Adventureland (Good News!)

I visited Adventureland with a friend...It is a nice themed park in Des Moines, Iowa. Many of you probably haven't heard of it. Anyways, here it is....

We arrived at opening time and we went for a couple spins on Falling Star, my favorite flat prototype. There's also a Joker version by Moser or something....Then we headed for the evil Chance Inverter....Mistake! We then headed over to the log ride by Intamin. This is one where the smaller hill really soaks the person in front. What I was surprised about was all the rapids on the turns and stuff...We actually got wet in the rapids.

Then to the Tornado, a wooden John Allen design. Good first hill, better second hill. Really strong laterals. Bumpy....

Then off to the Raging River, also Intamin. Very classic and themed. Standard. Then off to the new Sidewinder. It's by Moser. It's a one of a kind and it's about 50 feet tall. It's like a mini Huss Giant Frisbee. Great fun. Then we went over to Outlaw, CCI's second coaster. Really good. Best Adventureland coaster. Can't measure up with Ghostrider, but a really really good CCI model. The turns are incredible! Banked and smooth! Great coaster!

Dragon was up next. A double looper. Really really high Gs, especially in the helix. First coaster to make me cry...because it was really windy that day....

Rode a ton of other flats, but that's basically the good stuff. I'd definitely revisit. Overall: 8.5 out of 10.

Thanks for the report from, in my opinion, one of the most underrated little parks in the country. This and Arnold's Park were the surprises of the
midwest tour I took this summer. I loved both their woodies and it definitley helped that both were walk ons the entire night, so we got plenty of rides. The employess were top notch and very friendly. We had our coaster shirts on, so several employees were asking us where we had been and were going and what we thought of their coasters and how they compared to other ones. It was all and all a great evening and I encourage everyone to stop and check it out if you are ever in the area.

This is my home park and Tornado still ranks up there in the top 3 for woodies in my book.

They actually changed the log ride design a couple years ago, it used to be that you would never get wet on the first hill but now you get more soaked on that then going down the big hill.

Did you happen to do the Space Shot or Galleon? Too very fun rides. I love the Falling Star myself, and I always get people cracking up on it when we stop at the top.

Glad you had fun.

What is the good news?

I'm guessing that they thought it lived up to their expectations?

I love Adventureland! The staff are great!

Anyways, the log ride does have rapids. However, the Tornado was designed by Bill Cobb, and I really don't think that it is a bumpy ride at all, and it is truly awesome in the front, and great in the back. Outlaw is also really fun. But, the Falling Star is the best flat ride in the country- nothing can duplicate it. Number two is the G-Force (Breakdance).

Anyways, come visit my homepark! It seems like no one knows about it... or talks about it.

It's because it's in Iowa. I have really wanted to get up/over there sometime, but it really is out of the way. Someday... Someday...

Yes, I go there every year. Falling Star definitely is best flat. Have you ridden the Sidewinder?

Anyways the good news is that Adventureland was fun and not a bore like Arnold's Park or Fun-Plex here in Omaha. Although Arnold's Park can get old, Adventureland experiences are always different.

I did ride the

I was fortunate enough to hit Adventureland on the drive back home from an inlaw visit in Idaho. Very nice park and my wife even had a good time. That ranks high in my book. I loved their coasters. Perfect for their park!

Man, I thought the good news was going to be a long awaited giant roller coaster. :(

About the log flume:

Several years ago, the park replaced the boats with a new model which have a different shaped nose that channels the water away instead of plunging into it and making a huge splash at the bottom of the first drop. The boats also ride a continuous conveyor through the station instead of stopping and being lifted out of the water like they used to.

Before the changes, it was about the biggest splash on any log ride around, but now it's pretty tame except for that surprise after the first little hill. Because of the sharpness of the pullout and lack of a track, the nose of the boat partially submerges and when the boat levels off, a nice little wave rolls over the front kind of like what happened to the back seat riders on the defunct BuzzSaw Falls at Silver Dollar City.

