Michigan's Adventure

Michigan's Adventure
Location Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Website http://www.miadventure.com
Owner Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
General Manager Camille Jourden-Mark
Opened 1956 (as Deer Park)
Previous names Deer Park, Deer Park Funland
Operating season May 18 - September 11
Area Approx. 250 acres
Rides 53 total
  • 7 roller coasters
  • 4 water rides
Attendance -Record attendance in 2010 , 850,000 in 2008(12% from 2007)

Michigan's Adventure is a 250-acre (1.0 km2) amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001. As Of 2010, Michigan's Adventure has 53 rides, more than any other park in the state.

The park also includes an outdoor water park (Wild Water Adventure), a Skycoaster attraction named Ripcord, go-karts, and a miniature golf course. The park is headlined by seven roller coasters, including the critically acclaimed Shivering Timbers (a high speed wooden out and back roller coaster), a very basic but historic Corkscrew coaster, and a suspended looping coaster, Thunderhawk. The Park on average opens at 11 A.M. and closes at 9 P.M.[1] The park also includes a number of "flat rides" such as the "Scrambler" and "Flying Trapeze". New for the 2011 season is Beach Party, an addition to the water park.[2]

Contents

History

The park was originally founded as the Deer Park in 1956 by L.R. Beardsley, Dr. E.S. Gillam, Hardin Dey and Martin Kasichke. The park originally featured a petting zoo with deer, llamas, monkey, chickens and ducks, as well as a children's area called Storybook Lane. The first ride was built in 1958, an Alan Herschell 16-gauge train called the Deer Park Special.

In 1968, Roger Jourden purchased the park from then-owner Benny Bensinger for $115,000 and began selling off the deer and purchasing attractions, eventually renaming it Deer Park Funland in 1972. That same year, he added the first three flat rides: Tilt-a-Whirl, Merry-Go-Round and Ferris Wheel. Every few years he would add a few more attractions, with the Scrambler opening in 1975. 1976, the park's 20th anniversary, introduced the Spider, a car ride named Mutley's Putt Putts, and two rides for children.

The park's first roller coaster opened in 1979, a standard model Corkscrew from Arrow Dynamics. The park continued their relationship with Arrow when in 1983 they introduced Logger's Run, an Arrow Hydroflume. The Chance-manufactured Sea Dragon opened in 1987, along with a new C.P. Huntington Train circling the park. 1987 also marked the final year for the Spider, which was sold to Michael Jackson for his Neverland Ranch complex.

Transition to Michigan's Adventure

The 1988 season marked a huge transition for Deer Park Funland, most notably the introduction of a new General Manager, Camille Jourden-Mark, as well as a new name, Michigan's Adventure. The largest change on the midway that year was the introduction of the Wolverine Wildcat wooden roller coaster, the first coaster manufactured by the Dinn & Summers partnership. The park also introduced a Chance Thunderbolt, two live shows and a new entrance.

In 1989, the Giant Gondola Wheel replaced the Ferris Wheel, and the Falling Star and Trabant made their debut past Logger's Run. The park introduced Wild Water Adventure in 1990 in order to compete with a popular waterpark in Norton Shores called Pleasure Island. Wild Water Adventure originally featured eight water slides, a wave pool, a children's play area and a lazy river.

Over the next few years, the park introduced several popular flat rides, such as the replacement of the Merry-Go-Round by the Grand Carousel in 1991 and the Flying Trapeze in 1992. Mammoth River made its debut in the waterpark in 1993, and the park's third coaster, Zach's Zoomer, opened in 1994, replacing the C.P. Huntington Train. Adventure Falls, a classic shoot-the-chutes water ride, opened in 1995 at the back of the park past Wild Water Adventure. 1996 saw the introduction of Chaos and a new Tilt-a-Whirl, both located behind Logger's Run.

The waterpark was expanded with a "Phase Two" in 1997, including two more wave pools, two children's play areas, a second large raft slide, and three more tube slides. The new additions doubled both the size and capacity of the waterpark. Also that year the park's miniature golf course, Rocky Point Mini Golf, opened on the lake.

The most notable change in 1997 was the start of construction on the park's next roller coaster, Shivering Timbers. When the ride opened in 1998, it was quickly considered one of the world's best wooden roller coasters. Early into the 1998 season, however, the Late-May 1998 Tornado Outbreak and Derecho damaged the Mutley's Putt Putts ride as well as a small children's ride named Drummer Boy, uprooting a lot of the trees in the park.

The park began a five-year expansion program in 1999 with the introduction of a new entrance on the site formerly occupied by Mutley's Putt Putts, a new ticketing system, and three new rides. The first to open on July 10, 1999 was the Big Dipper, the park's fourth roller coaster. Shortly after that in August the park's fifth coaster, Mad Mouse as well as an S&S Frog Hopper opened on the site where the previous entrance once stood. The Scrambler attraction was also moved near Frog Hopper to make room for future additions. The first annual TimbersFest was also held in June 1999.

