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152-536: California's Great America is an 112-acre (45 ha) amusement park located in Santa Clara, California , United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation , it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation . Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, with Gold Striker among its most notable, which has ranked as a top wooden roller coaster in

304-460: A token ). The cost of the attraction is often based on its complexity or popularity. For example, a guest might pay one ticket to ride a carousel but four tickets to ride a roller coaster . The park may allow guests to purchase a pass providing unlimited admissions to all attractions within the park for a specified duration of time. A wristband or pass is then shown at the attraction entrance to gain admission. Disneyland opened in 1955 using

456-666: A 60% stake in the joint venture, while Union Minière owned a 40% stake. Also in 1975, Gulf and Western's Sega subsidiary bought a 50% stake in Kingdom of Oz, a company that operated arcades in California shopping malls which would later be rebranded as Sega Centers. In 1976, during the shooting of the film Sorcerer in Villa Altagracia , a lawsuit was filed against Cinema Dominica (a subsidiary of Gulf and Western) by Dominican businessmen for alleged damages. The newspaper El Caribe said that

608-518: A blaze of lights from the "White City." To make sure that the fair was a financial success, the planners included a dedicated amusement concessions area called the Midway Plaisance . Rides from this fair captured the imagination of the visitors and of amusement parks around the world, such as the first steel Ferris wheel , which was found in many other amusement areas, such as the Prater by 1896. Also,

760-450: A carnival atmosphere. In 1952, he created WED Enterprises to design the park, which was now to be built in Anaheim, and in 1953, was able to convince the bankers on funding the park with the help of a studio artist, Herb Ryman, by making an aerial drawing of Disneyland. By July 1954, construction had started with a deadline of one year. Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, and two months after

912-750: A contract of a $ 90 million zinc mine and refinery project after three years of negotiation. While working for Paramount, Barry Diller had proposed a "fourth network" ; ultimately, the Paramount Television Service was cancelled six months prior to launch by Bluhdorn, who feared a major loss of revenue had the network gone forward. As a result, Paramount sold the Hughes Television Network (which it had acquired including its satellite time in planning for PTVS in 1976) to Madison Square Garden in 1979. Diller later left Paramount for 20th Century Fox ; that studio's new owner, News Corporation ,

1064-713: A contract with the Indonesian state owned Pertamina Oil Company to explore oil resources in east Indonesia , and the Dominican government and Gulf and Western Americas Corporation established an industrial free zone in La Romana. The zone was administered by Gulf and Western America's Operadora Zona Franca de La Romana subsidiary. In the early 1970s, after a lunch meeting between Bluhdorn and Lew Wasserman , Gulf and Western's Paramount and MCA 's Universal merged their international operations to create Cinema International Corporation ,

1216-545: A controlling interest, allowing Nickelodeon theming and merchandise into the park as well. During the Paramount era, attractions from the Action FX Theatre, Nickelodeon Splat City (later Nickelodeon Central), Drop Zone Stunt Tower, Invertigo, and many more modern thrill ride attractions were added in. Because the park is constrained from further expansion by its location in the center of Silicon Valley , several rides including

1368-571: A couple decades later Paramount and Sega would team up to co-produce a film series based on the latter's flagship video game franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog . In 1984, Gulf and Western divested itself of its many Taylor Forge operations to private owners. Taylor Forge's Somerville, New Jersey plant became Taylor Forge Stainless, while its facilities in Paola , Kansas and Greeley, Kansas became Taylor Forge Engineered Systems . That same year, Bonney Forge

1520-467: A hotel and residential building, the Trump International Hotel and Tower (One Central Park West) by Costas Kondylis and Philip Johnson , involved extensive renovation of both interior and facades. For example, the 45 stories of the original office tower were converted into a 52-story residential building, enabled by the lower ceiling height of residential spaces. The facade was converted with

1672-492: A joint venture. United Artists later joined the joint venture, which became United International Pictures . In 1970, Gulf and Western sold a 50% stake in Marathon Studio Facilities to Società Generale Immobiliare and acquired 15 million shares in the company (which represented 10.5 percent of its common stock). Also that year, Casmo Mining Ltd. was incorporated as a subsidiary of New Jersey Zinc, Hubbard Spool

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1824-534: A number of music labels including Dot Records (a subsidiary of Paramount at the time of purchase). Some of these properties were reorganized under the Paramount brand, with Dot Records becoming the nucleus of Paramount Records and Desilu being renamed Paramount Television . The company pivoted to focus on entertainment and publishing, selling off its other assets through the course of the 1980s. Gulf and Western rebranded itself as Paramount Communications in 1989. A controlling interest of Paramount Communications

1976-446: A pleasure ride of flying carriages that revolved around a central pylon. Other rides included the 'Grotto' (a fantasy ride), 'River Caves' (a scenic railway ), water chutes and a tobogganing tower. Fire was a constant threat in those days, as much of the construction within the amusement parks of the era was wooden. In 1911, Dreamland was the first Coney Island amusement park to completely burn down; in 1944, Luna Park also burned to

2128-431: A portion of All American Corners , including the lighthouse replica that was next to The Revolution/HMB Endeavor. In 2022, the park introduced Liberty Twirler, a new Scrambler ride. A new show, The Corner Notes, was also introduced. [REDACTED] Celebration Plaza is the park's entrance plaza, with often-photographed features including the reflecting pool, Carousel Columbia, and the park's name in flowers. By 1988,

2280-461: A proper theme park. That same year, SeaWorld San Diego opened and displayed many varieties of aquatic and marine life. Initially meant to house Walt Disney's dream idea, EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow), Disney executives decided to settle on building the park first in Walt Disney World and the city later. After six years of construction, Walt Disney World opened to

2432-548: A second park or risk losing the land to the French government. The park opened March 16, 2002, with only three rides and California Adventure style theming. However, Hong Kong Disneyland was higher quality than the other black sheep, but still lacked the number of attractions that was needed, just like California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park. It opened on September 12, 2005, with only four lands, and had exorbitant wait times on opening day for everything from rides to food. In

2584-632: A second station in County Fair where the Psycho Mouse roller coaster is today, and also by the trolley system, which ran in a square loop around the eponymous square in front of the Great America Theater, routed via Carousel Plaza through Orleans Place , where it terminated in another loop near where the Flying Eagles ride is today. After the park's perimeter railroad and trolley were removed,

2736-649: A smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip and the River Caves. A ballroom was constructed on the site of the Skating Rink in 1920 and in 1923 a Variety Cinema was built on the site. Between 1920 and 1935 over £500,000 was invested in the site, constantly adding new rides and facilities and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland Cinema complex in 1934 which stands to this day. Until 2011

2888-782: A source of fantasy and escape from real life. By the early 1900s, hundreds of amusement parks were operating in the United States and Canada. Trolley parks stood outside many cities. Parks like Atlanta's Ponce de Leon and Idora Park, near Youngstown, OH, took passengers to traditionally popular picnic grounds, which by the late 1890s also often included rides like the Giant Swing, Carousel , and Shoot-the-Chutes . These amusement parks were often based on nationally known parks or world's fairs : they had names like Coney Island , White City , Luna Park , or Dreamland . The American Gilded Age was, in fact, amusement parks' Golden Age that reigned until

