Location | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°10′38.4″N94°29′20.5″W / 39.177333°N 94.489028°W |
Status | Operating |
Opened | May 26, 1973 |
Owner | Cedar Fair |
General manager | Rick Fiedler |
Theme | Jules Verne's novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" |
Slogan | It's Amazing in Here |
Operating season | April through November |
Area | More than 235 acres (0.95 km2) (~0.90 km²) |
Attractions | |
Total | 43 |
Roller coasters | 8 |
Water rides | 2 |
Website | www |
Worlds of Fun is an entertainment complex with more than 235 acres located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. Founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman, the park opened in 1973 under the ownership of Hunt's company, Mid-America Enterprises. Oceans of Fun is a water park that opened in 1982 and is next to the amusement park. Admission to Oceans of Fun is included with the price of admission to Worlds of Fun. Both parks were sold to Cedar Fair in 1995 for $40 million.
Texas and Arkansas native Lamar Hunt brought the Dallas Texans NFL team, which he owned, to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1963, renaming the franchise the Kansas City Chiefs. [1] He founded an operating company in the region called Mid-America Enterprises, which focused on real estate, mining, and entertainment. [2] Worlds of Fun was conceptualized and developed by Hunt, his business partner Jack Steadman, and theme park designer Randall Duell. Construction on the park began in November 1971 and was completed over 17 months at an estimated cost of $20 million. The park opened on May 26, 1973. [3] [4] It is located at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. At the time it opened, numerous projects across Kansas City were being built, including Kansas City International Airport, Kemper Arena (now called Hy-Vee Arena), and the Truman Sports Complex. The park was originally planned to complement a 500-acre (2.0 km2) hotel and entertainment complex, but a lagging economy during the park's early years derailed the idea.
In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4,000-seat Forum Amphitheater, which opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened in honor of the United States Bicentennial – the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence–and was named Bicentennial Square. The new section included the debut of Screamroller from Arrow Dynamics, which was a replica of the first modern looping roller coaster, Corkscrew, that opened a year earlier at Knott's Berry Farm.
In 1982, Oceans of Fun opened next door as the largest water park in the world. In the same year, a sub-world named "River City" was opened in Americana, adjacent to the East Asia section (then referred to as the Orient section). Screamroller was transformed into Extremeroller the following year, which featured stand-up trains instead of the original sit-down models, making it the first looping, stand-up roller coaster in North America. [5] Several years later, in 1989, Worlds of Fun ended the decade with the addition of Timber Wolf, a wooden roller coaster that initially ranked high in several national polls. [6] [7]
Cedar Fair LP purchased Worlds of Fun in 1995 for $40 million. [8] The new owners invested $10 million with the addition of Mamba, a D.H. Morgan Manufacturing steel hypercoaster, to the park's attraction lineup in 1998. [9]
The park takes its theme from the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days . Worlds of Fun is divided into eight major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, East Asia, Wild West, International Plaza, Planet Snoopy, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Guests enter the park at International Plaza. In 1997, the Americana "main entrance" was closed for the creation of Grand Prix, so the "back gate" has been the "main gate" ever since. The next world to the left is Scandinavia, then Africa, continuing in a clockwise rotation, guests would then enter the Wild West section, then the Americana section, followed by East Asia. The Europa section is located in the approximate center of the circle.
Behind the Wild West section lies the section of Planet Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children). Originally added in 1978 as an expansion of Americana, over the years the grounds have changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978–86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987–97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997–2000), and "Camp Snoopy" (2001–2010), and is currently "Planet Snoopy", new to the 2011 season. Past sub-sections have also included Bicentennial Square, River City, and Beat Street, which have all been absorbed back into Americana.
Although there is no Australian/Oceanic section in the park, there is an Australian-themed Boomerang roller coaster in the Africa section.
