Amusement Park News

Funland children's amusement park is bringing new and exciting rides to its Virginia location in Fredericksburg.  General manager Clink Novak reports that the pad for the drop tower was poured in December, and now the ride has been installed. Dubbed the Patriot Plunge, the red, white, and blue 40-foot drop tower seats ten guests. Adding to that family thrill ride is a second new attraction, The Flip Side, a mini-dance party style ride.

Both attractions come from ride manufacturer SBF-Visa through brokerage from Rides 4-U, which represents the international company.



The rides are scheduled for a grand opening in March, 2023, although preview days may be forthcoming as weather permits. The park was the first in the state to offer year-round rides and keeps as many rides as possible open at the park all year, allowing for individual ride overhaul, maintenance, and closures as needed during the winter months. Already open at the park this winter is a recently added indoor Sky Trail, a ropes course that includes 25 different challenges as well as a zip line sailing above the arcade.



And another new feature for the park is Tailgaters Sports Grill, a full dining attraction including adult beverages. A version of this dining option is already in place at the park owners' indoor Fairfax, Virginia location, and will be coming soon in full to Fredericksburg. They plan to duplicate the upscale gastropub food offerings at their other park, which will make dining a far cry from the Funland's original snack bar style eatery. Tailgaters will offer a higher quality experience for guests to enjoy and should also encourage visitors to relax and stay at the park for a longer period.  To shape the new dining space, Funland has already installed an outdoor patio seating area, three openable garage doors, and Astroturf. There will also be a tent set up at the location to accommodate events. Creating an inclusive area where guests can mingle is the goal. Large-screen televisions will be positioned throughout the venue, indoors and out.

The menu's upgrade includes a variety of pub-style eats, such as cheesesteak sandwiches, wings, and upscale burgers. The park hopes that these dining options will be completed and available by the end of 2023. A full-service bar is already available, and a café-type setting is open with the name Tailgater's Express. On an upstairs mezzanine, TVs are already installed for guests to watch favorite sports and relax comfortably in a porch-like area with a view.

The new rides opening this year should prove as tasty to guests as the new dining options. While a family attraction, the Patriot Plunge Drop, is designed to offer a thrilling and excellent view for riders, as well as provide higher visibility for the park from the road. The look, the thrill, and the family appeal all made the ride a solid choice for the park. According to Novak, “We wanted a variety of both thrill and fun…” when it comes to choosing new rides at the park, and the Plunge fit the bill.

The Flip Side does fits the same mold. The eight-seater Dance Party style attraction is described by Novak as “the most thrilling ride we've had here.” It began testing at the park in the late fall but is still listed as “coming soon” on the park's website. Novak says that the ride has three different cycles including one that does not go upside down; a medium intensity level flip; and an extreme level option. The intent of the park is to operate the ride at the medium level but it can alter the level if a group of guests requests it. The medium level allows riders to swing upside down, but keeps things calm enough for families to ride.



Novak is dedicated to continuing the park's growth. Open for over 25 years, the park has shepherded in a variety of additional attractions recently, starting with an indoor SBF spinning coaster and the Clip and Climb, both of which were added in 2018. Novak says the park is always adding new rides. Indeed, in 2019, there was a large multi-level go-kart track added, and a complete rehab was performed on the batting cages for a shiny new look. Late that year, the park added a Triotech XD dark ride, and also enlarged its arcade. The dark ride offers six interactive experiences, encouraging multiple rides. The arcade now features over 130 video and arcade games that offer tickets and prizes. It's considered one of the largest arcades in the Virginia-Washington, D.C.-Maryland regional area.

While the park was closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Novak wasn't wasting any downtime in 2020 either, creating enhancements such as new greens on the mini-golf course, and updated painting on a variety of rides.

The RCI-created ropes course, which is located over the park's indoor arcade, was added in January 2022. RCI describes the course as a “vertical extension of fun,” and one that requires minimal maintenance.

While still considered a Family Entertainment Center, Funland is well on its way toward a more complete amusement park status with its updated features and new ride additions, as well as its enhanced dining program all for 2023.

The attraction offers Day Pass Wristbands for $53.99 that includes video games in the arcade as well as a day pass that offers rides and attractions only without the arcade add-on for $41.99. Evening Twilight passes are discounted by $20.