3040-461: A standalone attraction next to Disney World (especially now as Disney built one in Disney-MGM). So it divided up the segments of its California tour into individual attractions, such as Jaws , Disaster! , and Kongfrontation . Disney-MGM Studios opened it on May 1, 1989, with two major attractions: The Backlot Tour and The Great Movie Ride. The concept for the park started out as an EPCOT pavilion, but

3192-541: A subsidiary of CBS. The theme park division was promptly put up for sale by CBS. In May 2006, Cedar Fair announced its acquisition of Paramount Parks. Despite having a license agreement in place to retain Nickelodeon and Paramount branding for several years, Cedar Fair opted to remove them sooner. For the 2007 season, Paramount was dropped from the park's name, reducing it to Great America. The following season, Cedar Fair renamed it California's Great America in recognition of

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3344-540: A wrist band. The band grants access to the Fast Lane queue. In theory, a limited number of wrist bands are available each day. In 2023, the park introduced Single-Use Fast Lane, which can be used for only one time. The park hosts many events throughout the year. Tricks and Treats is the autumn festival at the park, which begins in mid-September and ends in October. Attractions include crafts, shows, and games. Halloween Haunt

3496-604: Is 10,000 person outdoor venue at Great America in Santa Clara, California. The park is divided into several themed areas, laid out along an oval pathway nicknamed the "Duell Loop", which the park's designer, Randall Duell , had incorporated into several theme parks, including the Six Flags Great America sister park in Gurnee. This allows all areas of the park to be serviced from a central corridor, while visitors can experience

3648-496: Is California's Great America's kids area, which opened in 2010. The area was originally named Fort Fun and has seen the most name changes as brand licenses were updated following multiple ownership changes, including Kids Kingdom , Smurf Woods , Nickelodeon Central , and KidZville . The original Fort Fun was a 1 acre (0.40 ha) area for children located in the center of the park, accessible only by footbridges over water from Yukon Territory . Smurf Woods opened in 1987 and

3800-458: Is themed after stories based on the ocean and nautical adventure. It was constructed at a cost of ¥335 billion and opened on September 4, 2001. The park's two signature attractions are a modernized version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Journey To The Center of The Earth . In the early 90s, Michael Eisner wanted to make Disneyland in the image of Walt Disney World 's resort style. Plans were made for multiple hotels (such as one based on

3952-581: The Blackpool Pleasure Beach ranked among the top free of charge attractions in Britain. Blackpool Pleasure beach was developed continuously, requiring frequent large-scale investments. The construction of many new rides could be counted on. Rides included the Virginia Reel, Whip, Noah's Ark, Big Dipper and Dodgems. In the 1920s the "Casino Building" was built, which remains to this day. In 1923, land

4104-939: The Disneyland Resort and Universal Orlando Resort to thrilling coaster parks such as the Six Flags parks and Cedar Fair parks. Countless smaller ventures exist across the United States and around the world. Simpler theme parks directly aimed at smaller children have also emerged, such as Legoland . Examples of amusement parks in shopping malls exist in West Edmonton Mall , Pier 39 and Mall of America . Family fun parks starting as miniature golf courses have begun to grow to include batting cages, go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats and water slides. Some of these parks have grown to include even roller coasters, and traditional amusement parks now also have these competition areas in addition to their thrill rides. In 2015, theme parks in

4256-635: The Grand Floridian Hotel ) and a new west coast version of EPCOT , called WESTCOT. WESTCOT never came to be due to local opposition from residents, rising costs, and the financial fallout of Disneyland Paris. After a corporate retreat in Colorado, Disney executives decided to make a park themed to California so that guests could experience all of California within the confines of the Disneyland Resort and would be built across from Disneyland on its 100-acre parking lot. Disney's California Adventure would be

4408-606: The Halloween Haunt event continues to run at several other Cedar Fair parks. Winterfest is the holiday event at the park, which begins in mid-November and ends in December. It features several winter themed attractions: shows, games, and ice skating. Amusement park Amusement parks evolved from European fairs , pleasure gardens , and large picnic areas , which were created for people's recreation . World's fairs and other types of international expositions also influenced

4560-471: The Hometown Square area was combined with Celebration Plaza by 2003; the areas were divided again by 2021. Orleans Place was renamed Pavilion Plaza at one point, reflecting its entrance to the picnic area named Great America Pavilion. Originally, Orleans Place extended from Celebration/Carousel Plaza to a covered bridge leading to Yankee Harbor and was divided in half by the perimeter railroad;

4712-542: The Planet Snoopy area had expanded to its present size by annexing the former KidZville / Fort Fun children's area. South Bay Shores is a water park located within California's Great America that opened in 2004 as Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay . The name was later shortened to just Boomerang Bay in 2007. In August 2019, it was announced that Boomerang Bay would be expanded and renamed South Bay Shores . Access to

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4864-671: The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks also offer educational experiences, with each of the parks housing several thousand animals, fish and other sea life in dozens of attractions and exhibits focusing on animal education. Created in 1977, the Puy du Fou is a much-celebrated theme park in Vendée , France. It is centered around European, French and local history. It received several international prizes. Some theme parks did evolve from more traditional amusement park enterprises, such as Knott's Berry Farm . In

5016-557: The 1860s and 1870s created mechanical rides, such as the steam-powered carousel (built by Thomas Bradshaw, at the Aylsham Fair ), and its derivatives, notably from Frederick Savage of King's Lynn , Norfolk whose fairground machinery was exported all over the world; his "galloping horses" innovation is seen in carousels today. This inaugurated the era of the modern funfair ride, as the working classes were increasingly able to spend their surplus wages on entertainment. The second influence

5168-655: The 1870s along the Connecticut River . The trick was getting the public to the seaside or resort location. For Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic Ocean, a horse-drawn streetcar line brought pleasure seekers to the beach beginning in 1829. In 1875, a million passengers rode the Coney Island Railroad , and in 1876 two million visited Coney Island. Hotels and amusements were built to accommodate both

5320-474: The 1920s, Walter Knott and his family sold berries from a roadside stand, which grew to include a restaurant serving fried chicken dinners. Within a few years, lines outside the restaurant were often several hours long. To entertain the waiting crowds, Walter Knott built a Ghost Town in 1940, using buildings relocated from real old west towns such as the Calico, California , ghost town and Prescott, Arizona . In 1968,

5472-496: The 2010 season. The children's area was renamed Planet Snoopy . Similar changes were made at other Cedar Fair properties around the country. On September 19, 2011, Cedar Fair confirmed reports that California's Great America would be sold to JMA Ventures, LLC for $ 70 million in cash. The sale required approval by the City of Santa Clara, and its city council was scheduled to vote on the matter on December 6, 2011. Cedar Fair, which purchased

5624-677: The Beard & Stone Electric Company of Houston , Texas , and changed its name to Gulf and Western Corporation in 1958. Bluhdorn treated this name change as the company's "founding" for the purpose of later anniversaries. The name reflected its operations in Houston near the Gulf of Mexico and the intent to serve the growing automotive industry in the Western United States . It was changed once again in 1960 to Gulf and Western Industries. Under Bluhdorn,