Ride name | Picture | Year opened | Manufacturer | Current location | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boomerang | 2000 | Vekoma | Africa | It opened in the vacancy left by the original Zambezi Zinger's departure in 1997 and used Zambezi's line queue. Since 2005, the line queue and signage has moved. | |
Cosmic Coaster | 1993 | Preston & Barbieri | Planet Snoopy | A junior roller coaster that is Snoopy-themed. | |
Mamba | 1998 | Morgan | Africa | The tallest coaster in the park. It is classified as a hypercoaster, which is any coaster that exceeds 200 feet (61 m) in height or drop length. | |
Patriot | 2006 | Bolliger & Mabillard | Americana | An inverted roller coaster that features four inversions, a height of 149 feet (45 m), and a track length of 3,081 feet (939 m). | |
Prowler | 2009 | Great Coasters International | Africa | Prowler was voted Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards. | |
Spinning Dragons | 2004 | Gerstlauer | East Asia | A spinning roller coaster, it was the second ride of its kind in the world after the Fairly Odd Coaster. The ride was built in the East Asia area of the park in 2004 following the retirement of the Orient Express | |
Timber Wolf | 1989 | Dinn Corporation | Wild West | Timber Wolf was voted the world's top roller coaster in the 1991 Inside Track readers survey, and was rated the number one favorite wooden coaster in the 1992 NAPHA survey. | |
Zambezi Zinger | 2023 | Great Coasters International | Africa | Named after a former coaster that operated at Worlds of Fun under the same name, the first ground-up GCI Titan Track wooden coaster. | |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boomerang | 2000 | Vekoma | Boomerang roller coaster | Over 48" | 5 |
Fury of the Nile | 1984 | Intamin | River rafting ride | Over 46" | 4 |
Mamba | 1998 | Morgan | Steel hypercoaster | Over 48" | 5 |
Prowler | 2009 | Great Coasters International | Wooden coaster | Over 48" | 4 |
Zambezi Zinger | 2023* | Great Coasters International and Skyline Attractions | Steel and Wooden coaster Hybrid | Over 48" or 40" with an adult | 4 |
Zulu | 1979 | HUSS | Enterprise | Over 54" | 4 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriot | 2006 | Bolliger & Mabillard | Inverted roller coaster | Over 54" | 5 |
RipCord | 1996 | Sky Fun 1 | Skycoaster | Over 42" | 5 |
Skyliner | 1991 | Eli Bridge | Ferris wheel | Over 48" or 36" with adult | 2 |
SteelHawk | 2014 | Mondial | Windseeker | Over 52" | 5 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Autobahn | 1973 | Reverchon | Bumper Cars ride | Over 48" | 4 |
Flying Dutchman | 1973 | Intamin | Flying Dutchman | Over 46" or with adult | 2 |
Le Taxi Tour | 1973 | Arrow Dynamics | Track car ride | Over 48" or with adult | 2 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Grand Carrousel | 2011 | 1926 M.C. Illions | Supreme Carousel | Over 46" or with adult | 2 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bamboozler | 1987 | Hrubetz | Round Up | Over 46" | 3 |
Spinning Dragons | 2004 | Gerstlauer | Spinning roller coaster | Over 48" or 42" with adult | 5 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beagle Brigade Airfield | 2016 | Zamperla | Flying Tigers | Over 36" or with adult | 2 |
Camp Bus | 2001 | Zamperla | Crazy Bus | Over 36" or with adult | 2 |
Charlie Brown's Windup | 1987 | Zamperla | Lolly Swing | Between 36" and 54" | 1 |
Cosmic Coaster | 1993 | Preston and Barbieri | Wacky Worm | Over 42" | 3 |
Flying Ace Balloon Race | 2011 | Zamperla | Balloon Race | Over 42" or with adult | 2 |
Kite Eating Tree | 2001 | S&S Worldwide | Kite Flyer | Over 36" | 2 |
Linus' Launcher | 2016 | Zamperla | Kite Flyer | Over 42" or 36" with adult | 3 |
Lucy's Tugboat | 2011 | Zamperla | Tugboat | Over 42" or with adult | 2 |
Peanuts 500 | 2011 | Zamperla | Speedway | Over 36" or with adult | 2 |
Pigpen's Petting Farm | 2019 | Koala Play | None | 1 | |