For the year 2000, the park planned on adding two new attractions. Speed Splashers, a children's boat ride, opened near the Big Dipper, with the second attraction being an electric car ride named Be-Bop Blvd. Unfortunately, Be-Bop Blvd. did not open in 2000, due to a number of construction-related delays.

Transition to Cedar Fair

On May 7, 2001, Cedar Fair L.P. announced their intent to purchase Michigan's Adventure for $28,000,000, a deal that went through on June 1. Larry MacKenzie replaced Camille Jourden-Mark as General Manager to help the park through the transition, but he would soon leave for Valleyfair at the end of the year. The season's only new attraction would be the short-lived Royal Hannerford Circus.

In 2002, the park introduced $5,000,000 worth of new rides, attractions and improvements. Eight new attractions were installed including the park's tallest ride, RipCord, as well as introducing the PEANUTS characters and the state's largest Snoopy Boutique. 2004 introduced Swan Boats, moved from Cedar Point where they were removed for the pond turnaround on Maverick, and in 2005 the park introduced a new water slide named Funnel of Fear. In 2006, for the park's 50th anniversary, a new white water rafting ride called Grand Rapids opened in a previously un-developed area past Adventure Falls. The renovation also included a new 50's themed restaurant called Coasters, which is located at every Cedar Fair Park, as well as a new train station named Grand Rapids Junction.

In 2008, Michigan's Adventure opened the state's first suspended looping coaster, Thunderhawk. Thunderhawk was the first new roller coaster in Michigan's Adventure since 1999. In 2010, Bumper Boats were added just north of Logger's Run, after previously operating at Valleyfair. In 2011, Michigan's Adventure introduced an attraction in the water park, Beach Party, featuring the world's first giant geyser, blasting water 90 feet (27 m) into the air as well as 150 different interactive water-related features.

Rides and Attractions

Water Rides

Kid's Rides

Thrill Rides

Roller coasters

(The park's signature ride) Shivering Timbers is a wooden roller coaster developed by Custom Coasters International with trains by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. It opened in 1998 and cost $4.5 million to build. It towers 125 feet (38 m) in the air (a 122-foot (37 m) drop), reaches a top speed around 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) and the first drop is at a 55.5° angle. The rides 2nd & 3rd drops are 100 feet (30 m) & 95 feet (29 m) tall. The ride lasts for over 2½ minutes and is an out and back design featuring loads of airtime. Shivering Timbers is 5,383 feet (1,641 m) long. The ride is critically acclaimed within the industry; every year following the ride's debut, the Golden Ticket Awards have named Shivering Timbers one of the ten best wooden coasters in the world, with a five year stretch (2000–2004) at #2, and a #3 ranking in 2005.[3] Shivering Timbers still remains one of the longest wooden rollercoasters in the world today and also one of the best (as ranked by Amusement Today). Shivering Timbers is known for its airtime & trick-track. Shivering Timbers is the only coaster in the world to feature a trick track where the track is crooked and riders are thrown from the left to the right. Riders must be 48 inches tall to ride Shivering Timbers.
The first suspended looping coaster in the state. This ride is 105 feet tall, has a drop of 86 feet, and will send riders upside down 5 times at a speed of 49.7 miles per hour. Riders must be between 52 inches & 80 inches to ride Thunderhawk. The ride was built by Vekoma B.V.(Netherlands). It is a 689m Standard SLC model built by Vekoma (meaning there are several clones). This ride previously operated at Cedar Fair's "Geauga Lake" amusement park prior to it closing. During the 2007–2008 off-season, it was relocated to Michigan's Adventure, reassembled and repainted. It opened on May 17th, 2008.
The Wolverine Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster designed by Curtis D. Summers and built in 1988 by the Dinn Corporation. The ride opens up with a pass through a dark tunnel and a turn before climbing the lift hill. It is 85 feet high and reaches a top speed close to 55 mph. Wolverine Wildcat was the original wooden coaster built at the park. When Wolverine Wildcat opened, the name of the park was changed to "Michigan's Adventure". Riders must be 48 inches tall to ride Wolverine Wildcat.
Zach's Zoomer is a family oriented wooden roller coaster that opened on July 22nd, 1994. It was named after the owner's grandson, Zach Mark (the son of current park general manager). It was designed by Custom Coasters International (the same company that designed Shivering Timbers). It is targeted to a younger audience and allows them to experience the sensation of a wooden roller coaster without the extreme drops, air time, and sharp turns inherent on a full-size wooden roller coaster like Shivering Timbers. It features milder drops and milder turns. Zach's Zoomer is an ACE Coaster Classic & a Family rollercoaster. The trains for Zach's Zoomer were designed by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters Inc. Riders must be 40 inches tall to ride. Riders under 46 inches must be accompanied by a responsible person. The layout is also based on the John Allen kiddie coaster design, just like at the former Paramount Parks, which is also owned by Cedar Fair (Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland), and is a mirror image copy of Sea Dragon at the Columbus Zoo.
The Corkscrew is a steel sit-down roller coaster (portable with some effort) developed by Arrow Dynamics. It has been operating at the park since 1979. It tops out at a height of 70 feet, reaches a top speed of 45 mph and has two corkscrew inversions. Corkscrew was the first rollercoaster built at the park. It opened when being flipped upside down on rollercoasters was still a new sensation and it is one of the original Corkscrews built by Arrow Dynamics. Riders must be 48 inches or taller to ride this classic coaster.
The Mad Mouse is a steel sit-down roller coaster developed by Arrow Dynamics. Operating since 1999, the minute and a half ride consists of sharp turns and sudden drops, characteristic of any wild mouse style roller coaster. The ride stands 69 feet tall. Riders ride in colorful mouse shaped cars which feature 2 rows and stadium seating (the back row is raised). Each row can fit 2 people for a total of 4 riders per car. Mad Mouse cost $2 million to build. Riders must be 44 inches to ride. Riders under 48 inches must be accompanied by a responsible person.
The Big Dipper is a family oriented steel sit-down roller coaster designed by Chance Rides. It is a Chance Big Dipper model (meaning there are several clones). The ride stands 16 feet and 1 inch tall. It is for younger audiences and families. Seeing as the ride is so short, several laps are taken on the ride. Big Dipper opened in 1999 along with Mad Mouse. Riders must be 36 inches to ride. Riders under 42 inches must be accompanied by a responsible person.
Name Designer Type Opened
Shivering Timbers Custom Coasters International Wooden 1998
Wolverine Wildcat Dinn Corporation Wooden 1988
Zach's Zoomer Custom Coasters International Wooden 1994
Mad Mouse Arrow Dynamics Steel 1999
Big Dipper Chance Rides Steel 1999
Corskscrew Arrow Dynamics Steel 1979
ThunderHawk Vekoma Inverted 2008

