Daily Distractions- 6/5

Daily Distraction July 5th.

Good Morning Folks!
I hope your Holiday was lovely and you don't have too much of a celebration hangover!
Now without further babbling, lets get down to today's Daily Distraction. Keeping with the theme of Roadside America, we're looking at those small places sometimes off the beaten path. The one's that get missed in lieu of the big theme parks!

Well, While I've never been to today's Distraction it came to my attention by way of a good friend of mine. Everyone say "Thank You, Leo".







Jiminy Peak Mountain Adventure Park  appears to be a large outdoors adventure park! They have multiple Ziplines and climbing courses like rope courses. Another part has a Mountain Coaster, An Alpine Slide and even one of those skydriving attractions! Plus goodies like Segway Tours, Rock Climbing, Euro-Bungy Trampolines and Hiking!


If I ever manage to get myself up into the New England area, I've got to check this place out! 

Jiminy Peak Mountain Adventure

Daily Distractions- 6/26

Daily Distraction 6/26

Good Morning!
You may have noticed, Daily Distractions has been a bit spotty on updates lately. Well it's an easy explanation, I've got to dig up new material for you lovely folks! That's right, the list I made when I began 'Daily Distractions' has pretty much empty now. So this week, I'll be hunting down fun and exciting new things to post up for the Daily Distractions!

Anyway, let's get onto today's distraction!

Today I've got something fun and very much geeky for you, a lovely set of blue-prints which feature many of Disney's Signature rides from all their parks across the globe! This lovely set of goodies comes to us from a Flickr user named Enfilm. How they have all these I've got no idea but I'd love to have some of them printed as wall art for myself!

Enfilm's Photostream

Daily Distractions- 6/21

Daily Distraction 6/21

Good Morning Folks!
Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful week so far, even if it has been a hot one by most peoples standards! I don't think I count, considering 94 to me is pretty tame. That's what happens when you grow up in Florida!

Anyway, lets get on to today's Distraction!
Keeping with the theme, we're looking at my favorite places to waste time online. What would a theme park maven be if she didn't use one of the best online resources out there? I'm talking about none other then the Roller Coaster Dateabase! Without it we could look into the past, find out where our favorite rides have moved to or even get really good specs on some of our favorite rides!

Roller Coaster DataBase

Daily Distractions- 6/18

Daily Distractions 6/18

Good Morning Again!
I hope everyone had a good and safe weekend, hopefully with some excellent ride time involved!

Keeping with the current theme, we're looking at my favorite Theme and Amusement Park Websites and blogs! Today's offering is no less and it's one from history! Sadly, this is a place I never was lucky enough (or even alive) to see. So naturally it fascinates me endlessly, it even had a classic rock'n'roll song written about it. Let's take a dive into pure history and amusement park legends with...

 Palisades Park

Daily Distractions 6/14

Thursday 6/14

Good Morning and Welcome to Daily Distractions!
Just in case you didn't know what your looking at, it's always good to remind folks.
Daily Distractions is going to focus on a few of my favorite Blogs to read in the coming days, so keep checking back to see what the nutcase behind Insanity Lurks Inside reads herself.

Today's Distraction is another favorite blog of mine to visit. Epcot Explorer is a blog that devotes most of it's time to my favorite Disney World theme park: Epcot Center and World Showcase! They often do photos of new and updated attractions as well as some great history pieces, they are some very friendly and knowledgeable folks about Epcot and it's attractions so feel free to ask questions or pipe up!
Recently they've posted a nice piece on CarsLand at Disneyland as well as updates on Test Track and World Showcase. 

 

Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia

Daily Distractions 6/13

Wednesday 6/13

Good Afternoon Friends!
Daily Distraction is back in gear and ready to roll. Today's Distraction is an interesting Tumblr I found randomly while browsing around. KD run a tumblr with some amazing pictures of Disney but also she designs and creates fashion outfits based of Disney Movies and Attractions! I found some of them a little to stylish for my "Tanktop and shorts" self but they're pretty cool to look at anyway! So head over to the page and take a peek threw her stuff!

Disney This, Disney That!

Daily Distraction 6/4- Random Throwback Edition!

Monday 6/4

Morning Again!
 Today's Distraction has nothing to do with Amusement or Theme Parks. Well, other then the fact one of the theme of today's distraction was located near Disney/Seaworld/Universal. Besides, I felt like throwing in some random nostalgia!

