Parks are quietly adding opening dates.

Amusement parks are quietly adding opening dates and times online.  

While most amusement parks don't rate the attention Disney and Universal collect, you would still expect some kind of notice about them reopening after COVID19. However, you'd be wrong.

 It seems amusement and theme parks across the east coast are quietly updating their websites to show opening dates and hours without a big to-do. We've been keeping an eye on things and it seems this week, dates and times are appearing on websites with little or no fanfare.

Just today we discovered the following have opening dates:

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: June 25th.
Kennywood: July 1st.
Idlewild Park: July 3rd.
Waldameer Park: June 22nd.
Dollywood: June 15th
Knoebels: July 3rd.


Ceder Fair parks still show no opening dates, but it has been discussed about Carowinds reopening soon (July 27th) according to various news articles. This would put Cedar Fair behind the eight ball of collecting what is left of the 2020 season.

Seaworld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa have also dropped opening dates in the last few days, with both parks set to open to the public again on June 11th.

Please note, all these parks will have limited capacity and various ticket rules. Plan accordingly by seeing what rules each park has and if they require a reservation system, ticket sales rules and modified hours.

What's New in 2019- Coasters and More!

 Welcome to 2019 and the Construction List!
Every year we try to do a comprehensive list of 'Who's Building What' so folks can plan and know what is coming to an amusement park near you. Mostly, we focus on roller coasters but also one the expansions and updates that seem enticing to us, as park visitors.

The list is divided by 'company' which owns the park, for simple searching. It is also, by no means, a complete list of everything.


Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Finnegan's Fliers. FlySwatter Ride.
Busch Gardens Tampa: Tigris. Looping Launch Coaster.





Cedar Fair

Canada's Wonderland: Yukon Striker. Steel Dive Coaster.
Carowinds: Copperhead Strike. Steel Sit-down Coaster.




Disney Parks

Walt Disney World- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Land Expansion with multiple rides.
Disneyland California- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Land Expansion with multiple rides.




Dollywood 

Wildwood Grove: Land Expansion. Multiple flat rides.  Inverted, Steel Family Coaster.






Kennywood

Kennywood Park:  Steel Curtain. Steel Sit-down Coaster. Themed after local football team. Small land expansion.








Six Flags

Six Flags Darien Lake: Sky Screamer. Swing Ride.
Six Flags America: Firebird. Steel Floorless Coaster (converted from Stand-up). Relocation from Six Flags Great America.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Batman, The Ride. 4th Dimension Wing Coaster.
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom:  Kentucky Flier. Wooden, Out-and-back coaster.
Six Flags Great America: Maxx Force. Launch Coaster.
Six Flags Great Adventure: Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags Magic Mountain: West Coast Racers. Dueling Launch Coaster.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas: The Joker, Wild Card. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags Over Texas: Lone Star Revolution. Single Loop Coaster.
Six Flags New England:  Cyborg. Indoor Spinning Ride.
Six Flags Over Georgia: Pandemonium. Spinning Pendulum.
Six Flags La Ronde: Chaos. Single Loop Coaster.
Six Flags St. Louis: Supergirl. Whirling Wheel Ride.


SeaWorld

Seaworld San Diego: Tidal Twister.  Steel, Dueling Coaster.
Seaworld Orlando: Sesame Street Land. Expansion. Multiple flat rides and family rides.
Seaworld San Antonio: Sesame Street Party Parade. Interactive Parade for Families.

Seaworld Orlando- Mako Coaster Construction

 Hey Folks!

Just a quick little update today on the constuction progress of Seaworld Orlando's newest roller coaster, Mako. Which is scheduled to open in Summer 2016. Make will be 200 feet tall with speeds up to 73MPH,




A friend of mine recently visited the park and was kind enough to snap a few quick photos of the construction progress on this new steel beauty! So a special thanks to +Jennifer Strobak for letting me use her photos.

SeaWorld Announces Mako, Florida's Tallest, Longest and Fastest Coaster, for 2016!

