Elitch Gardens Theme Park
Encyclopedia
Elitch Gardens Theme Park, locally known as "Elitch's", is an amusement park
in Denver, Colorado
. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
. It is a seasonal park usually opening in late April and closing around Halloween.
As space was getting scarce at the original location of Elitch Gardens
at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street, the Gurtler family and their financial partners purchased a 67.7 acres (273,972.4 m²) plot of land in the Platte River valley near downtown Denver for the price of $6.1 million in June 1994. $90 Million was spent relocating some rides from the original park and construction of the new park. The money was from a mix of public and private dollars and various loans.
On October 1, 1994, the original park closed its gates forever and a majority of the rides were moved to the new property. On May 27, 1995, the new Elitch Gardens opened up to lower than expected crowds. Attendance was weaker than the expected 1.2 million guests the park aimed for. Some notable rides at the park's opening were the original Carousel and Sidewinder roller coaster, relocated from the old park; and a new version of the Mister Twister, the Twister II
.
In October, 1996, the Gurtler family and its partners sold the park to growing theme park operator Premier Parks for $65 million.
, a Vekoma
Suspended Looping Coaster. The next big addition was Tower of Doom, an Intamin freefall ride that stands at 250 feet (76.2 m). Also added was the park's 700-seat Tracadero Theater. The price tag for these additions came to a total of $28 million.
Throughout this short era, the park had the "The Great Escape" surname under its official name like most of its sister parks at the time (Darien Lake
, Riverside Park
, and The Great Escape
)
In 1998, Premier Parks purchased the Six Flags
chain of theme parks from Time-Warner. With the purchase, Premier decided to brand-namne some of their parks with the Six Flags prefix. Elitch Gardens was one of those parks and big changes came the next year.
, a Vekoma Boomerang
roller coaster. Other additions included the Looney Tunes
and DC Comics
characters/themes. Throughout 1999-2001, additions were rushed in such as a new Looney Tunes Movietown area, water rides, and flat rides.
In 2002, the park added one of its most popular rides and the area's only flying roller coaster, Flying Coaster
.
In 2004, the park added its latest thrill ride, Half Pipe, the only one of its kind in America.
In 2005, Six Flags parks closed down and removed Chance-Morgan
Chaos flat rides for safety reasons. Also, the park added Edge, a vertical water slide inside the park's Island Kingdom water park.
Also in 2005, control of Six Flags, Inc. was obtained by Daniel Snyder
in a proxy fight and Mark Shapiro was installed as CEO. The park faced a grim future in 2006 when Shapiro announced selling six of the Six Flags owned properties. Costumed workers and entertainment workers were laid off as a part of cost-cutting.
On January 11, 2007, it was announced that Elitch Gardens was to be sold, along with six other Six Flags parks, to PARC Management
for $312 million. In April 2007 the Six Flags prefix was removed from the name, making the park Elitch Gardens once again.
The PARC era officially began on April 9, 2007. CNL Income Properties
bought Elitch's along with six other former Six Flags
parks and now leases the properties to PARC Management
. An immediate change under the new management was the removal of all Looney Tunes
uses from the park. A new ProSlide
Bowl water slide, named RipQurl, was added for the 2007 season. In 2008 a new interactive dark ride, Ghost Blasters, opened. The ride takes guests through a dark mansion haunted with ghosts. Using Boo-blasters on the ride, guests have the opportunity to extinguish the ghosts while competing against one another as digital counters keep track of the scores. Alongside the new rides, the park hosts a summer concert series which has included Raven-Symone
, Metro Station
, Sara Evans
, and Lee Ann Womack
. Elitch Gardens also has live entertainment shows, such as Survivor
Live!, and Sea Lion
Splash! The shows for 2010 were Rocknation: Don't Stop Believin, Bob the Builder
Live: Let's Recycle!, 120 Rockin' Years at Elitch's and Laser Rocks. During October the park has haunted houses and a Trick-or-Treat Trail.
On November 24 2010, CNL announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Elitch Gardens and up to 17 other locations. The move came after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations on the properties.
, and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
(HFE), the nation's largest family-owned theme park corporation, assumed the day-to-day management of both properties starting January 25, 2011.
The water park usually opens around Memorial Day (depending on the weather), and closes at Labor Day.
The Island Kingdom waterpark will be closed if temperatures drop below 70 °F (21.1 °C).
. Many park visitors take the train instead of paying for parking. There is a bus station just off park grounds as well, which is served by route 10 and the Front Range Express (FREX)(to Castle Rock / Colorado Springs).
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...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States....
. It is a seasonal park usually opening in late April and closing around Halloween.
