Affordable Family Fun at U.S. Amusement Parks

As the economy causes prices to rise, families in the United States that normally vacation in Europe are scaling back to domestic travel, staycations and daytrips with the kids. It all adds up to good news for the burgeoning amusement park business, which considers itself to be nearly recession-proof, say industry insiders.

There are more than 400 amusement parks and more than 1,000 water parks in the United States and attendance keeps growing. According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), more than 335 million people visited amusement parks in 2006. Meanwhile, the World Waterpark Association says that 18.5 million people visited the top 20 water parks in 2007, up 6 percent from a year earlier.

“Almost everyone in America lives within a one-[gas]-tank trip of a local theme park,” says David W. Mandt, vice president of communications for the Alexandria, Va.-based IAAPA.

Courting Families

While roller coasters that rise higher, soar faster and loop more is always big news in amusement parks—and there are plenty of those opening this summer—a number of parks are focused on appealing to the entire family.

• Cedar Point has more roller coasters than any other amusement park in the world.
• Courtesy of Cedar Point

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, known for its roller coasters, has added a fourth children’s play area, Planet Snoopy. It has seven pint-sized rides, including a mini-tea cup, rocket and train ride. At the Six Flags parks in California, Georgia and Massachusetts, Thomas the Tank Engine and friends entertain youngsters at the new child’s play area, Thomas Town.

Disney, the 40,000-pound gorilla of the amusement park business, has a new attraction designed for the whole family—from toddlers to teens. The Toy Story Mania! interactive ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla., and California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., is a 4-D ride (the fourth D refers to the physical parts of the ride, such as a spray of water that hits riders who pop a water balloon) based on the popular animated films Toy Story and Toy Story II. It “shrinks” riders to the size of a toy and then sends them through a dark tunnel where they play with the toys. Disney promises that no two rides are the same.

Morphing Concepts

Increasingly, amusement parks are growing into theme parks and adding water parks. Hotels are building indoor water parks. Zoos are adding rides. Family entertainment centers are adding more thrills to their existing go-kart tracks and batting cages.

• A mom snaps a shot of her kids in front of an Audio-Animatronics figure of Mr. Potato Head, which interacts with guests as they enter Disneyland’s newest attraction, Toy Story Mania.
• Paul Hiffmeyer

And the parks are changing all the time, adding new attractions, developing educational components and building higher, faster, loopier coasters.

“That’s especially important when visitors are regional,” Mandt says. “The parks want them to come back. Having something new and different is important.”

Regional Parks

Big corporate amusement companies such as Disney, Six Flags and Cedar Point parent company, Cedar Fair Entertainment—known as “destination parks” in the business because they are family vacation destinations—consistently top the list of the most popular amusement parks in the United States. Still, there are many smaller, regional amusement parks drawing crowds this year.

• Hard Rock Park is a rock ’n’ roll themed amusement park that opened its Myrtle Beach doors in April of 2008.
• Courtesy of Hard Rock Park

“Regional parks consider themselves economy-proof. When money is tighter, instead of a big, long trip to a national destination, they feel like people will drive a few hours to a park in their own state and make it a two to three day trip,” says Tim Baldwin, editorial staff writer for Amusement Today, a monthly industry publication. “If people are saying they need a vacation of some kind, the regional parks will prevail.”

Hard Rock Park

The first major regional park to open in the United States this decade is the $400 million Hard Rock Park, the world’s first rock ‘n’ roll-themed park, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. My 12-year-old coaster-loving daughter, Tess, and I, visited this park operated by the Hard Rock Café folks during the “soft opening” and found it to be manageable for families. It offers more than 40 rides and attractions, including some aimed at the whole family.

As befitting a rock ‘n’ roll park, there’s plenty of entertainment, which gave us a chance to decompress a bit. We found a shady spot in the grandstand to get out of the sun and rock out to Black Label, laughed at the antics of the Malibu Beach Party gang and watch the acrobatics of the Roadies Stunt Show.

But the star of the park is Led Zeppelin—The Ride, a 150-foot-tall coaster that rolls you over and under while rocking you to the Zeppelin hit “Whole Lotta Love.” Many of the rides have height restrictions; check the Web site for details: www.hardrockpark.com.