Approximately 335 million visitors spent $11.5 billion at theme parks in 2006, and the industry expects an upward trend to continue this year as new attractions and the first new theme park to open in over a decade highlight the upcoming summer season.
David Mandt, a spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, said this might be an especially good year for smaller regional parks because families may be staying closer to home due to high gas prices.
"Most people live within a one-tank trip of a theme park," said Mandt. "If you are staying closer to home, the parks are a perfect destination for them. They are easy to get to and there is value for what you get for the entire family."
The opening of the music-themed Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on June 2 ranks as the biggest news in a summer where dozens of new roller coasters and thrill rides have been built across the country.
This 140-acre park will open with more than 40 rides, including Led Zeppelin - The Ride, a 150-foot-tall looping steel coaster with nearly 4,000 feet of track, and the Eagles Life in the Fast Lane mine-train roller coaster.
Mandt said one of the trends for amusement parks features interactive rides where visitors don't just sit in a car but actually do something such as shoot at a target or have a water battle with someone else.
Lagoon's newest attraction, the OdySea, fits into this category. Utah's largest park's new ride features flying vehicles whose motion can be controlled by riders. According to Lagoon, riders will receive a warning from the vehicle communication system that spitting fish will spray streams of water into the ride path. Lighted arrows on the vehicle dashboard will direct riders to dive or climb to avoid contact with the water. The Farmington park is already open on the weekends, weather permitting.
Many Utahns head to Southern California parks such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, Sea World, Legoland and Magic Mountain for a summer trip. All of those popular parks have added new attractions this year.
At Disneyland, for example, Toy Story Mania, a three-dimensional interactive ride-through video game, is scheduled to open sometime this summer. A new House of the Future will also open in Tomorrowland.
Legoland at Carlsbad, Calif., has added a $20 million Land of Adventure and a 36,000-square-foot Sea Life aquarium for the summer. The Land of Adventure will feature the Lost Kingdom Adventure, Cargo Ace, Beetle Bounce and Pharaoh's Revenge rides. The Lost Kingdom Adventure fits into the interactive ride trend as guests explore ancient temple ruins while riding roadsters and aiming laser blasters at targets along the way.
Knott's Berry Farm has added the Pony Express coaster this year. There is also a new Ferris wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in Southern California.
Another Intermountain area park, Silverwood in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, has added its largest and most expensive roller coaster, a two-towered, as-yet-unnamed 191-foot inverted steel roller coaster that moves at speeds up to 65 mph.
Perhaps the most interesting new water park is Aquatica by Sea World in Orlando. It's a traditional water park that contains up-close animal experiences, including water slides that zip riders through tubes surrounded by dolphins and winding rivers through bird-filled jungle areas.
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* TOM WHARTON can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com. His phone number is 801-257-8909. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Theme park money-saving tips
1. Visit the park's Web site or call the park ahead of time to ask about special promotions.
2. Many parks offer discounts at certain times of the year or on certain days of the week.
3. Try to find promotions sponsored by area companies or retailers such as soft-drink-can deals or discount coupons from stores.
4. Buy tickets in advance from the park's Web site.
5. Check with your employer or credit union to see if discount tickets are available.
6. If you do have a park close to home, consider purchasing a season pass, which often can pay for itself after only a couple of visits.
Source: International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
Amusement park trivia
There are more than 400 amusement parks and traditional attractions in the United States alone. In 2006, amusement parks in the U.S. hosted 355 million visitors, who enjoyed more than 1.5 billion rides.
* THE MAGIC KINGDOM at Walt Disney World in Florida was the most visited amusement park in the world in 2006.
* UNITED STATES AMUSEMENT PARKS generated $11.5 billion in revenues in 2006.
* 28 PERCENT of Americans surveyed visited an amusement park last year.
* THE WORLD'S OLDEST operating amusement park is Bakken in Klampenborg, Denmark, which dates back to 1583. Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn., opened in 1846, is the oldest in the United States.
* THERE ARE MORE THAN 1,300 roller coasters in the U.S. At 456 feet tall and reaching speeds of 128 mph, Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., is the world's tallest and fastest coaster.
* THE COLOSSUS in Thorpe Park in the United Kingdom is ranked as the coaster with the most inversions - 10.
* THE OLDEST OPERATING FERRIS WHEEL is at the Prater in Vienna, Austria, and was built in 1897.
* THE FIRST CAROUSELLIKE RIDES were used in the 1600s to train European princes for horse competitions.
* THE FIRST ROLLER COASTER was invented in Russia in the 1600s. People hopped on carved-out blocks of ice and careened down snowy hillsides.
Source: International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