SeaWorld Orlando has just announced the newest addition to their coaster line up and it's a big one. Their two coasters, Kraken and Manta are considered two of the best coasters out there and now they've shot for the moon and are bringing in the 73mph, 200ft tall Mako for

Named after the fastest shark on the planet, it should bring some big time thrills to the Central Florida area without question. So, just what do we get this new coaster at SeaWorld Orlando? Well, here's the breakdown of just what the ride will include. 

After a 200ft drop, riders will race across 4760ft of track at speeds of up to 73mph and full of plenty of awesome airtime. The layout definitely looks like it's gonna be interesting, and reminds me of Nitro, which is never a bad thing at all.

Not only that, but the ride will also be the cornerstone to an all new area of the park that's 100% dedicated to world of sharks. That's not even getting into how awesome the entrance plaza for the coaster looks.

This, combined with Manta, makes two of my favorite coaster themed entrances out there. Sure, this one hasn't been built yet, but if it's anything like that? Yeah, I'm sold.

This is a huge investment for the park and it will be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in all of Florida. Yep, you read that right, and their hashtag of "Nothing Faster" is true, at least within the state. This now gives SeaWorld their third coaster by the venerable design house of Bolliger & Mabillard, and from the looks of it, B&M have done another bang up job in the park.

Stay tuned for more updates on this one as we get them from SeaWorld Orlando and be sure to follow along with us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

SeaWorld Orlando Announces Plans for Florida's Tallest, Fastest and Longest Coaster in 2016

Earlier today, in a presentation to ticket sales partners, Sea World Orlando announced that they would be building a new roller coaster for the 2016 season.

There's really not much else in the details department, but we do know that the ride will be the tallest, fastest and longest in all of Florida.

So, what does does that mean for coaster junkies? Glad ya asked, here's a few things we can speculate on.

In order to be the tallest coaster in Florida, the new coaster will have to be taller and faster than the 200ft height and 70mph speeds of SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa. To be the longest coaster, it will have to beat out the 4,429ft that Cheetah Hunt, also at Busch Gardens Tampa, traverses.

A full announcement is scheduled for later in May, so until then we can only make some guesses at what's going to happen here. Considering the park's other two coasters already, I'm thinking this one could be a B&M hyper, something similar to Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Anything is possible at this stage though and we'll just have to wait a little longer to see just what their up to.

In the mean time, stay tuned for more info on what SeaWorld Orlando has planned as we'll bring you all the latest as we get it!

SeaWorld Orlando- New Clyde and Seamore Show, Sealion High!

 SeaWorld Orlando Announced "Sea Lion High" as New Clyde and Seamore Show, Opening on April 16th.

 While we've known for a while what the general theme of the new Sealion and Otter show at SeaWorld Orlando would be, we've been getting more details along with the opening date of the new show!

 April 16th will see the opening of the newest comedy show featuring SeaWorld's most beloved duo, Clyde and Seamore. The show is billed as featuring Clyde and Seamore in the good days of High School with funny antics and some amazing animal interactions. As always, these shows tend to showcase learning and natural behaviors presented in an easy-to-understand format of a comedy show.

 Personally, I can't wait to see this new version of the Sealion and Otter Show!

SeaWorld San Antonio Getting More Improvements as Part of Blue World Project

While SeaWorld was announcing their Blue World project earlier today, they also included some other major upgrades coming to SeaWorld San Antonio specifically. (Check out our full coverage of the announcement here.)

This is definitely some interesting news and it seems that the updates will be bringing the Texas park up to the level of SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego. That said, it definitely feels like more influence is coming from Florida on this one.

So, what can guests expect to see in the future in San Antonio? Not only will the park be getting the massive upgrade to their Orca enclosures and habitats but there's quite a few other changes and modifications coming to the park as well.

An all new Sea lion and Otter show along with a new sea lion habitat is coming as well as a new coastal dolphin habitat and even an all new restaurant will be included in the park's expansion and upgrade plans.

The only information we have so far is the concept art, to the left, that shows what the new sea lion habitat will look like. There's no word on the new show or dolphin habitat as of yet. Some are saying the show could be a version of Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island, however.

