Worlds of Fun is a 235-acre amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, which purchased the park from Hunt-Midwest in 1995. Admission to Worlds of Fun includes access to Oceans of Fun, a water park adjacent to the amusement park.
History
Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of $10 million. It is situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. At the time of its opening, numerous modernization projects across Kansas City were in progress including the opening of Kansas City International Airport, Kemper Arena and the Truman Sports Complex. Mid-America Enterprises, seeking to capitalize on the citywide expansion movement, began construction on a new amusement park in 1969. The park was originally planned to complement a 500-acre (2.0Â km2) hotel and entertainment complex, but a lagging economy during the park's early years derailed the idea.
In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4000-seat Forum Amphitheater opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened in honor of the United States Bicentennial â€" the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence â€" and was named Bicentennial Square. The new section included the debut of Screamroller from Arrow Dynamics, which was a replica of the first modern-looping roller coaster, Corkscrew, that opened a year earlier at Knott's Berry Farm.
In 1982, Oceans of Fun opened next door as the largest water park in the world. Also the same year, a sub-world "River City" was opened in Americana bordering the Orient section. Screamroller was transformed into Extremeroller the following year, which featured stand-up trains instead of the original sit-down models making it the first looping, stand-up roller coaster in North America. Several years later in 1989, Worlds of Fun ended the decade with the addition of Timber Wolf, a wooden roller coaster that initially ranked high in several national polls.
Cedar Fair LP purchased Worlds of Fun in 1995. The new owners invested $10 million with the addition of Mamba, a D.H. Morgan Manufacturing steel hypercoaster, to the park's attraction lineup in 1998.
Other notable additions
- 2006: Patriot opens as the longest, tallest, and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region. It was the park's largest capital investment on a single attraction at $14 million.
- 2008: For their 35th anniversary, Worlds of Fun added a festival called Oktoberfest.
- 2009: A new wooden coaster, Prowler, is added to the Africa section of the park. It receives the Golden Ticket Award for "Best New Ride of 2009" by Amusement Today magazine.
- 2010: Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights, a $1 million immersive light and sound experience, opens in the Europa and Africa sections of the park. Subway opens at Oceans of Fun.
- 2011: Planet Snoopy, an $8-million children's themed area, is added to Worlds of Fun featuring over 20 rides and attractions. An Illions carousel called The Grand Carousel is added to the Scandinavia section of the park.
- 2012: A premium line queue system called "Fast Lane" is introduced.
- 2013: Oceans of Fun receives full integration with Worlds of Fun sharing one admission for both parks.
- 2014: WindSeeker â€" a 301-foot (92 m) Mondial swing ride at Knott's Berry Farm â€" was renamed SteelHawk and relocated to Worlds of Fun for the 2014 season.
- 2016: Planet Snoopy receives upgrades, including five new rides added to the children's area, with the removal of two former attractions.
- 2017: Mustang Runner (HUSS Troika), Falcon's Flight (HUSS Condor) is added in the Americana section of the park. A newly remodeled entrance will be introduced, and Winterfest will be introduced November 2017.
Areas and attractions
The park takes its theme from the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days. Worlds of Fun is divided into five major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Guests enter the park in Scandinavia. In 1997 the Americana "main entrance" was closed for the creation of Grand Prix, so the "back gate" became the "main gate" ever since. The next world to the left is Africa, continuing in a clockwise roation, guest would then enter the Americana section, followed by the Orient. The Europa section is located in the approximate center of the circle.
Within Americana, lies the sub-section of Planet Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children). Originally added in 1978 as an expansion of Americana, over the years the grounds have changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978â€"86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987â€"97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997â€"2000), and "Camp Snoopy" (2001â€"2010), and is currently "Planet Snoopy", new to the 2011 season. Past sub-sections have also included Bicentennial Square, River City, and Beat Street, which all have been absorbed back into Americana.
Despite the lack of an Australian/Oceanic section, the Australian-themed Boomerang roller coaster is incorporated into Africa.
Africa
Americana
Europa
Orient
Planet Snoopy
- + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.
Retired rides and attractions
Past Roller Coasters
- Schussboomer (picture), (1973â€"1984), a ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.
- Screamroller/Extremeroller , (1976â€"1988), the first stand-up roller coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted to the original sit-down style.
- Zambezi Zinger, (1973â€"1997), a steel "Speedracer"-type roller coaster (one of only two in existence at the time of its removal) with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Currently in operation at the Colombian National Coffee Park as Broca Colombia, South America.
- Orient Express, (1980â€"2003), the first roller coaster in the world to feature a batwing (then known as a "Kamikaze Curve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops.
- Silly Serpent/Funicular, (1973-1987) An Allan Herschell Company Little Dipper. The children's coaster was originally located in the Europa section of the park as "Funicular" and moved to the Africa section where it operated as "Silly Serpent" until it was removed in 1987.
Flat Rides/Attractions
- Incred-O-Dome, (1981â€"1997), an OMNIMAX-style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, the Orient Express coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards (180 m) away from the actual ride.
