theme-park

Get Your Engineering Cub Scout Adventure Loop at Fun Spot America Kissimmee with Mine Blower!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Fun Spot America Logo
Scout leader and scout in front of the Mine Blower roller coaster at Fun Spot Kissimmee

Earning the Arrow of Light “Engineering” adventure loop has the potential to be one of the most fun and exciting activities in scouting, especially with the increased interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). What’s even more exciting is that one of the recommended adventure activities in the cub scout handbook is to have scouts build their own roller coaster! A theme park is a great place for the scouts to explore and learn about engineering and Fun Spot America Kissimmee is perfectly suited for this adventure. Earning the “Engineering” Adventure Loop at Fun Spot Kissimmee can be as simple as watching a few YouTube videos, having a discussion, riding a roller coaster and participating in the park’s “build your own roller coaster” activity or doing your own at your next den or pack meeting.

Continue reading →

Review of The Swamp Tour at Wild Adventures: This Up, Close and Personal Show Will Have You Touch, Feed and Even Hold Some Amazing Creatures!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Family at Wild Adventures Swamp Tour with skink

On Father’s Day 2025 we had the chance to experience the Discovery Tours – Swamp Tour at Wild Adventures Theme Park. This is not a “tour” in the traditional sense where you’ll be walking around, but instead a small and intimate show limited to just 20 people where you’ll have the chance to see, touch, feed and hold some of the park’s amazing animal ambassadors. It really feels more like an animal encounter than a show. However, instead of just one animal, you’ll get to meet several. From feeding an African bullfrog to holding a snake, you’ll certainly leave this experience with great memories and probably some great pictures too!

Continue reading →

Scout Overnight Adventure Coming to Fun Spot Atlanta in Fall 2025

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Scouts by ArieForce One at Fun Spot America Atlanta

Have you ever wanted to camp next to a roller coaster? Fun Spot Atlanta will give Cub scouts, BSA Scouting America scouts and Girl scouts just that opportunity this fall by camping in the ArieForce One Courtyard at their Scout Overnight Adventure. For those not familiar, Fun Spot America Atlanta is a theme park located in Fayetteville, GA, just south of Atlanta that is home to great rides and go-karts including the world famous Arie Force One roller coaster. The event will consist of a night of camping fun followed by a day at the park with some fun bonus events like a Behind-the-Scenes Tour. The park will offer this event on three different nights catering to each of the different groups. The event is priced at $90 and includes camping, meals and unlimited rides.

Continue reading →

Adult Review of Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida

/ printingddd / 1 Comment

I visited Peppa Pig Theme Park at LegoLand Florida with no kids while visiting Winter Haven on a business trip and had a very enjoyable couple of hours. I mainly went to get the roller coaster credit for Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster, but found myself really enjoying and appreciating the rest of the park as well. The roller coaster is really phenomenal for what it is (a kiddie coaster), but the overall atmosphere is very lighthearted and pleasant. You’ll basically be able to do everything in a couple of hours and if you plan your visit accordingly you can do it at a reasonable price too.

Continue reading →

Celebrate Friday the 13th at Busch Gardens with Lights-On Tours of the Stanglewood Estate Howl-O-Scream House!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Stranglewood Estate Howl-O-Scream House at Busch Gardens Tampa

Howl-O-Scream doesn’t start until September, but Busch Gardens is using Friday the 13th to help promote this year’s event a few months in advance. In this case they’re having a faux realtor style “open house” for Stranglewood Estate which essentially amounts to a lights-on tour opportunity. The event is actually two days, running Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. Halloween is big business at theme parks with year round planning for what are essentially several large extra attractions for those months. Tickets are already on sale for Howl-O-Scream 2025 at Busch Gardens Tampa and no doubt the goal of the June 13-14, 2025 event is to build excitement for this year’s event.

Continue reading →

Wild Oasis at Busch Gardens Now Opening July 15th with Capybaras!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Wild Oasis Sign at Busch Gardens
Wild Oasis Sign (courtesy of Busch Gardens)

Update July 2025: It appears Wild Oasis will finally open to the public on July 15, 2025 and to pass members starting July 13, 2025. This has had a couple of delays, but this large redesigned and new land should be worth the wait. The full schedule is below.

• Platinum Pass Members Only: Saturday, July 12 l 10:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

• Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Pass Members: Sunday, July 13 | 10:30 А.М. – 5:00 Р.M.

• All Pass Members & Fun Card Holders: Monday, July 14 | 10:30 А.М. – 5:00 P.M.

• Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting – Open to All Guests: Tuesday, July 15 | 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.

Continue reading →

A Review of a Delightful Day at Kentucky Kingdom and Their New Christmas Event

/ printingddd / 1 Comment
Sledding hill and Ferris wheel at Kentucky Kingdom

We visited Kentucky Kingdom December 28, 2024 for their Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom event. For this event the park operates select rides, has special shows, great decorations and a massive sledding hill. The weather in Northern Kentucky in December can be hit or miss, but we had a perfect weather day. This was our first visit to the park and we found Kentucky Kingdom to be full of charm, but with a few quirks that didn’t necessarily detract from the experience, but instead were quite unique.

Continue reading →

Roller Coaster Patents: Epic Universe’s Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness Has a Patent on it!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Patent sign from Tellus Museum
Donkey Kong Mine-Kart Madness layout

I was walking through Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia and they had a great display about patents that actually highlighted the patent on the Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness ride. This roller coaster has a unique design with hidden lower vertical track and a “boom” arm to create the illusion of jumps, movement over rough terrain and fast track switches. However, Universal is far from the only company to protect their work with parents as with a quick search you will find patents from companies like RMC, Disney and many more.

Continue reading →

Celebrating Dollywood’s 40th Anniversary with Eyes Toward Massive $50 Million Investment for 2026

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

The 2025 season and Dollywood’s 40th anniversary are underway. For 2025 there’s no big new ride or attraction, but instead we’re getting a new restaurant, a bunch of refreshes/refurbishments and improvements to the guest experience. The park is already looking forward to 2026 with a reported $50 million expansion, the largest in the park’s history, and a major new attraction. An announcement this year teased a “Take Flight” theme with rumors of an indoor suspended roller coaster or flying theater coming to the back of Wildwood Grove. However, the additions for 2025 still represent millions of dollars in significant improvements that will make the park more enjoyable for years to come and help put the “theme” in theme park.

Continue reading →