Alabama Adventure Theme Park
Encyclopedia
Alabama Adventure is an Alabama
amusement park
, located off Interstate 20
/59
in Bessemer
, just west of Birmingham
and east of Tuscaloosa
. It is owned by Adrenaline Family Entertainment
which also operates the Clementon Amusement Park
in New Jersey
.
It is home to Magic City USA Theme Park and Splash Beach Water Park. It includes a children's area called Marvel City and a shopping/dining area known as Celebration Street.
Alabama Adventure is the host of the First Financial Bank Concert Series, which has included such acts like Jesse McCartney
, Aly & AJ
, Vanessa Hudgens, Drake Bell
, and Raven Symone.
In 2005, the Alabama theme park was visited by approximately 345,000 people, making the park Alabama's second-most popular tourist destination according to the Bureau of Tourism and Travel and trailing only the Birmingham Zoo
. In 2006, the number of visitors to Alabama Adventure rose to more than 388,000. It was the winner of Alabama's "2007 Attraction of the Year."
Located nearby is WaterMark Place, a 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) outdoor manufacturers' outlet shopping mall.
mayor Larry Langford
who later became the mayor of Birmingham
and is now in Federal prison due to multiple corruption convictions. Eleven cities came together to form the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority. With help from the Alabama Legislature, the group borrowed $65 million to build the park. Construction began in March 1997, and the park opened for business on May 23, 1998. The park opened with four major areas, including Celebration City Theme Park, Steel Waters Water Park, a children's area called Marvel City, and a shopping/dining area known as Main Street.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
, located off Interstate 20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
/59
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
in Bessemer
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
, just west of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and east of Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
. It is owned by Adrenaline Family Entertainment
Adrenaline Family Entertainment
Adrenaline Family Entertainment, Inc. is an amusement park operator headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. It was created in 2007 by private equity firm Angelo, Gordon & Co. when it acquired Clementon Park in Clementon, New Jersey. The company plans to expand by building a portfolio of regional...
which also operates the Clementon Amusement Park
Clementon Amusement Park
Clementon Park and Splash World is a small amusement park located in Clementon, New Jersey in Camden County, New Jersey, United States right on Clementon Lake and close to the Pine Valley Golf Club. Also known as Clementon Lake Park, it is one of the world's oldest operating amusement parks...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
It is home to Magic City USA Theme Park and Splash Beach Water Park. It includes a children's area called Marvel City and a shopping/dining area known as Celebration Street.
Alabama Adventure is the host of the First Financial Bank Concert Series, which has included such acts like Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
, Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ
78violet is a pop rock band consisting of sisters Alyson and Amanda Michalka. They were born in Torrance, California, but spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington. They are both actresses, singer-songwriters, and guitarists. They signed a record deal with the Disney-owned label,...
, Vanessa Hudgens, Drake Bell
Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell , better known as Drake Bell, is an American actor, comedian, guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, and occasional television director. After beginning his career as a child star in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared on The Amanda Show and became well-known among young...
, and Raven Symone.
In 2005, the Alabama theme park was visited by approximately 345,000 people, making the park Alabama's second-most popular tourist destination according to the Bureau of Tourism and Travel and trailing only the Birmingham Zoo
Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park that opened in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama . The zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species from six continents....
. In 2006, the number of visitors to Alabama Adventure rose to more than 388,000. It was the winner of Alabama's "2007 Attraction of the Year."
Located nearby is WaterMark Place, a 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) outdoor manufacturers' outlet shopping mall.
History
Alabama Adventure was previously known as VisionLand. It was built largely as a result of efforts by FairfieldFairfield, Alabama
Fairfield is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover Metropolitan Area. The population was 12,381 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the Census estimates the population to be 11,547.-History:...
mayor Larry Langford
Larry Langford
Larry Paul Langford is the former mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He previously served on the Jefferson County, Alabama, Commission, including four years as the first African American commission president. He also served as mayor of Fairfield, Alabama, and served one term on the...
who later became the mayor of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and is now in Federal prison due to multiple corruption convictions. Eleven cities came together to form the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority. With help from the Alabama Legislature, the group borrowed $65 million to build the park. Construction began in March 1997, and the park opened for business on May 23, 1998. The park opened with four major areas, including Celebration City Theme Park, Steel Waters Water Park, a children's area called Marvel City, and a shopping/dining area known as Main Street.