As for the dolphin habitat? Both +Carrie H.C. and myself feel that it likely will be similar to the one in Orlando. It would make the most sense and definitely fits the bill of a "coastal habitat", so it's probably a safe bet there. The restaurant is a complete mystery for us, we're not sure if it could be an overhaul to something existing or an entirely new dining experience.

So, while the big news is the Orca habitats getting their major overhaul over the course of the next few years, SeaWorld San Antonio is shaking things up in other areas as well. So stay tuned as more information about all of these projects comes out!

SeaWorld Announces Massive Blue World Project

SeaWorld announced this morning that they are about to undertake a massive project to upgrade their Orca habitats in all of their US parks. It was rumored that a big announcement was coming, but this is something else all together.

The project, which their calling the "Blue World Project, will feature the complete redesign of the killer whale habitats. Starting with their San Diego park, construction will begin in 2015.

These new habitats will effectively double the size of the current ones in use. The expansion means they will hold nearly 10million gallons of water, go to a depth of 50ft from the current 36ft and even include the long discussed "water treadmill" system to allow for a more natural ocean current. The surface area will be almost 1.5 acres and with a length of over 350ft, that's bigger than a football field here folks. In addition to the expansion, which is said to cost in the hundreds of millions range, SeaWorld is also pouring an additional $10 million into research.

“Through up-close and personal encounters, the new environment will transform how visitors experience killer whales,” said Atchison. “Our guests will be able to walk alongside the whales as if they were at the shore, watch them interact at the depths found in the ocean, or a birds-eye view from above.”

Curios where it's going? Well the image to the left shows off the area that the expansion will take up and it looks like quite a few changes will be coming due to it as well.

From the looks of the concept art, viewing areas and other spaces for guests and trainers to interact with the Orcas will be greatly improved as well. Some areas are said to be 40ft tall and promise to give guests a glimpse into the habitat like never before.

Seaworld Parks- Stand for Truth

Seaworld Parks- Stand for Truth.

 For months, Seaworld Parks have been trying to teach the world at large that what they saw in "Blackfish" was nearly all false. Yet people are still wearing blinders and refusing to do their own investigation into the claims the film made.

 Many people stand with Seaworld, including this blog and it's staff. We know the truth, we've done research and some of us have even worked for Seaworld before- we support them.

 Now is your change to "Stand with Seaworld" for Truth.  You can join "The Seaworld Truth Team" online to help support the good works and care the company gives and help dispel the hate, bias and ignorance as well as receive email notices and information about the parks.

 Join Seaworld's Truth Team

**NOTE**

Yes, everyone has an opinion on this matter. This post is NOT the place to spout off about it. Anything that can be taken as an attack, hateful, rude, asinine, juvenile or vulgar will be deleted from the comments with extreme predigested by the staff..and we will enjoy it.

Seaworld Orlando- Shamu Stadium Construction

Construction at Shamu Stadium Nearly Complete.

 Good news for fans of Shamu and Seaworld Orlando, the construction that's been taking place at Shamu Stadium is nearly complete.

 Seaworld said today to the Orlando Sentinel, that testing of the new shows will begin on April 4th and guests are invited to view the training sessions but asks guests to be aware that they likely won't see complete a run-through of the show (it is training after all).  The two shows in question are the popular "One Ocean" as well as a brand new nighttime show called "Shamu's Celebration: Light Up the Night".  The stadium and One Ocean show will completely open to normal operations on April 14th. The new nighttime show will open for "Seaworld's Summer Nights" celebration on June 21st.

 Dine with Shamu will also be returning on April 14th. Season Passholders have a chance to preview the new Dine with Shamu on April 12th and April 13th for a 10% discount with kids eating free.

Seaworld Orlando- Final Weekend of Bands, Brews and BBQ

Seaworld Orlando's Final Weekend of Bands, Brews and BBQ.


 Overall the event has been a huge sucess for Seaworld Orlando, having a much better line up then originally planned and this final weekend of the special event is no exception!

 Scheduled for Saturday, March 8th is Hank Williams Jr.
 Scheduled for Sunday, March 9th is Alabama.
Also scheduled for Sunday, March 9th is the great Florida musician, Patrick Gibson who stood up for Seaworld long before others did.

Seaworld Orlando- Double Update!

