theme-park

The GetOutPass is a Great Value to Visit Local Theme Parks in Georgia and Other States

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We’ve had the GetOutPass for Georgia for about a year and couldn’t be more thrilled with it. The GetOutPass is an annual pass that gives you free admission to local attractions either once annually, quarterly or monthly depending upon the attraction. In Georgia this includes admission to Wild Adventures and Fun Spot America Atlanta. However, you’ll also get admission to great non-theme park locations like Zoo Atlanta, BreakOut Games (escape room), Terminus Wake Park and many more. In other states this includes SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Kentucky Kingdom and Silver Dollar City. GetOutPass prices are so good that the price of an annual GetOutPass is usually less than a single day at ticket to just one of these attractions!

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Headed to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin? Ride the Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster for Only $1.50 at Bay Beach Amusement Park!

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Zippin Pippin Roller coaster

The 2025 NFL Draft is headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin form April 24-26, 2025. It was also just announced from Bay Beach Facilities Supervisor, Britney Burkart-Labar that the city owned Bay Beach Amusement park will be open to coincide with the draft, operating on Wednesday, April 23 through Saturday, April 26 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m . What is Bay Beach you might ask? It’s a 100+ year old amusement park on the shore of Lake Michigan that is home to a world class wooden roller coaster that Elvis loved called Zippin Pippin and you can ride it for only $1.50!

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A Combination Spinning Flat Ride and Centrifugal Birthing Machine?

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Apparatus for facilitating the birth of a child by centrifugal force
Apparatus for facilitating the birth of a child by centrifugal force

Years ago I took a class on patents and was shown some examples of crazy patents to demonstrate that not all inventions have to work or be useful in real life in order to be granted a patent. One of these was US Patent #3,216,423 “Apparatus for facilitating the birth of a child by centrifugal force”. This was brought to mind again as Hashem Al-Ghaili recently released a video of the potential device in action that was mind blowing. To summarize the invention, it’s essentially a spinning table that literally helps pull the baby out with the same centrifugal forces you’d feel on your favorite theme park ride.

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“Hook & Slice” is a Perfect Fit for Fun Spot America Atlanta.

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Hook & Slice flat ride at Fun Stop Atlanta

Fun Spot America Atlanta in Fayetteville, Georgia has opened its new “Hook & Slice” ride. The exciting new attraction, a Mini Reverse Time ride by SBF-Visa Group, delivers high-energy fun and excitement for riders with great visuals for spectators. The ride officially opened on February 1, 2025 and we had the opportunity to ride on February 21st which was a beautiful spring day in Georgia. Our bottom line review, “Hook & Slice” may not be a physically large ride, but it packs a ton of fun in a small footprint.

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Operate Real Construction Equipment at Dig’n Zone! A Review of New Theme Park in Sevierville, TN.

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Dig,n Zone Entrance
Dig,n Zone Entrance

Dig’n Zone is a brand new theme park where “Kids” of all ages will have a blast riding, driving and operating real construction equipment! Dig’n Zone is the world’s largest construction-based theme park with over 25 attractions spread over 27 acres. This is family focused entertainment where children and adults can spend a full day operating or riding on various types of construction equipment. From crushing a toy bus with a pavement roller, driving a skid-steers or taking a wild ride in the bucket of an excavator, this park will let you live out big equipment dreams.

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Homeschool Family Deal at Lego Discovery Center Atlanta Deal Has $9 Tickets for March 2025!

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Logo Lego Discovery Center Atlanta
Logo (from Lego Discovery Center Atlanta)

Lego Discovery Center in Atlanta is offering $9 tickets to homeschool families (both adults and children) during the month of March 2025. This offer is valid Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm and includes everything a standard admission would include such as the 4D theater and all the other play experiences. This is a GREAT deal as the regular admission price starts at $24.99.

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There’s an Indoor Vekoma Suspended Family Roller Coaster in Kiev, Ukraine!

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Suspended Family Roller Coaster - MK900 located at Galaxy Family Amusement Park
Suspended Family Coaster – MK900 (photo from Galaxy Park)

So I was surprised to learn there is an indoor roller coaster in a theme park inside a mall in Ukraine. This isn’t just any roller coaster though, but a Vekoma suspended family coaster called “Suspended Family Coaster – MK900” located at Galaxy Family Amusement Park in the Lavina Mall in Kyiv, Ukraine. It’s not the most creative roller coaster name, but it is the first indoor suspended roller coaster I’m aware of anywhere. The ride also appears to be operating daily which says something given the war going on in Ukraine!

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Will New Steel Tariffs Affect New Steel Roller Coaster Costs?

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Steel Curtain Roller Coaster sign at Kennywood
Steel Curtain by Roller Coaster Philosophy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Trump Administration recently announced a new 25% tariff on all imported steel that is set to go into effect on March 12, 2025. A steel roller coaster uses a significant amount of steel, in fact Steel Curtain at Kennywood is reported to weigh an astounding 2.67 million pounds with 113 pieces of track, 1,162 total pieces and 21,470 bolts! The largest single track piece of track weighed 15,000 pounds. A tariff wouldn’t just affect steel coasters though, but also affect flat rides and even drop towers. So let’s talk about the potential impact of a steel tariff on the theme park industry and what we can expect going forward. We won’t get into politics or the potential economic reasons for tariffs, just how it might affect new ride costs in the future.

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A Used Roller Coaster is Up for Auction!

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Wanna bid on a roller coaster? This isn’t Scorpion from Busch Gardens or anything (which I’ve heard rumors of relocation about), but a kiddie coaster called Safari Coaster from the defunct All Star Adventures Theme Park in Wichita, Kansas that’s up for auction! This is from the “Miner Mike” line of kiddie/family coasters by Wisdom Rides and operated until 2024. It is an auction by Bill Ramsey & Associates, LLC who seems to specialize in the Family Entertainment Center space.

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Sunset on the Serengeti is an Exclusive Evening Dinner Adventure at Busch Gardens Tampa

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Sunset on the Serengeti at Busch Gardens Tampa
Sunset on the Serengeti at Busch Gardens Tampa

Update January 2026: Sunset on the Serengeti is back at Busch Gardens! It is being offered January through March. The good news is the price is unchanged at $89.99/person.

Busch Gardens Tampa has begun offering a Sunset on the Serengeti adventure that is both an animal encounter and a dinner. The adventure begins promptly at 5:30pm with a guided safari experience at sunset followed by dinner and drinks at the park’s Treetop Kitchen. The experience is currently offered only on Saturdays and starts at $89.99/person, but this does include dinner, a cocktail and the animal encounter portion and park admission is NOT required to participate. The park describes the experience below:

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