Another Wonder at Niagara Falls
Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls, Canada, opened in mid-April three miles north of the falls, on a 25-acre site overlooking the Niagara Gorge and the famous Whirlpool area of the river.

The lodge is owned by Ripley’s Niagara Water Park Resort L.P., a Jim Pattison Group Company, through a license from Great Wolf Resorts Inc. The behemoth project represents nearly 500,000 square feet of construction and includes a 103,000-squarefoot indoor waterpark with 13 slides, 10 pools, and a four-story, 12-level SCS Interactive treehouse with a 1,000-gallon dump bucket. Amusement Leisure Worldwide contributed the majority of slides, and ProSlide Technology provided a Rocket Slide water roller coaster with a 52-foot vertical drop, a Cannon Bowl Slide, and a family raft ride.

Bear Track Landing is the name of the Northwoods-themed indoor waterpark, where it’s always a balmy 84 degrees. More than 120 lifeguards, all certified by Ellis & Associates, have been hired, and as in all Great Wolf Resorts, the waterpark is exclusive to
lodge guests.

“The waterpark is a real ‘wow’ feature to the lodge. It is huge and with all the slide tubes twisting and turning overhead, many people just stand there and look, totally slack-jawed,” General Manager Keith Simmonds told FUNWORLD. “The treehouse and the bucket are the first things our guests see as they enter the waterpark, and it’s quite a magnificent first impression.” There are two large indoor hot tubs, one for families and one for adults only. This lodge is the first Great Wolf Lodge to incorporate a third hot tub—The Great Outdoor Spa, an adults-only indoor entry, outside pool, open year-round, overlooking the Niagara Gorge.

In addition to the indoor Bear Track Landing waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls has Loon Lagoon, an outdoor pool that ranges from zero-depth to four feet with floor geysers, spray features, and water basketball. Also outside is the highly interactive, 18-hole Wacky Wilderness Mini-Golf course, designed and built in-house by the Ripley Entertainment creative team.

A major area of entertainment is the 7,000-square-foot Northern Lights Arcade. Bursting with color, thanks to multicolor confetti-designed carpeting, black lights, and an intelligent lighting system, the arcade features more than 100 games. Alan Ramsay, vice president of attractions operations, noted that redemption games make up 65 percent of the game mix. Being so close to the U.S. border, Ramsay said it was important to have change and token machines that would accept both Canadian and U.S. currency.

Those machines also accept credit cards and the innovative RFID wrist­band the lodge is pioneering in Canada. At check-in, each guest receives a waterpark-friendly wrist­band that is virtually a key to the kingdom. With a flick of the wrist, guests can unlock their suite, lock and unlock lockers in the waterpark, buy tokens for the arcade, and use it for purchases at all retail shops, bars, and restaurants. It can also be used for all services, including Elements, an Aveda Salon & Spa, and the Wacky Wilderness Mini-Golf course. “The wristband eliminates lost room keys and wet money,” adds Bob Masterson, president/CEO of Ripley Entertain­ment. “It also allows parents to put a certain amount of money on their kids’ wristbands for food, beverage, and the arcade, making it easier to control their spending. The benefits of RFID technology truly take our level of guest service to the next level.”

The 406-room, all-suite lodge features a five-story-tall rustic lobby with a huge stone fireplace, overstuffed Northwoods-themed furniture, and plenty of themed lodge comfort amenities. The lobby is populated with animated wolves, elk, bears, raccoons, and other woodsy animals, created by Sally Corporation, which also created an animated animal show that runs twice a day. The nightly show is augmented by a storyteller.

“Our company loves Niagara Falls, Canada, and we are truly excited about the lodge. It’s a 12-month experience and fits nicely into the city’s strategic plan of creating a true year-round tourism market for the Falls,” Masterson said.

Bigger & Better Aquarium The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores reopened to the public in mid-May following a two-and-a-half year, $25 million expansion that tripled the size of the former facility. When the aquarium closed in January 2004, the building was gutted down to its bare bones. When it reopened, it had transformed into a 93,000-square-foot modern facility with the new theme of “North Carolina’s Aquatic Environment from the Mountains to the Sea.” New animals, among them river otters, freshwater fishes, frogs, and salamanders, along with jellyfish, stingrays, seahorses, sharks, and colorful tropical fishes, were added. The building’s design winds through five of the state’s aquatic zones and features 40 new exhibits.

Carowinds Celebrates Campers, Cartoon Characters, and Kookaburra Bay
Paramount ’s Carowinds, the only major theme park in the United States that straddles two states—North and South Carolina—is featuring a bevy of new and expanded activities for 2006, its 34th season.

