Amusement Park News

Palace Entertainment owns and operates a variety of amusement park venues in many states, and this year they are making good use of the off-season with projects ongoing at over half its parks. 

Three waterparks are receiving new WhiteWater West Aqua Loops, each called Bombs Away. The attractions were originally slated to open back in 2020 but were derailed by the pandemic. The thrilling water slide will be featured at Raging Waters in California, Sandcastle in Pennsylvania, and at North Carolina's Wet n' Wild.

And in addition to these new rides, in Riverside, Calif., Castle Park will expand its range of seasonal events to encourage more visits by season passholders. The park will add to their Springfest, Halloween season Castle Dark event, Dia de Los Muertos offerings, and Duke's Very Merry Village events. Also slated for expansion, the family dance event, Duke's Dance Party, which is held Saturdays during summer months. Castle Dark already expanded its offerings this year, and the success of that expansion augers well for continued growth of the popular Inland Empire event. New this year were a number of mazes: the event's largest maze, Phobias, as well as Mr. Tubb's Twisted Circus featuring crazed clowns and freakish acrobats, and Home Sweet Home, which wasn't meant to be as sweet as its name implied. The amusement park operated four Halloween scare zones this year as well as running its rides and opening its four miniature golf courses during the event.



Also slated for new projects is Dutch Wonderland, located in Lancaster, PA. The amusement park was once again awarded a Golden Ticket as Best Family Theme Park, but the management team is not sitting on its laurels. The theme park is planning to pair a visit to the location with stays at the Cartoon Network Hotel or Old Mill Stream Campground, by providing package visits with additional benefits. Both stays are offered year ‘round. And like Castle Park, Dutch Wonderland will also be offering more seasonal events such as Happy Hauntings and Dutch Winter Wonderland. The park will also be adding additional operating dates for those events as well.

In western Pennsylvania, Idlewild and SoakZone, will also be looking to add additional days of operation to their schedules,and expand seasonal events. Close by, in Kennywood, the park plans to build on their already successful dining event, the Bites and Pints Food & Drink Festival. Park management plans to add more value including discounts at the event for season passholders. Kennywood has also been refurbishing and repainting four of its coasters, such as the Jack Rabbit, Phantom's Revenge, Racer, and Thunderbolt. As noted, Sandcastle, Kennywood's waterpark, will add WhiteWater's Bombs Away slide.



Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn., celebrated its 175th year in 2021, and is currently doing some retracking on its Boulder Dash ride. Major refurbishments were made at the park prior to its anniversary. The historic park is also adding to is food offerings and special events line up in 2022 however, including its own iteration of the Bites and Pints Food & Drink Festival. 

Heading north to Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire, live entertainment, and character meet and greets will be returning to the park and enhanced experiences after long pandemic closures. 

And at Noah's Ark Waterpark, located in the Wisconsin Dells, new special events are also in the works, including the Father's Day Flop and weeks with specially designated events for kids and local heroes. Food and beverage offerings will also be amended.

Returning to the big splash offered at Palace Entertainment waterparks in the next year, Raging Waters in Los Angeles, Calif. is eager to promote and open its new Bombs Away, starting with emphasizing the thrilling slide's free fall drop and two dueling 300-foot slides. Guest sliding speeds will be up to 26-feet per second, for a big splash indeed, park management reports.

At Raging Waters Sacramento, family fun activities are what will be making a big wave, starting with a month-long celebration geared to children in June. The Kids Month events will include entertainment activities as well as admission discounts for the small fry.



Also in Northern California, Raging Waters San Jose, the region's largest water park, will expand its season, with weekend operations lasting through October. Back east in Pittsburgh, the city's Hometown Waterpark will expand its hours as well, with what the park terms “the longest schedule in park history.”

Splish Splash in Calverton, N.Y. is busy refurbishing its Surf Shack retail store, and plans to reopen its Monsoon Lagoon attraction. Expansive entertainment events will also be part of the 2022 season.

Water Country, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, New England's largest water park, is also adding special events to its lineup, focusing on seasonal themes.

And, at Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, N.C., Bombs Away is also getting a home, with the management team anticipating great excitement for the double-barreled dueling slide.

With all of these additions planned, Palace Entertainment parks should be able to bring guests a wetter and wilder time in 2022.