amusement parks

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10 Strangest Amusement Parks
 10 Strangest Amusement Parks 
Feb 19, 2012 7:12 AM CST

10 Strangest Amusement Parks

Try Napoleonland and Dickens World for starters

(Newser) - Roller coasters, water slides, and teacups are boring. Take a trip to one of these 10 strange amusement parks, compiled by Time .
  • Napoleonland: Opening in France in 2014, this park is dedicated to the French dictator and will feature a water show reenactment of the Battle of Trafalgar and a
...

Disney World's New Ride: Luxury Speedsters

Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, and more coming to speedway

(Newser) - From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the Ferraris of Florida—one ride at Disney World will get a lot more horsepower in January. The park plans to add "exotic driving" to its repertoire, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Along with two Ferraris (which go from zero to 60 in...

Amputee Vet Killed in Coaster Accident

James Hackemer was thrown from ride

(Newser) - Rough story from the Darien Lake amusement park in upstate New York: A 29-year-old man who lost both legs in the Iraqi war is dead after falling out of a 200-foot-high roller coaster. James Hackemer lost his limbs to a roadside bomb in 2008 and just barely survived. "We...

Coming to Kentucky: Creationism Theme Park

Complete with 500-foot Noah's Ark replica

(Newser) - Disneyland, pshaw. Soon the new hot amusement park will be located in Kentucky, and called ... Ark Encounter. The Christian theme park will include, among other attractions, a 500-foot-long Noah's Ark complete with live animals, a Tower of Babel replica, and a re-created first-century Middle Eastern village. "Make no mistake...

Harry Potter Roller Coaster Makes Space for Fat Muggles

Orlando ride adds seats for the obese

(Newser) - Universal Orlando's "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" ride is no longer a forbidden journey for larger riders. The theme park—which received complaints from many plus-sized Muggles who were turned away from the popular ride—has altered the cars to accommodate obese passengers, ABC News reports.

Disney Visitor Falls From 'Tower of Terror'

He's OK after 25-foot drop

(Newser) - A visitor to Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror suffered a bit of terror of his own when he fell about 25 feet while waiting to get on the ride, Fox 40 reports. The 20-year-old—police say he was drinking—climbed a rail near the start of the ride at...

Amusement Firm Yanks Obama Target Practice

Carnival game had president's likeness

(Newser) - Visitors to Pennsylvania fairs recently had an interesting new target to shoot at—a black man holding a "health bill" and wearing a belt buckle of the presidential seal. Hmmm, who could that be? "I guess we made an error in judgment and we apologize for that,"...

Fun-Park Ride Busts Midair, Kills Teen

Basket plunges on top of another ride

(Newser) - The giant mechanical arm of a terrifying "free fall" amusement park ride in Spain broke in midair, fatally crushing a teenage rider. When the arm of "El Pendulo"—the Pendulum—broke, the basket carrying the girl plunged onto the top of an adjacent ride. Two other teens...

Fat Muggles Turned Away at Harry Potter Theme Park
Fat Muggles Turned Away
at Harry Potter Theme Park
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 27, 2010 11:25 AM CDT

Fat Muggles Turned Away at Harry Potter Theme Park

More than 265 pounds? No Forbidden Journey for you

(Newser) - Weight, not the wait, is turning out to be the big problem for some parkgoers eager to go on the "Forbidden Journey" ride at Orlando's new Harry Potter theme park. With its weight limit of around 265 pounds, portly Potter fans are finding themselves banned from the much-hyped ride...

Harry Potter Theme Park Enchants Muggles
 Harry Potter Theme Park 
 Enchants Muggles 
Theme Park Review
Jun 18, 2010 11:50 AM CDT

Harry Potter Theme Park Enchants Muggles

'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' delightfully American

(Newser) - Today marks the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a $250 million mini-theme park tucked into Universal Orlando Resort, and at least one actual British person, Tom Leonard of the Telegraph , was on hand to shake his head at the daftness of it all. He does admit...

