Oz theme park may set up shop in Niagara County

We're not in Kansas anymore.....

Hmmm... I don't know about that. Wheatfield is about 5 minutes from where I live right now and I don't know how that will work.

Not that the theme park wouldn't be successful, but it's just such an odd location. On the up side, it's a lot closer than SFDL for people in both Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

This could be a good thing for the deteriorating Niagara Falls. The park could mark a rebound for the area. I don't know. We'll have to see how this progresses.

Would Niagara County (and the surrounding area) be able to support such a park? I do have to question that. Why would you build such an expensive park there where your season is semi-limited (not the indoor attractions of course)? Why would you not build it in Texas or Florida, where you at least have a chance to have a year round attraction? Seems odd to me.

Oz themed? Who would want to spend time at a prison theme park.

LOL, Mike, I was thinking that as well.

I hope that, if they do build it, it looks alot like the concept art that I saw posted some time ago. I'd make a trip, heck Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. As long as there are no dark rides featuring certain flying monkeys, I'll be okay.

is the Niagra Falls area deteriorating?? I didn't think so when I was there. Theres alot of stuff to do aside from the falls such as Clifton Hill and Marineland is close by...but this still sounds interesting though.*** This post was edited by P18 10/28/2004 11:46:15 AM ***

Obviously, Large parks don't need a year round location to thrive. Just look at Cedar Point. The Niagara area has the advantage that it already draws a large number of tourists, and the disadvantage that the only nearest really large population center is Toronto.

Of course, this is another project where the money isn't in place yet. Don't hold your breath until the financing and permits come through.

Yes P18. That's the point.

Clifton hill is really an amazing area. However, that and Marineland are in Canada. The American side has NOTHING. The city of Niagara Falls is a disaster area. It's extrememly run down. The only nice thing may be the Seneca Niagara Casino. Other than that, it's one of the most run down areas I've ever seen.

This theme park could REALLY help the area financially.

Wait a minute... But Wonderland is suppose to move to the Niagara Falls area. This will never work!

Regards,
Kevin "Yes! I know Wonderland is not moving" Reid
www.PCWjunkies.com

Wheatfield? Shouldn't it be a poppy field?

All together now.... oh-we-oh-whooo-oh.

I'm not sure where they're referring to as an exact location, but I do know that there is definately a LOT of space there, and this would be a much welcomed attraction by both the locals as well as the county & town. The mall near-by there is a disaster that's been bought by at least 7 owners in the past 5yrs, each proclaiming that it'll become a major tourist destination, and have a major all-around Christmas theme or some crap like that.

The thing is, Rentzy17... Niagara Falls New York is NOT detorriating. It has already hit the bottom of the barrel a couple years ago. The casino was the first step in digging the city out of the hole. The 2nd step is the addition of the 26 story hotel which is already 14 stories up (steel frame). They are going to continue their master plan (the Seneca Indians) which will turn around the city partially into a more touristy destination. There are also proposals for some major attractions in 'Da Falls that were announced within the past 2 months that sound interesting.

So you can't say that NF, NY is really the bottom of the pit. They're trying, and they already hit rock bottom. They're now trying to climb out of the hole, and the work progress is starting to show.

The only thing with the Wheatfield site is that it's about 2 miles away from the airport down the road. That would restrict height variances... and there are newer neighborhoods that have been popping up that might also not like the idea (although I don't see why they wouldn't encourage development for what essentially is just a large plot of dirt).

Yeah Dawgbyte, I said to someone today, "Isn't Wheatfield located near the Niagara Falls Airport?" I figured that would definitely cause problems with any high attractions the park may want to build.

About the seasonal vs. year round location, wouldn't the seasonal be better in the end? In a recent thread someone had said that some year round parks see attendance figures that are not TOO much larger than seasonal ones. With that being said, would it not be cheaper to have a seasonal park? If it's open year round, you're not quite getting twice as many people but you ARE paying your employees throughout the entire year. Therefore, it may make more sense to just have a seasonal park. Larger profits in shorter amounts of time?

I TRIED to make that sound logical.

Is this the park that was planned for some state in the midwest? If so, 'bout time it is back into consideration, that invert looked sick!

Isn't this the one that was going to go in Counsil Bluffs Iowa. AKA Omaha Nebraska.

It sounds like an interesting development. But I don't expect much in terms of coasters. It would be foolish to go against SFDL and Paramount Canada's Wonderland in the same market. If they spent most of their budget on an indoor waterpark and resort complex, as well as a nice outdoor theme park with old-fashioned architecture and nice kids attractions, they could make a killing.

Niagara Falls is very attractive to two types of tourists. First is the young families visiting Niagara Falls and Marineland -- an Oz themed park (which should be very kid friendly) within easy driving distance makes the region more attractive for extended long weekends or week-long visits. Second is the older, wealthier group of DINKs and retirees who flock to the numerous vineyards, wineries, antique shops, and bed-and-breakfasts in the region. They love everything nostalgic and have a lot of cash. Oz is a good fit for them too.

The Niagara region reminds me a lot of south-eastern Pennsylvania, with rustic charm (not quite Amish, but close), in close proximity to modern theme parks. Oz has alot of potential.

[spelling]*** This post was edited by greatwhitenorth 10/29/2004 9:57:36 AM ****** This post was edited by greatwhitenorth 10/29/2004 9:59:06 AM ***

Rentzy17 is talking about Niagara Falls, NY. Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada is beautiful and certainly not deteriorating.

I think that one reason there is so much more to do on the Canada side is the favorable exchange rate on the US dollar. I know when I was there, I made sure to charge ANYTHING I could and get the better rate on my bill. The NY side is TRYING to fight back and revitalize, but it is difficult with the dollar rate. Marineland would fare better to step it up and expand than OZ will, IMHO.

You think "OZ," you think Kansas, midwest........A MAJOR theme park might do well in this area, but I personally don't think one themed to OZ would. They need to change the idea.

A B&M dive machine to simulate going over the falls would be a great place to start though!

The US side was deveoped first. With time the US side was urbanized and run down. The Canadian side was more park like and nicer attarcting the new development. As near as I can tell, that's what has really happened. Things aren't really any cheaper on the Canadian side.

Its absoulutely cheaper on the Canadian side. If you charge everything your credit card bill will reflect the US dollar rate which is considerably favorable. If you spend cash, you will pay much more.