Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun Stats | |
| Location | 4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue • Kansas City, Missouri 64161 |
|---|---|
| Opened | May 26 1973 |
| Owner | Cedar Fair Entertainment Company |
| Operating season | April through October |
| Area | 235 acres (~0.90 km²) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 43 |
| Roller coasters | 6 |
| Water rides | 3 |
| Website | http://www.worldsoffun.com |
Worlds of Fun (WOF) is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman. In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., who currently owns the park. Worlds of Fun has an attached water park called Oceans of Fun.
History
Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. It was situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex developed by Hunt in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. Immediately south of the park is Hunt's SubTropolis underground business complex.
At the time, numerous modernization projects were transforming Kansas City including the opening of Kansas City International Airport, Bartle Hall and Kemper Arena. In 1976, a new section opened for America's Bicentennial called Bicentennial Square. Three mascots also accompanied Worlds of Fun in the early days: Sam Panda, Grrrtrude the Lovable Gorilla, and Dan'l Coon.
In 1982, ten years after Worlds of Fun's opening, Oceans of Fun (at the time the largest water park in the world) opened next door. However, it would take another ten years before the two parks were linked.
Park layout
The park is themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days. Worlds of Fun is divided into five major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Within Americana, Camp Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children), could be considered the sixth major section. Originally added as an expansion of Americana, over the years the ground currently occupied by Camp Snoopy has changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978-86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987-97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997-2000), and currently "Camp Snoopy" (2001-present)).
There is no part of the park themed for Oceania, or Australia, so two Australian-themed rides are fit into other sections. They are Boomerang in Africa, and Bounce-A-Roos in Europa.
Worlds of Fun Village
In 2005 Worlds of Fun opened the first on site resort. The camp ground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" the Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins and 20 cottages and 82 sites for RVs, complete with electric and TV cable hook ups. Each cabin or cottage can fit from 6-8 people.
Rides
Roller coasters
- Timber Wolf (1989), a classic wooden roller coaster with a 95-foot drop and an upward-spiraling 560° helix. Voted world's best coaster in 1991 by Inside Track magazine. Made by Dinn Corporation.
- Wacky Worm (1993), a coaster for kids. Made by Preston.
- Mamba (1998), a 205-foot-tall hypercoaster. Made by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing
- Boomerang (2000), a shuttle roller coaster. Made by Vekoma.
- Spinning Dragons (2004), a dragon-themed spinning roller coaster, the second of its kind in the world. Made by Gerstlauer.
- Patriot (2006), an inverted roller coaster. Made by Bolliger & Mabillard.
Other notable rides
- Viking Voyager (1973), a classic log-flume ride, but themed with Viking-style boats.
- Fury of the Nile (1984), the first and only river rafting ride whose water is stored in a trough instead of a river or stream every night. It also was the first to have a turnstile-type loading dock.
- Detonator (1996), the first space shot in the United States and the first in the world to have twin towers.
- RipCord (1996), a 190-foot-tall Skycoaster.
- Thunderhawk (2002), a Top Spin ride with fountains that spray on the riders when the weather is warm. The fountains are not operating for the 2007 season.
As of 2007, only 12 of the park's original rides have weathered each season since opening in 1973, most notably the Viking Voyager, Finnish Fling, Le TaxiTour and the Flying Dutchman (which park founder Lamar Hunt once said was his favorite[1]).
