Discovery Cove announces The Grand Reef

In Orlando, Discovery Cove takes immersion to new depths when it opens an all-new area -- The Grand Reef -- in June 2011. The new reef features multiple levels of exploration, from shallow waters to deeper swimming adventures, from white sandy beaches and hammocks swaying in the breeze, to snorkeling among canyons inspired by reefs from around the world.

“The Grand Reef takes Discovery Cove’s world-class animal encounters to an all new level -- several, actually,” said Stewart Clark, the park’s vice president. “It’s what our guests expect from us, unforgettable connections with the sea and making memories that will last forever. This could only be created by Discovery Cove.”

Visitors just need to get their feet wet to enjoy The Grand Reef, or they can choose to go deep. They can step into tranquil, shallow waters to discover a below-the-surface world teeming with sea life, or they can snorkel in deeper waters as thousands of exotic fish and graceful rays swim around them.

Surprises abound. Families can seek discoveries along the water’s edge or cross a bridge to see sharks swimming below. They’ll play hide-and-seek with thousands of beautiful fish, from small colorful wrasses to large spotted eagle rays. Further out in the reef, stunning habitats create the feeling of swimming right alongside venomous lionfish and sharp-toothed reef sharks, each safely behind glass. Guests can take paths and bridges to the reef’s islands and hidden grottos as they delve into the reef from above, around and below.

Those looking for an even more exhilarating adventure can take part in The Grand Reef’s innovative experience, SeaVenture, an underwater walking tour. Wearing dive helmets, guests find up-close excitement around every corner, each step yielding a new discovery.

They’ll come across lionfish and sharks (safely behind massive panoramic windows), one-on-one touches with unique animals and schools of fish and gentle rays swimming by. SeaVenture is a once-in-a-lifetime, undersea experience available for a nominal fee.

The Grand Reef is the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, a fully immersive tropical escape, new to discover in Orlando in 2011.

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announces Cheetah Hunt

For more than five decades, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has found inspiration in its animals. Animal care experts have turned that inspiration into adventure with immersive natural habitats like the Serengeti Plain and Myombe Reserve. Engineers have also turned it into adrenaline, capturing the spirit of the animals in wood and steel with coasters like Kumba, Gwazi and SheiKra.

Now, the next generation of thrills emerges from the crossroads where up-close animal encounters and awe-inspiring rides come together. Spring 2011, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay introduces a mega-attraction that invites guests to feel the spirit and feel the speed of the cheetah.

Cheetah Hunt
The centerpiece of the new attraction is Cheetah Hunt, a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster that uses the force of repelling magnets to launch riders from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds – not once, but three times.

The first launch propels the train out of its station and into the grasslands that surround the new area. Moments later, a second burst of speed accelerates riders to 60 mph and up into the ride’s signature tower element that climbs more than 10 stories above the African landscape before plunging 130 feet into a subterranean trench. At the far end of this three-quarter-mile path, a third burst of speed rockets the train back across the plain toward the station in a thrill-ride experience unlike anything Busch Gardens’ guests have ever experienced.

Cheetah Run
But this one-of-a-kind coaster experience is only a portion of the new realm. Building on Busch Gardens’ unrivaled ability to combine thrills with immersive animal encounters, Cheetah Run will set a new standard for bringing nature and humans together in a really unique way.

Located in the area that formerly housed the Budweiser Clydesdales, this expansive new habitat will give visitors the opportunity to get closer to cheetahs than ever before with elevated, glass-paneled viewing areas. Even more exciting will be the chance to witness the world’s fastest land animal in action. Busch Gardens’ trainers will conduct daily sprints with the cheetahs for an awesome opportunity to see one of nature’s true wonders in full form!

Families can also explore interactive touch screens to learn even more about these big cats and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s work on their behalf. Through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the adventure parks have been helping cheetahs in the wild since 2005.