Gurtler era (1994 - 1995)
Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...
at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street, the Gurtler family and their financial partners purchased a 67.7 acres (273,972.4 m²) plot of land in the Platte River valley near downtown Denver for the price of $6.1 million in June 1994. $90 Million was spent relocating some rides from the original park and construction of the new park. The money was from a mix of public and private dollars and various loans.
On October 1, 1994, the original park closed its gates forever and a majority of the rides were moved to the new property. On May 27, 1995, the new Elitch Gardens opened up to lower than expected crowds. Attendance was weaker than the expected 1.2 million guests the park aimed for. Some notable rides at the park's opening were the original Carousel and Sidewinder roller coaster, relocated from the old park; and a new version of the Mister Twister, the Twister II
Twister II
Twister II is a wooden roller coaster located at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado.This is a custom built wooden coaster based upon the original coaster Mr. Twister that was at Elitch Gardens before the park was moved to its new location in 1995. The roller coaster was designed by John Pierce, who...
.
In October, 1996, the Gurtler family and its partners sold the park to growing theme park operator Premier Parks for $65 million.
Premier era (1996 - 1998)
Premier noted the lackluster figures the new park had in its first two seasons and new additions were soon rushed in for the park's third season. The first and most notable addition was the park's third roller coaster, Mind EraserThe Mind Eraser
The Mind Eraser is a steel inverted roller coaster at 4 different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. Built by Vekoma, they are of the most common and standard Suspended Looping Coaster model that is found in many theme parks; at least fifteen other parks around the world have exactly the same ride...
, a Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
Suspended Looping Coaster. The next big addition was Tower of Doom, an Intamin freefall ride that stands at 250 feet (76.2 m). Also added was the park's 700-seat Tracadero Theater. The price tag for these additions came to a total of $28 million.
Throughout this short era, the park had the "The Great Escape" surname under its official name like most of its sister parks at the time (Darien Lake
Six Flags Darien Lake
Darien Lake is a theme park resort located between Buffalo and Rochester in Corfu, New York, United States, south of the New York State Thruway on State Highway 77. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation...
, Riverside Park
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...
, and The Great Escape
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom is an amusement and waterpark located in Queensbury, New York. It is advertised as being located in Lake George, New York...
)
In 1998, Premier Parks purchased the Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
chain of theme parks from Time-Warner. With the purchase, Premier decided to brand-namne some of their parks with the Six Flags prefix. Elitch Gardens was one of those parks and big changes came the next year.
Six Flags era (1999 - 2006)
Numerous additions came in 1999 when the park was officially renamed Six Flags Elitch Gardens. The first and most notable addition was the Boomerang: Coast to CoasterBoomerang (roller coaster)
Boomerang is a model of roller coaster built by Vekoma, and named after the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians...
, a Vekoma Boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
roller coaster. Other additions included the Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
characters/themes. Throughout 1999-2001, additions were rushed in such as a new Looney Tunes Movietown area, water rides, and flat rides.
In 2002, the park added one of its most popular rides and the area's only flying roller coaster, Flying Coaster
Flying Coaster
Soarin' Eagle is a steel roller coaster located at the Scream Zone at Luna Park, Coney Island, USA. The ride was the first ever Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster when it opened in 2002 at Elitch Gardens as the Flying Coaster...
.
In 2004, the park added its latest thrill ride, Half Pipe, the only one of its kind in America.
In 2005, Six Flags parks closed down and removed Chance-Morgan
Chance-Morgan
Chance Morgan, a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer, was formed in 2001 with the merger of Chance Industries and D. H. Morgan Manufacturing . The main office is D. H. Morgan's former location in La Selva Beach, California and they utilize Chance Industries' former manufacturing...
Chaos flat rides for safety reasons. Also, the park added Edge, a vertical water slide inside the park's Island Kingdom water park.
Also in 2005, control of Six Flags, Inc. was obtained by Daniel Snyder
Daniel Snyder
Daniel M. Snyder is the current owner of the Washington Redskins American football team, owner of the Dick Clark Productions television production company, and primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting, which is home to the Redskins Radio Network. Snyder has a net worth of $1.05 billion...
in a proxy fight and Mark Shapiro was installed as CEO. The park faced a grim future in 2006 when Shapiro announced selling six of the Six Flags owned properties. Costumed workers and entertainment workers were laid off as a part of cost-cutting.
On January 11, 2007, it was announced that Elitch Gardens was to be sold, along with six other Six Flags parks, to PARC Management
PARC Management
PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. which operates various parks, attractions, recreation and entertainment venues throughout North America.-History:...
for $312 million. In April 2007 the Six Flags prefix was removed from the name, making the park Elitch Gardens once again.
