Valleyfair
| File:Valleyfairlogo.JPG Valleyfair logo | |
| Location |  |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1976 |
| Owner | Cedar Fair Entertainment Company |
| Slogan | Minnesota's largest amusement park |
| Operating season | Daily Memorial Day through Labor Day, some weekends in May and September. Also, Valleyscare in October. |
| Area | 125 acres (0.5 km²) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 60+ |
| Roller coasters | 8 |
| Water rides | 6 |
| Website | [1] |
Valleyfair is a 125 acre (0.5 km²) amusement park located in Shakopee, Minnesota, USA and is currently the largest amusement park in the Upper Midwest United States. It has over 60 rides and currently operates seven roller coasters, one of the most popular being Wild Thing. The park also has a water park, White Water Country Waterpark, located completely within the park.
The park opened in 1976 and was originally themed as a Coney Island-styled turn-of-the-century amusement park, which leads to some jarring contrasts with modern-style rides like the steel roller coasters Corkscrew and Wild Thing.
The park is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Valleyfair and Cedar Point are the two original Cedar Fair parks and the Fair in the Cedar Fair name comes from Valleyfair. The park was officially named Valleyfair! up until February 2007. However, for the 2007 season, the name his been changed to Valleyfair, removing the exclamation mark.
Valleyfair’s normal operating season runs daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, some weekends in May and September. Also, Valleyscare in October.
New for 2007: Renegade
On September 21, 2006, Valleyfair announced that it would build Renegade, its seventh roller coaster, for the 2007 season. It opened on May 12, 2007. As the park's second wooden roller coaster, Renegade provides a 2-minute ride at a top speed of 52 mph. Unique features include a twisting first drop, a near-ground high-speed S-turn and a high-speed station fly-by. The ride is 3,113 feet long and 104 feet high, with a 91 foot drop.[2]
Roller coasters
Although not as well-known a "coaster park" as some other parks like Cedar Point, Valleyfair does have many popular coasters and is known widely for them.
- High Roller - Wooden Out & Back (1976)
- Corkscrew - Steel Looping (1980) Arrow Dynamics
- Excalibur - Hybrid Wood-Steel (1989) Arrow
- Wild Thing - Steel Out & Back (1996) Morgan, D.H.
- Mad Mouse - Steel Wild Mouse(1999) Arrow Dynamics
- Steel Venom – Steel, Inverted, Launched (2003)Intamin AG
- Renegade - Steel, Wood (2007) Great Coasters International, Inc.
Thrill Rides
- Enterprise– (1979), Enterprise is a spinning ride with individual 1-2 person gondolas which start out hanging from the ride, then rises into a vertical position and flips riders upside down. Height restriction: 54 inches.
- Looping Starship– (1985), Looping Starship is a Pirate themed looping ship ride. Height restriction: 48 inches.
- RipCord– (1996), An up charge attraction, RipCord is a 180 foot tall Skycoaster located in the Challenge Park section of the park. Height restriction: 48 inches.
- Chaos– (1997), Chaos is a spinning ride which starts spinning in a horizontal position and gradually lifts in to a vertical position. Each individual ride unit flips 360 degrees on its own axis. Height restriction: 48 inches.
- Power Tower– (2000), Power tower is a 275 foot (83 m) tall tower with three pillars. Two of the towers bring riders up slowly and drop them down in free fall, and the third tower blasts riders up. Height restriction: 52 inches.
- Skyscraper– (2005), An up charge attraction, skyscraper is a 180-foot tall skyscraper attraction that flings riders upside down at speeds of over 50 MPH. Height restriction: 48 inches.
- Xtreme Swing– (2006), Xtreme Swing, a giant Screamin' Swing ride that stands 100 ft (33 m) tall, and swings riders 125 ft into the air. On its debut, it was the second tallest of its ride type. It is 2 ft shorter than Cedar Point's (Valleyfair's sister park) version called Sky Hawk, which also opened in 2006. Height restriction: 48 inches.
Water rides
Valleyfair's other major draw is its plethora of water rides, highly popular in the Minnesota summer heat. These are the water rides besides those in the White Water Country Waterpark.
- The Flume– (1979), Known as Ye Olde Log Flume until the early 1990s. The Flume is a log flume ride. The balcony over the Flume's splashdown pool is one of the park's most popular dining locations. The Flume's feature final drop was rebuilt for the 2006 season. It is speculated that Valleyfair made the hill steeper, but no official announcement has been made.
- Thunder Canyon– (1987), A six-person raft ride; like all amusement park raft rides, getting wet is the point of the excursion. A thrilling ride and one of the park's most popular attractions, but on very hot days, the wait for this ride can easily exceed a full hour. Height restriction: 46 inches.
- The Wave– (1992), A large splashdown pool ride. The Wave is almost as popular for spectators as it is for riders, as the huge wave generated by the nose of the boat can splash almost ten feet beyond the fence around the ride. Height restriction: 46 inches.
- Hydroblaster– (1995), An enclosed water slide (located near the Flume, not in Whitewater Country Waterpark). Height restricion: 48 inches.
- Riptide– (2005), the Riptide combines elements of a gondola, flipping horizontally in the air while rotating and The Wave. Designed by Huss Manufacturing of Germany. Typically seats 38 passengers. This ride spins in a 360 degree orbit several times. A fountain at the base sprays riders as they orbit. Height restriction: 54 inches.
Family rides
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Children's Attractions
Challenge ParkChallenge Park is located on the southeast corner of the park. Challenge Park is a separate charge attraction and requires Valleyfair admission to participate in activities. Challenge Park features five different attractions: RipCord, Skyscraper, Adventure Golf, Go-Karts and Bumper Boats. White Water Country WaterparkWhite Water Country is a water park located within Valleyfair. It is a no-additional-charge attraction open to all Valleyfair visitors. Former Rides
Games
ValleyscareValleyscare was put on by Valleyfair in 2006. The event featured 3 indoor haunted houses, one indoor/outdoor haunted house, and a scare zone. Due to the success of Valleyscare, it was announced in March 2007 that the event will be returning for 2007. In 2007 the event will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays October 5th through October 28th. The event will also be open on Wednesday the 31st (Halloween). New for the 2007 Season. . . Hellside farm is being added for the 2007 Valleyscare event. A quote from the site says. . . From the outside, Hillside Farm appears to be a simple abandoned farm with equipment and fields left long forgotten. However, when the sun sets, it quickly becomes apparent that this farm is not entirely abandoned as Hillside turns into Hellside and the demented residents of the farm begin looking to carve up their next victim. Will you be next? This scare zone will be located in the Flume/Hydroblaster area of the park. Accidents18 people were injured on the Wild Thing on May 21, 2006. See also
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