Cheetah Hunt and the Cheetah Run open in spring 2011. Together, they form a unique experience – the kind you’ll only find at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Cheetah Hunt Facts

• Type of ride -- Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster
• Launches -- Launch 1: 30 mph ... Launch 2: 60 mph ... Launch 3: 40 mph
• Other elements -- 130-foot drop into an underground trench ... over-banked turns ... "air time" parabolas ... heartline roll inversion.
• Track length -- 4,429 feet -- more than three quarters of a mile!
• Maximum speed -- 60 mph
• Maximum force -- 4 G
• Height -- 102 feet
• Ride duration -- 3 1/2 minutes (including loading and unloading)
• Seats/Train -- 5 trains, 16 passengers per train
• Guest capacity -- 1,370 guests per hour
• Height requirement -- 48"
• Location -- Crown Colony Plaza, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
• Manufacturer -- Intaride LLC, exclusive U.S. supplier of Intamin rides.

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Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announces SkyScreamer for 2011

Experience the newest sensation in tower rides, SkyScreamer comes to Six Flags
Discovery Kingdom in 2011. This new swing ride will take you up, up and away high over the park, with your feet dangling and hair blowing.

Towering at 150 feet above the ground, SkyScreamer will be as high as the park's tallest roller coaster, Medusa. Grab a friend and sit two across in an open air swing as you climb to the top of SkyScreamer tower while spinning round and round. At full swing, you'll soar in a 98-foot circle at speeds over
43 mph. By day, you'll have a bird's eye view of Shouka the killer whale in her pool or the tigers lounging in their exhibit. By night, SkyScreamer will light up the night as its lighted arms whirl high above the park.

SkyScreamer will open in Spring 2011.

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Pleasure Beach Blackpool announces Nickelodeon Land

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, is delighted to announce the launch of Nickelodeon Land which will open at Britain's favourite tourist attraction in April 2011. Nickelodeon Land represents an investment of £10.3m.

This collaboration between Pleasure Beach, Blackpool and Nickelodeon, the number one entertainment brand for kids, will see a 6 acre area of Pleasure Beach transformed into Nickelodeon Land, which will feature 14 rides, 9 are brand new and 5 are extensively re-themed existing rides. Nickelodeon Land also includes themed retail and catering outlets.

New rides include SpongeBob's Splash Bash, which is an interactive ride where riders have the opportunity to turn the jets onto their friends and blast pesky jellyfish with jets of water for a splashing time. Avatar Airbender allows riders to join Aang on an amazing adventure, spinning and soaring through the air on a giant disk. The Rugrat's Lost River is a rollicking flume ride where you join the Rugrats on their quest to find the mythical Temple of Spoon.

Amanda Thompson, Managing Director of Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, comments, "We are delighted to welcome Nickelodeon to Pleasure Beach. Both of our brands represent fantastic family fun and Nickelodeon Land will combine Pleasure Beach's reputation for amazing rides and attractions with Nickelodeon's favourite fun characters to produce a wonderful attraction, which will wow visitors to the park."

"Pleasure Beach is a first-class amusement park and popular destination for families in the U.K." said Gerald Raines, Senior Director, Nickelodeon Theme Parks and Attractions. "This is an ideal location for Nickelodeon and a great opportunity to expand our global presence. We look forward to offering Pleasure Beach patrons experiences that are unique to Nickelodeon and based on fan favourites like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer."

Work on Nickelodeon Land will commence in the Autumn of 2010 and is scheduled to open in April 2011.

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Dollywood announces Barnstormer for 2011

High-flying high jinks take to the sky at Dollywood for the 2011 season with the new Barnstormer ride, a $5.5 million family thrill ride situated in a barnyard-themed area which also includes play areas for younger guests.  

“I remember my daddy and granddaddy talking about the old barnstormers that used to do all kinds of crazy stunts above the fields where they’d work crops,” Dolly Parton said.  “My new Barnstormer ride offers folks those same breathtaking moments, high in the sky above Dollywood.  And I’ve recreated a critter-themed barnyard that reminds me of growing up on the farm here in the Smoky Mountains!”

Taking its name from the daring aerialists and stunt pilots of the 1920s, the Barnstormer features two pendulum arms with seating for 32 riders.  Seated back to back, riders travel progressively higher on each swing of the Barnstormer’s massive arms, reaching a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour and 230 degrees of rotation.  At its peak, the Barnstormer reaches a staggering 81 feet in the air, taking riders high above the barn’s rooftop and the area’s treetops.  Situated in the lush foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the Barnstormer rests amid a traditional red barn on the Owens Farm, a nod to Parton’s family’s rural upbringing.     