Man, I found something special for my fellow 80's children out there especially those of us who grew up down south! I'm sure you've all had at least one Birthday party in your past that was held at somekind of pizza place, the ones with the playground and the singing dancing band of furry creatures to entertain the masses? Well I certain did and boy am I ever disappointed by today's current offerings of Chuck E. Cheeses. Frankly Dave and Busters is more fun for kids and where is the show?!

Well, Never Fear!
Because I've found a fun offering for those of you with Netflix!
Do you remember Showbiz Pizza? They where around in Florida well before Chuck E. Cheese very moved in. The one I remember clearly was on International Drive which is now occupied by a (surprise) Chuck E. Cheese. So let's take a little trip down Memory Lane with this cool (and slightly creepy) documentary about Showbiz Pizza and how it came to be!

Direct Link: Rock-afire Explosion on Netflix

Rock-Afire Explosion: Website

Now, after doing a little research I've learned that apparently there is still an active "Rock-afire" band still playing for kids. While no longer under the name of "Showbiz Pizza" it's another place very similar called Billy Bob's Wonderland in Barboursville, WV! It's not to far away from where I'm currently living, this may require some investigation!

Daily Distraction- 6/3

Sunday 6/3

Morning Again!

Time for some Sunday Morning Funnies!
I stumbled across these images and then simply had to track down the artist, nothing makes me giggle more then a good comic. So I pass along to you, Pocket Princess'! You can find the link to the Tumblr and the complete series of these comics below the preview picture, Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Pocket Princesses

Daily Distraction- Saturday 6/2

Saturday 6/2-

We've got something special for you this morning!
From the journal of Steve Alcorn, a major designer and builder of one of my favorite places on earth.. Epcot Center. Full of pictures and notes, watch epcot grow threw the eyes of an Imagineer.  If your a reader, I'd also suggest picking up his book "Building a Better Mouse" it's a fun read if your into the history and details of building a theme park!

Steve Alcon- Building Epcot

Daily Distraction- Friday 6/1

Friday 6/1

Good Morning Folks! I hope everyone is ready for the weekend and hopefully some of you will be enjoying a park this weekend, if so have some fun for me cause I'm trapped at work!

Anyway, today's Distraction come in the form of another history piece. Only this time we're taking a look at one of my favorite things: Roller Coasters! It tells how the very first coaster wasn't a ride, it was in fact, a mine train right here in the heart of Pennsylvania! See, something good can come from PA after all!

So if you've got an interest in Coasters and how they came to be, this is one Distraction you should really enjoy!

 

RollerCoaster History from Ultimate Coasters 

Daily Distraction- Thursday 5/31

Thursday 5/31

Today's Distraction is a Double since today we're all saying a fond goodbye to a classic Disney World attraction. Today is the last day of operations for "Snow Whites Scary Adventures" at the Magic Kingdom, if you can I suggest you go today and get your last ride on a classic attraction before it disappears into the halls of history.  Later this week I'll post up some of my own photos and some ride-threw video dedicated to Snow White.

Central Florida News 13 Reports

Today's real distraction comes from a website which focuses on old amusement parks from the past. Defunct Amusement Parks is a great list and picture archive of the parks our parents and grandparents grew up going to. From the small  local jobs to much larger parks which have also disappeared into the halls of history. Places like Palisades Park and Dogpatch USA.  So go and take a look, some of these are sad but beautiful at the same time. One of these days I'll get down to some of these places, the ones that are still standing but not operating to explore them!

Defunct Amusement Parks

Daily Distraction- Tuesday 5/29

 

Tuesday 5/29

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Holiday weekend!

Up on the block for today's distraction we have "Theme Park Concepts". A blog devoted to theme park design and ideas to improve upon modern theme parks.  S.W. Wilson has dozens of great ideas to improve and update "Dead Zones" within current theme parks as well as some awesome ideas of new concept attractions which would fit into modern day parks. These ideas range all over the Disney Parks company, From Tokyo to Orlando. 

Go take a look!

Theme Park Concepts

Daily Distractions- Saturday 5/26

 

Saturday 5/26

Today's Distraction is a giant website full of ride goodness! Laff in the Dark is the complete website to all your dark ride and fun house desires. Filled to the brim with photo's and articles  on all your classic Dark Rides and Original Funhouses both current and now gone! I've easily spent hours just going threw and looking at the photos and cheese-filled details that make me giggle with pure delight!

