Tag: Other Attractions

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Off The Rails: 13 Totally Trackless Dark Rides from Worst to Best

For the better part of a century, designers have been racing toward the next best thing in ride system technology… From simple carts powered by electric bus-bars, to high-capacity boat-based dark rides; from the continuously-moving Omnimover to the debut of Disney’s Enhanced Motion Vehicle (EMV) in 1995 that makes guests the center of the action… At each step of the way, evolutions in ride system technology have changed the ways that designers can tell stories.

But when we looked at the Seven Modern Wonders of the Theme Park World, one cutting edge technology stands out as the way of the future: rides untethered by tracks entirely. A new generation of trackless rides allow vehicles to do what once seemed impossible: to make choices; to diverge down new paths; to spin and dance around one another in precisely-calibrated near-collisions; to become alive.

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.



This article and hundreds more are available for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!

If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.


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GATORLAND: The Wild Story of Florida’s “Cold-Blooded” Theme Park

Florida existed long before Walt Disney World.

And if you can believe it, tourism even existed in Florida existed before Mickey set up shop in the formerly quiet wetlands of Orlando.

In fact, you don’t need to drive far from the entertainment epicenter of Orange County to find yourself in real Florida – a land of wildlife, mangroves, wetlands, wildflowers, beaches, and natural, spring-fed lakes. Even today, as Harry Potter and Star Wars battle it out behind the gated walls of corporate playgrounds, other worlds exists just a daytrip away… That’s exactly the reason our Roadside Wonders series took a detour from Disney in our in-depth look at Weeki Wachee Springs, where generations of tourists have come face-to-fin with real mermaids…

But before Weeki Wachee – and, in fact, before Florida was even called Florida – this part of the world has been home to something decidedly prehistoric. For almost seventy years, Gatorland has proclaimed itself the “Alligator Capitol of the World.” And for generations of travelers, this swampy animal park along Orange Blossom Trail – just 30 minutes from Magic Kingdom – has been as much an annual tradition as a ride on Peter Pan’s Flight…

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.



This article and hundreds more are available for Gold and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!

If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Gold and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.


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Mermaids Are Real. This Is the “Tail” of the Enchanted Florida Spring They Call Home.

Florida existed long before Walt Disney World.

Believe it or not, tourism in Florida existed before Mickey set up shop in the formerly quiet wetlands of Orlando, too.

In fact, you don’t need to drive far from the entertainment epicenter of Orange County to find yourself in real Florida – a land of wildlife, mangroves, wetlands, wildflowers, beaches, and natural, spring-fed lakes. Even today, as Harry Potter and Star Wars battle it out behind the gated walls of corporate playgrounds, other worlds exists just a daytrip away: worlds of alligators, dinosaurs, tikis, flamingos, parrots… and mermaids.

Before strip malls and outlets dotted the landscape, roadside attractions dating back to mid-century Americana littered the Floridian landscape, and while quite a few survive today, there may be none as fantastic as Weeki Wachee Springs, where mermaids are real.

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.



This article and hundreds more are available for Gold and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!

If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Gold and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.


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The Real Pizza Rat: How Chuck E. Cheese Revolutionized Video Gaming and Created Family Entertainment

He’s a cartoon, comedic mouse beloved by generations; a corporate icon endlessly adaptable to new ages through updated antics and fresh animation; an iconic character leading a pack of cartoon misfits recognized by kids of all ages. Know who we’re talking about? Okay, okay… What if we told you that the rodent we’re thinking of also loves pizza, arcade games, and redeeming prize tickets for pencils, sticky slap-hands, and Slinkies? 

If you had a child, knew a child, or were a child in the ’80s or ’90s, it’s nearly impossible that you avoided a trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza. In fact, for generations of themed entertainment design fans, this unexpectedly elaborate pizza parlor and arcade was a theme park close to home; a chance to play, win, and eat in an exploratory environment “where a kid can be a kid;” where an animatronic band of cartoon characters felt real and alive; where Entertainment was literally the host’s middle name.

Today, as part of Park Lore’s industry-examining, in-depth Special Features collection, we’ll explore the surprising origin of this local playground and how Chuck E. Cheese’s revolutionized video gaming and created the “family entertainment center.” For a moment, forget rats, pizza, or animatronics. The birth of Chuck E. Cheese actually begins with something unexpected…

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.



This article and hundreds more are available for Gold and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!

If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Gold and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.


Log In or Join Now
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