The Nation’s Best Amusement Park

The votes are in and the winner of the best amusement park in the country is… Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The popular thrill ride park was named the best of the best by readers of Amusement Today. Each year the trade publication surveys hundreds of amusement park guests and uses their feedback to determine the winners of its Golden Ticket Awards competition. This year there were few surprises. Cedar Point won the best park award again—-as it has every year since the awards began. (To read my review of the park, click here.) It probably didn’t hurt … Continue reading

Travel Tidbits: End of An Era

I’ve told you about my childhood crush on Michael J. Fox (and Jason Bateman and Ricky Schroeder and…) in previous blogs. It’s tue; I’ve seen “Back to the Future” more times than most people have gone out to eat dinner. Which is why I was saddened to learn that the Universal Studios Hollywood ride based on the film trilogy that starred my beloved Michael (is a) Fox is officially a part of history. The ride took its final passengers yesterday and now is relegated to the past. (Sniff, sniff.) What’s even sadder is that the ride was closed to make … Continue reading

Travel Updates: Dollywood’s Newest Adventure and Baggage Help In Rome

DOLLYWOOD’S NEWEST ADVENTURE If you didn’t make it out to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park this summer you may want to start planning your trip for next year. By then construction on a new $5 million raft ride equipped with water guns to soak targets, other riders and bystanders will be complete. If you like thrill rides and are working your way up the skilled marksman ladder then the River Battle ride is one you won’t want to miss. It sends eight passengers on rafts down a 500-foot channel lined with more than 100 targets. You can take aim at … Continue reading

Amusement Park Safety Tips

I love going to amusement parks, though I freely admit that I steer clear of the thrill rides. (Can you blame me after reading this story?) That being said many of us (year-round school students not included) are smack in the middle of summer vacation—the time of the year that theme parks see a record number of guests. If your family is planning to spend one of the last weeks of summer break on a theme park vacation you may want to keep these tips in mind: Be Vigilant. This is especially important if you are visiting an amusement park … Continue reading

Amusement Park Tragedy

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. You take your child to an amusement park for a day of fun in the sun and are forced to leave because of a horrific accident. Horrific may be an understatement for the parents of a 13-year-old girl whose feet were severed Thursday when a thrill ride malfunctioned at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Amusement Park in Louisville. According to news reports, a broken cable wrapped around the teen’s feet and cut them off while she was free falling on the park’s “Superman Tower of Power” ride. Police say the teen is recovering at a … Continue reading

Theme Park For Moms Who Love To Shop

In previous blogs I’ve told you about theme parks designed for adrenaline junkies, Spider-Man Fans, toddlers, chocoholics, and those looking to cool off in the mid-summer heat. Nothing against the aforementioned parks, but none of them really caters to the large segment of the population that I affiliate myself with–moms who love to shop. That’s where L.L. Bean comes in. The mail-order retailer is looking to develop a theme park-style adventure center near its Maine flagship store (and you thought outlet malls were theme parks for shopoholics). The proposed L.L. Bean theme park-adventure center would feature a hotel, restaurants, and … Continue reading

Nickelodeon Water Parks

If your kids are fans of Dora the Explorer, Diego, Or SpongeBob Square Pants and don’t mind getting water in their eyes (like my daughter does) then I have good news for you. Marriott hotels and the popular children’s TV network, Nickelodeon just announced it plans to team up to create a chain of upscale water park resorts. The move is making headlines for two reasons: First, Marriott is making a major switch in its marketing strategy. The hotel chain, traditionally known for catering to business travelers, is now targeting families. Entering the family-themed vacation business allows Marriott to tap … Continue reading

Summer Travel: Cute and Crazy Rides

My friend’s husband is an adrenaline junkie. But, she knew that was part of his personality before she married him, so she doesn’t flinch when he deposits her and their children in the kiddie section of a given amusement park and takes off for the trill rides. Personally, I can barely stomach the merry-go-round so I am only too happy to remain in the children’s area with my daughter. (Before we were married I would hang out by the games while my husband braved the twists, turns and drops of the thrill rides—-now at least I have my daughter to … Continue reading

Exciting News For Harry Potter Fans

Attention all Harry Potter fans: you can forget about having to settle for yet another vacation at Disneyland or Coney Island—soon you will be able to get your kicks at the place your young hero calls home (or at least a version of it). Universal Orlando Resort just announced it plans to open a Harry Potter theme park that will allow fans of the boy magician to visit some of the same iconic locations featured in the best selling books and blockbuster movies. “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is scheduled to open at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park … Continue reading

Summer Travel: Wet and Wild Family Fun

Looking for some cool summer fun? Then you’ve come to the right blog. Continuing our “Summer Travel” series, today we turn the spotlight on all things wet and wild. There are a host of new additions popping up at water parks across the country. From water coasters to wave pools the following are the hottest new trends making a splash with children of all ages. Here’s what’s new this summer: Boulder Beach at Silverwood in Idaho is making not one, not two, but four additions to its water park—-a VIP Cabana Island, a 40-foot tall raft ride, a new wave … Continue reading