So go and enjoy it yourself!

Laff in the Dark

Daily Distractions- Friday 5/25

Friday 5/25

Today's Distraction is something new!
This is an article that takes a look into the glorious dark ride history of a local favorite of mine, Kennywood Parrk in West Mifflin, PA.   As well as a quick look into the history of the park its-self and how things came to be!

The Dark Side of Kennywood

Daily Distractions- Wednesday 5/23

(Sorry about missing yesterdays Distraction, I'm still recovering from surgery and yesterday wasn't one of the better days on that road. However I hope the coming days won't restrict me to bed and I can keep up with things better!)

 

Daily Distractions- Wednesday 5/23

Did you ever wonder what it's like to be a character at Disney? The challenges and works behind the smiles and autographs that children love?  How about wondering how those same characters tie into an attraction? Well if you do, I've got a great Distraction for you today! 

We're taking a look at one of my favorite Future World attractions at Epcot, Imagination! 

From dreamer.. To Dreamfinder

This blog is a look into the Imagination attraction as well as the man who gave the Dreamfinder his voice and very actions we all fondly remember. A tale of bringing the Dreamfinder to life as well as the very amazing career this one man has lead threw the theme park world. Take some time and check it out!

Daily Distraction- Monday 5/21

Monay 5/21

Today's Distraction comes in the form of rumors, cause who doesn't love a good and juicey theme park rumor?! I know I certainly do and very few places have the wealth of information and all around gossip that Screamscape does! Some of them are true while others are false, so I'll simply warn you don't believe it till you see it yourself!
So for those of you who aren't aware of it yet, go over and check the site out. They have all the major parks, both big and small. United States and around the world so scoot on over there and take a look at what your local park has in the works!

Screamscape

Daily Distractions- Sunday 5/20

Sunday 5/20

Today's Daily Distraction some from one of the most ambitious and amazing personal projects I've seen yet. A man named Chris Wallace has been working for over a year on a project titled "Horizons: Resurrected". Yes, it's EXACTLY what your thinking it is!
A complete simulator ride threw of the Horizons attraction, living on the web! Naturally it's not entirely completed yet but it's been fun to follow and watch the evolution of a virtual attraction coming to life. So go, Check it out!

Horizons: Resurrected

Daily Distraction- Saturday 5/19

Saturday 5/19
(Sorry for missing Fridays "Daily Distraction" but it seemed by body had different plans!)

Today's Daily Distraction is "Hanna-Barbara Land" which was proposed for DisneyLand long before Universal Studios ever had the rights to the Cartoons an Characters. As a happy Two-Part, this blog "Imagineering Disney" is also another personal favorite of mine! I recommend their "THEN AND NOW" series as well as the "ABANDONED DISNEY" series also! Hopefully with some luck, I can eventually turn Insanity Lurks Inside into that kind of blog only with more focus on parks other then Disney!
However I decided to post up some Disney related links first, growing up in Florida has tainted me ;)
I promise, there will be other things too! Never fear!

Hanna-Barbera Land- Imagineering Disney

 

Imagineering Disney-Direct Link

Daily Distraction- Thursday 5/17

Today's Daily Distraction is one of my favorite places to go on a nostalgia kick, most of the hard-core Disney folks should already know about this but for everyone else...

 

Martin's Videos 

Martin's has an excellent history of the Disney Parks, from concept to building and beyond. Many videos from now defunct attractions like Horizons, World of Motion, Mr. Toads and Beyond! Plenty of history and inside views to make your inner Disney Geek squeal with pleasure! So go, watch many (I recommend the Horizons Tribute and the Pirates/Thunder Mountain Series) and perhaps even learn something you didn't know before.

Daily Distractions. Wednesday 5/16

Greetings Folks!

To kick off my "Summer Series" projects, I'm giving you "Daily Distractions"!
This series will be a giant list of what I call "Time Wasters". The various websites and such I have stumbled across for my various theme park interests! Expect lots of History and Insider Views to be popping up on this one plus a bunch of other fun websites to visit!

To kick things off, I'm offering up on of my favorites.
An indepth look at 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. All the history, information and pictures your hearts could wish for in regards to one of my favorite defunct attractions from Magic Kingdom.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea