches a new era for Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s haunted attraction history. Most importantly, the coaster gave me Halloween vibes in the month of May. Ghosts, werewolves, and creepy phenomena – oh my!
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