Marineland Selling off their rides

https://amusementtoday.com/...ent-rides/

Well that’s the end of Dragon Mountain. Not a surprise.

Sadly yes it is. It seems for now they need cash to move the animals out of the park so the sale of the park can be finalized. If the new owner-buyer still wants to operate it as an amusement park they'll just need to reinstall new rides but at this point who knows what the future holds for the park! I don't see Dragon Mountain being sold to a new park so it will probably be the last ride to leave, and by chance if the park ends up reopening later as an amusement park, well maybe it will relive again! Best scenario would be a smaller amusement park in the area of Dragon Mountain with Dragon Mountain being part of the new park, and the rest of the land being redevelopped for other things such as housing etc... I can't think about no amusement park at all in Niagara Falls. It is such a popular hot spot. Again most of the problem in this whole transition is the relocation and fate of the animals.

The one chance I had to go to this park, I opted out and decided not to get the Dragon Mountain credit because I didn't want to support the park in any way given all of the animal mistreatment that has been reported over the years.

I love a good Arrow and know I would have loved this bizarre ride. But no regrets.

I recently saw a video about the animal mistreatment, and it was heartbreaking. They couldn't afford a part that cleaned the pools, so they used chlorine, which really hurt the animals. Eyes bleeding, skin pealing off, ect. Several animals died and they buried them on property in an unmarked, mass grave.

I guess I tried to ignore the reality of what they have done. It was an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.

The video I watched said that they can't find a buyer, so they are turning the park into a nature preserve. I say they should just sell the land. Given its location, the land is probably extremely valuable.

I have been to that park twice and the last time was 2018. It was a HUGE and weird park. Both visits I enjoyed it. And I love old Arrow loopers so Dragon Mountain was the main reason to visit. It's a weird big Arrow looper, very unique that the original rich owner had ordered from Arrow-Huss at the time. Theming was good but never finished to its full potential, like the rest of the park.

I dug it. Wife and I went in 2005 for our 1st anniversary. Very odd park, but really enjoyed it. Dragon Mountain was great and I had been wanting to ride it since my friend in grade school described it after a trip he had taken. We also liked looking at the animals, and especially enjoyed feeding the deer in the deer park, but in hindsight it was pretty apparent they were mistreated. My only surprise at this news is that it took this long for it to happen.

I see Dragon Mt going the way of Orphan Rocker. Massive structure that covers so much land and would be prohibitively expensive to remove.

Yes indeed Dragon Mountain could end up abandoned. It would cost a lot of money to remove it and taking out that man made mountain to make the land flat again.

Apparently they put up a price tag for each ride;

https://www.instagram.com/p...mg_index=1

https://www.instagram.com/p...mg_index=2

US dollars or Canadian dollars. Decent exchange rate these days.

Went to the park the summer Dragon Mountain opened. Back then it was considered a huge rollercoaster like The Beast…it just went on and on. Boarding down in a dark cave and the long dark tunnel bursting into the new bowtie element were highlights.

Having been to the Sea World parks I recall the animal shows were unimpressive at Marineland. I remember thinking too even back then the animal care standards weren’t the same.

I know it’s old but the Zeirer flying carpet is such a fun, thrilling ride that I hope it finds a home. Worlds of Fun in the Europa section would be a great home for it with a Tivoli theme.

I’d snap up that Huss Magic, and the Zierer Star Shape in a second. Those rides exist nowhere in the US.
I wonder from what kind of deferred maintenance they suffer?

I agree. Magic and Star Shape are great rare attractions.

The condor is another great rare ride but I don’t think it operated the last few seasons that the rides were running.

I always liked how spread out the park was It was very quiet and laid back

The land here has so much potential. So did the land at Six Flags America. But unfortunately neither were in good hands to develope them into great destinations.

I don't there is anything these days more profitable than housing development. Costs of rides, maintenance, insurance etc is out of the roof, combined with high value real estate can only end up with more parks closing. Sad to say but I think the good years for the amusement industry are behind, at least for the amount of parks and attractions.

With high interest rates and a serious crunch on trade labor (not to mention ICE raids on job sites), I wouldn't say housing development is a slam dunk right now. It depends on the location and what kind of housing it is.

Woah ICE is doing raids in Ontario? That’s amazing, and a horrible waste of money, why are we “cleaning up Canada” too?

(This post is here to remind you all that Marineland is in Canada and thus immune from US domestic issues)

You don't say?

Rick's comment could be relevant given the wider topic, including SFA and CGA, which are quite situated in the US. Furthermore, we've seen other parks disappear in favor of other land use, like Astroland and Geauga Lake, which will have housing.

So I think my comment about housing development is pretty relevant. Thank you for the sarcasm.

After being in the area over the weekend and seeing that S&S tower with a great view of the falls, I have to think that they're doing this the wrong way.

They shouldn't keep it an animal park and get rid of the amusements. They should make it an amusement park and get rid of the animal attractions.

Change the name. Release the stigma of the place. Reopen as a family destination with rides and a water park. Step 4: Profit!

But will they serve drinks on the tower?

Better have a lid, or drink fast.