PARC Era (2007 - 2010)
CNL Income Properties
CNL Lifestyle Properties is an unlisted Real Estate Investment Trust . The Trust is managed by CNL Financial Group. The company buys resort properties across the nation, but has no day-to-day management involvement in the properties it owns.-Properties:...
bought Elitch's along with six other former Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
parks and now leases the properties to PARC Management
PARC Management
PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. which operates various parks, attractions, recreation and entertainment venues throughout North America.-History:...
. An immediate change under the new management was the removal of all Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
uses from the park. A new ProSlide
ProSlide
ProSlide Technology is a Canadian manufacturer of water rides and water park resorts. They manufacture both traditional slides and innovative rides such as water coasters with conveyor belts, funnel-shaped Tornado slides, and Bowl slides...
Bowl water slide, named RipQurl, was added for the 2007 season. In 2008 a new interactive dark ride, Ghost Blasters, opened. The ride takes guests through a dark mansion haunted with ghosts. Using Boo-blasters on the ride, guests have the opportunity to extinguish the ghosts while competing against one another as digital counters keep track of the scores. Alongside the new rides, the park hosts a summer concert series which has included Raven-Symone
Raven-Symoné
Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman , known professionally as Raven-Symoné , or simply Raven, is an American actress, singer, songwriter, comedian, dancer, television producer and model. Symoné launched her successful career in 1989 after appearing in The Cosby Show as Olivia...
, Metro Station
Metro Station (band)
Metro Station is an American pop rock band that formed in Los Angeles by Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus. In late 2006, the band signed a recording contract with Columbia/Red Ink. They are best known for their Top 10 Billboard hit single "Shake It" from their self-titled debut album...
, Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
, and Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
. Elitch Gardens also has live entertainment shows, such as Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
Live!, and Sea Lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
Splash! The shows for 2010 were Rocknation: Don't Stop Believin, Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specialising in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of...
Live: Let's Recycle!, 120 Rockin' Years at Elitch's and Laser Rocks. During October the park has haunted houses and a Trick-or-Treat Trail.
On November 24 2010, CNL announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Elitch Gardens and up to 17 other locations. The move came after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations on the properties.
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation (since 2011)
CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., owners of Darien Lake Theme Park Resort and Elitch GardensElitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...
, and Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation
Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States....
(HFE), the nation's largest family-owned theme park corporation, assumed the day-to-day management of both properties starting January 25, 2011.
Island Kingdom Water Park
The Island Kingdom water park is a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) water park located next to the entrance of Elitch Gardens. Admission is included with a one day ticket to Elitch Gardens. The park has several main attractions: a large tube slide tower, a body slide tower, a family water playground, a large family raft ride, a half pipe water attraction, and a lazy river. Palm trees are planted yearly to add to the atmosphere.The water park usually opens around Memorial Day (depending on the weather), and closes at Labor Day.
The Island Kingdom waterpark will be closed if temperatures drop below 70 °F (21.1 °C).
Public Transportation to and from the park
There is a light rail train stop located next to the park's entrance, served by C and E line trains. The light rail station also serves neighboring Pepsi CenterPepsi Center
Pepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
. Many park visitors take the train instead of paying for parking. There is a bus station just off park grounds as well, which is served by route 10 and the Front Range Express (FREX)(to Castle Rock / Colorado Springs).