5776-474: The Boomerang Bay water park reopened as South Bay Shores, featuring new water slides in several areas of the park. In June 2022, Cedar Fair announced the sale of the land occupied by California's Great America for $ 310 million to Prologis , a Bay Area logistics real estate company. Cedar Fair stated that the sale will help them lower the company's corporate debt to $ 2 billion, adding that they intended to close

5928-449: The Casino building to name a few. The Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II during the 1940s saw the decline of the amusement park industry. War caused the affluent urban population to move to the suburbs, television became a source of entertainment, and families went to amusement parks less often. By the 1950s, factors such as urban decay , crime , and even desegregation in

6080-598: The Centrifuge ride) to another bridge into Hometown Square (next to Whitewater Falls). Passenger service was provided by the park's perimeter railroad from Hometown Square , which stopped at the Fairground Junction station next to the picnic grounds and The Edge ride, and the Eagle's Flight station on the park's Von Roll gondola from Orleans Place . By 2003, the area had been divided in two, with County Fair remaining in

6232-518: The Dark Arts class with one shop and one restaurant in the former submarine lagoon at Magic Kingdom. She was also displeased with the lack of creative control she had and exited the deal. She went to Universal next and was also displeased with the initial plan to redress the Islands of Adventure's Lost Continent area. To remedy this, J.K Rowling wrestled creative control from Universal and forced them to make

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6384-593: The European Middle Ages . An amusement park is a contemporary arrangement, designed to combine components of a fair, carnival, and theme park. An early example of an amusement park is the Bartholomew Fair . By the 18th and 19th centuries, they had evolved into places of entertainment for the masses, where the public could view freak shows , acrobatics , conjuring and juggling , take part in competitions and walk through menageries . A wave of innovation in

6536-567: The Explorer were prominently featured in rides and shows around the park, as were other Nickelodeon characters. After the park was acquired by Cedar Fair, who held a license for Peanuts characters, the child-themed area was rethemed as Planet Snoopy . Note: Number ratings assigned per California's Great America, while the colors are unique to Misplaced Pages. For more details, refer to the California's Great America Guest Assistance Guide. Redwood Amphitheater , also called Great America Amphitheater ,

6688-525: The Golden Age of roller coasters, being the decade of frenetic building for these rides. In England, Dreamland Margate opened in 1880 with Frederick Savage's carousel the first amusement ride installed. In 1920 the Scenic Railway rollercoaster opened to the public with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year. The park also installed other rides common to the time including

6840-503: The Knott family fenced the farm, charged admission for the first time, and Knott's Berry Farm officially became a theme park. Because of its long history, Knott's Berry Farm currently claims to be "America's First Theme Park." Knott's Berry Farm is now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, may be the true oldest continuously operating amusement park in

6992-706: The Paramount acquisition, Gulf and Western became parent company of the International Telemeter Corporation , the Canadian Famous Players movie theater chain, the Dot Records label, the Famous Music publishing company (created in 1928 by Famous Players–Lasky Corporation , Paramount's predecessor), and the Famous Studios animation studio (which would be shut down almost immediately after

7144-470: The Polly Bergen Company (acquired in 1971), which was publicly traded and had become a shell corporation after selling most of its assets to Fabergé . David Rosen was appointed chief executive officer of Polly Bergen, which was renamed Sega Enterprises, Inc. In 1975, Gulf and Western formed a joint venture with Union Minière of Belgium called Jersey Miniere Zinc Company. Gulf and Western owned

7296-420: The U.S. assets of Sega (manufacturing division of Sega Electronics, Inc., along with licenses to technology and distribution rights to arcade game library of Sega in the United States for two years) to pinball manufacturer Bally Manufacturing . The Japanese assets of Sega (Sega Enterprises, Ltd., Sega trademarks, and its library of games) were purchased by a group of investors led by David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama

7448-547: The United States had a revenue of US$ 8 billion and theme parks in China had a revenue of US$ 4.6 billion , with China expected to overtake the United States by 2020. Some parks use rides and attractions for educational purposes. There are also Holy Land USA and the Holy Land Experience , which are theme parks built to inspire Christian piety. Dinosaur World entertains families with dinosaurs in natural settings, while

7600-521: The United States, open since 1846. Santa Claus Town, which opened in Santa Claus, Indiana , in 1935 and included Santa's Candy Castle and other Santa Claus-themed attractions is considered the first themed attraction in the United States: a precursor to the modern day theme park. Santa Claus Land (renamed Holiday World in 1984) opened in 1946 in Santa Claus, Indiana , and many people will argue that it

7752-533: The acquisition of the KECO parks by Paramount Pictures , the Hanna-Barbera characters would remain under a licensing agreement with Turner . They would remain in the park until the end of the 2009 season. The park began using characters from Nickelodeon shows in 1995, following Paramount's acquisition by Viacom a year prior. Character from shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants , Rugrats , The Wild Thornberrys , and Dora

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7904-492: The acquisition). After Stax Records was acquired in 1968 (along with sister label Volt Records and East Publishing Company), it became a subsidiary of Dot, although Dot was not at all mentioned on the label (rather, Dot and Stax were noted as subsidiaries of Paramount). Later on, the record operation was moved under Famous Music. In 1967, New Jersey Zinc constructed a diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant in DePue , Illinois , which

8056-450: The acquisition, Paramount purchased the parks owned by Kings: Great America, Kings Dominion , Carowinds , and a 20% stake in Canada's Wonderland ; in addition, Paramount would acquire Kings Island , which was operated by Kings for its owner, American Financial Corporation . Viacom , the parent of MTV Networks (including Nickelodeon ), then assumed control of Paramount in 1994 by purchasing

8208-425: The area had been renamed Carousel Plaza and was separated from the adjoining Hometown Square by the park's perimeter railroad, which ran on an elevated track immediately behind the giant carousel. After the railroad and trolley were removed in 2000, the Hometown Square area was consolidated and renamed Celebration Plaza , although the area briefly bore the name Hollywood Plaza as well. The Hometown Square area

8360-531: The beginnings of the Wurstelprater as an amusement park. The concept of a fixed park for amusement was further developed with the beginning of the world's fairs . The first World fair began in 1851 with the construction of the landmark Crystal Palace in London, England. The purpose of the exposition was to celebrate the industrial achievement of the nations of the world and it was designed to educate and entertain

8512-694: The boardwalk out over the ocean. The first of several was the Ocean Pier in 1891, followed later by the Steel Pier in 1898, both of which boasted rides and attractions typical of that time, such as Midway-style games and electric trolley rides. The boardwalk also had the first Roundabout installed in 1892 by William Somers, a wooden predecessor to the Ferris Wheel . Somers installed two others in Asbury Park , New Jersey and Coney Island , New York. Another early park

8664-408: The cinema space in the basement, named Paramount after the picture company that Gulf and Western owned, was closed as the building was sold. Problems with the 45-story building's structural frame gave it unwanted fame as its base was scaffolded for years and the upper floors were prone to sway excessively on windy days, even leading to cases of nausea akin to motion sickness. The 1997 renovation into

8816-457: The city council approved a $ 101 million purchasing agreement on January 31, 1984, by a 4–3 vote that also had to be approved by city residents. The citywide vote passed, approving the sale by a margin of 3 to 1. Caz Development then sued the city and Marriott in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County to block the transaction. The court nullified the sale, forcing the city to attempt to salvage

