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Along the sides of International
Street, there are long lines of neat shops, in old-fashioned buildings,
including the glassblowers shop, which is neat to wander around in before
hitting the rides, looking at all the strange shaped glass and wondering
how on earth they did it!
Farther up International
Street, on the same side as the glassblower's shop, there is a LaRosa’s
Pizza Carry Out, which I consider to be some of the best food in the park;
I always eat there before going to Oktoberfest.
LaRosa’s Rating: 10 out
of 10
International Street
rating: 8 out of 10
The easiest way to go through
the park is to go to Oktoberfest next, there, you see the Viking Fury,
a Zamperla Swinging Ship, swinging out over the pond. Man, that thing goes
fast! Also in Oktoberfest is the Fest Haus that also serves pizza, but
is not as good as LaRosa’s. Among other old-fashioned buildings and some
food stalls, there is very good theming in the area, which makes up for
the somewhat small size.
Oktoberfest Rating: 9
out of 10
Next stop on the park tour
is Hanna Barbara Land, a kiddieland section.
You enter Hanna-Barbara
Land, and immediately on the left is Phantom of the Opera. This ride, located
in the old boat ride building, has spinning cars similar to Tilt-A-Whirl
cars, except they spin MUCH slower, while moving on a track touring various
mockups and sets designed to look like backstage of an opera house. Near
the end you go by the furnace, which creates a heat blast right at the
car! The blast is strong enough to blow hats off!
Phantom of the Opera
Rating: 2 out of 10
Scooby Zoom (Now Taxi Jam)
A Miler Coasters kiddy steel coaster, about 10 feet high:
A pretty good coaster considering
its size, because it is so small, the ride ops send you through twice,
not even braking before hitting the lift again. This causes it to be fast
enough to make it up the lift without the chain, and the second circuit
is faster than the first.
Scooby Zoom rating: 4
out of 10
Beastie: A John Allen Catalog-Model
Junior Coaster: This coaster is identical to Sea Dragon at Wyandot Lake.
Let's just say its bite is worse than its bark!
Beastie Rating: 4 out of
10, It also could stand some paint.
Next, Coney Mall, here the
main rides begin. First off: Grand Carousel, An original PTC carousel:
Great ride for a carousel! Goes fast, and has a shrub model of the Eiffel
Tower alongside. It's neat to watch it fly by! Best ride is on the outside
seats.
Grand Carousel Rating:
5 out of 10
Zephyr: A Zamperla Power
Swing Ride, and my favorite ride in the park! An excellent ride, it feels
like the chains are going to break, and your feet are going to hit the
surrounding buildings and trees!
Zephyr Rating: 7 out
of 10
Scrambler: A Big Eli Company
Catalog Scrambler. My second favorite ride at this park, like all Scramblers,
the best ride is when it is almost empty, causing it to go EXTREMELY fast!
Just don’t hold on to the bar and stay on the left side of the car for
maximum effect.
Scrambler Rating: 7 out
of 10
Dodgem: Standard bumper cars
with a bumper in the middle, riders are not permitted to bump, except for
minor swiping. It is very easy to get stuck between the center bumper and
another car if you are not careful on the turns, just stay to the outside
and you'll be fine.
Dodgem Rating: 6 out
of 10
The final ride in this review:
Les Taxis: This is interlaced with the other taxi ride, using the same
bridge in the center. A slightly boring ride due to the low speed, and
the HIGHLY ANNOYING other people who drive too slow, making it nearly impossible
to avoid bumping them in the back. At the end, the ops jump onto the running
board of the car at the end to guide it in and stop. The cars are guided
by a single rail in the middle of the road, which widens at the station
to guide the car in.
Les Taxis Rating: 2 out
of 10
On other notes, Top Gun was
only 2 years old then, so the lines were about 2 hours long, also it is
neat to walk along the path by Vortex in the back of the park and watch
the trains zip by, especially at the boomerang. And to watch King Cobra,
and those crazy people standing up on the thing!
Other rides include the
Screecher, a tiny ride in Hanna-Barbara Land that whips you at the corners,
which has since been replaced, along with the radio control boats and trucks.
Overall Rating of Park:
9 out of 10