Wild Waves announces final season

The Burke legacy continues. 🙄

Did you visit when you lived out that way?

Next addition to the Six Flags portfolio?

…at least they gave a full year heads up unlike SFA?

Burke and Bassoul, two peas in a pod who never should be allowed near an amusement park ever again.

bigboy:

Next addition to the Six Flags portfolio?

They’re going to buy it just to close it.

Rick_UK:

Did you visit when you lived out that way?

I did not. My kid was so young and I thought I'd be there longer. I guess I'll never get the chance now.

I was there years ago. It's was...fine, I guess? I suppose it's never great to lose a park, but it is not as if I ever thought "Gee, I should get back there someday."

That's the sentiment that I've generally heard, but what sucks is that there's nothing else up there. I think Oaks is next down in Portland, which I wouldn't describe as close, and Silverwood way out in Idaho. I did venture out to Silverwood before I moved away, and it was also "fine." We stayed in Spokane, which is a real ****hole. They area of Idaho and Western Montana are beautiful though.

I did a cross-country trip in ‘06, and Spokane was far and away the least appealing place I stopped.

Jeff:

what sucks is that there's nothing else up there

There are two ways to look at that, I guess. One is: "There are infinitely fewer roller coasters nearby than there were before." The other is "We've lost a wild mouse, an arrow loopscrew, and a good but not great wood ride."

hambone:

They’re going to buy it just to close it.

Too late!

Sad news but as we keep saying there will be more parks closing. Unfortunatly it isn't over yet. I expect other park closure annoucements in the next couple months. I moved out of that area back in 2002 as they were annoucing the new for 2003 wooden coaster! I remember thinking I wasn't lucky that I was missing it by one year. I guess I'll never get to ride it now! At least people in Seattle still have the woodie at the Pyuallup Fair and the really good Coaster at the PNE Payland 2 hours north in Vancouver to enjoy.

There will always be parks closing, and there will always be new parks. The new ones will probably have a bit less charm (I don't know whether Wild Waves had any, tbh). I actually remain pretty optimistic that the smaller Six Flags parks will stay open, just not in the context of a multi-billion dollar, publicly traded corporation. If only because they're in places where an operating park is probably more valuable than the land it sits on. That was probably not true for Wild Waves given its location.

Also, may I add that Premier has a total dog's breakfast of a portfolio? And Elitch's is done soon, too. Their website says "For more than four decades, Premier Parks CEO Kieran Burke and his team have been acquiring, building and transforming theme parks and water parks throughout the world."

Here's one they sure transformed: https://abandonedsoutheast....dventures/

But there usually aren't new parks. How many have there been in the last 20 years? Hard Rock, OWA... what else? Obviously Hard Rock didn't make it.

Glenwood Caverns, Kemah Boardwalk, Fun Spot Kissimmee, Fun Spot Atlanta, Grand Texas (although the dry side hasn't been everything originally announced), Legoland NY, Cedar Valley's Wild Frontiers (may not have long, but who knows?), Sesame Place California (former waterpark), Mattel Park in Arizona (with others planned?)

Most of these are small places, granted. The days of building the Great Americas and Kings Islands are basically over, in the US at least. But you can also look at some parks that have become more established and see they had humble origins. Michigan's Adventure didn't have a coaster until 1979 and no major one until 1998. Silverwood basically followed the same timeline. Castles and Coasters added their first coasters in 1992.

I'm leaving out the Disney and Universal parks, of course.

You shouldn’t leave out Universal seeing as they are trying their hand at regional parks (Texas) not to mention scream parks (Vegas, Chicago.) Also to answer Jeff, Epic Universe is the last major park to open.

I used to do a lot of overnights in Seattle and rent cars to go exploring. But never did the idea of this park outweigh the hiking and sightseeing of the PNW enough to justify not doing that instead.

We did a family vacation to the area years ago and Coeur D'Alene is one of my favorite places I've ever been. (I was advised to drive straight through Spokane and not stop.)

I am a resident of the PNW, and it is a weird place to be a coaster enthusiast. I grew up in Ohio, surrounded by Cedar Point, Geauga Lake/Sea World, and Kings Island. I was in a coaster paradise, and barely knew it. Now, I find myself in a coaster desert. A couple times a year I drive past Wild Waves, and feel really mixed emotions. Even though it is a couple hours away, Wild waves is the best coaster collection in easy reach. But its best coaster is like a Corkscrew. Oaks Park is closer to me, but it loses to the Ohio State fair in terms of coasters. Silverwood is better, but is a drive akin to what I would have done in my youth to Canada's Wonderland or Carrowinds, and Silverwood is nowhere near that league.

I know I am going to get laughed at for this, but I am not joking when I say a Dragon Wagon is one of my better coaster choices. May all you in Ohio and Orlando count your blessings. B-)