8968-440: The city of Santa Clara's acquisition from Marriott in 1985. It was then sold to Kings Entertainment Company in 1989, while Santa Clara retained ownership of the land. Paramount Parks acquired the park in 1992, followed by Cedar Fair in 2006. Santa Clara eventually sold the land occupied by the park to then-owner Cedar Fair in 2019, who then sold it to Prologis in 2022. While its current owner, Six Flags, plans to eventually close

9120-566: The classic train ride and the Sky Whirl , a Marriott's Great America signature attraction, were removed to make way for newer attractions. Viacom went on to acquire CBS in 1999, which made the combined Viacom/CBS the parent company of Great America and several broadcasting affiliates in the Bay Area, including KPIX-TV (CBS) and KBCW ( UPN ). Viacom/CBS split in 2005, with the re-formed CBS Corporation assuming control of Paramount Parks, until CBS sold that unit to Cedar Fair in 2006. After Viacom and CBS Corporation split, Paramount Parks became

9272-804: The company diversified into a variety of businesses that included agriculture, apparel, building products, entertainment, financial services, home and consumer products, natural resources, and publishing. A partial list of Gulf and Western's holdings between 1958 and 1982 with the year of acquisition in parentheses: Gulf and Western also owned minority stakes in Camino Gold Mines, Cementos Nacionales, Fertilizantes Santo Domingo, Flying Diamond Oil Corporation, Jonathan Logan, J.P. Stevens & Company, Matadero del Este, Mohasco Corporation, Alberto-Culver , Amfac , B.F. Goodrich , Brunswick Corporation , Bulova , Cluett Peabody & Company , Cummins , Fratelli Fabbri Editori , General Tire , Libbey-Owens-Ford , Munsingwear and Uniroyal , among other companies. At

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9424-423: The company had “failed to comply with the rental contract it signed for use of the town's commercial locations.” In 1977, after acquiring Muntz Manufacturing (a projection TV manufacturer founded by Earl Muntz) the year prior, Sega introduced the Sega-Vision widescreen TV (production was suspended the next year). Also that year, Thai Zinc Ltd. (a subsidiary of New Jersey Zinc) and the government of Thailand signed

9576-407: The company in 1983 to explore options to sell. An interested party, Caz Development Co. , appraised the land value at US$ 800,000 to $ 1 million per acre. Marriott also involved the city of Santa Clara in negotiations, which was already leasing 55 acres (22 ha) of parking space for the amusement park. Fearing homebuilding on the land by Caz Development would lower home values of existing homeowners,

9728-415: The company opened a second Marriott's Great America – later known as Six Flags Great America  – north of Chicago in Gurnee, Illinois . A third park was initially planned for the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area , but the idea was later abandoned after several failed attempts to sway local opposition. The park, though profitable, was still an earnings disappointment for Marriott, leading

9880-407: The company to the top 110 U.S. manufacturing companies. Bluhdorn appointed himself as chief executive officer, chairman, and president of Paramount and promoted Martin S. Davis to chief operating officer and executive vice president. The acquisition of Paramount was a significant move in Gulf and Western's diversification strategy and allowed the company to expand into the entertainment industry. With

10032-403: The company's headquarters were on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The Gulf and Western Building (15 Columbus Circle in Manhattan) by Thomas Stanley was built in 1970 for the Gulf and Western company north of Columbus Circle , at the south-western corner of Central Park . The building occupies a narrow block between Broadway and Central Park West and, at 583 feet (178 m), it commands

10184-404: The company's subsidiaries. In 1983, Gulf and Western sold Consolidated Cigar to a purchasing group composed by five of its senior managers and headed by its president, Alexander N. Brainard. That same year, Gulf and Western sold its building products operations (Livingston-Graham, Symons Corporation and Richmond Screw Anchor Company) to Merrill L. Nash, E. W. Bliss to a group of investors, and

10336-460: The company's wilder diversifications and focused it on entertainment, selling all of its non-entertainment and publishing assets. The idea was to aid financial markets in measuring the company's success, which, in turn, would help place better value on its shares. Though its Paramount division had done very well in recent years, Gulf and Western's success as a whole was translating poorly with investors. This process eventually led Davis to divest many of

10488-753: The company, negotiations were under way for six more lines. Also in 1972, Gulf and Western sold its Conrad/Missimer division (which it created after acquiring Missimers in 1968 and merging it with Conrad) to Bemco Inc., Etablissements Daniel Doyen (which had already been a direct subsidiary since the 1960s) to A.P.S. Inc. (another Gulf and Western subsidiary), Angle Steel to Kewaunee Scientific Corporation, and Amron to Weatherby Nasco Inc. in exchange for Weatherby Nasco shares. Famous Music provided distribution for several independent labels, such as Neighborhood Records and Sire Records . Famous began distributing yet another independent label, Blue Thumb Records , before buying it outright in 1972. In 1974, Gulf and Western sold

10640-452: The deal through negotiations with the other parties. Unable to broker a timely agreement, the city council voted 6–1 to scuttle the sale on February 5, 1985, though the city was still interested in owning the park. After Marriott refunded a $ 20 million down payment back to the city, negotiations were restarted. All parties were able to agree on a compromise, which was signed in marathon sessions taking place in early June 1985. The city acquired

10792-404: The dramatic view to the north, as well as its immediate surroundings. The top of the building sported a restaurant, The Top of the Park, which was never a full success even though run by Stuart Levin, famous for the Four Seasons , Le Pavillon , and other "shrines of haute cuisine," and it being graced with Levin's own elegant signature sculpture by Jim Gary , "Universal Woman." Similarly,

10944-521: The early 2000s, the Harry Potter book series written by J.K Rowling had become a pop culture phenomenon. Universal and Disney entered a bidding war over the theme park rights to the books, but Disney seemed to have won after Rowling signed a letter of intent with Disney. However, Rowling was disappointed with Disney's small-scale plans to install an omnimover attraction themed to the Defense Against

11096-413: The early 90s after the opening of Universal Studios Florida, Universal sought to build a second theme park, one aimed more towards children and their families. Universal acquired the theme park rights to many properties including Marvel and Dr. Seuss to build the park around. In 1999, Universal Studios opened Universal Studios Islands of Adventure under the new resort name Universal Studios Escape. The park

11248-620: The emergence of the amusement park industry. Bakken ("The Hill") in Klampenborg , Denmark, Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria, and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark are the three oldest operating amusement parks in the world. Lake Compounce opened in 1846 and is considered the oldest, continuously operating amusement park in North America. The amusement park evolved from traditions in

11400-627: The end of June, but Jaws had to be rebuilt and reopened three years later. However, Universal learned from opening day and started conducting exit surveys and special ticket deals. In 1992, Disney opened its first European park, Euro Disneyland , outside of Paris, France, designed to be like the Magic Kingdom in Florida, yet it caters to the European tastes through changes, including removing Tomorrowland and replacing it with Discoveryland , themed to

11552-514: The entire park by completing a single lap around it. In aerial photographs, the central service corridor in the Santa Clara park is visible as a straight road running almost directly north–south, terminating under the Patriot roller coaster. At the park's opening in 1976, there were five themed areas: From the main entrance, visitors enter Celebration Plaza (originally Carousel Plaza ); proceeding clockwise (turning left after passing Carousel Columbia),

