Castles N' Coasters
Encyclopedia
Castles N' Coasters is an amusement park
and family amusement center located in Phoenix, Arizona
. The approximately 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) park features four outdoor 18-hole miniature golf
courses, several rides, and an indoor video game arcade.
The park was built in 1980, and is designed in a Middle-Eastern
motif though other eras are featured such as the Wild West-themed miniature golf course and log flume ride.
Other attractions includes a go-kart track, bumper cars, bumper boats, 2 roller coasters called Patriot and Desert Storm, some thrill rides including Magic Carpet, Sea Dragon, Free Fall and Sky Diver drop rides, and a log flume called Splashdown.
Incidents
(Sunday, May 1, 2005) - At Castles N' Coasters amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona, eleven people were left stranded for nearly three hours after a free fall ride malfunctioned. Reports indicate that the floorless, four-sided passenger cabin jerked as it ascended the tower. The cabin, guided by cables, normally drops to the bottom of the 120-foot-tall tower and "bounces" to a stop, however when it reached the halfway point on its descent, it made loud screeching noises and came to a sudden halt. Witnesses saw smoke coming from the cabin as it grinded to a stop. It took firefighters nearly three hours to rescue the riders, who were locked in their seats about 30 feet above the ground.
The park's manager says that the ride will be closed until investigators determine what caused the malfunction.
"We don't know what happened," he said.
The park is open year round.
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
and family amusement center located in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The approximately 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) park features four outdoor 18-hole miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
courses, several rides, and an indoor video game arcade.
The park was built in 1980, and is designed in a Middle-Eastern
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
motif though other eras are featured such as the Wild West-themed miniature golf course and log flume ride.
Other attractions includes a go-kart track, bumper cars, bumper boats, 2 roller coasters called Patriot and Desert Storm, some thrill rides including Magic Carpet, Sea Dragon, Free Fall and Sky Diver drop rides, and a log flume called Splashdown.
Incidents
(Sunday, May 1, 2005) - At Castles N' Coasters amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona, eleven people were left stranded for nearly three hours after a free fall ride malfunctioned. Reports indicate that the floorless, four-sided passenger cabin jerked as it ascended the tower. The cabin, guided by cables, normally drops to the bottom of the 120-foot-tall tower and "bounces" to a stop, however when it reached the halfway point on its descent, it made loud screeching noises and came to a sudden halt. Witnesses saw smoke coming from the cabin as it grinded to a stop. It took firefighters nearly three hours to rescue the riders, who were locked in their seats about 30 feet above the ground.
The park's manager says that the ride will be closed until investigators determine what caused the malfunction.
"We don't know what happened," he said.
The park is open year round.
Rides and attractions
- Desert StormDesert Storm (roller coaster)Desert Storm is a double looping roller coaster located at Castles N' Coasters, an amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona. It is one of the two roller coasters there, the other being the smaller Patriot roller coaster. Desert Storm passes over top of the Li'l Indy go-cart track and extremely close to...
is a looping roller coasterRoller coasterThe roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
that uses a simple lap bar restraint. It is one of the park's main attractions and has two loops. - Patriot is a mild roller coasterRoller coasterThe roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
that is colored red, white and blue as its name suggests. It is centered around a large American flag and does two circuits. - SplashdownSplashdown (log flume)Splashdown is a log flume located at Castles N' Coasters, a theme park in Phoenix, Arizona. It is noted for its two drops, as well as many other special features. The whole ride is themed after a logging expedition through Polynesia...
is a popular log flumeLog flume (attraction)Log flumes originally referred to a special construct used to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. Today, however, the term is also used to refer to an amusement ride consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats...
. It features a logging town, tunnel, waterfalls, fountains, squirting African Elephant statues, native huts, and two large drops. - Sky Diver is a 120 foot tall free-fall drop tower.
- Free Fall is a smaller version of Sky Diver (above).
- Sea Dragon is a large swinging Viking ship.
- Ram Rods are bumper cars.
- Magic Carpet is a music expressMusic ExpressA Music Express is an amusement park and carnival ride based on the original Caterpillar rides of Germany. Several near-identical ride designs are also produced by other companies; Musik Express by Italian company Bertazzon and US Majestic Rides, Himalaya by American company Wisdom Rides,German...
. It goes through "Aladdin's Castle" and goes forward and backward. - CarrouselCarrouselCarrousel is a booklet published in 1987 containing three short texts written by Vladimir Nabokov in 1923 for "Karussel", a Russian cabaret.-Content:The three texts are:...
- Li'l Indy is a go-cart track that passes under the Desert StormDesert Storm (roller coaster)Desert Storm is a double looping roller coaster located at Castles N' Coasters, an amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona. It is one of the two roller coasters there, the other being the smaller Patriot roller coaster. Desert Storm passes over top of the Li'l Indy go-cart track and extremely close to...
roller coaster (above). - Bumper BoatsBumper boatsBumper boats are an amusement park ride that uses inner tube shaped watercraft that can be steered by the rider. Some are driven by electric motors, some by gasoline engines, and some require the rider to propel the craft by pedaling. Most are equipped with water guns for duels with other riders...
- Flying Bugs & Spinning Tops are kiddie rides located near the queue line for Desert StormDesert Storm (roller coaster)Desert Storm is a double looping roller coaster located at Castles N' Coasters, an amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona. It is one of the two roller coasters there, the other being the smaller Patriot roller coaster. Desert Storm passes over top of the Li'l Indy go-cart track and extremely close to...
(above). - Dixie Jr. Wheel is a miniature Ferris wheelFerris wheelA Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
. - Arcades
- Miniature GolfMiniature golfMiniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
features four courses. Each have trick shots, multiple themes, and many water features.