Peanuts Road Rally | 2011 | Zamperla | Over 36" or with adult | 1 | |
Sally's Swing Set | 2011 | Zamperla | Happy Swing | Between 36" and 73" | 2 |
Snoopy Junction | 2016 | Zamperla | Over 36" or with adult | 1 | |
Snoopy vs. Red Baron | 1974 | Herschell | Between 36" and 54" | 2 | |
Snoopy's Rocket Express | 2011 | Zamperla | Over 42" or with adult | 2 | |
Snoopy's Space Buggies | 2016 | Zamperla | Over 36" or with adult | 2 | |
Woodstock Gliders | 2016 | Larson | Flying Scooter | Over 44" or 36" with adult | 3 |
Woodstock Whirlybirds | 2011 | Zamperla | Over 36" or with adult | 2 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fjörd Fjärlane | 1981 | Meisho Rides | Swing Around | Over 46" or with adult | 3 |
Nordic Chaser | 2018 | Mack | Seastorm | Over 48" or 40" with adult | 3 |
Scrambler | 2015 (originally 1973) | Eli Bridge | Scrambler | Over 48" or 36" with adult | 3 |
Sea Dragon | 1994 | Chance Morgan | Pirate ship | Over 48" or with adult | 3 |
Viking Voyager | 1973 | Arrow Dynamics | Log flume | Over 46" or 36" with adult | 4 |
Ride | Year Opened | Ride Manufacturer | Type | Height Requirement | Rating [11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cyclone Sams | 1995 | Chance Rides | Wipeout | Over 48" | 5 |
Detonator | 1996 | S&S Worldwide | Space shot | Over 48" | 5 |
Mustang Runner | 2017 | HUSS | Troika | Over 50" or 42" with adult | 3 |
Timber Wolf | 1989 | Dinn Corporation | Wooden roller coaster | Over 48" | 5 |
Worlds of Fun Railroad | 1973 | Crown Metal Products [12] | 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad | Over 46" or with adult | 2 |
Oceans of Fun is Worlds of Fun's water park. It opened in 1982 as the world's largest water park. It is included with admission to Worlds of Fun, beginning in the 2013 season.
Fast Lane is Worlds of Fun's "two line" system introduced in 2012. For an increased cost (in addition to normal admission charges), visitors receive a wrist band that enables them to bypass the standby line and enter the "Fast Lane" line to significantly reduce their wait time. Fast Lane Plus gets access to select rides not included in basic Fast Lane.
During Halloween Haunt, a similar system named "Fright Lane" is sold. Serving the same purpose as Fast Lane, it significantly reduces the wait times at select haunted attractions. "Fright Lane+" includes a "Skeleton Key", a key that grants holders special access to secret, intense rooms in six of the eight haunted houses. In addition, holders receive special seating for Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. "Fright Lane Max" is a VIP system that allows holders seating at Overlord's Awakening, a meal, and limited edition Haunt T-shirts, in addition to all the perks listed above.
In 2005, Worlds of Fun opened the first on-site resort. The campground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins, 20 cottages, and 82 RV sites, complete with electric and TV cable hookups. Each cabin or cottage can fit 6–8 people.
"Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights", which debuted in 2010, was an immersive light and sound experience starring the Peanuts characters. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights features over 2 million LED lights and a variety of audio soundtracks through the Africa and Europa sections of the park. Along the walkway there were replicas of Snoopy and other characters for guests to view. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights was a one million dollar investment that used special effects and sound design, custom designed for Worlds of Fun by Emmy Award-Winning RWS and Associates. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights opened for its original run on June 4 and ran through September 5, 2010. [19]
Halloween Haunt is a Halloween event that takes place during the Halloween season. It is included in the price of admission.