11704-561: The entire record operation to the American Broadcasting Company , which continued the Dot and Blue Thumb imprints as subsidiaries of ABC Records , while discontinuing the Paramount label altogether. Also that year, Gulf and Western sold Flinchbaugh Products to Clabir's General Defense subsidiary . and Sega Enterprises, Ltd. was taken public in the United States by making it a subsidiary of another firm owned by Gulf and Western called

11856-610: The experience of the enclosed ideal city with wonder, rides, culture and progress (electricity), was based on the creation of an illusory place. The " midway " introduced at the Columbian Exposition would become a standard part of most amusement parks, fairs, carnivals, and circuses. The midway contained not only the rides, but other concessions and entertainments such as shooting galleries , penny arcades , games of chance , and shows. Many modern amusement parks evolved from earlier pleasure resorts that had become popular with

12008-435: The film studio ; Paramount acquired the rights to that name in order to launch this label). It assumed Dot's status as the flagship label of Paramount's record operations, releasing music by pop artists and soundtracks from Paramount's films and television series. Dot meanwhile became a country label. In 1971, Tumbleweed Records was formed by Larry Ray and Bill Szymczyk with the financial backing of Gulf and Western. The label

12160-410: The gardens were originally designed for the elites, they soon became places of great social diversity. Public firework displays were put on at Marylebone Gardens , and Cremorne Gardens offered music, dancing, and animal acrobatics displays. Prater in Vienna, Austria, began as a royal hunting ground which was opened in 1766 for public enjoyment. There followed coffee-houses and cafés, which led to

12312-623: The ghettos led to changing patterns in how people chose to spend their free time. Many of the older, traditional amusement parks closed or burned to the ground. Many would be taken out by the wrecking ball to make way for suburb and housing and development . In 1964, Steeplechase Park , once the king of all amusement parks, closed down for good. The traditional amusement parks which survived, for example, Kennywood , in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania , and Cedar Point , in Sandusky, Ohio , did so in spite of

12464-431: The great futuristic thinkers of European culture such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne . A recession in the French economy and the immense public backlash against the park led to financial hardship, putting the park into debt. However, this did not stop Disney from expanding Disney-MGM Studios with The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror , in 1994, and building their fourth Walt Disney World park, Disney's Animal Kingdom . In

12616-510: The ground. Most of Ingersoll's Luna Parks were similarly destroyed, usually by arson , before his death in 1927. During the Gilded Age , many Americans began working fewer hours and had more disposable income. With new-found money and time to spend on leisure activities, Americans sought new venues for entertainment. Amusement parks, set up outside major cities and in rural areas, emerged to meet this new economic opportunity. These parks served as

12768-469: The interlocking log flumes , which shared the same space on the east side of the park and had an entrance in each areas, flanking The Revolution and lighthouse. Much of what was Yukon Territory was renamed Nickelodeon Central by 2003, which was an extension of the Fort Fun / KidZville children's area. This area was renamed All American Corners by 2009. The expansion of South Bay Shores in 2019–20 annexed

12920-553: The land a full scale, realistic re-creation of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts without being a refurbishment of an existing area. The project was announced in 2007 and in 2010 the land was opened to the public and made Universal Orlando a must visit destination. Today, there are over 475 amusement parks in the United States, ranging from mega-parks and those that are operated by Warner Bros., Disney , Six Flags and NBCUniversal . The amusement park industry's offerings range from immersive theme parks such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi ,

13072-619: The land beneath Great America from the city of Santa Clara in March 2019. The city retained the main parking lot in sale, which is shared between Levi's Stadium and Great America. California's Great America did not operate in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and two stay-at-home orders issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom . It reopened on May 22, 2021, initially in a limited capacity, where face masks and social distancing were required. Also in 2021,

13224-411: The land is zoned for "theme park" use only. In April 2023, the park updated its website to require visitors aged under 16 to be accompanied by a chaperone aged at least 21 in order to remain in the park after 4:00 pm. On July 1, 2024, a merger of equals between Cedar Fair and Six Flags was completed, creating Six Flags Entertainment Corporation . It remained unclear how the merger would impact

13376-409: The land that the park occupied. In the agreement, the city would earn 5% of all revenue that exceeds $ 56 million. Three years later, Paramount Communications (formerly Gulf+Western ), the owners of Paramount Pictures , sought to join other entertainment companies as a theme park owner. The company acquired Kings Entertainment for $ 400 million on July 31, 1992, and created Paramount Parks . As part of

13528-496: The larger, more popular rides. Later, the "D-ticket" was added, then finally the " E-ticket ", which was used on the biggest and most elaborate rides, like Space Mountain . Smaller tickets could be traded up for use on larger rides so that for example two or three A-tickets would equal a single B-ticket. Disneyland, as well as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, abandoned this practice in 1982. Gulf%2BWestern Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western )

13680-408: The largest disaster Disney ever created because unlike Disneyland, it would be set in the modern day and spoof modern-day California with its cheap, insincere, and flat backdrops. The park would be adult focused, sell fine food, and serve alcohol. When the park opened on February 8, 2001, it received a chilly reception for its lack of attractions, poor environment (for example, Hollywood Studios Backlot

13832-456: The late 1920s. The Golden Age of amusement parks also included the advent of the kiddie park. Founded in 1925, the original Kiddie Park is located in San Antonio, Texas , and is still in operation as of 2022 . The kiddie parks became popular all over America after World War II. This era saw the development of new innovations in roller coasters that included extreme drops and speeds to thrill

13984-481: The lawsuit against Cinema Dominica charged that the company had “failed to comply with the rental contract it signed for use of the town's commercial locations.”During the shooting of the film in Villa Altagracia, a lawsuit was filed against Cinema Dominica (a subsidiary of Gulf and Western) by Dominican businessmen for alleged damages. The newspaper El Caribe said that the lawsuit against Cinema Dominica charged that

14136-466: The modern, competitive amusement park industry. In the late 1950s, Wynne visited Disneyland and was inspired to create an affordable, closer, and larger amusement park that would be filled with fantasy. He followed in the steps of Disney and had subdivisions within the park that reflected different lands. The subdivisions included the Old South and other sections that referenced Wynne's background. By 1968,

14288-462: The motivation for entrepreneurs to build accommodation and create new attractions, leading to more visitors and a rapid cycle of growth throughout the 1850s and 1860s. In 1879, large parts of the promenade at Blackpool were wired. The lighting and its accompanying pageants reinforced Blackpool's status as the North of England's most prominent holiday resort, and its specifically working class character. It

14440-633: The new chief executive officer. In 1984, Gulf and Western purchased Esquire Inc. (and by extension the Globe Book Company, Allyn & Bacon , Modern Curriculum Press and the Cambridge Company), in which it already owned a minority stake, and Prentice Hall . That same year, its Kayser-Roth subsidiary acquired the women’s underwear division of Calvin Klein Industries and the use of the designer’s name for that business. Davis slimmed down

14592-479: The next 150 years in Santa Clara be like? In honor of the City of Santa Clara's sesquicentennial 1852-2002." Past rides and attractions include: Replaced by Liberty Twirler. Fast Lane , first introduced at a Cedar Fair park in July 2011, is a secondary queue system that offers shorter wait times on the park's most popular rides. Fast Lane is a system where in addition to a standard admission charge, visitors can purchase

