To Boldly Go...Away?
"Live long and prosper," Mr. Spock used to say. It appears that Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton may need a Vulcan benediction. After living ten years on the Vegas Strip, the E-ticket attractions apparently aren't all that prosperous these days, and, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, their days may be numbered. While nothing has been confirmed, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which inherited the Star Trek attractions when it bought Paramount Parks last year, is reportedly not interested in renewing the lease with the Hilton when it expires at the end of this year. If that were true, I'd highly recommend that Trekkers and park fans trek to Vegas before the attractions close. I consider The Experience to be among the best theme park attractions (even though it's not located in a theme park). While the motion simulator portion is a bit dated, everything leading up to it, including a highly immersive encounter with an impressive cast of live actors on elaborate Trek sets, needs to be, um, experienced, to be believed. The complex also includes a 4-D Star Trek film, Quark's Bar and Restaurant, a gift shop, and a mini museum.
Photo: Assimilation station- Jean-Luc Picard as a Borg robot watches over guests in the Star Trek queue. ŠJeremy Levine, Licensed to About.com.
Tracing the History of America's Oldest Park
Visit Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood--in Pennsylvania
One of the country's premier parks for families with young children, Idlewild is loaded with charm along with the genuine nostalgia of an attraction that dates back to 1878. Olde Idlewild, one of seven areas at the park, features classic attractions such as a carousel from the 1920s, a 1947 Caterpillar--one of only two remaining that still use a canopy, and the circa-1938 Rollo Coaster, a wooden coaster. It also offers a trolley ride to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Land of Make Believe where kids can consort with King Friday the XIII and the gang. Read more about Idlewild and SoakZone, the water park that is included with admission.
Pennsylvania Woodie Ready to Fly
Knievel to Kap Kareer at Kings Island
Legoland Snaps Together Deal for New Dubai Park
I Love Rock & Roll--and Theme Parks
Here in the Boston area we have a legendary sports radio talk show host, Eddie Andelman, who often admonishes his phone-in callers with "No whadyathinks." As in, "Hey Eddie, whadyathink about the Sox pulling Ortiz out of the lineup?" Andelman wants to talk sports, and he doesn't want to have to constantly interject his own opinions into the fray. Invariably, friends and family who know about my park trips, often confront me with whadyathinks. I just returned from a soft opening "Sound Check" visit to the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which officially opens this Friday. So, of course, everyone wants to know: Whadithink?
Joan Jett famously snarled, "I love rock & roll." Me too. And I love theme parks. The combination of the two seems like a natural, and it's amazing to me that it's taken this long to build a rock-themed park. The Hard Rock Park captures the spirit of the music and the culture. And it does it with great style, plenty of humor, a dash of irreverence, and lots and lots of music. Simply put, it rocks. The upbeat mood is infectious, and some of the clever, wacky references (an area in the British Invasion section, which uses London-style red telephone booths to depict the famous ancient English ruin site, is known as, wait for it...Phonehenge) can't help but put a grin on my face.
And that's what a great theme park should do: generate smiles, create opportunities for visitors to discover wild (and sometimes wacky) experiences together, immerse visitors in a reassuring, affirming environment, cultivate the joy we experience when we celebrate our common popular culture. Hard Rock Park succeeds on all of these levels.
And it does it on a comparatively lean budget. Except for the world-class thrills of Led Zeppelin-The Ride and the weird, yet wonderful Nights in White Satin: The Trip (which is near-Disney quality--and quite trippy), there are no mega-blockbuster attractions. I'd imagine a lot of the announced $400-million construction budget went to securing the rights of all the artists and songs represented at the park, especially mega-acts like Led Zeppelin and the Eagles.
"We planned to start small," says Hard Rock Park CEO Steven Goodwin. He compares the park to Walt Disney's original conception of Disneyland, which focused more on the overall experience than over-the-top E-ticket attractions. "If we don't stray too far from Walt's vision, we can't go too wrong," Goodwin reasons. That sounds like a good model to follow.
That doesn't mean Goodwin and his team built a perfect park. There are some incongruous details. What's the Reggae River Falls water play structure and the Malibu Beach Party show doing in the Rock & Roll Heaven section of the park, for example? And the Eagles may at one time have been dubbed country-rock, but it seems a stretch to stick their coaster in the Cool Country section. Most of the Lost in the 70s area seems to be...lost. (Although I did visit during the pre-opening period. More 70s stuff may be on the way.)
The park is also notable for what's not there. While there are enough shows, live music, and cool vibe to keep wimpy guests busy, I think the park could use more high-end, low-thrills attractions like Nights in White Satin: The Trip to keep the coaster-averse coming back. And the park seems to have largely overlooked some important rock genres. Where are the odes to Motown, for example? To the blues? To early pioneers like Chuck Berry? To rap and hip hop? Hard Rock Park could also use an attraction depicting the history of rock and roll to help tie its theme together. Perhaps it should consider producing a slick film in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The theater at the head of the park would be an ideal location for such a presentation. Instead it houses a lame, self-congratulatory exhibit about the history of Hard Rock Cafes and the park itself. According to Goodwin, a new film is on its way to the theater, although he didn't provide details.
On balance, though, Hard Rock Park is a load of fun. And it sounds as if there are expansion plans in the works that promise to make it even better. Goodwin says that there is plenty of room to grow within the confines of the park's current 55-acre footprint and lots more acreage beyond the gates as well. And he hints that there will be a steady flow of new attractions to keep the park fresh and the buzz steady.
I've still, er, got a buzz from my visit to Hard Rock Park. I love rock & roll, and I love theme parks. And now I can say that I love Hard Rock Park. How about you? Have you been to Hard Rock Park? If so, whadyathink? Are you planning to go? Weigh in with your thoughts by clicking on the "Comments" link below.
Photo: Led Zeppelin-The Ride strikes a mighty pose at dusk. Arthur Levine 2008. Licensed to About.com.As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodations for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
Hard Rock on a Roll
The paint is barely dry at the brand new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but its executives appear to have an insatiable appetite for construction. According to CEO Steven Goodwin, the park recently purchased the closed Waccamaw Factory Shoppes, an adjacent 55-acre tract of land. The tentative plan is to develop a Hard Rock Hotel along with a dining, entertainment, and shopping complex to be known as Paradise City. (No word on whether any of the shops will be selling Axl Rose hair extensions.) Goodwin says the projects should open in early 2011. Also, the park does have plans to present a Halloween haunt (I'll bet the telephone is ringing for Alice Cooper) as well as an event for the holidays. The British Invasion area of the park includes a repurposed sprawling building that had been another defunct mall. The administration offices and attractions such as Nights in White Satin the Trip only use about a third of its capacity, and Goodwin says that the building has plenty of space to present some haunted mazes. Hard Rock Park, which is now soft open for a "Sound Check," will officially open this Friday, May 9. It welcomed venerable folk-rocker Arlo Guthrie today to help announce the addition of Alice's Restaurant. The full-service eatery, based on the famous song, will open in June. Goodwin says that the park will be debuting a daily parade shortly. He also says that a pirate-themed stage show is in the works. And the stage for a soon-to-debut magic show will be adorned with classic red English phone booths. Its name: Phonehenge. The park is planning a two-day grand opening celebration on June 2 and 3 featuring concerts by the Eagles and The Moody Blues.
Photo: Arthur Levine, 2008. Licensed to About.com
Darien Lake Revs Up New Coaster with Orange County Choppers
- Roller Coaster Ride Guide 2008 See other new coaster that fans will be able to ride this season.
- Ride of Steel at Darien Lake Coaster Review
- Darien Lake Photo Gallery