Scientists: Dolphins Are 'Non-Human Persons'

New research shows them to be smarter than chimps

(Newser) - Dolphins are not only the world's smartest animal after humans, they're so intelligent they deserve to be classed as "non-human persons." So say scientists who argue their research on dolphins' brains shows it is unethical to keep such animals captive in amusement parks or to kill them for...

I Now Pronounce You Carnival Ride and Wife

(Newser) - A Pennsylvania woman will take her new spouse's last name, but they can't live together—the object of her affection is an amusement park ride. Amy Wolfe is so devoted to the "1000 Nachts“ gondola at Knoebels Amusement Resort that she rides it 300 times a year, the Sun ...

Six Flags Files for Bankruptcy
 Six Flags Files for Bankruptcy 
Jun 13, 2009 1:04 PM CDT

Six Flags Files for Bankruptcy

(Newser) - Theme park operator Six Flags has declared bankruptcy, Bloomberg reports. The company has not had a profitable year since 1998 and is burdened with $2.4 billion in debt. Six Flags underwent a wide-ranging reorganization starting in 2005 when Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder became chairman. The company, whose 20...

Disney Axes Boob Screeners as Fewer Flash Splash Mountain

Women keep shirts on, editors lose theirs

(Newser) - A decline in breast-baring has triggered job cuts at Disneyland, reports the Orange County Register reports. Disney is axing photo editors tasked with screening out photos of people flashing cameras that snap automatically on Splash Mountain and three other rides. The photos are posted for sale at kiosks at ride...

Jacko Bro Plans Slavery Theme Park

Historians condemn $3.4B project

(Newser) - Michael Jackson's big brother Marlon wants to bring tourists to Nigeria by building a $3.4 billion resort—complete with an ever-so-slightly controversial slavery theme park, a replica slave ship, oh, and a Jackson Five exhibit, the Telegraph reports. Visitors to the park, located in Badagry, the departure point for...

Boy Dies 9 Years After Disneyland Ride Tragedy

Accident triggered investigation and new safety features

(Newser) - A boy seriously injured in a Disneyland ride has died 9 years after the accident, reports the Los Angeles Times. Brandon Zucker suffered severe brain damage and never recovered after he was crushed in a Roger Rabbit ride as a 4-year-old. A state agency determined operators failed to fasten a...

Roller Coaster Decapitates South Carolina Teen

He wasn't on the ride but got hit while walking in a restricted area

(Newser) - A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area today at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said. Officials are uncertain why the 17-year-old from Columbia, SC, scaled two 6-foot fences and ignored signs that said the restricted area was...

World's 10 Best Thrill Rides
 World's 10 Best Thrill Rides 
TRAVEL
Jun 7, 2008 6:01 AM CDT

World's 10 Best Thrill Rides

Rides featuring heart-stopping plunges and gravity-defying loops

(Newser) - For intense thrill-seekers blessed with strong stomachs, the Boston Globe offers this list of the 10 scariest rides on the planet:
  • Superman Ride of Steel, Six Flags New England, Agawam, Mass.: Speeds of more than 77 mph and a 221-foot drop into a tunnel.
  • X2, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia,
...

Theme Park Jack Sparrow Recalls Arrrduous Gig

Disney actors face Kafkaesque maze of employment policies

(Newser) - Salacious proposals from drunken damsels and stalkers equipped with Disneyland annual passes dot the treacherous seas an actor playing Disneyland's Jack Sparrow must navigate. A pirate who had some issues with Disney's innumerable rules, including forbidding the swashbuckler to mention rum or grow the signature Johnny Depp goatee, spills to...

Okla. Man Buys Santa Monica Ferris Wheel

Pier attraction brings in $132,400

(Newser) - The Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel has been sold on eBay for $132,400—to a first-time eBayer and the son of a former Oklahoma City mayor, the Los Angeles Times reports. Grant Humphreys, a 32-year-old real estate developer who'd never set eyes on the crowd-pleaser, placed the winning bid...

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