14744-477: The odds. Inspired by the layout of Tivoli Gardens theme park in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1951, Walt Disney came up with the idea of having an amusement park next to the studios in Burbank. The park would have been called Mickey Mouse Park , built across the street with a western area featuring a steam driven paddleboat, a turn of the century town, and a midway. It was rejected by the Burbank city council in fear of

14896-545: The park by 2033, the land rental agreement is a six-year lease through 2028 that gives Prologis the option of extending it another five years. The hotel and restaurant operator Marriott Corporation completed Marriott's Great America on the site of what had been a pear orchard and opened it to the public on March 20, 1976. Admission was US$ 7.95 (equivalent to $ 43 in 2023) for adults (12 and up) and US$ 6.95 (equivalent to $ 37 in 2023) for children (4–11). There were 1,500 employees. Less than two months later, on May 29,

15048-486: The park by 2033. The terms of the agreement involve Prologis leasing the land for an initial period of six years with the option to renew the lease for an additional five years, although Prologis could terminate Cedar Fair's lease with as little as two years' notice. The mayor of Santa Clara, Lisa M. Gilmor, released a statement saying that the city only found out about the sale when the public did, that city officials planned to speak with Prologis to learn more details, and that

15200-451: The park for $ 93.5 million from Marriott, which retained 20 acres (8.1 ha) from the sale for development. Caz Development settled and was allowed to build a hotel and office near the park, which the city renamed Great America. Kings Entertainment Company , who owned and operated other amusement parks, was hired in 1985 to manage Great America for the city. In 1989, the city sold the park to Kings Entertainment, while retaining ownership of

15352-471: The park in 2006, expected to use the cash proceeds from the sale to reduce its senior secured debt. However, on December 6, 2011, JMA Ventures cancelled its plans to purchase the amusement park. In the same announcement, Cedar Fair also verified that a long-term agreement was reached with the San Francisco 49ers regarding parking and construction of a new stadium adjacent to Great America. Cedar Fair purchased

15504-632: The park made the decision to relocate Invertigo to another Cedar Fair property, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom , stating that it was necessary to make room for a future attraction. RailBlazer , a single-rail roller coaster, eventually opened in its place in 2018. On May 4, 2023, the park announced the retheme of Action Zone and County Fair to NorCal County Fair. This retheme included a revamped Games Gallery, general area revamping, new Zamperla WindstarZ flat ride "Pacific Gliders" and overhauled and rethemed Barney Oldfield's Speedway to Barney Oldfield's Redwood Rally. (Formerly Action Zone, rebranded in 2023)

15656-466: The park opened, it welcomed its one millionth guest. Because of the financial success of Disneyland, the amusement industry was reinvigorated. What became Busch Gardens Tampa opened in 1959 as a garden and bird sanctuary. Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961, themed to the six different countries that ruled over Texas. In 1964, Universal Studios Hollywood opened to the public with a studio tour of their backlot that had multiple adventure scenes and became

15808-415: The park's hours of operation were extended on Fridays and Saturdays. The event last operated on October 31, 2021. On February 25, 2022, California's Great America announced that Halloween Haunt is being replaced for the 2022 season with a family-friendly, scare-free Halloween event called "Tricks and Treats". There will not be an adult, nighttime Halloween event at California's Great America in 2022, although

15960-512: The park's original name. A Huss Rides top spin ride called FireFall was added that year, along with a new ice show in the Great America Theatre that was formerly called Paramount Theatre. Halloween Haunt, a Halloween-themed event held every weekend through the fall, also debuted at the park in 2008. The remaining Nickelodeon themes were replaced with characters and themes from Peanuts , a syndicated comic strip by Charles M. Schulz , for

16112-580: The park. In 1897, Sea Lion Park was joined by Steeplechase Park , the first of three major amusement parks that would open in the Coney Island area. George Tilyou designed the park to provide thrills and entertainment. The combination of the nearby population center of New York City and the ease of access to the area made Coney Island the embodiment of the American amusement park. Coney Island also featured Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Coney Island

16264-426: The park. Other revenue sources include parking fees, food and beverage sales and souvenirs. Practically all amusement parks operate using one of two admission principles: In amusement parks using the pay-as-you-go scheme, a guest enters the park at little or no charge. The guest must then purchase rides individually, either at the attraction's entrance or by purchasing ride tickets (or a similar exchange method, like

16416-503: The pay-as-you-go format. Initially, guests paid the ride admission fees at the attractions. Within a short time, the problems of handling such large amounts of coins led to the development of a ticket system that, while now out of use, is still part of the amusement-park lexicon. In this new format, guests purchased ticket books that contained a number of tickets, labeled "A", "B" and "C." Rides and attractions using an "A-ticket" were generally simple, with "B-tickets" and "C-tickets" used for

16568-528: The portion south of the railroad (including the trolley station/loop and the Orleans Orbit and Rip Roaring Rapids rides, approximately where Pizza Orleans is today) was annexed into All American Plaza when that area was formed by consolidating Yankee Village and Yukon Territory by 2003. The site of the trolley station/loop is now marked by the "1950s gazebo" in All American Corners . Planet Snoopy

16720-543: The public for day-trips or weekend holidays, for example, seaside areas such as Blackpool , United Kingdom and Coney Island , United States. In the United States, some amusement parks grew from picnic groves established along rivers and lakes that provided bathing and water sports, such as Lake Compounce in Connecticut, first established as a picturesque picnic park in 1846, and Riverside Park in Massachusetts, founded in

16872-452: The public on October 1, 1971. Meant to be a larger east coast version of Disneyland, it had copies of most of the attractions from Disneyland (except for Liberty Square and the Hall of Presidents ), yet it was financially the most ambitious project Walt Disney Productions had ever undertaken, and succeeded once the holiday crowds came in during Thanksgiving. In 1982, Walt Disney Productions opened

17024-467: The riders. By the end of the First World War, people seemed to want an even more exciting entertainment, a need met by roller coasters. Although the development of the automobile provided people with more options for satisfying their entertainment needs, the amusement parks after the war continued to be successful, while urban amusement parks saw declining attendance. The 1920s is more properly known as

17176-551: The sale was completed. Also in 1982, Gulf and Western sold its Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company subsidiary (acquired in 1976) to Lone Star Industries and Pennsylvania Malleable Iron (acquired in 1969) to Champ Corporation. In 1983, Bluhdorn died of a heart attack on a plane en route home from the Dominican Republic to New York, and the board bypassed president Jim Judelson and named senior vice president Martin S. Davis, who had come up through Paramount Pictures, as

17328-529: The scheduled closure of California's Great America in 2033. At the park's opening in 1976, the park featured appearances from Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny . After Marriott sold the Gurnee park to the Six Flags corporation, the rights to the Looney Tunes characters passed along to them, and the 1984 season was their final one. The park began using Hanna-Barbera properties in 1985, including The Smurfs , Scooby-Doo , and Yogi Bear . Following

17480-833: The second Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Georgia , opened, and in 1971, Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags St. Louis ) opened near St. Louis , Missouri. Also in 1971 was the opening of the Walt Disney World resort complex in Florida . In 1991 Warner Bros. in partnership with Village Roadshow, opened their own Warner Bros. Movie World . It is the only Movie-Related theme park in Australia. Warner Bros. continued their theme park ventures and opened Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi in UAE and Parque Warner Madrid in Spain. Amusement parks collect much of their revenue from admission fees paid by guests attending