- Omegatron, (1986â€"2001), a six-story, upside-down thrill ride.
- Python Plunge, a water-slide type ride where the riders would carry the raft up to the top themselves. There were two types of slides. One slide was open aired and went straight down, the other was a twisting tube.
- Grand Prix Raceway, (1997-2014) replaced by the SteelHawk.
- Octopus, replaced by the Scandi Scrambler.
- Thunderhawk, (2002-2015) a HUSS Topspin ride that flipped riders several times and took riders to a height of 60 feet.
- Krazy Kars, (1973-2015) a children's bumper car ride removed for Mustang Runner.
- Le Carousel, (1979-2016) 3 across horse merry-go-round replaced by Falcons Flight
- Finnish Fling, (1973-2017) One of the last remaining Rotor rides in North America. Likely to be replaced by Nordic Chaser.
Oceans of Fun
Oceans of Fun is Worlds of Fun's water park. It opened in 1982 as the world's largest water park. It is included with admission to Worlds of Fun, beginning in the 2013 season.
Fast Lane
Fast Lane is Worlds of Fun's new 'two line' system for 2012. For a cost between $30 and $50 (in addition to normal admission charges), visitors receive a wrist band that enables them to bypass the 'normal-wait' line and enter the 'Fast Lane' to significantly reduce their wait time.
During Halloween Haunt, a similar system named 'Fright Lane' is sold. Essentially the same purpose as Fast Lane, it significantly reduces wait time of select haunted attractions. 'Fright Lane+' includes a 'Skeleton Key', a key that grants you special access to secret, intense rooms in six of the eight haunted houses. In addition, you receive special seating for Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. 'Fright Lane Max' is a VIP system that allows you special seating at Overlord's Awakening, a meal, limited edition Haunt T-shirts, plus all perks listed above.
Worlds of Fun Village
In 2005 Worlds of Fun opened the first on-site resort. The campground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins and 20 cottages and 82 sites for RVs, complete with electric and TV cable hook ups. Each cabin or cottage can fit 6â€"8 people.
Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights
"Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights" which debuted in 2010 was an immersive light and sound experience starring the Peanuts characters. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights features over 2 million LED lights and a variety of audio soundtracks through the Africa and Europa sections of the park. Along the walkway there were replicas of Snoopy and other characters for guests to view. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights was a one million dollar investment that used special effects and sound design, custom designed for Worlds of Fun by Emmy Award-Winning RWS and Associates. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights opened for its original run on June 4 and ran through September 5, 2010.
Halloween Haunt
Halloween Haunt is a Halloween event that takes place during the Halloween season. It is included in the price of admission.
Current attractions
As of 2016, it features 13 Extreme Haunts, including eight mazes and five scare zones, along with three spectacular shows. In addition, Worlds of Fun offers a "Skeleton Key" up-charge to its Fright Lane pass. This key allows you special access to intense and interactive secret rooms located within seven of the mazes. In 2016, the rooms were rethemed to the seven deadly sins. In each room, guests must prove their innocence of each sin in order to escape. Those mazes are listed below.
Former Haunt attractions
Games
Cole Lindbergh, former manager of the park's games department, was featured in a 2011 episode of Public Radio International's This American Life, "Amusement Park." In the nine-minute prologue, host Ira Glass interviews Lindbergh about his management philosophy and plays segments from several YouTube videos he made to promote the park's games.
Gallery
Incidents
Orient Express
- On July 17, 1999, two cars of a seven-car train derailed due to severe internal metal fatigue in a support post, stranding 18 people. Two were immediately taken to hospital, and six went later. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Timber Wolf
- On March 31, 1990, two trains collided just short of the loading platform, injuring 35 people. The control system had malfunctioned, and was unable to control two trains at once. The ride reopened with a single train until the control system was fixed to handle two.
- On June 30, 1995, a 14-year-old girl fell from her seat on the coaster and died. The park owner at the time, Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc., and ride manufacturer, Dinn Corporation, said she was switching seats when the accident occurred. A riding companion claimed that safety restraints (a lap bar and seat belt) had come undone on a sharp turn at the top of one of the ride's hills. But, Worlds of Fun officials claimed that witnesses had seen her remove her restraints and tried to switch seats and that there had been no malfunction, though her family disputed this. The ride was temporarily closed pending an investigation of its safety features, which resulted in new lap bar installations. Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc. and Dinn Corporation settled with the family for $200,000. This makes the Timber Wolf the only ride so far at Worlds of Fun with a fatality.
- On August 2, 2014, an 11-year-old boy was taken to a hospital after suffering a concussion and a bloody nose on the ride. The boy said that as the coaster was descending down the hill, he hit his head & nose on the restraint and therefore had a bloody nose as he was exiting the ride.
See also
- Incidents at Cedar Fair parks
References
External links
- Worlds of Fun official website
- Worlds of Fun at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Cedar Fair, L.P. Official Website