It was bye, bye WaterWorks, but G’day Boomerang Bay in May when the newly themed waterpark opened for the season. Inspired by Australia’s Gold Coast, Carowinds becomes the latest Paramount Park to re-theme its in-park waterpark to the Aussie adventure. The multimillion-dollar expansion enlarges the size of the waterpark by nearly 25 percent and creates what the park is calling an “Outback Oasis of family fun” large enough to span 16 football fields. The 16-acre waterpark features more than 25 water activities, including a dozen slides, the new Kookaburra Bay heated tropical lagoon complete with a waterfall, a 1,000-foot-long lazy river, a large wave pool, two family water play areas, and the new Walkabout Pub.

“We’ve been looking forward to developing an even bigger and better five-star waterpark experience for our guests for many years,” said Bob White, Carowinds’ general manager. White also pointed out that the theme park has a few notable things going for it to talk about this year. Back to the theme park this year, by popular demand, is the “Nickelodeon Celebration Parade.” The show ran from April 1 through Memorial Day and was once again a big hit and drove weekend business. “The opportunity not only to see their favorite Nick stars, but also to become part of the show has a huge appeal for kids and is one of the reasons our guests told us they wanted the parade back again this year,” said White.

Highlighted by a colorful convoy of motorized floats, more than 20 Nick­elodeon characters, including Sponge-Bob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and a cast of nearly 100 performers, the parade is an interactive celebration that gets people to their feet all along the parade route.

The park wasn’t without plenty of Nick characters once the parade moved on. The new “Dora’s Sing Along Adventure” musical stage show opened in April and will run through the end of the season. Along with Dora, the interactive show also stars Disco Star and Big Red Chicken. Another meet-the-cartoon opportunity, The “Nickelodeon’s NickToons” interactive meet and greet, starring SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick, premiered in early June and will run through the season.

“The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera” attraction debuted at all five Paramount Parks this spring and features the classic characters from cartoons such as “The Flintstones,” “The Jetsons,” and “Scooby-Doo.” The plot has the villainous Dick Dastardly and his sidekick dog Muttley kidnapping Elroy Jetson. While sitting in two-person seats in front of a 26-foot-by-59-foot screen, guests help Yogi Bear rescue Elroy as they “fly, drive, and dive” with Yogi in synchronized action.

Within sight of the 108-acre theme park, the newly expanded and upgraded Carowinds Campground opened this year as the Paramount’s Camp Wilderness Resort. The multimillion dollar renovation of the 25-acre campgrounds features nearly 200 campsites, 15 airconditioned, eight-person cabins, and enhanced facilities. In the center of the park is Camp Wilderness Lodge, which features a convenience and merchandise store, wireless Internet capability, coin-operated laundry, and satellite television service on widescreen TVs. The park is now open daily through Aug. 26 with weekend operation through Oct. 29.

CORRECTION: On page 27 in the May issue, the Must-See Waterpark Award piece about Shipwreck Island should have been a Top FEC Award piece about its sister FEC, Adventure Landing. FUNWORLD regrets this error.

Indoor Water Adventure in the Windy City Chicagoland’s first indoor waterpark hotel has opened at the Holiday Inn Elmhurst. The 25,000-square-foot, $30 million Mayan Adventure offers two family water slides, a dumping bucket, a lazy river, an interactive play area with two slides for smaller children, water basketball, and several different activity pools. The colorful Mayan theme features primitive-looking sculptures, murals, and rock formations. The waterpark was created from the old Holidome recreation area that was taken out along with 24 guest rooms to make way for Mayan Adventure. Around the perimeter of the waterpark there are three cabana areas, a 2,500- square-foot game room with redemption and video games, three party rooms, a children’s play room and activity center, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and a gift shop. A bar and snack shop are located in the corner of the pool area, with seating both inside and in the pool area.

Convention Space at Indoor Waterpark Resort
Kalahari Resorts, which opened Ohio’s largest year-round resort in Sandusky in 2005, has announced it is adding a $12 million, 95,000- square-foot convention/event center to its existing 596- room, full-service indoor resort. Set to open in August, the African-themed Kalahari will fill a void in the Upper Midwest for a “drive-to convention and event facility that features a dynamic menu of on-site amenities,” according to Todd Nelson, president/CEO of Kalahari Resorts. The flexible layout of the convention center is being designed to incorporate several future expansions. Matching Kalahari’s African theme, the new facility will feature several special meeting rooms, resembling African mud huts. Nelson feels his venue’s vast menu of activities, including its 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, provides a strong incentive for meeting planners who can now incorporate a family getaway in their meeting agendas.