17632-528: The second Walt Disney World park, EPCOT Center, based on Walt Disney's futurist ideals and World Fairs. Like a World's Fair, the park would display the latest technologies in an area called Future World, and the cultural pavilions in World Showcase. In 1987, Disney announced that it would open its third Disney World park, Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, which would have a working backlot. However, Universal knew that its Californian backlot tour would not work as

17784-565: The sites, expanding them from picnic groves to include regular entertainments, mechanical amusements, dance halls, sports fields, boat rides, restaurants and other resort facilities. Some of these parks were developed in resort locations, such as bathing resorts at the seaside in New Jersey and New York . A premiere example in New Jersey was Atlantic City , a famous vacation resort. Entrepreneurs erected amusement parks on piers that extended from

17936-456: The southern part next to Nickelodeon Central (formed from the former Yukon Territory ) while the western arm had been renamed Festival Plaza ; the dividing line was the semi-circular Games Gallery, which hosted typical carnival games. By 2009, the former County Fair at the park's southern end was renamed the Action Zone , while Festival Plaza assumed the County Fair name. In early 2011,

18088-540: The theme park, Silver Dollar City . The park is still owned and operated by the Herschends and the family has several other parks including Dollywood , Kentucky Kingdom and Wild Adventures . The first regional amusement park, as well as the first Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Texas was officially opened in 1961 in Arlington, Texas . The first Six Flags amusement park was the vision of Angus Wynne Jr. and helped create

18240-516: The themed areas are: The entrance to the South Bay Shores water park is in All American Corners , near the bridge to Planet Snoopy . Typical visitor guide maps show the main entrance, which is in the northwest corner of the park, at the bottom of the map. All American Plaza was formed by consolidating Yankee Harbor , Yukon Territory , and the southern portion of Orleans Place . These areas were delineated by covered bridges: Yankee Harbor

18392-451: The time of its acquisition by Gulf and Western in 1966, Paramount was struggling with heavy losses from feature film productions and had stopped producing television programs. However, it had valuable hidden assets, such as extensive real estate holdings and a library of old movies that could be sold to television networks for large profits. After paying $ 125 million for Paramount, Gulf and Western saw its sales improve to $ 450 million, elevating

18544-522: The upper classes and the working class at the beach. The first carousel was installed in the 1870s, the first roller coaster , the " Switchback Railway ", in 1884. In England, Blackpool was a popular beachside location beginning in the 1700s. It rose to prominence as a seaside resort with the completion in 1846 of a branch line to Blackpool from Poulton on the main Preston and Wyre Joint Railway line. A sudden influx of visitors, arriving by rail, provided

18696-476: The visitors. American cities and businesses also saw the world's fair as a way of demonstrating economic and industrial success. The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago , Illinois was an early precursor to the modern amusement park. The fair was an enclosed site, that merged entertainment, engineering and education to entertain the masses. It set out to bedazzle the visitors, and successfully did so with

18848-534: The water park is included with the price of admission to California's Great America. A time capsule was buried at then Paramount's Great America in the former KidZville area of the park on March 29, 2002. The time capsule is set to open on March 29, 2152. The time capsule reads, "At this site is buried a time capsule with essays by students in second through twelfth grades in the Santa Clara Unified School District and other local schools. What will

19000-477: The world in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today . Other notable rides include RailBlazer , a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction , and Flight Deck , an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard . The park made appearances in the 1994 films Beverly Hills Cop III and Getting Even with Dad . Ownership of the park transitioned several times, beginning with

19152-497: The year after. Gulf and Western subsequently folded the former Sega U.S. companies (the old Sega Enterprises, Inc. and Sega Electronics, Inc. were renamed and currently exist as shell companies Ages Entertainment Software LLC and Ages Electronics, Inc., part of CBS Media Ventures ) into Simon & Schuster and the old Sega Europe Limited into Paramount Pictures (since renamed several times and currently exist as High Command Productions Limited, part of Viacom International). Ironically,

19304-658: The years. The three Desilu lots – the original RKO Studios and two Culver City locations – were also included in the sale, but the Justice Department forced Gulf and Western to sell the Culver Studios (which Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation acquired in 1968) to avoid a monopoly. Desilu was renamed Paramount Television . In 1969, Gulf and Western sold Norma-Hoffman to the German company FAG (Fischer Aktien Gesellschaft). Also that year, Gulf and Western Indonesia signed

19456-570: Was a huge success and by the year 1910 attendance on days could reach a million people. Fueled by the efforts of Frederick Ingersoll who borrowed the name, other " Luna Parks " were quickly erected worldwide and opened to rave reviews. The first amusement park in England was opened in 1896 – the Blackpool Pleasure Beach by W. G. Bean. In 1904, Sir Hiram Maxim 's Captive Flying Machine was introduced; he had designed an early aircraft powered by steam engines that had been unsuccessful and instead opened up

19608-424: Was a seasonal event at California's Great America, that began in the fall after the park has transitioned to weekend-only operation. It debuted in 2008 and last ran in 2021, and typically ran from mid-September through late October to coincide with Halloween , featuring haunted houses, mazes, live shows, and scare actors roaming throughout the park. Most rides and attractions remained in operation during this time, and

19760-460: Was a subsidiary of Famous Music until 1973, when it folded. Also in 1971, Gulf and Western acquired certain assets of Auto Pak Company, Inc. In 1972, Gulf and Western signed an agreement to provide equipment for the Soviet Union 's Kama River truck plant project . As part of the agreement, Gulf and Western's E. W. Bliss division would provide one automated truck parts production line. According to

19912-546: Was allegedly designed by former Disney Imagineers who left after the financial disaster of Disneyland Paris. In the late 80s, the Oriental Land Company (the owners and operators of Tokyo Disneyland resort which opened in 1983) wanted a second park. None of the current non-Magic Kingdom parks satisfied the Japanese, but one concept thrown away for Disneyland's second gate inspired a new one: DisneySea . Tokyo DisneySea

20064-456: Was an American conglomerate . The company originally focused on manufacturing and resource extraction, but it began purchasing a number of entertainment companies beginning in 1966 and continuing through the 1970s. Most notable among the acquisitions were film studio Paramount Pictures in 1966, television studio Desilu Productions in 1967, arcade and later videogame manufacturer Sega in 1969, book publisher Simon & Schuster in 1975, and

20216-489: Was between the covered bridges leading to Orleans Place to the north and Fort Fun on the south, while Yukon Territory was separated from Yankee Harbor by a boardwalk next to The Revolution (later H.M.B. Endeavor) Looping Starship ride and lighthouse; another covered bridge led from Yukon Territory to County Fair , which is now part of Action Zone ). The signature rides in Yankee Harbor and Yukon Territory were

20368-459: Was confident that James River stock would be more profitable than Brown was for Gulf and Western. In 1981, former officials of Gulf and Western Natural Resources Group led a buyout of New Jersey Zinc and made it a subsidiary of Horsehead Industries, Inc. That same year, Gulf and Western announced it would shut down its Schrafft Candy subsidiary (which it had acquired from Helme Products in 1974) after it had continued to be unprofitable. Schrafft's