As of 2022 [update] , it features 11 Extreme Haunts, including six mazes and five scare zones, along with four live shows. [20]
Attraction | Type | Opened | Location | Theme |
---|---|---|---|---|
BloodShed | Maze | 2007 | Americana | Slaughterhouse |
CornStalkers | Maze | 2010 | Africa | Cornfield |
Ripper Alley | Maze | 2017 | Americana | Victorian London |
Lore of the Vampire | Maze | 2004 | East Asia | Vampires |
Blood on the Bayou | Maze | 2015 | Americana | Voodoo Spirits |
Zombie High | Maze | 2012 | Africa | Zombies |
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater | Zone | 2019 | Heart of America Amphitheater | Pumpkin Patch |
Outlaw's Revenge | Zone | 2008 | Wild West | Cowboys |
Fear Ground | Zone | 2022 | Near Tivoli Music Hall | Clowns |
Fright Zone | Zone | 2022 | Africa | Zombies |
Malice in Wonderland | Zone | 2022 | Europa | Alice in Wonderland |
Show | Type | Location |
---|---|---|
Overlord's Awakening | Monologue/Parade | International Plaza |
Haunted Homecoming | Music Performance | Moulin Rouge Hall |
Conjure The Night! | Music Performance | International Plaza |
The Witches' Ball | Dance Performance | International Plaza |
Attraction Name | Replaced By | Year closed |
---|---|---|
Camp Gonnagitcha Wichahatchet | CornStalkers | 2009 |
Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns | CarnEvil | 2006 |
Dominion of Doom | London Terror | 2010 |
Master McCarthy's Doll Factory | Miss Lizzie's Chamber of Horrors | 2012 |
Fright Zone | The Boneyard | 2014 |
Club Blood | Lore of the Vampire expansion | 2015 |
Asylum Island | Urgent Scare | 2017 |
London Terror | Ripper Alley | 2017 |
CarnEvil | Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater | 2018 |
Urgent Scare | Khaos Unleashed | 2019 |
Khaos Unleashed | N/A | 2021 |
Cole Lindbergh, former manager of the park's games department, was featured in a 2011 episode of Public Radio International's This American Life , "Amusement Park." [21] In the nine-minute prologue, [22] host Ira Glass interviews Lindbergh about his management philosophy and plays segments from several YouTube videos he made to promote the park's games. [21]
Worlds of Fun was used as the setting for a skit in a 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live. The skit opens with a still photo of the park's iconic hot-air balloon sign and then cuts to the cast getting ready to ride Viking Voyager. The park's logo can be seen in the sketch and other rides such as Mamba and Zulu are referenced as well. [35]
It also appears in the HBO series The Last of Us. [36]
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point, which is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, is the flagship of the company's amusement park chain. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features 17 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
Kings Island is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located 24 miles (39 km) northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding. After more than $300 million in capital investments over the years, the park has grown to feature over a hundred attractions including fourteen roller coasters and a 33-acre (13 ha) water park.
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a 134-hectare (330-acre) amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life Assurance Company, it was the first major theme park in Canada and remains the country's largest. Cedar Fair purchased the park from Paramount Parks in 2006, and they have owned and operated the park since then. In 2019, it was the most-visited seasonal amusement park in North America with an estimated 3.9 million guests. The park still retains this record, with an estimated 3.8 million guests in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kings Dominion is an amusement park in the eastern United States, located in Doswell, Virginia, twenty miles (30 km) north of Richmond and 75 miles (120 km) south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the 280-acre (1.1 km2) park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park. Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island near Cincinnati, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, "Old Dominion."
Valleyfair is a 125-acre (51 ha) amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 1976 and now features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City which is included with the price of admission. Cedar Point and Valleyfair were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair chain and a combination of the park names – "cedar" and "fair" – were used to name the company.
Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened to the public on March 31, 1973. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It was constructed at a cost of $70 million following a four-year planning period led by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Carowinds also features Carolina Harbor, a 27-acre (11 ha) water park that is included with park admission. Annual events include the Halloween-themed S-Carowinds and the Christmas-themed WinterFest.
