Williams Grove- Worth It?

When my wife and I rode WG Cyclone last summer, we immediatley went for the back seat. The ride op gave us this look and said "I wouldn't sit there if I were you". We just shrugged him off and took our ride. Well after being slammed in the lower back several times by our seats during our spin, we were wincing as we came back in the station. He just looked at us, shook his head, and said "I told you so". Just made our one ride all the more memorable. It's definitely a scary looking coaster due to it's ricketyness and was plenty rough but we still had a fun ride. The park itself should be experienced at least once. It's carny atmosphere can be fun if you let it but still seemed a little creepy as the park was absolutley dead when we went. I can't believe that I lived 20 minutes away for 10 years and never knew it was there until I got into coasters. I knew the speedway was there but never the park.

Its hard to believe that the 1st drop was rebuilt in 1995. Of course they had to or it wouldn't have gotten certified by the state. ;)

Whats also nice about it is the extra pieces of top running steel strategically placed where the train shuffles along the course. Adds a little touch to the ride.

What else is funny is all the rumors you hear from the general population. "I heard the train flew off the tracks one morning when it was testing." You never know they maybe true. lol.

HAHAHA the cyclone AKA the back breaker....

I had back trouble ever since riding it and I must say I agree with it being the scariest ride ever. I do not suggest looking at the track as you go up the hill. It's not hard to notice the swaying, creaking, and lifting of some boards. This is one I like to ride with my eyes closed and I can truely say you will pray for a saffe return. Likely if you take one ride you'll be very likely not to take another

If you have the chance, you might want to visit the Grove this year. Rumors say the Hughes' have the park for sale and may not reopen it next year. They are in their 80's and looking to get out after all these years. Take it as a rumor, but it might not hurt to get there this year....

Willams Grove Reminds me of a Chippewa Lake Park on the verge of closing. (since the rides are similar and WG has a big lake/pond

I would suggest that anyone who is remotely near WG to check it out. You might regret it by next year. ;-)

I visited last weekend and am glad I made the 5 hour trip. You just never know when these small parks will go bye-bye.

-Tina

*** Edited 8/13/2005 6:29:24 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

^ I second that motion!

It's easy to say not to go to a park because it's dumpy or doesn't have a dozen coasters. Maybe if more folks went to little parks like this, the extra cash would pay for some more paint, or improve their maintenance, or even help get a new ride or two.

It only cost 15 bucks to ride all day. And I gladly dropped another 20 or so. I've spent more than that just to get on the other side of the gate at some places.

RGB, who'd rather feel bumped by an old coaster than squeezed by a corporate entertainment complex.

I took my girlfriend on the WG Cyclone this summer and our relationship hasn't been the same since.

// Something along the lines of "surviving a traumatic experience" together.

I'll agree with everyone about the Cyclone being a crazy ride. I had back pain the next day from it! Watch out for some of the ride ops if you're taking a young woman with you... My girlfriend and I got a free ride on the Wildcat because "she already paid for it." Yeah, creepy at best.

On the other hand, maybe I should take my girlfriend other places too, who knows what I might get for free. ;)

On another note, Gonchars link from last year is now broken. Here's the new one:

http://www.coasterimage.com/pictures/dutchwonderland/otherrides08.htm

:)

My .02 cents, in line with many of the others:

Yes, Williams Grove is absolutely worth a few hours of your time. Here are seven reasons to visit:

1] Park is for sale. Who knows how much longer it will be around?

2] Only version of the Schwarzkopf Wildcat-54 still operating in the US [layout is slightly different from CP Wildcat and others].

3] Cyclone, the only remaining Oscar Bitler woodie. Ride in original trains from the Palasaides Park Cyclone.

4] One of the very few manually-operated Chance Twisters left.

5] Rare German fun house.

6] Two words: TRACKOR PULLS! The race track next door holds 'em at various times thorughout the year...what's not to love? ;)

7] The odd ambiance. You think Knoebels has rides placed "willy-nilly"? Compared to Williams Grove Knoebels has the layout of a modern themer...LOL!

Make sure you have GOOD maps as the park can be hard to find. Even the directions on the park's website are confusing.

As for Dutch Wonderland it, too, is worthy of a few hours of your time. Sky Princess is noteworthy for two reasons: it is CCI's first coaster *and* its size and layout appear to be much tamer than the ride actually is. Its very fun!

Parks/rides that have shown the potential for disappearing should ALWAYS take priority in trip planning....you'll *never* regret missing a megapark for a classic family-owned smaller park. LOL, my recent trip was planned around Williams' Grove, and I ended up passing on "credit laps" on Hydra, Ka, *and* StormRunner to spend a day at Knoebels with one of my best friends and get to Mechanicsburg...that's called "time well spent"...and even though KG will be around for years to come, so will Hershey, Dorney, and GAdv...

P.S. My flyer-back is *almost fully recovered*... ;)

LOL, posting at the same time as Moosh, yet our opinions differ so much! :)

Finally, since you're at GAdv anyways, you might need to add Clementon to the agenda...talk about parks with an uncertain future! Warning: Admission to Clementon is ridculous considering the offerings (other than Tsunami, pickings are exceedingly...slim)...you have been warned!
*** Edited 8/14/2005 8:47:13 PM UTC by rollergator***

Just so we all realize, this was originally posted in June of 2004, so the kid's trip is long finished. I took the time to check the TR's-- no mention of WG. Which may be a good thing since he hated KG (he called Phoenix painful!-- I say strap the little snot into Cyclone if he wants pain), and didn't have too many good things to say about any of the coasters at HP or DP as well.

As Ethel Mertz once said, "Some people's taste is all in their mouths." :)

RGB, whose first draft used a different word instead of snot.

Phoenix? Painful? Never...

Ok, so I have experienced pain on the ride. This pain however, was only because my lap was flat against the single-position lapbar. Yeah, that's airtime pain. :)

Williams Grove is worth it. I live about 20 minutes from the park, and always visit once a season. It definately has that carnival atmosphere to it, but that is part of its charm.

I am just hoping that someone buys it, and it stays open. Come on Dick K or Herco pull through for us. Imagine how the cyclone would run if Knoebels or Hershey's maintenance staff worked on that coaster.