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Immediate Reactions
It seems the degree to which attractions were affected by the attacks depended upon their size and location. Smaller facilities and those situated away from large cities did not see themselves as potential targets for terrorist attacks, assuming terrorists would seek higher-profile objectives.
Of course, the 9/11 attacks took place at a time when most seasonal parks and attractions had closed for the season. Halloween was only in the early stages of becoming a strong shoulder-season event. Most of the seasonal parks and attractions that were still open had switched to their weekend-only operating schedules. Virtually all outdoor waterparks had closed for the season, and there were relatively few indoor waterparks in existence. So, most parks and attractions had time during the off-season to prepare for any changes they planned to make the following year in response to the tragedy.
Ron Gustafson, director of public relations at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut (www.quassy.com), expresses the opinion voiced by many parks about the event. “At 9/11, we’d just closed for the season,” he says, “and I think by the time we reopened the next season, people were trying to put it behind them and were determined to go on and try to enjoy their lives.”
But some attractions in temperate weather zones like Florida and Southern California were still operating on a daily schedule when the attacks took place (Sept. 11 fell on a Tuesday in 2001), and they had to scramble to adjust to a world forever changed in a matter of minutes. Christina Simmons, director of public relations for the San Diego Zoo in California (www.sandiegozoo.org), recalls that distressing time.
“It was a tremendous shock, and, in fact, two days after 9/11, on 9/13, we were evacuated and asked to close the San Diego Zoo, and we’ve never really known the reason,” says Simmons. “It was a tremendous undertaking, but our staff had actually had some drills in the past, and our operational staff was able to evacuate the zoo pretty quickly. But the sequence of events from 9/11 to 9/13 was very stressful for our organization.”
She says the zoo did put heightened security measures in place for about a month after 9/11, including conducting bag checks at the zoo entrances. As for instituting any additional safety measures, like instructing staff to be alert to suspicious packages spotted on the property, Simmons states it was not really necessary. By nature, zoo staff are always very alert for anything out of place or left behind by visitors, out of an innate sense of protection for the facility’s animals.
 She notes one major change that has affected the park is the increased security at the nearby border crossing with Mexico, which has greatly impacted visitation from that country. “Our free kids month is October, and we always had thousands of school groups come across from Mexico,” she explains. “But because of heightened security at the border, most of those kids can’t come now, and it’s a tremendous shame that we can’t host them anymore.”
Another attraction that was still operating in mid-September of 2001, though on a reduced schedule, was Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri (www.silverdollarcity. com). The park’s director of publicity, Lisa Rau, says following the attacks, the park installed more video cameras and hired more plainclothes and uniformed security personnel. She says it also changed the method of security surveillance and enhanced security tactics. Those changes are still in effect today. She notes that 9/11 was a major contributing factor to the changes, but also attributed some of it to “the reality of today.”
As for bag checks at the front gate, Rau says, “For several months after 9/11, we did bag checks, but we don’t do them anymore. But we reserve the right to do it, and if someone does appear suspicious we will follow them and monitor them. Herschend has been built with a huge backbone commitment to safety and security, and that’s nonnegotiable.”
Time to Prepare
As mentioned, most seasonal parks had closed or were preparing to close for the season when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. So they had the off-season to prepare any changes they planned to make.
Wet ’n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park in Greensboro, North Carolina (www.emeraldpointe.com), decided to make a couple major changes when it opened for business in 2002. “The two things that  changed the most were bag checks and the increased security,” says Tony Brancazio, the park’s general manager. “We began searching all bags coming through, and I think it showed the guests that this is a safe place. We also re-evaluated our emergency plans to include terrorist attacks.”
Brancazio notes the quick realization that searching every single bag, picnic basket, and cooler was just too time-consuming, so the waterpark soon stopped allowing coolers and picnic baskets to come through the gate. Instead, guests could place their coolers and baskets in a storage area for a nominal fee and have access to picnic tables just outside the front gate. The bag checks and cooler and picnic basket restrictions are still in place today.
Even though Quassy is located in a town of only 7,000 people, it is less than 90 miles from New York City. So 9/11 had an impact, but not as much on park operations as a general feeling of unease, according to Gustafson. “I think everyone was a little shaky and nervous afterward … kind of on pins and needles,” he says. The small 20-acre park is not gated, so it opted not to initiate bag searches. However, Gustafson notes after Sept. 11, 2001, park  employees were more alert to reports from guests of things like someone taking numerous photos of everything in the park.
Silverwood (www.silverwoodthemepark.com) is a seasonal theme park in Athol, Idaho, more than 2,500 miles from New York City and Washington, D.C., so the effect of the terrorist attacks on the facility was muted. “Because of our location, in a rural area, it didn’t affect us as much, and our attendance was actually up that year and in subsequent years,” says Nancy DiGiammarco, director of marketing, sales, and public relations at Silverwood. “However, we did start checking bags [after 9/11], and those have continued to this day, but we don’t check every single bag.”
DiGiammarco says Sept. 11 had no discernable effect on the number of families coming to the park and no effect on the attractions the park chose to install afterward. These observations were echoed by all of the attractions that spoke to Funworld.
Positive Feelings Toward Military Personnel and First Responders
One area where 9/11 did have a marked and lasting effect on attractions is increased demonstrations of patriotism at their facilities, most commonly including the recognition they gave to members of the military and first responders.
“The first thing I did after 9/11 was put up a big flagpole and put an American flag on it,” says Bob Lawton, owner of Funspot (www.funspotnh.com) family entertainment center in Weirs, New Hampshire, “and we’ve maintained that and kept it in nice shape ever since.” He says Funspot also routinely thanks military personnel and their families on the FEC’s front sign.
At Quassy, Gustafson says, “We started putting the national anthem over the PA system at 11:00. We think it’s important to honor America when we open the property, and guests really appreciate it.”
All of the attractions with which Funworld spoke say they give admission discounts to members of the military. Some did so prior to 9/11, and others have increased the discounts and extended similar discounts to first responders.
Contact News Editor Keith Miller at kmiller@IAAPA.org.
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