While the Barnstormer fills the air above the barn, children’s play areas dot the landscape around the barn.  With a fun, barnyard theme, children can enjoy a 22-foot by 16-foot bi-plane play area as well as a pig pen water play area.  

The Barnstormer has a ride capacity of 450 passengers per hour, and a 48-inch minimum height requirement.  
   The Barnstormer is adjacent to the Mountain Slidewinder, one of the park’s most popular rides which opened in 1987.  

The new area opens in March 2011 to usher in Dollywood’s 26th operating season.  

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Six Flags Great America's Hurricane Harbour announces Riptide Bay for 2011

The Best Water Park in the Nation...Just Got Bigger
Coming in 2011 — Riptide Bay at Hurricane Harbor! Catch a wave
at the only place to surf on Lake Michigan. The newly expanded
water park will boast more slides and attractions than any other
in the state.
Splash into three more acres of fun featuring:

• Double-sided surf simulator
• Caribbean-inspired activity pool
• Thrilling waterslides
• Luxury cabanas and more!

The Riptide Bay expansion will complement Hurricane Harbor's tropical-inspired paradise boasting hundreds of wet and wild water activities for all ages. Best of all, you can enjoy the water park for FREE with your Six Flags Great America daily admission or Season Pass. Get two parks for the price of one!
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Six Flags Over Georgia announces Dare Devil Dive for 2011

Calling all daredevils. In 2011, Six Flags Over Georgia will introduce Dare Devil Dive,
a "euro fighter" coaster with an amazing drop that's BEYOND vertical.

Dare Devil Dive's mission begins as you're pulled straight up to the sky on a special vertical chain lift, then slowly roll to the top of the tower nearly 100-feet in the air. After an agonizing pause at the crest of the summit, you plummet downward at an angle that is beyond straight down — it actually angles inward at a blistering 52 mph. it is the country's first PAUSE element before the beyond vertical drop.

Then you careen through a thrilling combination of diving loops while executing three inversions before you catch air on a zero gravity hill and swoop across the dreaded Immelman vertical U turn stretched high above the ground. The crescendo builds as the car dives toward the ground and up into a Heartline roll before being slowed by the magnetic brakes. Whew!

Dare Devil Dive will be the 11th coaster in Six Flags Over Georgia's already stellar coaster line-up.
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Six Flags St. Louis announces SkyScreamer for 2011

Experience the newest sensation in tower rides, SkyScreamer comes to Six Flags
St. Louis in 2011. This new swing ride will take you up, up and away high over the park, with your feet dangling and hair blowing.

Towering at 236 feet above the ground, SkyScreamer will be the tallest ride in the park, located near the Screamin' Eagle. Grab a friend and sit two across in an open air swing as you climb to the top of SkyScreamer tower while spinning round and round. At full swing, you'll soar in a 98-foot circle at speeds over 43 mph. By day, you'll have a bird's eye view for miles away. By night, SkyScreamer will light up the night as its lighted arms whirl high above the park.

SkyScreamer will open in Spring 2011.

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Busch Gardens Williamsburg announces 2011 and 2012 plans

As you enter Oktoberfest and pass by the fun-filled halls of Das Festhaus, you see it rising into the sky – the massive spire known as Mäch Tower.

Craning your neck to see the top, you notice a group of revelers being lifted and spiraling into the stratosphere. Suddenly, in a rush of wind and screams, they drop. So does your jaw.

This is Mäch Tower, the highest ride in Busch Gardens. It’s 245 feet of adrenaline-pulsing thrills with a view of the park and surrounding countryside you have to see to believe. That is, if you can keep your eyes open.

Mäch Tower – Heart racing. Jaw dropping. Spring 2011.

Then in 2012, we unveil our next attraction ... a multi-launch roller coaster featuring many "firsts".
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Water Country USA announces Vanish Point

Get ready for the slide of your life on Water Country USA’s epic new drop slide: Vanish Point. Inspired by the point on a wave where water and gravity form a perfect partnership, this summit supplies two wicked wet ways to drop out of sight.

The crest of this 75-foot tower challenges you with two wave paths. You can step into a skybox where you drop down when the floor drops out. Or get horizontal on the 300’ speed slide where you drop down as soon as you flop down … straight down.

Brace yourself for pure liquid adrenaline.

Vanish Point. Coming in 2011, only to Water Country USA.
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