Elitch Gardens (Amusement Park)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The entrance to Elitch Gardens. |
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| Location | Denver, Colorado |
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| Website | Six Flags Elitch Gardens |
| Owner | Six Flags pending sale to PARC Management |
| Opened | 1890 (original location) 1995 (current location) |
| Previous names | Six Flags Elitch Gardens - 1999 to 2006 Elitch Gardens - 1890 to 1999, 2007 to present |
| Operating season | April to October |
| Area | 70 acres total |
| Rides | 45 total
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Elitch Gardens , previously known as Six Flags Elitch Gardens, is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Six Flags pending to PARC Management as of January 11, 2007 alongside six other parks.
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[edit] History
[edit] Gurtler era
As space was getting scarce at the original location of Elitch Gardens at 38th Ave. & Tennyson St., the Gurtler family and their financial partners purchased a 67.7 acre plot of land in the Platte River valley near downtown Denver for the price of $6.1 million in June 1994. $90 Million was spent on relocating some rides from the original park and construction of the new park. The money was from a mix of public and private dollars and various loans.
On October 1st, 1994, the original park closed its gates forever and a majority of the rides were moved to the new property. On May 27, 1995, the new Elitch Gardens opened up to lower than expected crowds. Attendance was weaker than the expected 1.2 million guests the park aimed for. Some notable rides at the park's opening is the original Carousel relocated from the old park; a new version of the Mister Twister, the Twister II; and the Sidewinder roller coaster, also relocated from the old park.
In October, 1996, the Gurtler family and its partners sold the park to growing theme park operator Premier Parks for $65 million.
[edit] Premier era
Premier noted the lackluster figures the new park had in its first two seasons and new additions were soon rushed in for the park's third season. The first and most notable addition was the park's third roller coaster, Mind Eraser, a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster. The next big addition was Tower of Doom, an Intamin freefall ride that stands at 250 feet. Also added was the park's 700-seat Tracadero Theater. The price tag for these additions came to a total of $28 million.
Throughout this short era, the park had the "The Great Escape" surname under its official name like most of its sister parks at the time (Darien Lake, Riverside Park, and The Great Escape)
In 1998, Premier Parks purchased the Six Flags chain of theme parks from Time-Warner. With the purchase, Premier decided to bill some of their parks with the Six Flags prefix. Elitch Gardens was one of those parks and big changes came the next year.
[edit] Six Flags era
Numerous additions came in 1999 when the park was officially renamed to Six Flags Elitch Gardens. The first and most notable addition was Boomerang: Coast to Coaster, a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster. Other additions included the Looney Tunes and DC Comics characters/themes. Throughout 1999-2001, additions were rushed in such as a new Looney Tunes Movietown area, water rides, and flat rides.
In 2002, the park added one of its most popular rides and the area's only flying roller coasters, Flying Coaster. In 2004, the park added its latest thrill ride, Half Pipe, America's only Half Pipe roller coaster. In 2005, Six Flags parks closed down and removed Chance-Morgan Chaos flat rides due to safety reasons. Also, the park added Edge, a vertical water slide inside the park's Island Kindgom water park.
Later in 2005, control of Six Flags, Inc. was obtained by Daniel Snyder in a proxy fight, and Mark Shapiro was installed as CEO. During the 2006 season, the park began to face a grim future when Shapiro announced selling six of the Six Flags owned properties. Elitch Gardens was one of the properties and on August 7th, 2006, the park announced its price tag, $170 million. Along with that announcement, costume workers and entertainment workers were laid off as a part of cost-cutting.[1]
On January 11, 2007, it was announced that Elitch Gardens along with six other Six Flags parks, were to be sold to PARC Management for $312 million. As a part of the deal, starting in 2007, the Six Flags prefix will be removed from the name, making the park Elitch Gardens once again.[2] The sale is expected to be finalized in March 2007.
[edit] PARC Era
Not much is known at this time. However, as a part of the deal, Six Flags' "Dream Nite" promotion will still be held at the park and Six Flags season passes will still be accepted at other Six Flags parks. Group bookings will not be affected as well.[3]
[edit] Park Admission
A general one day ticket to Elitch Gardens costs $44.99 dollars in the 2006 season. A season pass costs $54.99 if bought with a group of four. Few one day tickets are sold to the park. Most families buy season passes, planning to come back. The park rarely closes due to capacity issues. The Fourth of July is often the busiest day of the season, and park gates are shut as a safety precaution. Both Elitch Gardens and the water park open at 10:00 A.M. It is recommended to get to the water park entrance at least fifteen minutes before opening, as space is limited.
[edit] Island Kingdom Water Park
The Island Kingdom water park is a 20 acre water park located next to the entrance of Elitch Gardens. Admission is included with a one day ticket to Elitch Gardens. The park has several main attractions, A large tube slide tower, a body slide tower, a family water playground, a large family raft ride, a half pipe water attraction, and a lazy river. The Island kingdom is surprisingly well themed for a Six Flags park. Palm trees are planted yearly to add to the atmosphere.
[edit] Public Transportation to and from the park
- See also: Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens (RTD)
There is a light rail train stop located next to the park's entrance. Many park visitors take the train instead of paying 15 dollars for parking. There is a bus station just off of park grounds as well. Driving in downtown Denver is discouraged, and it is generally easier and faster to take either the bus or the train to Elitch Gardens.
[edit] Rides
[edit] Roller Coasters
| Ride | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Twister II | 1995 | A John Pierce designed wooden coaster based on the original Elitch Gardens Twister. This coaster opened when the park opened. |
| Sidewinder | 1995 | An Arrow Dynamics shuttle loop roller coaster. Moved from the original Elitch Gardens. |
| Great Chase | 1995 | A Herschell "Little Dipper" coaster. Known as "Wild Kitten" until 1999. |
| Mind Eraser | 1997 | A Vekoma SLC (Suspended Looping Coaster). Riders are suspended below twisted track. |
| Boomerang | 1999 | A Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster. |
| Flying Coaster | 2002 | A Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster that is the first of its kind in the United States. |
| Half Pipe | 2004 | An Intamin AG "Half Pipe" roller coaster that's the only one of its kind in the United States. |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Roller coasters at Six Flags Elitch Gardens |
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Boomerang - Flying Coaster - Great Chase - Half Pipe – Mind Eraser - Sidewinder - Twister II |
