Hurricane Milton Closes Disney, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Other Florida Parks

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UPDATE 10/11/24: Most of the Orlando Area Parks including Disney, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, LEGOLAND and Fun Spot are set to reopen on Friday, October 11, 2024 (Fun Spot actually reopened at 3pm on Thursday). These parks sustained minimal to no damage. Busch Gardens in Tampa remains closed through Saturday, October 12, 2024 with the park asking guests to check its website for further updates. There is no word yet on any damage to the park itself, however there was extensive damage to the surrounding Tampa region.

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Fright Fest, Kid’s Boo Fest and Oktoberfest Return to Six Flags Over Georgia

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It’s fall and as the weather turns cooler and the trees begin to change it also means it’s time for spooky season at our favorite theme parks. It seems like every park has a Halloween or fall event now, but one of the originals is Fright Fest by Six Flags with the park celebrating its 30th anniversary of the event in 2024. This year Six Flags Over Georgia is essentially operating 3 events simultaneously with Fright Fest, Kid’s Boo Fest and Oktoberfest all happening together in September and October. One of the biggest draws of these events are the haunted mazes with their unique stories/themes and this year Six Flags Over Georgia landed some great IP with houses themed to Netflix’s Stranger Things and the Saw movie franchise!

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Are Vessi Shoes the Perfect Theme Park Shoes?

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A day at a theme park can include miles of walking, water rides and potentially inclement weather. Getting blisters or wet feet can make this miserable and thus a good pair of shoes are vital to a good theme park experience. I have almost flat feet and have sometimes struggled to find comfortable shoes for long distances, especially with water involved. I heard YouTuber ElToroRyan talking about his Vessi shoes on one of his coaster videos and decided to give them a shot. That first pair of Vessis I got have been the best pair of shoes I’ve ever owned.

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Wild Surge Rising? Busch Gardens Announces “Wild Oasis” Realm for 2025!

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Busch Gardens Tampa announced it will be opening a new area of the park called “Wild Oasis” in Spring of 2025. This appears to be a retheme of the old Tree Top Trail area in Jungala which by no means is a bad thing! We reported months ago about construction walls being up at Tree Top Trails with speculation of what was to come and now we know the reason. The area is set to be called a “realm” which is interesting and will contain climbing areas, water features, new animal habitats and a reimagined drop tower.

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Get on the “Voter Coaster” Register to Vote Today!

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The Voter Coaster

Today, September 17, 2024, is National Voter Registration Day. You can head to Vote.gov to register to vote. Our politicians represent us and it’s important that you let your voice be heard no matter your views. You may also want to check out our recent article about politicians at theme parks, fairs and carnivals. Get on the “voter coaster” and let your voice be heard.

Visit Busch Gardens in Minecraft with MCParks!

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Falcon’s Fury in Minecraft Courtesy of MCParks
Real Life Falcon’s Fury

Are you a fan of Busch Gardens? Are you a fan of Minecraft? Then you totally need to check out MCParks Busch Gardens Tampa for Minecraft! MCParks uses teams of Imagineers, Technicians and Guest Relations to faithfully recreate the park experience. The park uses a variety of resources to to create a one block to one meter virtual recreation of the park. You can see this demonstrated in the picture above with the faithful recreation of Falcon’s Fury!

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Politicians at Theme Parks, Fairs and Carnivals Including Reagan, Nixon, Carter, Obama, Tim Walz and the Amazing Sir Ed Davey of the UK!

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Sir Edward Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, rides a Scremin' Swing
Sir Edward Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, rides a Scremin’ Swing | Source: X/@EdwardJDavey

The United States election season is in full swing and inevitably some of the candidates end up in or near theme parks, fairs or carnival as part of their campaign. These are excellent places to meet with potential voters and get a great photo op. This is especially important in the age of social media where video is consumed in viral bite-sized pieces. Sometimes the visit is just a meeting at a hotel on property, occasionally a speech with iconic visuals like Obama in front of the castle at the Magic Kingdom, but every once and a while the politician will take in a thrill ride like Tim Walz or Sir Ed Davey! The point of this article isn’t to take political sides, but merely to point out some examples (both domestic and international) of politicians at theme parks, carnivals and fairs.

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Water’s Edge Expansion Coming to Wild Adventures in 2025 with 3 New Rides!

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Water's Edge rendering from Wild Adventures
Water’s Edge (picture courtesy of Wild Adventures)

On September 9, 2024 Wild Adventures announced its new for 2025 expansion on the Water’s Edge area of the park. This picturesque area of the park will be reimagined to include 3 new rides, a new stage, new food options and a new animal habitats including a reptile house! It will also feature the park’s first Quiet Room for those with sensory sensitivities. The 3 new rides will include the relocation and refurbishment of the park’s Ferris wheel, a new kids bouncing boat parade flat ride and a new swing ride.

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Confirmation that Wild Surge at Busch Gardens Was Destroyed by Fire Back in 2022

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Fire damaged Wild Surge
Fire damaged Wild Surge (courtesy of r/iwilliam_2023)
Wild Surge ride at Busch Gardens
Undamaged Wild Surge

So back in 2023 I wrote about an encounter I had with a Busch Gardens ride operators at another theme park discussing the unexpected closure of the mini drop tower ride, Wild Surge, located in the Jungala area of the park. He told me Wild Surge was actually damaged by a fire in December 2022 and showed me pics on his phone of the damage to the ride. I finally tracked him down and got permission to share them here.

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Kid Flash Cosmic Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia Closed Indefinitely While Skyline Works to Increase Reliability

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Kid Flash Roller Closed Sign at Six Flags Over Georgia
Kid Flash Roller Closed Sign at Six Flags Over Georgia
Kid Flash Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia
Kid Flash Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia

March 19, 2025 Update: The park has opened for the season and the ride is still standing, but not operating (SBNO). This is the same for Fiesta Texas. Although we haven’t yet seen a definitive public statement from the park, comments from employees, emails to guests and responses influencers all point to the imminent removal of these rides. It was surprising to still see it on the in park maps last week (which you could tell were updated as they included Georgia Gold Rusher). Ironically, also got an email from Skyline today still advertising the P’Sghetti Bowl coaster model for sale and listing SFOG as an install on its website along with a new similar looking, but potentially larger “TrailRunner” design.

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