With these changes and more will you go to the park this year?
Ten years from now, if this park is given half a chance and the new owners have the financial fortitude to withstand some slow years, I think HRP will be an excellent destination.
The park had problems, but boiling it down to "Six Flags with music" is pretty disingenuous. If that's all the park had been, it probably would have been more successful...
And I think they need to crack that admission price down to $25 at the absolute most. The reduced annual pass and local discounts will get the locals in, but $35 a head may still be too steep for the tourists (remember, Family Kingdom is a wristband/tickets park with no admission price).
I would love to know how someone can describe Hard Rock as "Six Flags with music" Anyone who does is either blind, or they've never been there and talk like they have.
I was just pointing our Family Kingdom because the new owners have to remember that the tourists have other options. Not better options, mind you, but less expensive ones. Apart from Swamp Fox and a pretty fun drop tower, Family Kingdom is fairly nasty. It's a shame they survived and the Myrtle Beach Pavilion perished (although there's no argument that Swamp Fox was superior to the Hurricane).
Let me correct that - I'd prefer that both Family Kingdom and the Pavilion survived. But if one of them HAD to go, I'd have preferred to keep the Pavilion.
I hope Family Kingdom can keep things going. I would love to see some improvements/additions happening there. It and what's left of Coney Island are the last Atlantic seaside amusement parks left. The Swamp Fox is one of the great older coasters out there. Highly recommended if you are a coaster lover and in the area.
If you're not going to do anything with the land, at least let people legally walk across it.
http://www.pavilionnostalgiapark.com/
EDIT: Old news, sorry found an old link. I was there in Spring 2008 and now remember seeing this.
There were local discounts at some points (added far too late in the game to make a difference), but either way there was never a $70 ticket.
I'm sure that the new management will recognize the need to attract local and state residents. They caught on to this last year, albeit way too late. It's madness to totally rely on the tourist population and not entice the locals with a discount. The season pass price is dropping too, and I think that if they can offer a nightlife sort of experience for all ages, they could do ok in that department as well.
Nights in White Satin - Gone. Rumor has it that Sally Corp might possibly be on the way to pull a major retheming.
Led Zeppelin coaster - status in question. The ride will probably remain, but the theme, music, and name may not.
New kiddie area being added - Baker and CO are going to invest in 4 - 6 off-the-shelf midway rides - not custom built in any way, shape, or form.
Good or bad news?
They could salvage the lighting and effects and add some animation to the whole thing. I would just hate to see them install laser guns, slap up some scenery, and make it like every other dark ride in the country. Let's just hope that the idea is original.
I don't see the Zeppelin name staying on the coaster for long either. Nothing about Led Zeppelin ever screamed roller coaster to me. It's a great ride, but to pay the money out to theme it to Led Zeppelin always seemed like a waste to me. If they are keeping the music theme, find a song with a title that would translate well to riding a roller coaster...be it flying, or driving fast, etc...and use that title for the name of the ride. The same goes for The Eagles coaster. It was originally supposed to be called Midnight Rider, after an old Allman Bros. tune. That name would have been a good one, but they switched it to "Life in the Fast Lane" after some kind of dispute. While they are at it, they should explore a new name for that ride as well.
I'm just happy to know that someone with money decided that this park was worth at least the nothing price they bought it for. If they play their cards right, they will be very rich soon.