I was hoping for some good news, guess the park being still awesome is good anyways!

Abou tthe Lof FLume, I love that ride, always a good soaking, much better then the aging rapids ride, which needs to be upgraded.

Falling Star is definitely the best flat in the park, with the Sidewinder and Space Shot right behind. I've been dissapointed the last couple times I went to the park the G-Force was closed, I have yet to ride it!

Matt, we can dream about that new coaster, they are defnitely due for a new one, or the very least, replace the Dragon with something, since it is a pain to ride.

Outlaw is definitely an excellent woodie. It is a short ride, but on slow days ,you can get multiple rides non-stop, which makes up for it.

Yeah, we can dream about that new coaster, they do need to tear the Dragon down, it is getting really painful. Sidewinder is a cool ride, I will have to say that the Falling Star is a kick butt ride, I also love the Galleon.

I'm still praying that we get a 200 ft coaster sometime.

Neuski, you gotta come to Iowa, take in the State Fair and Adventureland, you won't be disappointed.

I must be the only person on the planet who thinks the Dragon is a great ride.

-Nate

Thanks for the Report. We spent three hours at the park and should have spent a lot more. The coasters aren't great but the park is. Outlaw looks almost like a Jr. woodie. It's a small Gwazi :)

The park overal is great though, Tons of rides. A Skyride that has to be ridden to believed and good country cookin.

We only left because I being a train enthusiast also had to see UP 4-6-6-4 Challenger that was arriving shortly 25 miles north in Marshalltown IA.

Chuck, who recomenends the park but not only for the coasters

Yeah, they may not have the coasters but the food is good and the rides are decent, I still go every year, the tilt-a-whirl is another classic ride, you get some weight in that sucker and look out.

Yeah, but when Adventureland is your home park, it really starts to suck.

Why does it suck to have ADVL as a home park. I think its great to have such a large park in my own backyard, and I hope ADVL continues to grow larger, as they have done every year, with no signs of stopping. They may not have the great coasters that Six Flags has, but it has jsut as many rides as others its age (the park is only about 30 years old), many of them unique, that most parks can't compare to. Adventureland is, and has always been my favorite, for the many reasons discussed above (good food, good employees, a world class log flume, flat ride heaven, and 2 great woodies)!

Could you imagine if this park somehow got a mid-size B&M inverted one day? I mean, I know its a slim to none chance that would ever happen but hey...sure would be an "up yours!" to VF! and WoF. :)

-Andrew, who liked AL a lot, but doesnt wanna go on a trip that only includes that park again.

We can only dream Viper, I think it would be cool to tear down Dragon and put a coaster over the lake, now that would be cool. They do have a great collection of flat rides that you don't see at other parks which makes the park unique in its own sense.

And to think, I was scared of the Tornado 13 years ago because I thought it was tall, now it is just a "little" coaster to ride but still packs a punch.

I just think that Adventureland has made a series of mistakes. They would be able to have an awesome major coaster by now and they would satisfy more demographics instead of young children through middle schoolers.

First, they took out the Super Screamer a few years ago and put in its place the Inverter. I have never had to wait in line for the Inverter, its always a walk on. Second, the hotel expansion. Adventureland is not a destination park. They spent millions of dollars about 2 years ago on some new rooms, but mostly, new swimming pools with water features. Why? Do they really have that many guests? Adventureland has also spent some money on really weird crap lately. What's up with the fake church with the gospel music stage? Did they really need this? Adventureland has also exchanged the steering wheels on the remote controlled boats. They used to be small and wooden. Now there are big steel steering wheels. Again, why? I have also noticed that the "good employees" have kinda gone downhill in the past few years. It used to be nice to have the old nice people there but it seems like some are bitter and mean and come up with their own rules. There have been rude employees on more than one occation.

Sorry to say all this about Adventureland, I used to like it too. But I've had a season pass for 2 years now and I won't be renewing it next year.