ACE Conference Set for August
The 2006 American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Preservation Conference is set to run Aug. 4-6 and will give participants a chance to ride 13 different coasters in four parks: Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota; Arnolds Park in Arnolds Park, Iowa; The Park at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota (formerly Camp Snoopy); and Como Town in St. Paul, Minnesota. “This is a chance to have fun and ride a few coasters as a group and at the same time help build the ACE preservation fund that will help support the club’s ongoing activities in the preservation of classic roller coasters,” said an ACE official. Registration is at www.americancoasterenthusiasts.org. According to Yvonne Janik, ACE events director, the event will start out at Valleyfair on Friday (Aug. 6) evening, with ERT (exclusive ride time for registrants only) all evening long. On Saturday morning, the group will go to The Park at Mall of America and have ERT on the two coasters there. That afternoon, those wanting to go over to Como Town to ride its small coaster will be welcomed at that new park next to the Como Park Zoo. Arnolds Park, a three-hour drive from the Twin Cities, will feature ERT on both Saturday night and Sunday morning. The park’s circa 1927 “Legend” wooden coaster will be presented the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark plague during a lunch presentation.

Old Park Gets New Toys Idlewild Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, the oldest amusement park in the state and the third oldest in the United States, added a $1 million attraction to its Soak Zone this season, increasing the size of the waterpark by 20 percent. Captain Kidd’s Adventure Gallery, the pirate-themed Aquaplay structure, features six water slides ranging in length from 19 to 130 feet and a multilevel design with crawl tunnels, net climbs, bridges, and 88 water spray features, including water guns, a water curtain, tipping cones, spray jets, and a water wheel. A 500- gallon tipping bucket tops off the popular play structure. The expansion also includes a large family lounging area and a new pirate-themed gift shop.

Six Flags Hawking Tickets Online Six Flags has expanded its ability to sell park admission tickets online. This summer, in a deal with AOL, print-athome tickets for all Six Flags parks are available through AOL CityGuide, one of the most visited local entertainment guides on the Web. The park company has been selling its own tickets online for several years, but officials say this new deal will give the chain “even more touchpoints for reaching” its customers. Both Six Flags and AOL are promoting how easy the process is and that once a person prints out the tickets at home, they can go directly to the entry gates, avoiding long ticket lines. Season passes are also available online. Through an alliance with Cygnus eTransactions Group, Inc., an Orlandobased ticketing and payment processing company, tickets will be delivered as print-at-home tickets via Cygnus’ proprietary ceTicket technology. Universal Food & Frolic Now that one-day admission tickets to Central Florida theme parks, including Universal Orlando’s two parks and Walt Disney World’s four parks are costing more than $60, park officials are aggressively promoting valueadded amenities and money-saving multiday passes. At Universal, a Kids Free Ticket was announced in January and offers one free child’s ticket for every two-day, multipark ticket purchased online by an adult. In addition, if adults purchase a specific vacation package online, it will include free kids’ admissions and free food for the kids all day long. Also at Universal, a Meal Deal ticket is being offered this season. A one-park, oneday all-you-can-eat meal ticket is available for $18.99 for adults and $8.99 for children. A two-park, one-day meal ticket is $22.99 and $10.99. Beverages are not included, but the purchase of a $7.99 souvenir cup allows free refills all day. Three restaurants in each park accept the Meal Deal ticket.

Happy Birthday Michigan’s Adventure
To celebrate its 50th anniversary season, Michigan’s Adventure, in Muskegon, added its largest single ride investment in the history of the park. The $5 million “Grand Rapids,” a rapids river ride, premiered to rave reviews. The 1,500-foot-long attraction features nine-passenger rafts and can accommodate 800 people an hour. “Grand Rapids” was designed by IntaRide LLC of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and Glynn Geotechnical Engineering of Lockport, New York. Coasters, a classic 1950s style diner, similar to the successful ones already in operation at Cedar Point, Valleyfair, and Dorney Park, was also added to the Michigan’s Adventure food lineup for the 2006 season. The 3,000-square-foot, $1.25 million restaurant, complete with a jukebox and neon and vintage fixtures, serves hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, milk shakes, and malts. It’s the park’s first indoor, air-conditioned eatery. Since Cedar Fair purchased the park in 2001, it has invested more than $18 million in capital improvements.

Greg Bell, former member of the IAAPA Entertainment Committee and a member of the production team for last year’s “2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade Television Special,” received a Daytime Emmy Award for the program in the “Outstanding Television Special” category. The awards were given out in New York City on April 22, 2006. The “2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade” was honored with a Daytime Emmy Award during the eremony.The parade telecast aired on ABC, was co-hosted by Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, and Ryan Seacrest, and broadcast from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.The two-hour special celebrated 50 years of Disney theme parks and featured special appearances and performances from the likes of Tiger Woods, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Diana Krall, Raven, and more. The program won the award for “Outstanding Telvision Special.”