Wild Water Adventure

The water park, WildWater Adventure, opened in 1991. After the addition of the WildWater Adventure, the slogan for the park became "2 parks for the price of 1" since the regular gate admission of $26 allows full day usage of both the amusement and the water park, rather than a separate fee for both. The park carried out phase two in 1997 and added the Snake Pit slide complex, two wave pools, and a children's play area. When Cedar Fair purchased the park from Roger Jourden they added cabanas to two of the wave pools and in 2005 added the Funnel of Fear tornado slide. Today the water park is one of the biggest draws to Michigan's Adventure and many people go solely for WildWater Adventure.in 2010, Michigan's Adventure announced over Facebook that a new attraction will be added to WildWater Adventure called Beach Party. Photos immediately released over the internet show the Splash Zone at Soak City, but Beach Party is just a similar design. The attraction will be manufactured by WhiteWater West Industries Ltd. of British Columbia. The attraction also features a first of its kind giant geyser, which blasts water over 90 feet (27 m) in the air in a 20" column before raining down on customers. The attraction is said to include over 150 water features, including 8 water slides, water jets and more. It will be replacing the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship and Treehouse Harbor play areas. The attraction is expected to open along with WildWater Adventure in 2011.

Water Park attractions

Up-Charge Attractions

Awards

Festivals

The original Michigan's Adventure logo featured a cartoon lion.

When Cedar Fair acquired the park in 2001, they replaced the lion with Snoopy from Peanuts, who appears on the logos of other Cedar Fair parks.

The logo was changed twice in 2007; once to reflect Michigan's Adventure's part in the Cedar Fair chain, and again to re-add Snoopy. After Cedar Fair's acquisition of the Paramount Parks, all of their parks were given new logos featuring the same font and style which has been popularized by Cedar Point (with the trademark flag-dotted-"i").

Slogans

Ride malfunctions

References

  1. ^ ibid
  2. ^ Coaster Gallery Michigans' Adventure page
  3. ^ Amusement Today trade article accessed 17 December 2006
  4. ^ Prichard, James (1 August 2001). "Ride maker says problem with Chaos was a first". Ludington Daily News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H7RaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-k8DAAAAIBAJ&dq=michigan's%20adventure%20chaos&pg=7008%2C3422991. Retrieved 14 September 2011. 
  5. ^ "Mechanical failure responsible for Chaos collapse". Lansing Daily News. 7 February 2002. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bYlOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-0sDAAAAIBAJ&dq=michigan's%20adventure%20chaos%20investigation&pg=1427%2C3924354. Retrieved 14 September 2011. 

External links

Theme Parks
Water parks
Other amenities
Former
Revenue: $831.4 million USD (2006) · Employees: 1,300  · Stock Symbol: NYSE: FUN · Website: cedarfair.com