 Double Dose of News from Seaworld Orlando

 Good news for vistiors to Seaworld Orlando, for the next 50 days the famous Orlando theme park will offer "$50 Weekday Tickets" as well as "Two Parks for $99" to guests.

 Allowing guests to visit for a discounted price during the week, the park is actively countering other theme parks higher prices. The $50 weekday ticket is open to US residents and is only available online but only until May 5th. The $99 two-park ticket allows guests to visit both Seaworld Orlando and Aquatica for one day each- this deal is only available until March 31st. 

 The second dose of news is for the special event- Bands, Brews and BBQ!

 Seaworld Orlando has fully announced this weekend's line-up of artists which are playing the weekend event. I've got to admit, we really should thank the "activist" types because this new line-up for Bands, Brews and BBQ is truly superior to the original list Seaworld had!

Saturday March 1st- Scotty McCreery
Sunday March 2nd- Steve Miller Band 

 Also on the news of "Bands, Brews and BBQ" we've found out some new and interesting details. Behind the Thrills ran a little press news piece from Bruce Hall of REO Speedwagon who recently visited Seaworld Orlando. Not only did he enjoy his day at the park but he clearly stated he didn't want to cancel the special event the band was scheduled to play.

 This well written piece goes into detail about how the bands who did play had done their research and flaunted the armchair activist types who can copy-paste a petition online. More proof that people do believe in the good acts Seaworld Parks do.

Seaworld Orlando- Bands, Brews and BBQ Concert Update

 Seaworld Orlando's "Bands, Brews and BBQ" Concert Update.

 Seaworld Orlando has announced this weekends artists for the "Bands, Brews and BBQ" event. Not to be stopped, even in in light of the media blitz that the "Bands, Brews and BBQ" event has created, Seaworld Orlando announced this weekends concert artists.


 Saturday, February 22nd- The Commodores
 Sunday, February 23rd- Justin Moore

Seaworld Orlando- Bands, Brews and BBQ's Artists Update

 Seaworld Orlando- Bands, Brews and BBQ Artists Update.

 Seaworld Orlando has announced this weekends artists for the "Bands, Brews and BBQ" event. Not to be stopped, even in in light of the media blitz that the "Bands, Brews and BBQ" event has created, Seaworld Orlando announced this weekends concert artists.

 Regardless of what "Blackfish" supporters may want, the traditional special event featuring food, concerts and craft beers is moving forward into it's opening weekend. The park is keeping the full artist list closed for now, announcing the week before who will be playing during the weekend.This weeks artists are no exception, proving again that even with the dropping out of the original bands- Seaworld has gotten far better acts for the 2014 event.

Seaworld Orlando- Mystery New Attaction?

 Seaworld Orlando- Mystery New Attraction?

 Rumor has it that Seaworld Orlando is up to something in the old Clydesdale viewing area beside the Hospitality House.

 Apparently the "Green Construction Walls" are up around the area which once housed the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale's. Many seem to believe this new construction could be part of the push to bring education back into the parks. With the rumor being this new area will be display area for the companies "Rescue and Rehabilitation" programs- showing what they do and their success stories.

 More information coming when it's announced.

Seaworld Orlando- Bands, Brews and BBQ Concert Update

 Seaworld Orlando's "Bands, Brews and BBQ" Concert Artist Update

 Seaworld Orlando has again released the names of this weekends artists from their seasonal event- Bands, Brews and BBQ.  Both parks having this event are slowly announcing their artists by the week, avoiding additional problems from overzealous advocates.

 This week they've really gotten some BIG NAME artists.

 Saturday February 8th, 2014- Gretchen Williams
 Sunday February 9th, 2014- Bill Engvall

Seaworld Follows the Law, PETA Doesn't Like It.

Seaworld Follows the Law, PETA Doesn't Like It. 

 Now I fully admit, I'm NOT a fan of PETA. Any organization which willingly kills animals rather than adopting them to loving homes should be beaten without mercy.

 However, Stupid knows no bounds and PETA has just proven how stupid they really are in their latest move against Seaworld Parks.