Roller Coasters
| Ride | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Twister II Twister II Twister II is a wooden roller coaster located at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado.This is a custom built wooden coaster based upon the original coaster Mr. Twister that was at Elitch Gardens before the park was moved to its new location in 1995. The roller coaster was designed by John Pierce, who... |
1995 | A John Pierce designed wooden coaster based on the original Elitch Gardens Twister. The old coaster proved too costly to move with the park and was in bad condition. This coaster opened with the new park in 1995. |
| Sidewinder | 1995 | An Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of... shuttle loop roller coaster. Moved from the original Elitch Gardens and originally built in 1980, it was relocated from Magic Springs and Crystal Falls park as the Roaring Tornado |
| Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser is a steel inverted roller coaster at 4 different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. Built by Vekoma, they are of the most common and standard Suspended Looping Coaster model that is found in many theme parks; at least fifteen other parks around the world have exactly the same ride... |
1997 | A Vekoma Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment... SLC Vekoma SLC The Suspended Looping Coaster is a model of steel inverted roller coaster built by Vekoma. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is or more.-History:... (Suspended Looping Coaster). Riders are suspended below twisted track. |
| Boomerang Boomerang: Coast to Coaster Boomerang: Coast to Coaster is a steel roller coaster of shuttle design currently in use at five different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. The ride was designed and manufactured by Vekoma, and is considered as one of its boomerang models. Each coaster has one train with a capacity of 28, two across... |
1999 | A Vekoma Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment... Boomerang Boomerang (roller coaster) Boomerang is a model of roller coaster built by Vekoma, and named after the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians... roller coaster. |
| Half Pipe Half Pipe (roller coaster) Half Pipe is a steel launched shuttle roller coaster located at both Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado and at Särkänniemi in Tampere, Finland.... |
2004 | An Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an... "Half Pipe" roller coaster. Closes occasionally during park hours, usually opened up and allows guests to enter queue. |
| Cactus Coaster | 1995 | An Allan Herschell Company "Little Dipper" kiddie coaster. |
Other Rides
| Ride | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shake, Rattle, & Roll | 1995 | A Huss Top Spin Top Spin (ride) The Top Spin is a thrill ride developed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik, and is the generic name for a series of rides from other manufacturers that follow the same principle. The ride consists of a passenger platform suspended between two counterweighted arms... that uses centrifugal force to repeatedly invert riders. Formerly known as "Avalanche." Relocated from a park in Germany and originally built in 1990, it was one of seven new attractions to debut at the new location. |
| Hollywood & Vine | 1995 | A Huss Breakdance Breakdance (ride) The Breakdance is an amusement park and fairground ride, designed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1985. Upon release, the ride design proved to be an instant hit, with HUSS now producing four varying designs, all of which can be acquired in transportable, semi-permanent, or permanent forms.-Design and... themed to the busy intersection of California's Hollywood and Vine Streets. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens, it was formerly known as "Paradise" and originally built in 1987. |
| Turn of the Century | 1999 | A Zierer Wave Swinger with ancient Egyptian/Aztec paintings on it. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens and originally built in 1973, it was not operated until 1999. There are only four in the world; this one is the only 1973 model still in operation. |
| DragonWing | 1999 | A Chance Aviator with a dragon theme. Formerly known as "Batwing," it was renamed after Six Flags Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family... sold the park. |
| Tea Cups | 1995 | A Mack Teacups Teacups Teacups is an amusement ride characterized by cup-style spinning vehicles atop a turntable-like floor.-Operation:Typically, each set of four teacup vehicles has a circular floor or a motor capable of turning 360 degrees. The circular floor or motor sits within a larger, turntable-like floor... ride relocated from a park in Germany. Originally built in 1988. One of seven rides to debut at the new park for 1995. |
| Observation Tower | 1995 | A HUSS observation tower 300 feet (91.4 m) tall with the observation platform at 275 feet (83.8 m). Closed or subject to inclement weather on certain days. One of the seven new attractions to debut at the new park at 1995. |
| Spider | 1995 | Classic Eyerly Spider ride relocated from the old Elitch Gardens. Originally built in 1969. Relocated several times. |
| Troika | 1995 | Classic Huss Troika Troika (ride) The Troika is an amusement park ride, designed and manufactured by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in the mid-1970s. The ride is available in both transportable and permanent forms, although due to the total weight and size of the ride , transportable Troikas are unpopular and uncommon... ride relocated from the old Elitch Gardens. Originally built in 1976. |
| Chaos | 1999 | A Chance-Morgan Chance-Morgan Chance Morgan, a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer, was formed in 2001 with the merger of Chance Industries and D. H. Morgan Manufacturing . The main office is D. H. Morgan's former location in La Selva Beach, California and they utilize Chance Industries' former manufacturing... Chaos ride that flips its riders upside down while spinning and lifting in the air at the same time. |
| Disaster Canyon | 1995 | A basic white water rafting ride by O.D. Hopkins. Built new in 1995, it opened with the new park. Not open after Labor Day. |
