Whatever they may be called -- story-based attractions, themed rides, theatrical rides, dark rides -- the Seasoned Pros List Show runs down the top 10 best ones on the latest podcast. The Seasoned Pros include Doug Barnes of the Season Pass Podcast, Joel Bullock of The Coaster Critic, and me. Joining us to offer his expertise and picks for the best themed rides is Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider. Give a listen, and see if your favorite attraction made the list.
Whatever they may be called -- story-based attractions, themed rides, theatrical rides, dark rides -- the Seasoned Pros List Show runs down the top 10 best ones on the latest podcast. The Seasoned Pros include Doug Barnes of the Season Pass Podcast, Joel Bullock of The Coaster Critic, and me. Joining us to offer his expertise and picks for the best themed rides is Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider. Give a listen, and see if your favorite attraction made the list.
Whatever they may be called -- story-based attractions, themed rides, theatrical rides, dark rides -- the Seasoned Pros List Show runs down the top 10 best ones on the latest podcast. The Seasoned Pros include Doug Barnes of the Season Pass Podcast, Joel Bullock of The Coaster Critic, and me. Joining us to offer his expertise and picks for the best themed rides is Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider. Give a listen, and see if your favorite attraction made the list.
Learn more about the Readers' Choice Awards for theme parks and water parks.
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Vote in the other Readers' Choice Awards Categories:
Learn more about the Readers' Choice Awards for theme parks and water parks.
Note that users must provide an email address or log in via their Facebook or About.com accounts to vote. Votes are limited to one vote per award category per user per day, and any votes not originating from the about.com domain will be rejected. To ensure fairness, we have internal checks in place to detect fraudulent voting activity, and in some cases the poll results shown during voting may not reflect the accurate final counts used to determine winners.
Vote in the other Readers' Choice Awards Categories:
It's always good news when a defunct theme park gets a new lease on life. That's why I'm happy to report that the shuttered Ghost Town in the Sky (which is sort of an ironic name at this point, eh?) will be reopening later this summer. According to the park, which is located in the Smoky Mountains community of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, the initial phase will include revving up the chairlift ride that shuttles visitors 3500 feet up Buck Mountain as well as the kiddie rides, a museum, and a restaurant that they will be able to explore when they disembark high in the sky. At the base of the mountain, the park is adding two new zip lines.
Future phases will include additional zip lines, the rehabilitation of the inclined railway that has not operated since 2002, the revitalization of the park's Western-themed attractions, including cowboy shows and can-can dancing, and a Holy Land at the highest elevations of the mountainside property. There is no word what will become of the park's coasters, Cliff Hanger and Tumbleweed.
Ghost Town in the Sky originally opened in 1961, but has had a troubled history that has included multiple closures and bankruptcy. Its current owner, Alaska Presley (great name!) is one of the park's original investors. Here's hoping she doesn't give up the ghost on the project.
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Photo: Schlitterbahn. Used with permission.
