Why are there so few curler coasters within the Pacific Northwest?

It was 1925, practically three many years earlier than Walt Disney broke floor on the orange groves of Anaheim, California, for what would change into arguably his biggest work: Disneyland.

Disney and his bride, Lillian Bounds, headed north from their Hollywood residence to Mount Rainier National Park and then on to Seattle — to not scope out the land for a theme park enterprise, however to honeymoon in a spot of pure surprise that they liked dearly after marrying at Bounds’ brother’s home in Lewiston, Idaho, that July. 

Disney would return to Seattle for the 1962 World’s Fair, and these rugged evergreen locales would finally encourage various his artistic pursuits (together with parts of Disneyland’s Frontierland), however Disney by no means planted roots of his personal right here.

Right now, the American amusement park enterprise is booming — to the tune of $22 billion in 2019 revenues and rebounding from pandemic losses — and the U.S. continues to see recent theme parks and record-breaking curler coasters debut, like Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, the world’s fastest, steepest hybrid coaster.

And whereas theme parks are scattered across the American Southwest, South, Midwest and Northeast, the Pacific Northwest stays one thing of a lifeless zone, with only a handful of small regional parks — which means only a few coasters. 

That reality is particularly stunning contemplating Seattle has a wealthy, if humble, historical past of amusement parks, relationship to the nineteenth century. Leschi Park Casino operated from 1888 to 1909, whereas Luna Park — the “Coney Island of the West” — entertained Seattleites from 1907 to 1913. Probably the most bold amusement park of all of them, Playland, operated from 1930 to 1961. And it’s been greater than a decade because the Ferris wheel, bumper vehicles and all else that remained of Seattle Middle’s Fun Forest was dismantled.

Is the Pacific Northwest an untapped marketplace for curler coasters? What has labored within the area and what’s going to the long run maintain for coaster fanatics right here? Let’s take the dive.  

The joys market at present

Theme park journalist Arthur Levine, who has been reporting on the business for many years, agreed that the area is one thing of an anomaly.

“It will appear that the Pacific Northwest is among the many most underserved markets within the U.S. for theme parks,” he stated. “In comparison with different markets and metropolitan areas, the inhabitants density within the Pacific Northwest would appear to warrant the event of a serious park. But traditionally, that has not been the case.”

Briefly owned by Six Flags Leisure Company, Wild Waves Theme & Water Park in Federal Method is among the area’s greater parks, and the one one simply accessed from Larger Seattle. Simply off Interstate 5 northeast of Tacoma, Wild Waves has 4 coasters, together with a kiddie coaster, on its 70-acre property. For reference, Disneyland occupies 500 acres, and Seattle Middle sprawls throughout 74. Most of Six Flags’ 15 operational parks have eight or extra curler coasters, headlined by a world-record 19 coasters (and counting) at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.

At Wild Waves, wood coaster Timberhawk and signature sit-down coaster Wild Factor will fulfill your G-force repair, and Remlinger Farms in Carnation is nice for teenagers — however not adrenaline.

Idaho’s Silverwood Theme Park — about an hour east of Spokane — is the Pacific Northwest’s largest theme park, with seven curler coasters and different points of interest attractive greater than 500,000 guests per 12 months. Nonetheless, these numbers are peanuts when put next with other destination parks around the country, like Disney, Busch Gardens and Common Studios properties and their ilk, which attracted a number of million guests even through the coronavirus-ravaged 2020 season. 

Nicholas Laschkewitsch, theme park historian and consultant for American Coaster Enthusiasts, provided a inhabitants comparability.

“Seattle, which has a population of over 720,000, is residence to 30% extra individuals than … Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, for instance, a metropolis wherein theme park operator Cedar Truthful runs the Worlds of Enjoyable theme park.”

That’s: By way of points of interest and sheer dimension, Wild Waves is a a lot smaller park than Worlds of Enjoyable, regardless of servicing a significantly bigger metropolitan space. 

On the subject of the local weather restraints of working a theme park, Laschkewitsch provides that Wild Waves is simply as ready to deal with the climate as different parks nationwide.

“Wild Waves is ready to be open for a superb chunk of the 12 months, and arguably could possibly be open way more when taking lots of the Midwest theme parks under consideration.” 

Success within the Northwest

The Pacific Northwest has not all the time been the year-round vacationer, tech and inhabitants hub it’s change into in current many years, in a position to maintain the crowds that appeal to giant amusement corporations, like Disney, Common or Cedar Truthful. However that inhabitants development now enhances a historical past of smaller amusement parks within the area. So what does work within the Higher Left? 

Older, historic and quaint household amusement parks that embrace the material of the Pacific Northwest stay standard within the area. These seasonal, smaller operations don’t need to financially depend on a lot of visiting visitors or employees, nor should they fear as a lot about costly trip repairs. 

Portland’s Oaks Amusement Park opened in 1905 and stays one of the longest continuously running amusement parks in the country. With 24 points of interest, together with the metal curler coaster Adrenaline Peak and a historic carousel, the park capabilities as a nonprofit, placing the whole lot again into its points of interest and the preservation of classic items from town’s historical past. 

