Happy 80th Birthday Dolly Parton, Namesake of Dollywood and New IAAPA Hall of Fame Member

January 22, 2026 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Dolly museum at Dollywood giant butterfly

On January 19th Dolly Parton celebrated her 80th birthday. Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN takes its name from Dolly and the theme park is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and Dolly Parton. The park was known by several other names previously, but this arrangement came about in 1986, marking 40 years of the park being known as Dollywood. Although she is famous for not riding the rides, Dolly’s fingerprints are all over the park and it even features museum areas about her music, career and wardrobe.

Dollywood Dolly Parton Experience Behind the seams

Dolly is also one of the newest inductees to the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Hall of Fame. The recognition celebrates her role in creating and influencing Dollywood Parks & Resorts through her partnership with Herschend. Dolly was honored as part of the 2025 annual expo in Orlando that also corresponded with the exciting reveal of the Night Flight ride vehicle, the parks largest investment ever new attraction set to open in 2026. Dolly was unable to attend, but did send a video message.

Happy Birthday to Dolly! She’s helped build one of the best theme parks in the world that has simultaneously helped her local community. In addition to bringing joy and great memories at her theme park she’s also helped give over 304 million books away to children as part of her Imagination Library program. Dolly is a national treasure that seems to transcend typically divisive factors like politics and religion. Congrats on her success and hopefully it will continue for years to come.

Dolly Parton imagination library counter

The World of Sid and Marty Krofft: Atlanta’s Former Indoor Theme Park in the Old CNN Center

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026 / printingddd / Leave a comment

If you visited Atlanta over the last couple of decades that trip may have included a stop at the former CNN Center integrated into the Omni Hotel. This is especially true if you were visiting the neighboring Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, Mercedes Benz Stadium Philips Arena (now State Farm) or Centennial Olympic Park. The food court at the base of the atrium was massive with tons of choices for those looking for a quick meal, but there was also a CNN Tour. However, this space 50 years ago in 1976 housed an indoor amusement park called The World of Sid and Marty Krofft.

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Fake American Flags at Disney? No, Just One From the 1900’s That’s Used for Theming and Practicality.

December 14, 2025December 15, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Many areas of Disney are filled with American flags. The most prominent of these are the main flag poles at the entrance of the parks, but areas like Main Street, U.S.A. are filled with flags on top of each of the buildings. However, many of these flags are not “real” official United States flags, but are often missing some stars or have some other imperfections. Why would Disney do this? It’s not due to any lack of patriotism, but rather is more about practicality in not having to follow United States Flag Code for every single one.

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BGT Safari Content Featured in Documentary About Former Rhino Rally Attraction at Busch Gardens

December 11, 2025December 17, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

BGT Safari thank you on documentary credits

There’s a great documentary on YouTube by Seaworld History about the former Rhino Rally attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa featuring the amazing SirWillow who used to be a driver on the attraction. I was also thrilled to see the inclusion of some pictures I had posted several years ago on a blog entries about the abandoned ride area and the Rhino Rally area being under construction for what would become Serengeti Flyer. It was so cool to see my blog mentioned in the credits!

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Is the Closing of Six Flags America a Sign of Things to Come for the Theme Park Industry?

December 3, 2025 / printingddd / 1 Comment

Six Flags America is closed, likely forever, unless the land is bought by a group who intends to reopen it, which seems unlikely. There have already been reports of trains from Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder being moved to Canada’s Wonderland for their Vekoma SLC Flight Deck, so it appears the dismantling is underway. Six Flags also announced on an earnings call its intention to divest other “non-core” parks, but it is yet to be seen if these sales will be to another operator or result in closure with the land seeing other uses. A closure is often in the best interest of a seller in order to drive business to their other parks nearby. National news gave lots of coverage to the Six Flags America closure, laying part of the blame on a “sluggish economy that’s hit Six Flags’ core middle-class customers particularly hard”. So what does this mean for the industry going forward?

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Fort Collins Old Town was the Inspiration for Disney Main Street USA

November 7, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Did you know that a town in Colorado served as the model for Disneyland’s (and the Magic Kingdom’s) Main Street USA? Fort Collins proudly embraces this heritage and it’s all because of Imagineer Harper Goff who was born in Fort Collins. Main Street USA also draws inspiration from Walt Disney’s hometown, Marceline, Missouri but the similarities to Fort Collins are uncanny. In fact records show that Goff went back to Fort Collins in the 1950’s explicitly for the purpose of building Main Street USA in the future Disneyland park. You can see in the pictures above many commonalities from the trolley all the way down to the look of the street lights.

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The Fascinating World of Disney Balloons

September 10, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Getting a balloon at a theme park can be an iconic experience for a child and some of the balloons at Disney are amazing. Balloons can be found for sale, on parade floats and even as part of attractions. Much of the Disney balloon magic can be traced back to one man, Treb Heining who elevated balloons to an an art form. Mr. Heining was part inventor, part artist and part salesman who helped make balloons an integral part of Disney.

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Will Winnie-the Pooh be Coming to Your Local Theme Park? How Copyright Law Works.

September 2, 2025September 4, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Grady's Family Fun Park entrance with Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger statues — Grady’s Family Fun Park entrance

I was driving through southern Illinois and made a stop at Grady’s Family Fun Park. It has a bit of a feel of a permanent carnival attached to a batting cages and a mini golf course, but it is full of charm. One thing that struck me were the statues of Winnin-the-Pooh and Tigger at the exit. My first thought was that Disney was probably going to sue them, but a little research taught me otherwise as the original Winnie-the-Pooh copyright has indeed expired!

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Stanley Falls Flume Ride at Busch Gardens to Close Forever September 7, 2025

August 30, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

Stanley Falls at Busch Gardens will close on September 7, 2025 to make room for a future attraction according to announcements from the park on its website and social media.

After more than 50 years of splashes, smiles, and summer memories, Stanley Falls Flume® is taking its final plunge on September 7, 2025. As one of the original rides from the park’s opening in 1973, this classic has been a fan favorite for generations. This is your last chance to ride before we say goodbye and make way for an exciting new future attraction! Come relive the fun and help us celebrate a true Busch Gardens legend.
https://buschgardens.com/tampa/rides/stanley-falls/

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Spending National Roller Coaster Day 2025 at Lake Winnie Riding the Historic Cannon Ball Coaster

August 29, 2025August 30, 2025 / printingddd / Leave a comment

The Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park in Rossville, GA (affectionately known locally as “Lake Winnie“) is a beautiful park located on a 9 acre lake. The park is family owned celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is filled with history, nostalgia and character. The park’s best known attraction is the Cannon Ball wooden roller coaster built in 1967. On National Roller Coaster Day 2025 on August 16th we felt like getting some rides on the park’s historic Cannon Ball coaster was a great way to celebrate.

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