 1. PETA bought 80 shares of Seaworld Stock when the company went public on April 19th, 2013.
Why would PETA spend money on stocks for a company their trying (and failing) to shut down? What a complete waste of resources, I wonder if their supporters know about that? They currently own around $2,500 worth of stock in Seaworld Parks, not much when you think about it.

2. Seaworld is holding it's annual stockholders meeting on April 17th.
At this meeting PETA wants to propose that shareholders vote to retire all the Killer Whales to "Coastal Sanctuaries".  It's unlikely they'd even get a portion of the vote for this insane proposition, most people purchase stocks because they like the company and hope to make money on it. Removing the Killer Whales from Seaworld would loose money. Now, don't get your knickers in a twist about "animal rights" and "captivity". Simply look at this from the perspective of the people who own that stock. Not going to happen PETA.

3. Federal Regulation requires stockholders to have stock in a company at least One Year before they can propose proxy votes for the board.
PETA, being the idiots they are, have filed against Seaworld with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for following Federal Regulation. Yes, you read that correctly. Seaworld is following the law and PETA is mad about it. Their complaint will be ignored.

You can read more from Orlando Sentinel


(Again- Nasty, Rude or Degrading comments will be deleted. Don't be an ass)

Seaworld Orlando's "Bands, Brews and BBQ" First Weekend Concerts

 Seaworld's Orlando's "Bands, Brews and BBQ" Event Goes Forward- First Weekend Artists Announced.

 Not to be stopped, even in in light of the media blitz that the "Bands, Brews and BBQ" event has created, Seaworld Orlando announced this weekends concert artists.

 Regardless of what "Blackfish" supported may want, the traditional special event featuring food, concerts and craft beers is moving forward into it's opening weekend. The park is keeping the full artist list closed for now, announcing the week before who will be playing during the weekend. This is likely to avoid the previous media and online harassment of both the artists AND the park.

 This weekend the event beings and we know just who is playing!

Saturday 1/1- Alan Jackson at 5pm
Sunday 1/2- Kid Rock at 4pm

For more information and speical packages for the weekend, Please visit- Seaworld "Bands, Brews and BBQ" Event Page

Seaworld Orlando's Bands, Brews and BBQs Concert Update- Performer stands with Seaworld.

Image from Patrick Gibson's Facebook Page

 Seaworld Orlando's Bands, Brews and BBQs Concert Update- Performer stands with Seaworld.

 One brave musician has stood up to the controversy and media hype of the "Bands, Brews and BBQ's" event happening at Seaworld Orlando.

 Patrick Gibson, a Florida native and country musician has stood up and made people take notice. While many washed-up stars have used their dropping out of Bands, Brews and BBQ's to gain media attention- Patrick is showing his support of Seaworld and making an even bigger name for himself at the same time. Rather than focusing on the negative, here is a native floridan who is showing his support in the most positive way while getting his name and music out to the world.

 Sir, I don't know who you are but I'd like to salute you and shake your hand for standing up. Don't give into the hate your undoubtedly receiving, many stand with you.

Patrick Gibson doesn't have much posted up on Youtube right now but you can see a sample of his music both on his Website- PGCountry.com and down below. 


Patrick Gibson will perform at Seaworld Orlando's "Bands, Brews and BBQ's" event on March 9th, 2014.

Seaworld Parks- New Shamu Night Show

Image from Orlando Sentinel

 New Shamu Night Show coming to All Seaworld Parks.

 Today Seaworld Parks announced that in Summer of 2014, they will be launching an all new "Nighttime Shamu Show" to replace the seven year old "Shamu Rocks" show.

 This new orca show works with Seaworlds big "Sea of Surprises" 50th anniversary projects. Along with the new shamu show, the parks will be adding in other fun surprises for visiting guests. Including expanded animal encounters and art installations (made from washed up ocean debris).  Along with this, Seaworld San Diego is getting a new entrance plaza called "Explorers Reef" which will feature touch pools and learning stations.

 None of these moves have been a response to the sad phenomena of "Blackfish" (which isn't getting that Oscar they so wanted- HA!). The parks have reported record earnings and states these anniversary programs have been on the list since they decided to make a project of the event.