“The Oaks,” because the locals name it, is valued for its reasonably priced admission worth and a key issue that many parks don’t possess: proximity to a serious metropolis.

“We’re fairly distinctive for an amusement park being that we’re located inside the foremost metropolis within the area,” stated advertising and marketing director Emily MacKay.

Simply minutes from downtown Portland, transportation isn’t an inconvenience the best way it’s for many American parks that function exterior of main metropolitan areas. 

Situated alongside a protected wildlife wetland refuge, enlargement isn’t within the playing cards for the park. That juxtaposition additionally highlights the environmental dilemma of theme parks, which require large quantities of land and sources.

As a substitute, administration on the Oaks is concentrated on maintaining their regulars pleased. A ten-year plan is within the works that can enhance the format of the park, with nods to the unique idea from the flip of the century. Particulars are nonetheless to be introduced.

Location apart, the park is dependent upon a number of generations of returning visitors.

“Individuals love the nostalgia of the park — the sensation that they’re there experiencing with their youngsters the identical factor that their grandparents and great-grandparents skilled as youngsters provides a particular connection between native households and the situation,” MacKay stated. “Our area can be notably keen on something native and one-of-a-kind, and we actually match that invoice.”

Contemporary off its fiftieth anniversary within the forests simply south of Salem, Oregon, Enchanted Forest is probably some of the fascinating parks within the nation.

Proprietor and artist Roger Tofte, now 92 years previous, constructed your entire park by painstakingly hand-sculpting fairy-tale figures one after the other for over a decade earlier than its 1971 opening. The fantastical property, with its flagship citadel and eccentric lands, was developed in its childhood with out taking up any debt.

The park has developed and expanded through the years, with Tofte bringing his three youngsters — Susan, Mary and Kenneth — into the enterprise. The seasonal park, which generally operates from late March by September, sees a number of thousand visitors per day.

“We all know what we’re,” stated Susan Vasley, Tofte’s daughter and the park’s co-manager. “We’re a small theme park in comparison with the fantastic massive parks. You may come and meet a member of the family out within the park working. My dad could also be touching up cement or clipping timber. So, individuals have constructed a really intimate relationship with the park.” 

“It’s very handcrafted, not plastic, and it’s within the lovely Oregon forest with pure environment,” Vasley stated. “I believe all of that offers us our personal area of interest, our personal place on the earth.”

Kenneth Tofte serves because the park’s vice chairman and is chargeable for the animatronics, whereas Vasley supplies the park’s soundtrack, making it the one theme park in America that doesn’t pay music licensing charges, she stated. 

And although the park has existed quietly on a nationwide stage, through the years it has continued to push the boundaries of recent theme park design. 

The small park has not solely adapted to recent technologies but paved the way, like with the addition of one of many first water coaster hybrids on the earth. The Challenge of Mondor, an interactive darkish trip, debuted in 2006, introducing a trackless automobile system — a expertise not usually used at the moment that’s now extra commonplace within the business.

Nonetheless, the homegrown integrity of the park stays.

“After 50 years, it’s very nostalgic for lots of people. They’re bringing their youngsters and now their grandkids. There’s historical past concerned,” Vasley stated. “I believe our park appears like an Oregon product and other people really feel it’s their very own. The beautiful setting of the Northwest can’t be replicated simply.”

The long run for Pacific Northwest coasters

Northwesterners crave an genuine expertise, not essentially the shiny ones supplied by many massive amusement parks. So what does the long run maintain for thrill-seekers right here? 

“There could also be hope for these within the area, nevertheless,” journalist Levine stated. “There may be an rising development of ‘micro-parks’ being developed. A few of them provide Disney-style ‘E Ticket’ points of interest, like curler coasters and different main points of interest, however fewer of them. Designed to be skilled in a matter of hours and to value lower than vacation spot parks comparable to Common or Disney, they may fill the hole in markets such because the Pacific Northwest.” 

Examples of micro-parks embrace the newly opened Peppa Pig Theme Park in Florida, the in-development Crystal Lagoons Island Resort in Arizona, and Katmandu in the Dominican Republic. These micro-parks intention to convey thrills to an space with much less monetary burden than a conventional theme park whereas simplifying points like parking and staffing. The monetary advantages trickle right down to the guests as a result of park admission costs are a fraction of the price of main theme parks. 

Laschkewitsch provides that examples of Seattle-based thrills may be hidden in plain sight.

“What theme park operators within the Pacific Northwest ought to deal with to distinguish themselves from different main markets is to create experiences that construct off of the distinctive territory and panorama that comes with the area,” he stated.

“Wings Over Washington, a media-based aerial adventure on Miners Touchdown on Seattle’s waterfront, is a major instance of the appropriate method to do that — combining revolutionary trip expertise with an authentic story that ties into what makes the Pacific Northwest a uniquely lovely territory.”

“Distinctive” appears to be the buzzword for amusement parks within the Pacific Northwest. There is probably not many curler coasters, however there’s loads of magic. And whereas Disney and the foremost parks by no means got here knocking, it could nonetheless be a small (or micro) world in spite of everything.