Un-spectacular park settings

I enjoyed the spectacular park settings thread, so here's the opposite: Which parks have the worst settings?

Of the ones I've been to, SFKK takes the cake. It's in the middle of a gritty urban area, across the street from the airport and surrounded by interstate highways. And of course, a road runs through the middle of it.

SFEG, SFKK, (defunct) SFAW, (defunct) Branson USA, Astroland (Coney Island).

Scandia, but you can see mountains on the rare clear days. Kiddieland in Melrose Park IL, but there is a horse track across the street. ;) Castles and Coasters in the mall parking lot in Phoenix.

Do they have to be in the US?

There are two on RCDB that remind me of something out of a sureal nightmare...

Dragonworld (Katmandu, Nepal). If Six Flags would buy it, they could brand it "Six Flags Third World".

Aerocity Parc (Audenas, France) (defunct). It looks like it is in the tundra! Their Chance Toboggan was called "Star Wars"... quite fitting because its surroundings look as barren as the Dune Sea on Tatooine.

Almost any of the 1970s-era theme parks(a couple of exceptions). Those were built to have easy acess to highways, not for scenic attributes, so they tend to be surrounded by 35-lane death traps and giant concrete boxes full of worthless plastic crap. ;)

Dorney Park

Adventure City located between stripmall city, industrail alley and aprtment avenue. ;)

^^ I dunno about all 1970s parks, but off the top of my head I'd cite KD as an exception. It IS right off the highway, but back in the early years it was heavily-wooded and very well-themed. And I still miss the lake in the middle that they drained for the waterpark.(boo!)

It might not be as pretty now as it used to be, but don't blame the 70s for that! :) *** Edited 7/20/2006 3:17:07 PM UTC by brunus76***

Disneyland, pre-Anaheim-resurrection. Walt was right to be angry---the place was surrounded by fleabag hotels and other tourist traps. It's better now, but hoo-boy! (This one isn't really fair, as it isn't a poor *natural* setting.)

MiA, post-lost-all-the-trees-storm. It's like a carnival plopped on a vast, uninterrupted prairie. Especially entertaining was the Train To Nowhere Through The Unkempt Meadow. (And I *like* the place. Imagine what a more discriminating enthusiast might say?)

I disagree with Swoosh's comment of Scandia being un-spectacular. Any park that has a coaster that has a sign telling the riders to watch for "low flying aircraft" HAS to be in one of the coolest settings ever.

I do agree with MI Adv and SFKK, though. Knott's isn't too much better, either. (Though, with Knotts, what's inside the park makes up for it.)

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Brian Noble said:MiA, post-lost-all-the-trees-storm. It's like a carnival plopped on a vast, uninterrupted prairie. Especially entertaining was the Train To Nowhere Through The Unkempt Meadow. (And I *like* the place. Imagine what a more discriminating enthusiast might say?)

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Meh, I've already SAID it... ;)

And I was there BEFORE the "lost-all-the-trees-storm"...

Coney? I'm torn. Sure, it's a total SHELL of what was once rightly the KING of American amusement locations (maybe even "King of the World", LOL). But there's still something palpable about the place, maybe it's my sense for things nostalgic...I guess this is where I should note those old Disney rumors that swirled around about the time of the Times Square *improvements*...and that the new Parachute Jump lighting will help somewhat...

The one next to Chornobyl.

SFA. Busy freeways and urban and suburban sprawl surround this one. As for SFAW, I liked that parks urban setting in some ways. I remember that spectacular view of the Houston skyline from the AstroNeedle ride back in the 1990s.

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Arthur Bahl said:
SFA. Busy freeways and urban and suburban sprawl surround this one. As for SFAW, I liked that parks urban setting in some ways. I remember that spectacular view of the Houston skyline from the AstroNeedle ride back in the 1990s.

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There isn't a busy freeway within 5 miles of SFA and the only place you can see a house from inside the park is from the top of Superman. Had you said the area between Superman, Wild One's turn around, Roar, and Coyote Creek, I would've concurred.

PCW, The park is GREAT inside, but on the outside it is surrounded by freeways and urban sprawl and even has houses with the backyards connected to the parks bordering fence.

Six Flags Armpit. Err that is, America.

- J *** Edited 7/20/2006 4:49:55 PM UTC by ErinGoBraugh***

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Michael Darling said:
I disagree with Swoosh's comment of Scandia being un-spectacular.

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That wasn't me you doof! :)

Im sorry, this just takes the cake right here:

**Edit, I guess links to that site (Theme Park Review)aren't aloud? I was going to say "Fantazy Land" in Egypt, that place is a literal crap-hole... *** Edited 7/20/2006 5:18:12 PM UTC by P18***

Okay, well, Boblogone, then! Geeze you guys are picky.

Tough crowd. ;)

(And, yes. TPR links get censored thanks to their repeated douchbaggery and filmed illegal escapades. Lawsuits, famine, war, pestilance resulted and such.)

*** Edited 7/20/2006 5:19:30 PM UTC by Michael Darling***

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Swoosh said:
Astroland (Coney Island).

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boooooooo