Are log flumes and antique cars passe?

Bonfante Gardens opened with 2 intertwining car rides, they consistantly have the longest lines of any ride in the park (that and the train ride, another classic ride disappearing from the bigger parks).

Rumour has it that BG wants to install a log flume ride in the near future, which shows that these type of rides are still very popular family favorites that I doubt will die out anytime soon. Kudos to the parks that keep these type of rides in their lineup, nothing like going for a nightime cruise on a flume ride!

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Touchdown said: SDC's Daredevil Falls, looks to be as tall as Dollywood's.

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Do you mean American Plunge? As SDC doesn't have a ride called Daredevil Falls. If that was the ride you were talking about, it is not as tall as Daredevil Falls.

Log Flumes and Antique Cars passe. No chance. I think log flumes are in a sense some great water rides, ones that dont get you too wet and you have a fun time on them. I missed a few at the parks i went to this year. For Example the Coal Cracker at Hershey, but most lines were long that day, and i kinda had an agenda to get my credits. The Wild Thornberry one at PKI, and that was because it was in the fall and they closed the que. And sadly the Log Jammer. The ride was testing empty and a huge line had formed for it. But most were good distractions, especially Dorney's which i love alot. WWL did lose its luster and its cave there at near the end, so it wasnt the same but still a good ride.

Antique Cars are good for kids and grandparents. Mainly something that doesnt appeal to us older people, but they offer family time if you have one, and do kids love to drive em.

Ask yourself this question. When you were a kid didnt you always want to drive those?

Next we will be talking about carousels, and if you dont appreciate the value of those then, what is an amusement park without those.

I know Lake Compounce bought used Antique Cars and is putting them in for the 2007 season by the Zoomerang. IMO no ride should ever be removed from a park unless there is no room for expansion and its for a roller coaster!!

IMO every park should get a strata, but it doesn't make any business sense...

I really like flumes and antique cars. I don't think that they always take up lots of real estate - look at Knoebels - they cars go through and around Phoenix. And a few flume rides go through other rides as well. The thing about these is that little kids can go on these without a big problem. Not many rides where small kids can go with their parents it seems.

Mike Zimmermann
Theme Park Brochures
www.themeparkbrochures.net

With the definition of passe in mind, I would say antique cars and traditional log flumes are because they are no longer being built at any appreciable rate. I believe they are, however, immensely popular.

Take PKI's situation, for example. Nearly every time I went to the park in 2005, someone with me asked "Where'd Antique Cars go?" or commented that one thing they wanted to do was "drive the cars around," only to be disappointed to find Italian Job in its place.

Compare that with the removal of King Cobra, where either no one noticed it was gone in the first place, or they assumed it was removed because someone died while riding it. From my experience, the general public takes notice of changes for the worse. *** Edited 1/18/2006 7:07:39 PM UTC by CoasterKrazy***

I can think of times I rode flumes and antique cars with people from the ages of 3 to 75. Other than a train or carousel, there are few rides about which you can say that.

Flumes aren't as intense or fast as coasters, but you still get enough of a thrill from them. A lot of people who won't get on a coaster will still ride a flume. Cars, when done right, will fit nicely among an area of trees and shade. Plus it's the one chance the kids get to drive like mom and dad.

Not everyone goes to a park to go 200+ feet in the air, or 60+ mph, and not every ride should be expected to either.

Janfrederik said:

By the way, I went through a log flume and cable car phase when I was 12. Surprisingly, there seemed to be a lot more information at the library then than on the web now. But there was a 60 mile flume here in California that was used to transport redwood planks.

Where do you think the inspiration for log flume rides came from? ;)