Worlds Of Fun Article Index for
Worlds Of 		Website Links For
Worlds 		 

Information About

Worlds Of Fun
  CATEGORIES ABOUT WORLDS OF FUN
   
amusement parks in missouri
   
cedar fair amusement parks
   
kansas city metropolitan area
   
1973 establishments
   
APPAREL
BABY
BEAUTY
BOOKS
CAR TOYS
CELL PHONES
DVD'S
ELECTRONICS
GOURMET FOOD
GROCERIES
HEALTH & PERSONAL
HOME & GARDEN
JEWELRY
MUSIC
MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
OFFICE PRODUCTS
SOFTWARE
SPORTING GOODS
TOOLS & HARDWARE
TOYS
VIDEO GAMES
SHOPPING HOME
MORE SHOPPING...



  Caption Worlds of Fun Stats
  Location 4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue • <p> Kansas City, Missouri 64161
  Area 235&nbspacres <span style="white-space: ">(~090 km&2)</span>
  Opening Date May 26 1973
  Season April through October
  Rides 43
  Coasters 6
  Water Rides 3
  Owner Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
  Homepage http://wwwworldsoffuncom


''Worlds of Fun'' (WOF) is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri , United States . The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold '''Worlds of Fun''' to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. , who currently owns the park. '''Worlds of Fun''' has an attached water park called Oceans Of Fun .


HISTORY

Worlds of Fun opened on May 26 , 1973 , at a cost of 25 million dollars. It was situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex developed by Hunt in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri . Immediately south of the park is Hunt's SubTropolis underground business complex.

At the time, numerous modernization projects were transforming Kansas City including the opening of Kansas City International Airport , Bartle Hall and Kemper Arena . In 1976, a new section opened for America's Bicentennial called Bicentennial Square. Three mascots also accompanied Worlds of Fun in the early days: Sam Panda, Grrrtrude the Lovable Gorilla, and Dan'l Coon.

In 1982, ten years after Worlds of Fun's opening, ''' Oceans Of Fun ''' (at the time the largest water park in the world) opened next door. However, it would take another ten years before the two parks were linked.


PARK LAYOUT


The park is themed around the Jules Verne book, Around The World In Eighty Days . Worlds of Fun is divided into five major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Within Americana, Camp Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children), could be considered the sixth major section. Originally added as an expansion of Americana, over the years the ground currently occupied by Camp Snoopy has 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 currently "Camp Snoopy" (2001-present)).

There is no part of the park themed for Oceania, or Australia, so two Australian-themed rides are fit into other sections. They are Boomerang in Africa, and '''Bounce-A-Roos''' in Europa.


WORLDS OF FUN VILLAGE

In 2005 Worlds of Fun opened the first on site resort. The camp ground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" the Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins and 20 cottages and 82 sites for RVs, complete with electric and TV cable hook ups. Each cabin or cottage can fit from 6-8 people.


RIDES

List of rides as of 2007. Worlds of Fun: Inside the Park - Rides

  • + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.



Roller coasters




Other notable rides


  • Viking Voyager (1973), a classic Log-flume Ride , but themed with Viking-style boats.

  • Fury of the Nile (1984), the first and only River Rafting Ride that isn't drained every night. It also was the first to have a turnstile-type loading dock. For Halloweekends in October, the water is dyed blood red.

  • Detonator (1996), the first Space Shot in the United States and the first in the world to have twin towers.

  • RipCord (1996), a 190-foot-tall Skycoaster .

  • Thunderhawk (2002), a Top Spin ride with fountains that spray on the riders when the weather is warm. The fountains are not operating for the 2007 season.


As of 2006, only 12 rides have weathered each season since opening in 1973, most notably the Viking Voyager, '''Finnish Fling''', '''Le TaxiTour''' and the '''Flying Dutchman''', which park founder Lamar Hunt said was his favorite.


RETIRED RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS

See Also: Closed rides and attractions#Worlds of Fun


  • Schussboomer, (1973-1984), a ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.

  • Screamroller/Extremeroller(EXT), (1976-1988), the first Stand-up Roller Coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted back to the original sit-down style.

  • Zambezi Zinger , (1973-1997), a steel "Speedracer"-type roller coaster (one of only two in existence at the time of its removal) with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Currently in operation at the National Theme Park of Colombia , South America .

  • Incred-O-Dome, (1981-1997), an OMNIMAX -style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, the ''Orient Express'' coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards away from the actual ride.

  • Omegatron, (1986-2001), a six-story, upside-down thrill ride.

  • Orient Express , (1980-2003), the first roller coaster in to world to feature a Batwing (then known as a "kamikaze curve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops.



REFERENCES



SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL LINKS