California's Great America, or simply Great America and abbreviated CGA, is a 112-acre (45 ha) amusement park located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. California's Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, with Gold Striker among its most notable, which has ranked as a top wooden roller coaster in the world in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today. Other notable rides include RailBlazer, a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and Flight Deck, an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. The park made appearances in the 1994 films Beverly Hills Cop III and Getting Even with Dad.
Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks is a seaside amusement park located on The Wildwoods' boardwalk in Wildwood and North Wildwood, New Jersey. The park has been family owned and operated since 1969 and is currently run by 2nd generation Morey Brothers, Will and Jack. Morey’s Piers has more than 100 rides and attractions across its three amusement piers and two beachfront waterparks.
Michigan's Adventure is a 250-acre (1.0 km2) amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon and Whitehall. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair since 2001. As of 2024, Michigan's Adventure has over 60 rides, slides and attractions, more than any other park in the state.
Mamba is a steel roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Designed by Steve Okamoto and manufactured by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Mamba opened to the public on April 18, 1998. It is classified as a hypercoaster, which is any coaster that exceeds 200 feet (61 m) in height or drop length, and cost $10 million to construct. As of 2022, Mamba is tied with Steel Force at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania as the eighth longest steel coaster in the world.
Phantasialand is a theme park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually. It was opened in 1967 by Gottlieb Löffelhardt and Richard Schmidt. Although starting as a family-oriented park, it has added thrill rides, especially in recent years. Following the example of Europa-Park, it has also decided to attract business customers, calling spring the slogan "Business to Pleasure".
Parque del Café is a theme park in the department of Quindío, Colombia, 4 km south-west of the town of Montenegro and 11 km west of the departmental capital city Armenia. The park was founded by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia and the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Quindío, and opened on 24 February 1995. It consists of two main areas: by the main entrance are the buildings housing the museum and exhibitions detailing the history, culture and process of growing and producing coffee in the region; and in the valley beyond is an amusement park with rides and shows. The two areas are linked by two gondola lifts and a chairlift: it is also possible to walk between the two areas via an ecological trail that passes through a plantation of many varieties of coffee bushes.
Boomerang is a boomerang roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. It opened in the 2000 season, replacing the vacancy left by the original Zambezi Zinger's departure in 1997 and used Zambezi's line queue. Since 2005, the line queue and signage has moved. Boomerang is a "cookie-cutter" or "clone" ride, meaning it is not unique to Worlds of Fun and is manufactured by Vekoma for many other parks. Since Worlds of Fun has no Australia/Oceania section, the Boomerang was fitted into the Africa section.
Cosmic Coaster is a junior roller coaster at Worlds of Fun. The ride is Snoopy-themed and is located within the park's Planet Snoopy section.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park features 64 rides, including eight roller coasters, several thrill rides and kiddie rides, as well as a water park, Wildwater Kingdom, with 19 water rides.
Montaña Rusa is a roller coaster in Colombia. It has been in operation since 1973, except while being moved from 1997 to 1999, and has a capacity of 1,174 riders per hour.
Through its history, Hanna-Barbera has operated theme park attractions, mostly as a section in Kings Island, Carowinds, California's Great America, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and, recently, Six Flags Great America.
Skyline Attractions, LLC is an American amusement ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company founded in 2014 and based in Orlando, Florida. The company also includes a subsidiary company, Skyline Design, LLC, which offers design services inside and outside the amusement industry.
Zambezi Zinger is a wooden roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Manufactured by Great Coasters International (GCI) and designed by Skyline Design, the hybrid coaster features a wooden track with a steel support structure, and it opened to the public on June 19, 2023. The ride is named after the original Zambezi Zinger (1973–1997), a popular steel coaster that opened with the park in 1973. The updated version shares a few similarities to the original and is the first new coaster at Worlds of Fun in more than a decade since the debut of Prowler in 2009.
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