Complete list
List of rides as of 2007[2]
| Ride | Ride Manufacturer and Type | Height Requirement | Location | Thrill level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autobahn | Arrow Dynamics bumper car ride | Over 48" or with adult | Europa | High |
| Bamboozler | Hrubetz Round Up | Over 46" | Orient | Moderate |
| Boomerang | Vekoma Boomerang | Over 48" | Africa | Aggressive |
| Bounce-A-Roos | Under 54" | Europa | Mild | |
| Camp Bus | 42" or with adult | Camp Snoopy | Moderate | |
| Charlie Brown's Windup | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild | |
| Cyclone Sam's | Chance Morgan Wipeout | Over 48" | Americana | Aggressive |
| Detonator | S&S Space Shot | Over 52" | Americana | Aggressive |
| Finnish Fling | Chance Morgan Rotor | Over 46" or with adult | Scandinavia | High |
| Fjörd Fjärlane | Huss Swing Around | Over 48" | Scandinavia | Moderate |
| Flying Dutchman | Intamin Flying Dutchman | Over 46" | Europa | Mild |
| Fury of the Nile | Intamin river rafting ride | Over 46" | Africa | Aggressive |
| Grand Prix Raceway + | Over 58" | Americana | High | |
| Head Over Wheels | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild | |
| Krazy Kars | Under 54" | Americana | Mild | |
| Le Carrousel | Over 46" | Europa | Mild | |
| Le TaxiTour | Arrow Dynamics track car ride | Over 48" | Europa | Moderate |
| Linus' Beetle Bugs | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild | |
| Mamba | Chance Morgan hypercoaster | Over 48" | Africa | Aggressive |
| Monsoon | Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes ride | Over 48" | Africa | High |
| Octopus | Eyerly Octopus | Over 48" or with adult | Scandinavia | Moderate |
| Patriot | Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster | Over 54" | Americana | Aggressive |
| Peanunts™ Playhouse | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low | |
| Peanunts™ Yacht Club | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low | |
| Pony Promenade | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low | |
| Red Baron | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild | |
| RipCord + | Skycoaster | Over 48" | Orient | Aggressive |
| Road Rally | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low | |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge Scrambler | Over 48" or with adult | Americana | Moderate |
| Sea Dragon | Chance Morgan Sea Dragon | Over 48" or with adult | Scandinavia | Moderate |
| Skyliner | Watkins aerial chairlift | Over 36" | Americana | Mild |
| Snoopy Bounce | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild | |
| Spinning Dragons | Gerstlauer spinning coaster | At least 42" | Orient | High |
| The Rock + | Rockwall | Over 36" | Orient | High |
| Thunderhawk | Huss Top Spin | Between 55" and 77" | Americana | Aggressive |
| Timber Wolf | Dinn Corporation wooden twister | Over 48" | Americana | Aggressive |
| Turntyke | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low | |
| Viking Voyager | Arrow Dynamics log flume | Over 46" or with adult | Scandinavia | Aggressive |
| Wacky Worm | Zamperla kiddie coaster | Over 42" | Camp Snoopy | Moderate |
| Woodstock's Airmail | S&S Frog Hopper | Over 36" but under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Mild |
| Woodstock Express | Custom kiddie train | Under 54" | Camp Snoopy | Low |
| World's of Fun Railroad | Custom steam train | Over 46" or with adult | Americana | Mild |
| Zulu | Huss Enterprise | Over 54" | Africa | Aggressive |
- + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.
Retired rides and attractions
- Schussboomer, (1973-1984), a ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.
- Screamroller/Extremeroller(EXT), (1976-1988), the first stand-up roller coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted back to the original sit-down style.
- Zambezi Zinger, (1973-1997), a steel "Speedracer"-type roller coaster (one of only two in existence at the time of its removal) with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Currently in operation at the National Theme Park of Colombia, South America.
- Incred-O-Dome, (1981-1997), an OMNIMAX-style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, the Orient Express coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards away from the actual ride.
- Omegatron, (1986-2001), a six-story, upside-down thrill ride.
- Orient Express, (1980-2003), the first roller coaster in to world to feature a batwing (then known as a "Kamikaze Kurve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops.
Halloween Haunt
Every year the park is transformed during the "Halloween Haunt." During the day the park is a friendly "Halloween town" filled with pumpkins and seasonal decorations, but as night approaches fog fills the park and frightful characters roam the midway. One regular price admission ticket allows access to the year-round rides and attractions as well as the seven "Extreme Haunts":
- BloodShed - An evil meat processing plant. New for 2007.
- CarnEvil - A twisted sideshow filled with freaks and evil clowns. New for 2007.
- Asylum Island - A haunted mental hospital for the criminally insane.
- Dominion of Doom - A ghostly gothic cemetery.
- Lore of the Vampire - An ancient catacomb inhabited by vampires.
- Camp Gonnagitcha Witchahatchet - A summer camp gone terribly wrong.
- The Fright Zone - A walkway where characters lurk in the shadows.