theme-park

Gators Live at Wild Adventures is an Entertaining and Educational Show

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Gators Live Show at Wild Adventures Theme Park
Gators Live Show at Wild Adventures Theme Park

The Gators Live show at Wild Adventures Theme Park is a chance to see the American Alligator up-close and learn more about them. The show focuses on the natural history and conservation of the alligator and and a couple other animal ambassadors like a Burmese Python and a tortoise. Guests get to watch expert gator handlers engage with these animals. In many cases audience members, especially children, have the opportunity to be extremely close to or even touch the animals! Here is a basic review of Gators Live and what else you can expect during the show.

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The Great Refillable Souvenir Cup Program at LEGOLAND Florida

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If you’re going to spend a day at a theme park, especially one in Central Florida in summer, hydration is going to be very important. Thankfully LEGOLAND Florida has you covered with their souvenir cup refill program. Each cup will cost between $17.99 and $20.29 (depending on the number you purchase) and get you free refills throughout your visit that day. When you come back for another visit you can reactivate the cup for $10.99/day and enjoy another day of free refills. A standard soda at LEGOLAND Florida is just over $5, so it won’t take long to break even on a cup. The park also makes getting those refills super easy and convenient utilizing the Coca-Cola Freestyle system, providing dozens of beverage options.

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Tormenta at Six Flags Over Texas Opening June 26th (delayed) with World Record 218 Foot Inversion

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Tormenta Logo (Courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas)

Update July 2026: Tormenta is now scheduled to open July 9th and is currently running member previews and technical rehearsals!

Update June 22, 2026: According to the Six Flags Over Texas social media, Tormenta has been delayed from the original June 26th date.  First news of the delay started with the postponing of media day for June 25th. The commissioning and testing process is taking longer than expected and the park wants everything perfect for opening.

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Family Review of Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida: A Spectacular Experience That’s So Much More Than a Ride

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Galacticoaster (Image courtesy of LEGOLAND)

Our family of 3 had a chance to experience Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida and we were wowed, awestruck and captivated by this amazing attraction. Calling Galacticoaster and “ride” or a “roller coaster” really sells it short as this is a multi-part story driven experience. The actual “coaster” portion of Galacticoaster is pretty short, but you’ll be entertained thoroughly over 10 minutes or so as you’re completely immersed in the ride’s story. This ride and its twin at LEGOLAND California represent a $90 million investment by Merlin Entertainment and you’ll immediately see it was money well spent.

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Large Section of Alapaha Trail at Wild Adventures Reopens

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Wild Adventures is several types of family entertainment combined into one that is equal parts theme park, water park, concert venue, zoo and nature center. The Alapaha Trail is a large section of elevated boardwalk through authentic Georgia swampland. For the 2026 season the trail has more than doubled in size with a large section closed for over a decade reopened. The entire trail has been refreshed with more than 6,000 board feet of new wood. The Alapaha Trail is a peaceful, shaded boardwalk that provides a nice break from the neighboring rides with the opportunity to see several of the park’s animals along the way.

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The Use of 3D Printing at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to Bring Howl-O-Scream to Life by Massivit and Hatch X

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Queen Sculpture (Courtesy of Hatch X and Massivit)

I recently had a chance to attend an IAAPA webinar entitled, “Off with Their Heads! Build Unforgettable Experiences with XXL 3D Printing” that was tied directly to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The webinar was put on by Massivit, a company involved in large scale additive manufacturing (3D Printing). In the webinar Massivit highlighted the “Giant Chess Queen” character at the Shadows of Wonderland haunted house at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s annual Howl-O-Scream event. This house is based on the story of “Alice in Wonderland” and made its debut in 2024 and returned for 2025. Out front of this Howl-O-Scream house was a 9 foot 3D printed sculpture of the queen of hearts created by Hatch X and Massivit. You can watch the video below with the Busch Gardens content starting at ~10:30 mark.

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Dude Perfect Theme Park to Open this Summer as Part of New Dig World Location in Grapevine, Texas

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Dude Perfect Exca-Putter Golf challenge at Dig World Grapevine (Courtesy of Dig World)

The famous YouTube trick shot artists Dude Perfect are opening their first theme park. To be more specifici they are opening a construction-themed trick shot zone as part of the new Dig World theme park in Grapevine,TX opening this summer. In the Dude Perfect Zone guests will attempt three outrageous construction/sports trick shots from Dude Perfect. Dig World opened its first facility in Katy, TX in 2022 with a goal of a national roll out with the Grapevine location as its second location in this plan. The chain is partnered with Caterpillar to let kids and adults safely operate real, full-sized Cat machinery. Attractions Magazine recently reported that bookings are now open for Dig World in Grapevine for July 2026, so opening day is not far away!

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Review of Panda Express at Carowinds: An Excellent Quick Service Option with Large Portions and Great Flavors

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Panda Express at Carowinds
Panda Express at Carowinds

It’s not uncommon these days to see familiar chain restaurants inside theme parks such Starbucks. However, at Carowinds Theme Park you’ll actually find a Panda Express and it’s one of the best and most popular quick service restaurants in the park. Panda Express Panda Express is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in American style Chinese cuisine. It has over 2,400 locations and is probably best known for its orange chicken dish. At Carowinds you’ll sometimes find that one of the longest lines in the park is for Panda Express because it offers large portions of good food at a reasonable price.

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World of PAW Patrol, now open at Chessington World of Adventures Resort!

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Paw Patrol at Chessington World of Adventures (Courtesy of Merlin Entertainment)

If you have young children you’re probably familiar with the Paw Patrol. The children’s cartoon series has had remarkable staying power having premiered on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. on August 12, 2013. New for 2026, Merlin Entertainment has brought the world of Paw Patrol to life at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK which opened on May 3, 2026. There have been Paw Patrol areas in theme parks before, such as at the Nickelodeon Universe locations at Mall of America and American Dream, but these have been more playground than rides. Paw Patrol at Chessington is a fully fleshed out theme park land complete with several rides and attractions. Paw Patrol at Chessington features a roller coaster, 3 flat rides and several other attractions including a play zone and pup meet & greet.

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New Water Attraction Coming to Busch Gardens Tampa to Replace Stanley Falls Flume

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay filed plans for a major new water attraction and will serve as a flume-style replacement for the demolished Stanley Falls Flume. According to the permit description this is the “removal of an existing water ride and construction of a new water attraction”. It appears some things (perhaps the station) may be salvaged as the project is a redevelopment with improvements including themed structures, building modifications, utility upgrades and hardscape/landscape enhancements. The project will span a 91,400-square-foot footprint, has a price tag of $16.5 million and has the codename: “Project Driftwood” . So now let the speculation begin!

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