TV report says there's no proof that DreamVision exists

This is my surprised face :O

If any of these build a Theme Park from scratch people were real there

are plenty of down on their luck Parks that at least have some

infrastructure in place be it parking lots,walkways,ect.

I am shocked, shocked, to find that DreamVision was not on the up and up.

Why exactly is it so unbelievable for a company to build a theme park from scratch these days? I mean it was a common thing in the 60s and 70s. What changed? (I'm not saying this particular proposal wasn't unbelievable, I'm just asking)

In the Cedar Fair investor presentations, they do a pretty succinct job of explaining all the barriers to entry, which is attractive to investors who might be worried someone else is going to jump into the market and try to compete.

Basically it boils down to the enormous costs and expertise required to pull off such a project, coupled with how the market is mature at this point. A very large percent of the american population is within a few hours drive of a seasonal amusement park. That wasn't necessarily the case in the 60's and 70's.

Further, a lot of that growth can actually be attributed to the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which led to the creation of many highways over the following 30 years that would be necessary for middle income families to travel to a regional amusement park. China is seeing massive growth in the amusement industry as well, largely in part to the rapid increase in the number of motor vehicles on the road.

What Fun says. I think it's somewhat unbelievable to build a major theme park in the U.S. these days because most places that could support a major theme park*, have a major theme park.

Dreamvision, though, was unbelievable from the get-go.

*Or former theme park. Six Flags Great America, for example, is many wonderful things, but a theme park is no longer among them.

I thought your asterisk was going to highlight your relevant and non-ironic use of the "If it could support one, it would have one" meme.

Oh, I knew for sure he was going there! Guess not! :-)

But I agree, and I'd bet another thing, especially these days, is the overall cost of such a project. The last brand new from the ground up park I can think of was Hard Rock. I never went there, and I know reviews from many of our friends here were favorable. But my impression of the place was that it was kind of small, and in an effort to supply a complete park experience to guests the coasters and the flats weren't necessarily all they could've been if they had been added over time.
And we all know what happened there, for whatever reason. There's a park, along with SFNO, that I'll never get to.

The best parks are the ones that had a chance to start out small and expand slowly. Kings Island had a great advantage as they brought most of the rides on the original menu straight from Coney. Most of the Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks we know today started life as something else and were originally considered local parks.

What, no one mentioned Hard Rock Park?

No, really, we're just buying land...

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/09/shoals_theme_park_still_in_wor.html

birdhombre said:

I thought your asterisk was going to highlight your relevant and non-ironic use of the "If it could support one, it would have one" meme.

Sorry! Just seconding what Fun said.

Hard Rock Park wasn't a failure in building in a saturated market. HRP failed in so many other levels.

The only place in the US that I could see supporting a major park would be obviously Houston. But those parks cost a lot to build. Six Flags made a huge mistake not supporting that park.

Jeff said:

No, really, we're just buying land...

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/09/shoals_theme_park_still_in_wor.html

Accompanied with a drawing that my 7 year old could have done... seems legit. Where do I invest?

A website that achieves an astounding level of vagueness ("The DreamVision Company has positioned itself...to enhance the children and family market inclusive of proprietary, award-winning GCI animation, live action motion pictures, Broadway theatrical productions, television, music and groundbreaking theme park resort destinations," none of which exist, but by golly DreamVision is positioned); a business office that doesn't exist; and land purchases that have no public record....

Sounds good! How much of my money do you want, DreamVision?

Dammit. I totally missed the live press conference this morning.

I'm booking my flight to Huntsville Alabama right now! When did they say Loopy Doopy Land was opening?

Thanks Fun for your reply, it was the sort of answer I was looking for and it was very informative. With that in mind, does this mean we're done with new parks? They're too expensive to build, and unlikely to succeed if they do get built. But parks like Astroworld, SFNO, and Geauga Lake have been demolished in the past ten years. Were they just meant to go?

Those parks had unique circumstances leading to their demises. Six Flags shuttered Astroworld because the park's performance was declining, among other reasons. SFNO was devastated by Katrina. Geauga Lake had numerous, oft-debated issues with Six Flags overbuilding the park and with how Cedar Fair managed the park. Were they just meant to go? I don't think so. I think they faced issues unique to each park that ended with the parks being closed.

Bjames, I'm not smart enough to know when the next boom will happen. But with that said, there have been booms before, and it's not unreasonable to think that there could be another boom at some point. Looking back at the history books, there is usually some sort of major economic event that precedes a period of growth.

I would say the two factors necessary for another boom would be an increase in discretionary income in the mid and lower classes, and an increase in the "range" the average consumer can afford to travel, keeping in mind that part changes with technology. The "golden era" of amusement parks was thought to be the 1920's, with hundreds opening up within a short period of time. With the end of World War 1, families again had more discretionary income, and automobiles became more affordable thanks to Ford's mass production technology.

So for another boom to take place, I'd say there would have to be some sort of advancement in mobility, coupled with a strong middle class.