20520-494: Was divided from The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition and County Fair. Pacific Gliders opened on August 13, 2023. The park held a season passholder preview on August 12, 2023. Hometown Square was annexed into Celebration Plaza , but was restored to a separate area later. Transportation within the park was provided by the perimeter railroad, which had one station in Hometown Square adjacent to Carousel Columbia connecting to

20672-845: Was interested in starting a network, which became the Fox Broadcasting Company . On June 5, 1980, Gulf and Western unveiled an electric car , powered by a zinc chloride battery that would hold a charge for several hours and permit speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). By year's end, the U.S. Department of Energy (which had invested $ 15 million in the project) reported that the battery had 65% less power than predicted and could be recharged only by highly trained personnel. Also in 1980, Gulf and Western sold Hammacher Schlemmer to J. Roderick MacArthur 's Bradford Exchange and its 80% interest in Brown Company to James River Corporation in return for cash and James River stock. Bluhdorn

20824-493: Was later brought in as a partner). Also that year, Simon & Schuster acquired Silver Burdett and its GLC (General Learning Corporation) subsidiary. This acquisition was followed by mapmaker Gousha in 1987, and Charles E. Simon and Quercus in 1988. The company, thus restructured, renamed itself Paramount Communications in 1989, and sold Associates First Capital Corporation to the Ford Motor Company . Prior to 1970,

20976-475: Was later leased and then bought outright by Mobil Chemical . The plant was designated a Superfund site after its closure and CBS and ExxonMobil became the responsible parties for the cleanup. Also in 1967, Gulf and Western purchased Lucille Ball 's Desilu Productions library, which included most of her television product, as well as such properties as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible , both of which would rank amongst its most profitable commodities over

21128-592: Was later sold to the American Safety Razor Company . In 1982, executive vice president Don Gaston (who had also served on the board of Gulf and Western subsidiaries Madison Square Garden, Roosevelt Raceway, Capitol Life Insurance Company, and Providence Washington Insurance Company) formed Richfield Holdings Ltd., an investment group that purchased Providence Capitol International Insurance Ltd. and Famous Players Realty Ltd. from Gulf and Western for $ 350 million. Gaston resigned from Gulf and Western once

21280-427: Was physically separated from Fort Fun by Yukon Territory . By 1999, the water physically separating Fort Fun from Yukon Territory had been filled and by 2003, Smurf Woods had been replaced by Nickelodeon Central , which had annexed much of the former Yukon Territory and was adjoining Fort Fun , which had been renamed KidZville . The Nickelodeon Central area was renamed Planet Snoopy in 2010 and by 2016,

21432-492: Was purchased by Viacom in 1994, and the entertainment assets of Gulf and Western are today part of the media conglomerate Paramount Global . Gulf and Western's origins date to the 1934 founding of the Michigan Bumper Corporation. In 1955, the company changed its name to Michigan Plating and Stamping Company, and later in 1956 it was taken over by Charles Bluhdorn . In 1957, Michigan Plating and Stamping acquired

21584-444: Was re-separated in 2021. NorCal County Fair was originally named The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition and County Fair ; portions of it were split off to form Action Zone and Festival Plaza , but the latter was re-annexed into County Fair later. The original area, named The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition and County Fair , occupied most of the park's southern area, extending from a covered bridge into Yukon Territory (near

21736-493: Was reclaimed from the sea front. It was at this period that the park moved to its 44-acre (18 ha) current location above what became Watson Road, which was built under the Pleasure Beach in 1932. During this time Joseph Emberton, an architect famous for his work in the amusement trade was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides, working on the "Grand National" roller coaster, "Noah's Ark" and

21888-454: Was sold to its president John Leone, Super Tool and Morse Cutting Tools to industrialist Jim Lambert, and Gulf and Western's holdings in Florida and the Dominican Republic to an investment group including Carlos Morales Troncoso and the Fanjul brothers . In 1985, Gulf and Western Consumer and Industrial Products Group – consisting of A.P.S. auto parts, Kayser-Roth clothing and Simmons bedding –

22040-479: Was sold to the Wickes Companies . Also that year, it sold its Columbus Circle Investors unit (which acted as the asset manager for the company's pension and employee benefit plans) to Thomson McKinnon and bought Ginn & Company from Xerox . In 1986, as part of its new corporate strategy to focus on the entertainment and publishing industries, Gulf and Western acquired Mann Theatres ( Warner Communications

22192-584: Was sold to the Wanskuck Company, the Hardie agricultural sprayer line to the Lockwood Corporation, and Stax Records back to its original owners, and with it the rights to all Stax recordings not owned by Atlantic Records . A year before, Dot's non- country music roster and catalog was moved to a newly created label, Paramount Records (the name was previously used by a Paramount Records label unrelated to

22344-551: Was the Eldorado Amusement Park that opened in 1891 on the banks of the Hudson River , overlooking New York City . It consisted of 25 acres. The first permanent enclosed entertainment area, regulated by a single company, was founded in Coney Island in 1895: Sea Lion Park at Coney Island in Brooklyn. This park was one of the first to charge admission fee to get into the park in addition to sell tickets for rides within

22496-672: Was the pleasure garden . An example of this is the world's oldest amusement park, Bakken ("The Hill"), which opened in mainland Europe in 1583. It is located north of Copenhagen in Klampenborg, Denmark . Another early garden was the Vauxhall Gardens , founded in 1661 in London. By the late 18th century, the site had an admission fee for its many attractions. It regularly drew enormous crowds, with its paths often noted for romantic assignations; tightrope walkers, hot air balloon ascents, concerts and fireworks providing amusement. Although

22648-474: Was the first true Theme Park despite Knott's history. In the 1950s the Herschend family took over operation of the tourist attraction, Marvel Cave near Branson, Missouri . Over the next decade they modernized the cave, which led to large numbers of people waiting to take the tour. The Herschend family opened a recreation of the old mining town that once existed atop Marvel Cave. The small village eventually became

22800-645: Was the forerunner of the present-day Blackpool Illuminations . By the 1890s, the town had a population of 35,000, and could accommodate 250,000 holidaymakers. The number of annual visitors, many staying for a week, was estimated at three million. In the final decade of the 19th century, electric trolley lines were developed in many large American cities. Companies that established the trolley lines also developed trolley parks as destinations of these lines. Trolley parks such as Atlanta 's Ponce de Leon Park , or Reading's Carsonia Park were initially popular natural leisure spots before local streetcar companies purchased

22952-489: Was themed to a modern-day movie backlot of modern-day Hollywood), and overemphasis on retail and dining. When John Hench (an original Imagineer who worked with Walt and was a chief creative executive at Imagineering since Imagineering was founded) was asked for his opinion on the park, he reportedly said, "I preferred the parking lot." Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris was the second Disneyland Paris park. Disney had to build

23104-604: Was turned into a park as a "half day" attraction—a complement to the rest of the resort. The rest of the park was themed to 1930s Hollywood and featured lost parts of Hollywood like the Brown Derby. Universal Studios Florida opened on June 7, 1990 (delayed by one year) to great fanfare, but the primary attractions were experiencing severe technical difficulties. All three of the park's major attractions (Jaws, Disaster!, and Kongfrontation) were not working and suffered major technical difficulties. Disaster! and Kongfrontation were fixed by

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