The Turnstile: An Underappreciated Theme Park Staple with Fascinating History

There’s a characteristic ratcheting and gear sound you hear as you go through a turnstile. It’s the sound that you hear when many theme parks open and you go through the front gate or when you move from the queue onto the loading platform. It’s a sound that’s filled with excitement and anticipation for most of us, but have you ever wondered about the history of the humble turnstile? I’m a bit of a nerd and so I think about such things. Here’s a brief history of this common theme park device with beginnings in ancient farms and modernized at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store.

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Two Kiddie Rides Displaced by Phoenix Rising are Making a Comeback at Busch Gardens

In a filing last week with the City of Tampa Bay it appears Busch Gardens is resurrecting two Kiddie rides that were removed back in 2023 from Pantopia to make room for Phoenix Rising. This is two of four working rides (five if you count the SBNO Phoenix Looping Starship) that were removed. The rides returning are the Busch Flyers and the Kiddie Train and they are going next to the the Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars in the spot currently occupied by the remote control boats and trucks.

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An American Family’s Review of LEGOLAND Billund

As part of a larger European trip we spent 2 park days at LEGOLAND Billund and 2 nights at a LEGOLAND resort property. Billund, Denmark is where LEGO was invented and headquartered, so this is the “home” of LEGO. It was a great trip at what we felt was an extremely reasonable price. Even though we don’t speak a word of Danish we had zero issues communicating and fully experiencing the park. The park is adjacent to the airport, so transportation is very easy. The accommodations were also well themed, convenient and available at many price points to fit any budget. LEGOLAND Billund is a great theme park in general and simply amazing if you are at all a fan of LEGO.

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Anything for a Credit? Adult Review of Going to Peppa Pig Theme Park to Ride Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster.

I was in central Florida for business and happened to be working and staying about 5 miles away from LEGOLAND Florida and the new Peppa Pig Theme Park. I mentioned to my guests about my roller coaster habit and adults visiting Peppa Pig just to get the “credit” (number of unique coasters ridden). They asked if I had done that yet, which I hadn’t, and they kindly arranged for me to visit and ride the surprisingly great Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster by Zamperla.

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Massive DC Universe Land Opens at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

DC Universe entrance with METROPOLIS™ Transit Authority
DC Universe at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (pictures courtesy of SFFT)

Six Flags Fiesta Texas has opened a new DC Universe themed land, the largest of any in the United States. The new DC Universe themed area on March 1, 2025 and features three all-new rides: CYBORG™ Cyber Revolution, SHAZAM!™ Tower of Eternity, and METROPOLIS™ Transit Authority. Also included in DC Universe will be exciting updates to several existing rides and a newly remodeled Daily Planet. Fiesta Texas often seems to be on the upper tier of Six Flags parks with theming and attention to detail, like those at the New DC Universe, that aren’t universal across the chain.

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Vertical Lift on Monsters, Inc. “Door” Coaster Revealed!

Disney has been releasing a bunch of new information, images and video about upcoming attractions the last couple weeks. Could it have something to do with all the Epic Universe buzz? Perhaps. However, it has been neat to see some of the technology they have planned, some of it at the earliest level of R&D I remember seeing it. One of the coolest releases was this video showing the vertical lift on the Monsters Inc. suspended “door” coaster!

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Sloth Encounter Review at Wild Adventures: Hang Out with These Amazing Animal Ambassadors!

Feeding a sloth at Wild Adventures

Wild Adventures is now offering animal encounters with some of their amazing animal ambassadors including their two-toed sloths Oscar and Maya. Two-toed sloths are found in Central and South America and are known for their slow movement, nocturnal habits, and arboreal lifestyle, spending most of their time hanging upside down from trees using their powerful claws. During the encounter you get the opportunity to enter the sloth enclosure, pet them and feed them. We had the chance to experience this on opening weekend and it was amazing!

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Get Your Engineering Cub Scout Adventure Loop at Fun Spot America Atlanta with ArieForce One!

The “Engineering” adventure has the potential to be one of the most fun and exciting in scouting as one of the handbook recommended activities is to have scouts build their own roller coaster! A trip to a theme park is a great way for the scouts to explore and learn about engineering and Fun Spot America Atlanta is perfectly suited for this adventure. Earning the “Engineering” Adventure Loop at Fun Spot can be as simple as watching a few YouTube videos, having a discussion, riding a great roller coaster and participating in the park’s “build your own roller coaster” activity.

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See a Capybara at Wild Adventures Theme Park!

The capybara is having a bit of a cultural moment. I’ve seen shirts and stuffed animals featuring capybaras at levels I never recall seeing before. There is even a local zoo in Georgia that offers capybara yoga! However, if you want to see some real live capybaras, one of the best places is at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia. They have several of them that are quite active in a great habitat viewable from the giraffe overlook in the back center of the park. They are quite entertaining to watch and appear to be living their best capybara life!

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