| Shipwreck Falls Shipwreck Falls Shipwreck Falls is a typical "Shoot-the-Chutes" style water attraction at many Herschend, and Six Flags Theme Parks, and Water Parks in the USA. The attraction is themed to sharks and shipwrecks, and all feature an exit bridge over the ride so guests can get wet while exiting... |
1997 | A O.D.Hopkins Shoot-the-Chutes Shoot-the-Chutes Shoot-the-Chutes is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume, a Shoot-the-Chutes generally has larger boats and one single drop.... that ends in a massive splash. Not open after Labor Day. |
| Tower of Doom | 1997 | A 210 feet (64 m) Intamin drop tower that drops up to three sets of four people at a time. Occasionally closed due to inclement weather. |
| Sea Dragon | 1995 | A Chance Sea Dragon Viking longship that rocks back and forth. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens and a park favorite. Originally built in 1980. |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | 1995 | A Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl Tilt-A-Whirl Tilt-A-Whirl is one of the best-known flat rides, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs and carnivals in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing of Faribault, Minnesota... relocated from the old park. Originally built in 1957. |
| Thunderbolt | 1996 | A Chance Alpine Bobs ride, it replaced the older Holland Express attraction, which had been moved from the old park. |
| XLR8R (upcharge attraction) | 1996 | A 182 feet (55.5 m) Skycoaster Skycoaster Skycoaster, most commonly also named Ripcord or Xtreme SkyFlyer , is an amusement park ride, produced and managed by Skycoaster, Inc.... that is available for a nominal additional fee. |
| Sling Shot (upcharge attraction) | 2006 | A 160 feet (48.8 m) reverse bungee attraction that rockets riders skyward at 70 mi/h. Available for a nominal additional fee. |
| Ghost Blasters II Ghost Blasters Ghost Blasters is an interactive dark ride franchise, designed and created by Sally Corporation. The franchise includes many locations at various amusement parks throughout the United States and Canada. Riders on "Ghost Blasters" are equipped with laser guns, as the attraction travels though a... |
2008 | A dark ride, designed by Sally Corporation Sally Corporation Founded in 1977, Sally Corporation is known for its dark rides , and its human, animal and cartoon animatronic characters and shows. The company serves amusement parks, attractions, museums and retail clients worldwide... , and themed as a haunted manor where guest shoot "ghosts" with laser guns. The entrance to the ride was formerly the Stagecoach Mercantile, which still has a small store, caricature stand, and airbrush tattoos. The same attraction can also be found at various other amusement parks in the USA and Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Big Wheel | A giant Ferris wheel over 100 feet (30.5 m) tall. The Big Wheel was repainted in 2010 and has new LED lighting, presenting a dazzling new light show while saving energy. | |
| Carousel | A fully restored 75-year-old carousel features 67 hand-carved horses and chariots. |
Past rides
| Ride | Year Opened | Year Removed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 1995 | 2011 | After many years of being a favorite in the park, this Huss Rainbow was finally taken down due to waning popularity from an accident in 2007. |
| Western Round-Up (flat ride) | 1995 | 2001 | Relocated from a park in Germany and debuted at the new park, this Vekoma Sky Flyer ride was dismantled in 2001 due to major maintenance issues. Though reasonably popular, it was standing idle half the time. Originally built in 1985. |
| Holland Express | 1995 | 1998 | This classic Mack Zugspitze ride was one of the rides moved from the original Elitch Gardens. As maintenance costs rose due to the ride's age, it was removed in 1998. A newer incarnation of the ride, the Thunderbolt, now fills its place. Originally built in 1964. |
| Mine Shaft | 1995 | 1998 | This Chance Rotor Rotor (ride) The Rotor is an amusement park ride, designed by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in the late 1940s. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949, and was exhibited at fairs and events throughout Europe during the 1950s and 1960s... ride was removed due to the controversy over a similar ride at Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain... . Rather than modify the ride as many other parks did, Elitch Gardens dismantled it in 1999. Originally built in 1972 and traveled on carnival routes. It was also at the old Elitch Gardens for a short time. |
| Sky Ride | 1995 | 1997 | A standard Watkins aerial chairlift ride, it stood for two years until the opening of the Island Kingdom water park prevented it from remaining open. It was one of the rides moved from the original park and was built in 1965. |
| Run-Away Train | 1995 | 1997 | A Mack Blauer Enzian powered roller coaster, it was bought used from a park in Germany and was originally built in 1986. Upon inspection, the "hot rail" that powered the train was badly damaged. This ride only ran for two seasons and the Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser is a steel inverted roller coaster at 4 different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. Built by Vekoma, they are of the most common and standard Suspended Looping Coaster model that is found in many theme parks; at least fifteen other parks around the world have exactly the same ride... now stands in its place. |
| Flying Coaster Flying Coaster Soarin' Eagle is a steel roller coaster located at the Scream Zone at Luna Park, Coney Island, USA. The ride was the first ever Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster when it opened in 2002 at Elitch Gardens as the Flying Coaster... |
2002 | 2008 | A Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster that is the first of its kind in the United States. As Of November 2010, most of the ride track has been dismantled with only a handful of the support beams still standing. It was a beta version of the coaster design, which made maintenance excessively expensive. |
| Casino | 1995 | 1998 | This Wipeout/Trabant ride was another ride moved from the old park. Even though it was in good running condition, Elitch Gardens couldn't find room for it among the newer rides. |