We have done a lot of great amusement park stories like Disney, Seaworld and zoos and stuff so we thought it was about time we told you about a really crap one. This one’s called South of the Border and its on US interstate 95 in South Carolina. It’s called South of the Border not because its Mexican like Pedro it’s poncho and sombrero wearing mascot it’s because its just over the border from North Carolina. The attraction if we should call it that features a gas station and road house restaurant, a motel and a small amusement park and some shopping but we will come to that a bit later.
The whole complex is a bit kitsch and tongue in cheek, the owners really must know its bad, and having a bit of fun, everyone does, but they do a pretty good job promoting it for what it is- crap. It is well worth a look if traveling down Interstate 95, but don’t spend the day getting there, there are so many other things to do. And as for the shopping there, well they sell fireworks and adult items- as you would expect- not sure if you could buy guns and liquor there but I’d expect so. For the newly weds they have some lovely hotel rooms too, $99 gets you married, a night in an “heir-conditioned” honeymoon suite champagne and even breaky the next morning for both of you if you are still together, probably good if your trailer park isn’t romantic enough for the big night.
Well lets set this up first, we have found a theme park, the mascot is a mouse, the centerpiece of the park is a giant silver dome, there’s attractions representing different countries of the world and plenty of rides and fun for all. Well you have probably guessed where I’m talking of, well you are wrong, its not in the heart of Florida it’s in Germany! Europa Park is a park in Rust which is in the south western part of Germany between Freiburg and Strasbourg. The park is home to nine rollercoasters, some great shows including a very popular gladiator show, a 4d cinema and has a few other familiar attractions like jungle rafts, a Mississippi steamer and even a dwarf city and fairy tale alley. It still sounds a bit familiar doesn’t it, but there’s more- there’s a puppet boat ride, a ghost castle ride, even a pirate boat ride and they have a monorail and a castle too. The park is Europe’s second most popular park, guess what is the most popular, it has a mouse and pretty much most of the above- it’s just outside of Paris.
I’m sure you all remember Jurassic Park where dinosaurs roamed a theme park to the amusement of visitors, well guess what its coming true in Dubai, well nearly. Restless Planet opens later this year and over billion dollars is going to build an amazing theme park with robotic dinosaurs roaming the park. The are going to be nearly 40 different types of dinosaur and they are going to be so technically advanced they will be able to sense visitors and fully interact with them. As well as dinosaurs there will be places for kids to do a fossil dig and the park will double as an entertainment park and also a very useful educational tool. The park will also feature volcanoes and landscapes which were around at the time of the dinosaur. Designers are working closely with the National History Museum in London and the makers of the amazing Walking with Dinosaurs TV show and arena event to pull of this spectacular theme park and ensure it is as real as possible. Restless planet will be the jewel of the huge City of Arabia project which will also feature the worlds largest shopping centre and housing for 35000 people and huge office development. It will basically form a new suburb and be is biggest entertainment development in the world, and is on the blocks next to the Burj Dubai which is now the world’s tallest building out dwarfing anything in the world.
Right in the centre of Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida there are snow capped peaks (well plastic snow) and an adventure water park like no other. Blizzard Beach is one of Disney’s water parks and it is a great place to get away from the big theme parks for a day and enjoy some sun, surf and snow. The park is set up like a ski resort complete with huge ski-jump which is actually a breathtaking waterslide and there are chair lifts, toboggan rides and the 90 ft Mount Gushmore slope. There’s a surf beach and even some freezing ice caves to explore on the Cross Country Creek which circles the park. There’s plenty of places for food and of course those Disney souvenirs and even a Polar Pub for the grown ups to enjoy a few quiet beers while the kids are playing. When planning your Disney adventure to Orlando factor in an extra day to enjoy Blizzard Beach.
