Hersheypark announces The Boardwalk for 2007

WoW! How original! Nothing like the smell of farmlands permiating through the salt air. You just wait and see what happens with all the bathing suits throughout the park. They will be kicking themselves for scrapping the Chocolate Falls project on the golf course.

I visited the site... I looked at the artist concept drawings... I then looked at a Satelite Image from Google... and I still have to ask myself... how in the heck are they going to fit this stuff in there?

Thats insane! Sounds alot like Wild Water Kingdom at Geauga Lake. Cant wait to visit!

Oh man, I was hoping for a 4D. ;)

Totally not my thing. Have fun, I'll be riding Stormrunner and Sooperdooperlooper.;)

SLFLAKE asks a really good question. At 200,000 square feet, where's all that supposed to go? The Tornado slides are huge, and it looks like there's more Proslide stuff in that complex like a Probowl. My guess is that everything up to the Wild Mouse is being rearanged, or removed (they've already taken out the Chaos). At least from the artists rendering, the wavepool doesn't look anywhere as big as some of them. Hopefully I'll get there in August and get to take a firsthand look.

You know, I was worried about this too. They are really going to have to shoehorn these rides in. Just looking at the satellite photos and comparing their *existing* slides to 'greenspace' shows those areas arent too big. But if the concept art is to be believed, Coastline Plunge (CP) is going to snuggle up right behind the mouse, with the East Coast Waterworks (ECW) in its shadow heading towards Lightning Racer. Sancastle Cove (SC) is going to be nestled adjacent/slightly under Roller Soaker,and abutting the Swoop Duel of LR with Bayside Pier (BP) next to that headed back toward Wild Mouse and crammed next to the final turn to the home stretch of LR. The only thing I cant really see is where the Wave Rider is supposed to be. But that seems like such a relatively small attraction that that be be squeezed in anywhere. My guess is it either goes next to SC, but closer to Tidal Force than LR, or, it will go next to CP/ECW, across the miday from the pizza/patio joint that is there now, perhaps eliminating the store that is currently there.

But that last bit is a W.A.G., the others seem plausible based on the concept art and available greenspace. Either way, I'm very excited about next year. HP may turn itself into a two-day visit for me. :)

The Wave Rider is being built on the site of the old Chaos/Frog Hopper area (also was home to a food stand built in a Trolley car... interestingly, that was moved to Midway from where it used to stand at the entrance to Great Bear the year that opened, and now it's been moved this year a good hundred feet (?) to sit in front of the Granny Bugs kiddie ride).As for Wave Rider, the building portion from the concept art is nearly complete. They have more space than many will realize (and this park has always been good about squeezing in rides). The foundation for the East Coast Waterworks is complete, and they're making good progress on the Coastline Plunge section. This is going to be an interesting project... let's hope it signals the way for a few more water rides in the coming years (a Top Spin with water features, racing slides, and a Proslide Rocket complex, perhaps?).

Pictures: http://photos.tideblue.com/ryan/themeparks/hersheypark06/boardwalk/
*** This post was edited by Arson 7/13/2006 3:16:32 PM ***

I hope they will be able to staff all of these new attractions. That's a lot of people!

This is going to be a very nice addition to the park! Hershey Park is a wonderful family park that can still bring in thrill seekers. My friends and I are heading out to Hershey Park next summer for the centennial, and given that half of us are not thrill seekers, this will be perfect!

- J

Hershey is offering online discounted tickets until the end of July. Only $29.95 for adults, and $19.95 for junior/senior admission. The tickets have to be purchased online from their website though.

They're also offering a special anniversary 4-pack of tickets for $100 until August 2, and season passes for 2007 for $100. The tickets are good for next year for May and June. Click on the 100th anniversary icon on the park's website.

I always thought Comet Hollow should be converted to a Boardwalk theme..........it already has all the elements.

Hopefully this is a better version of a Boardwalk than that pitiful conversion at Carowinds..........with no water.

Not to sound wierd but, this is going to be a real waterpark right? Like, it's own area seperated from the park from everything else (not just water rides placed integrated with the park rides/water rides already there? I guess seeing how small the area is/how crammed some of that stuff is in the middle of everything else, made me wonder that for some reason, like the "dry" midways that used to be there, will they be "re-routed" around this area?
*** This post was edited by P18 7/15/2006 10:01:42 AM ***

P18... yes and no.

The way it sounds, all of the new water attractions will be centered in this one area in the vacinity of Roller Soaker, Canyon River Rapids and Tidal Force (and the not so near by existing water chute rides... wich, if this water park is a hit, I would not be surprised to see disappear in the next few seasons). The only other "water ride" that the park has is Coal Cracker which is on the other side of the park... though a hydro flume ride like this is designed to make you slightly wet, not soaked to the skin as the others.

If you look at a park map, there is an area already designated as "bathing suit approved". This area will likely be redefined to take in the new Boardwalk.

It sounds like it will be an area like the "water park" at Carowinds (not the "dry" Boardwalk at Carowinds) where their Super Saturator is located... a "wet zone" with in the park... not an area greatly separated from the rest of the park like PKI's water park or Geauga Lakes or the various Hurricane Harbors at Six Flags parks... and certainly not with a separate entrance (with in the borders of the park) like Dorney's Wild Water Kingdom.

The Boardwark @ Hersheypark is going to be MY kind of place!

Definately a notch up on GL's WWK due to the existing & rare Rollersoaker and indoor-waterpark styled Waverider. (Kalahari Indoor Waterpark Resorts signature ride is their Flowrider, the indoor version of this Waverider)

Chances now are 50/50 that we'll change our plans for 2007 from an Indiana vacation to Holiday World & Indianapolis Zoo, to a Hersheypark vacation for 3 days, like we did in 2005!

*** This post was edited by midwave 7/16/2006 12:52:47 AM ***

I'm convinced, COMPLETELY, that if RollerSoaker (Flyin' Supa Saturata) could be had for a *somewhat* more reasonable price, and/or it capacity could be doubled (thinking of four-across seating), then they'd be at *all* the large-scale waterparks and amusement parks with *wet* water rides...

SO much cooler than most flumes and Shoot-the-Chutes rides...

gator, I hear that the reliability on those things are less than great (various water guns, sprayers, fountains etc. not working). That, combined with your reasons, is probably why they've managed to sell only a couple rides.

Would love to ride one though, my visit to Hershey was one year too early. :(

The entire area is fenced off-- with a solid wood fence, so you can't see too much of what's going on behind it. The fence just beyond the Wild Mouse and extends to the Ferris Wheel, over to LR, and from there all the way over to the Soaker.

The walkway that used to go alongside LR is closed off. The outdoor eating area that was next to the ice cream stand is gone too. Chaos is gone, and Frog Hopper has been moved to Minetown. But there is a new walkway leading from the Ferris Wheel toward the pizzeria. Construction is going on on both sides, but I don't know if this is going to be a permanent walkway.

The building Arson mentioned is right next to the games building at the foot of the Ferris Wheel-- and I mean "right next." A person could lie across the space between the eaves of the two buildings. The new building appears to be of a style that will compliment the other buildings in the Midway.

I never realized how much space there was between LR and the Soaker, and it appears one of the attractions is going to fill up that space. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next several months as more and more construction becomes visible.

According to info on Screamcape, the entrances to Tidal Force and Canyon River Rapids will be changed to be incorporated into the Boardwalk area. Makes a lot of sense to me. According to the artist illustration RGB, it looks like the kiddie area is going in the area between RS and LR.