Elitch Gardens (Amusement Park)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Elitch Gardens | |
|---|---|
 The entrance to Elitch Gardens. |
|
| Location | Denver, Colorado, United States  |
| Website | http://www.elitchgardens.com |
| Owner | CNL Income Properties |
| Opened | 1890 (original location) 1995 (current location) |
| Previous names | Six Flags Elitch Gardens -November 1998 to April 6,2007 Elitch Gardens - 1890 to 1998, April 6, 2007 to present |
| Operating season | April to October |
| Area | 70 acres total |
| Rides | 45 total
|
Elitch Gardens, briefly known as Six Flags Elitch Gardens, is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by CNL Income Properties and operated by PARC Management alongside six other former Six Flags parks including: Darien Lake, Frontier City, White Water Bay, Waterworld Concord, Splashtown Houston, and Wild Waves Theme Park. It is a seasonal park usually opening in late April and closing around Halloween.
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[edit] History
[edit] Gurtler era
As space was getting scarce at the original location of Elitch Gardens at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street, 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 1, 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 were the original Carousel and Sidewinder roller coaster, relocated from the old park; and a new version of the Mister Twister, the Twister II.
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 Six Flags Elitch Gardens. The first and most notable addition was the 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 coaster, 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.
In 2005, control of Six Flags, Inc. was obtained by Daniel Snyder in a proxy fight and Mark Shapiro was installed as CEO. The park faced a grim future in 2006 when Shapiro announced selling six of the Six Flags owned properties. Costumed workers and entertainment workers were laid off as a part of cost-cutting.[1]
On January 11, 2007, it was announced that Elitch Gardens was to be sold, along with six other Six Flags parks, to PARC Management for $312 million. In April 2007 the Six Flags prefix was removed from the name, making the park Elitch Gardens once again.[2]
[edit] PARC Era
The PARC era officially began on April 9, 2007. CNL Income Properties bought Elitch's along with six other former Six Flags parks and now leases the properties to PARC Management. An immediate change under the new management was the removal of all Looney Tunes uses from the park. A new ProSlide Bowl water slide, named Ripcurl, was added for the 2007 season. In 2008, a new interactive dark ride, Ghost Blasters, will debut. The ride takes guests through a dark mansion haunted with ghosts. Using Boo-blasters on the ride, guests have the opportunity to extinguish the ghosts while competing against one another as digital counters keep track of the scores [1]. Alongside the new ride, the park will host a new summer concert series including Randy Travis, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Smash Mouth, and Billy Ray Cyrus [2].
[edit] Park Admission
Elitch Gardens lowered admission prices in 2008. An adult one day pass went from $44.99 to $34.99, while a child one day pass changed from $22.99 to $19.99. Parking switched from $15 a day to $10 [3].
[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. Palm trees are planted yearly to add to the atmosphere. The water park usually opens around Memorial Day (depending on the weather), and closes and Labor Day. The Island Kingdom waterpark will be closed if temperatures drop below 70F.
[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, served by C and E line trains. Many park visitors take the train instead of paying 10 dollars for parking. There is a bus station just off of park grounds as well, which is served by route 10 and the Front Range Express (to Castle Rock / Colorado Springs). 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. The old coaster proved too costly to move with the park and was in bad condition. This coaster opened with the new park in 1995. |
| Sidewinder | 1995 | An Arrow Dynamics shuttle loop roller coaster. Moved from the original Elitch Gardens and originally built in 1980, it was relocated from Magic Springs and Crystal Falls park. |
| Tombstone Tumbler | 1995 | A Herschell "Little Dipper" coaster. Known as "Wild Kitten" until 1999 and as "Great Chase from 1999-2006. |
| 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 (scheduled for removal in 2008). |
| Half Pipe | 2004 | An Intamin AG "Half Pipe" roller coaster that's the only one of its kind in the United States. |
[edit] Other Rides
| Ride | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shake, Rattle, & Roll | 1995 | A Huss Top Spin that inverts its riders upside down and every which way.