Back in the 60’s and 70’s a popular men’s magazine called Australasian Post featured regular catoons by artist Ken Maynard, they were all based around a few Aussie friends and the happenings at the Ettamongah Pub. Some bright spark in the 1980’s decided to build a Ettamongah Pub and with great detail, right down to the busted up truck on the roof. Today the Ettamongah Pub about 10 minutes drive from the Victorian- New South Wales border town of Albury in Australia is home to the amazing pub. It has been so successful with bus loads of tourists and families other Ettamongah Pubs have sprouted up throughout Australia, with Western Australia and Queensland a few of the states which have now got their own Ettamongah Pub. The pub is more than a pub, it has a great restaurant, souvenir shop and even a lolly shop for the young folk. So if you are near Albury call in for an ice cold beer and say G’day to the locals.
San Diego is known for its amazing Zoo and Sea World but an attraction just as popular is Lego Land California. This 128 acre park targets children from 2 to 12 and its a fantastic hands on day out where they can have great fun and be creative with the world’s most popular toy- Lego. The park has 8 theme lands and more than 40 interactive attractions and all the park looks as if it has been made out of Lego. DinoLand is one of the most popular of the lands with kids just loving the Costersaurus roller coaster and animated Lego dinosaurs. Other lands include the Pirate Shores, Castle Hill and Miniature Land which features a miniature USA with incredible 1:20 scale reproductions of cities and famous landmarks in the country. The park has plenty of fun rides including boat rides, mini fire truck rides and some fun rollercoasters and robotic rides and some fun shows, and then there’s the gift shop- guess what they sell?
Well we thought we had seen it all but this takes the cake and it is in Germany of all places. It is a huge airship hanger which has been transformed into an amazing tropical island. Germany was the world leader of Airships during the first part of last century and built many huge hangers, but after the war and the horrific Hindenburg Zeppelin disaster, airships fell from popularity and development of planes took over. The country had quiet a few huge hangers, this one is monstrous, it is in fact the second largest indoor space in the world, after the Boeing Factory. Inside there is a forest, pools, walking tracks and everything you would expect to see on a Polynesian Island. The centre has bars, restaurants and even special shows. Being just 60km South of Berlin Tropical Island is a very popular weekend get away where it is 25 degrees all year round and 28 in the ‘sea’. Weekdays are cheaper and less crowded, ticket prices are around the 20 Euros for general admission and yes you can get a suntan there- the dome is UV penetrable.
There is about to be a change at the giant Walt Disney World in Orlando. The Disney MGM Studio’s is changing its name on the 7th of January to Disney’s Hollywood Stuidos. The park was the third to open at Walt Disney World and has been a huge hit ever since. The park has some of the best rides and attractions of all the Disney parks including the Twiglight Zone Tower of Terror, Muppet 3D, Star Wars themed Star Tours and the Rockin Roller Coaster featuring Areosmith. There’s a great Indiana Jones stunt spectacular which is not to be missed and the park also has a great parade featuring a lot of memorable movie icons including plenty of fun from the Disney and Pizar team.
One of Disney’s newest parks opening about 9 years ago, is the Disney Animal Kindom at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. This great You Tube documentary/ad gives you a great insight into the fun and adventure of this great park. There looks like there is so much to do and so much to learn about the animal world at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The park has all the expected Disney fun, with state of the art rides and attractions and of course all your fury friends are there, but this Disney park is different it has wild animals- not anamatronic ones like the other parks- real live animals. Join the tour on a ride through the Kilimanjaro on a safari tour and see Zebra, rhino, lion and girrafe grazing peacefully in the Florida sun. Trek through the Asian jungles and see live endangered tigers, bats, komodo dragons and taipirs or step back in time and see the amazing dinosaurs on an adventure thrill ride Disney’s Animal Kingdom makes Walt Disney World even better. Read the rest of this entry »
After a shaky start Disneyland Paris is now one of Europe’s premier attractions and is going from strength to strength. There’s quiet a few new attractions to celebrate the 15th anniversary and an addition of some new rat friends. Yes that’s right- Remy and his brother Emile from the hit Pixar Disney film Ratatouille have joined the crew at Disneyland Paris much to the delight of young and old. They are adorable- the mouse better watch out- these rats might just steal the show. They make daily appearances in the parks and of course can be found in the many gift shops.