Formerly known as "Avalanche." Relocated from a park in Germany and originally built in 1990, it was one of seven new attractions to debut at the new location. |
| Hollywood & Vine | 1995 | A Huss Breakdance themed to the busy intersection of California's Hollywood and Vine Streets. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens, it was formerly known as "Paradise" and originally built in 1987. |
| Turn of the Century | 1999 | A Zierer Wave Swinger with ancient Egyptian/Aztec paintings on it. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens and originally built in 1973, it was not operated until 1999. There are only 4 in the world this one is the only one still in operation of the 1973 classic model. |
| Dragon's Wing | 1999 | A Chance Aviator themed to a dragon's flight. Formerly known as "Batwing," it was renamed after Six Flags sold the park. |
| Tea Cups | 1995 | A Mack Teacups ride relocated from a park in Germany. Originally built in 1988. One of seven rides to debut at the new park for 1995. |
| Observation Tower | 1995 | An Intamin observation tower 300 feet tall with the observation platform at 275 feet. Closed or subject to inclement weather on certain days. One of the seven new attractions to debut at the new park at 1995. |
| Spider | 1995 | Classic Eyerly Spider ride relocated from the old Elitch Gardens. Originally built in 1969. Relocated several times. |
| Troika | 1995 | Classic Huss Troika ride relocated from the old Elitch Gardens. Originally built in 1976. |
| Disaster Canyon | 1995 | A basic white water rafting ride by Intamin. Built new in 1995, it opened with the new park. Not open after Labor Day. |
| Shipwreck Falls | 1997 | A O.D.Hopkins Shoot-the-Chutes that ends in a tidal-wave sized splash. Not open after Labor Day. |
| Tower of Doom | 1997 | A 210-foot Intamin freefall tower that drops up to four sets of people at a time. Occasionally closed due to rain or other inclement weather. |
| Sea Dragon | 1995 | A Chance Sea Dragon pirate ship that rocks back and forth. Relocated from the old Elitch Gardens and a park favorite. Originally built in 1980. |
| Round Em' Up | 1995 | A Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl relocated from the old park, it is now painted with black-and-white cow colors with orange trim and themed to a Wild West cattle "round-up". Originally built in 1957. |
| Thunder Bolt | 1996 | A Chance Alpine Bobs ride, it replaced the older Holland Express attraction, which had been moved from the old park. |
| XLR8R (upcharge attraction) | 1996 | A 182-foot Skycoaster that is available for a nominal fee. |
| Sling Shot (upcharge attraction) | 2006 | A 160-foot reverse bungee attraction that rockets riders skyward at 70 MPH.
Available for a nominal fee. |
| Rainbow | 1995 | Relocated from the original park, this Huss ride first opened in 1985. The Rainbow was removed from the park for the 2007 season for maintenance, but reopened for the 2008 season. |
[edit] Past rides
| ride | year opened | description |
|---|---|---|
| Western Round-Up (flat ride) | 1995 (removed 2001) | Relocated from a park in Germany and debuted at the new park, this Vekoma Sky Flyer ride was dismantled in 2001 due to major maintenance issues. Though reasonably popular, it was standing idle half the time. Originally built in 1985. |
| Holland Express | 1995 (removed 1998) | This classic Mack Zugspitze ride was one of the rides moved from the original Elitch Gardens. As maintenance costs rose due to the ride's age, it was removed in 1998. A newer incarnation of the ride, the Thunderbolt, now fills its place. Originally built in 1964. |
| Mine Shaft | 1995 (removed 1998) | This Chance Rotor ride was removed due to the controversy over a similar ride at Six Flags Great America. Rather than modify the ride as many other parks did, Elitch Gardens dismantled it in 1999. Originally built in 1972 and traveled on carnival routes. It was also at the old Elitch Gardens for a short time. |
| Sky Ride | 1995 (removed 1997) | A standard Watkins aerial chairlift ride, it stood for two years until the opening of the Island Kingdom water park prevented it from remaining open. It was one of the rides moved from the original park and was built in 1965. |
| Run-Away Train | 1995 (removed 1997) | A Mack Blauer Enzian powered roller coaster, it was bought used from a park in Germany and was originally built in 1986. Upon inspection, the "hot rail" that powered the train was badly damaged. This ride only ran for two seasons and the Mind Eraser now stands in its place. |
| Flying Coaster | 2002 (removed 2008) | A Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster that is the first of its kind in the United States. This coaster still stands but due to maintenance costs due to the ride being a beta version it is planned on being removed. |
| Casino | 1995 (removed 1999) | This Wipeout/Trabant ride was another ride moved from the old park. Even
though it was in good running condition, Elitch Gardens couldn't find room for it among the newer rides. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=88414
- ^ http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=88414
- ^ Elitch's slashing prices : rockymountainnews.com
[edit] External links
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