- 1999 - The park expanded, adding Wild River Gorge, a river rapids attraction. Dino Domain, a walk through exhibit featuring animatronic dinosaurs is built in the woods behind Main Street but closes after the season
- 2001 - Wild River Gorge reopened with minor adjustments along with Stratosfear Screamer, an S&S PowerS&S PowerS&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...
twin tower attraction.
- 2002 - The park filed Chapter 9 bankruptcyBankruptcyBankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, and only operated Steel Waters. It was purchased for $6 million, a loss of $59 million in public funds. It was purchased and operated by Southland Entertainment GroupSouthland Entertainment GroupSouthland Entertainment Group is an Alabama based company that owned Alabama Adventure Theme Park near Birmingham, Alabama from 2003 until May 15, 2008. It is owned by Team Pro Parks and South Brook Entertainment....
.
- 2003 - Visionland (uncapitalizing the "L") reopens with Magic Adventure Theme Park, Splash Beach Water Park, Marvel City, and Celebration Street. Magic Adventure received a scrambler attraction called Wild Scrambler and Splash Beach received a wave pool named Kahuna Waves and a nine-story-tall free fall slide called Acapulco Drop. Starting this season park guests had the option to buy tickets to either the amusement park or the water park or a combo ticket to both parks.
- 2004 - Splash Beach received a new water attraction called Splashdown!, a toilet bowl-style ride.
- 2005 - Magic Adventure opened the first new roller coaster since the park's opening named ZoomerangZoomerang (Alabama Adventure)Zoomerang is a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster that operates at Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. It originally opened in 1988 as Titan at World Expo Park in Brisbane, Australia. It closed after only one season before opening as Demon in 1992 at Wonderland in Sydney...
, a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster relocated from Sydney, Australia. The park also re-opened one of the former attractions named Cahaba Falls, a log flumeLog flumeA log flume is a flume specifically constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. These watertight trough-like channels could be built to span a long distance across chasms and down steep mountain slopes...
attraction. The park held naming contests for both attractions on its website.
- 2006 - Southland announced the rebranding of the park under the Alabama Adventure name, along with major expansion plans, including a hotel including an indoor water park, an RV parkRV parkA recreational vehicle park or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in alloted spaces known as "pitches"...
, and other amenities. Magic Adventure was renamed Magic City USA to reflect the new theming strategy. The park also announced plans for a summer concert series, featuring popular musical acts and artists.
- 2007 - The park added two new attractions, including Vertigo, one of the original attractions of VisionLand, which had been removed in 2003, and Salamander Bay, a re-themed children's play area at Splash Beach formerly known as Quarry Bay. The summer concert series returned to the park and became an annual event.
- 2008 - Southland Entertainment sold the park to Adrenaline Family EntertainmentAdrenaline Family EntertainmentAdrenaline Family Entertainment, Inc. is an amusement park operator headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. It was created in 2007 by private equity firm Angelo, Gordon & Co. when it acquired Clementon Park in Clementon, New Jersey. The company plans to expand by building a portfolio of regional...
, a group of former executives of Six FlagsSix FlagsSix Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
. Southland will concentrate on developing the remaining acreage that it owns adjacent to the park, with plans for hotels, an RV parkRV parkA recreational vehicle park or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in alloted spaces known as "pitches"...
, and other amenities.
- 2009 - The park announced the first major expansion since 2005, and the first to Splash Beach since 2004. The expansion is to include a new attraction from VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's WhiteWater West called "UpSurge!", a 216 foot flume slide with a vertical half pipe ending in a 25,000-gallon splash pool. The park also combined both parks into one ticket price.
- 2010 - The park began promoting a casting call for new "indoor theatrical entertainment" called "Beat Street" that premiered in the brand new Star Theater. The park also relaunched its website, branding the park as Alabama Adventure Water and Theme Park.
- 2011 - The park added Buzzsaw Falls, a SkyTrans Manufacturing Shoot the Chutes ride. It is located between the parks Celebration Street and Stratos Fear Screamer tower ride.
Incidents & Accidents
In June 2011, there was a fight that broke out between several youth and spread throughout the park. One guest described it as a borderline riot. The Bessemer Police were called to the park and no more guests were allowed into the park. It was blamed on a "$10 before 10AM" promotion the park ran.Wild River Gorge
- In August 2009, a family of three and one other park visitor were injured when the ride's boat capsized. Witnesses said that the families boat hit an empty boat and was overturned. The family were underwater for approximately 20 seconds.
- In 2001, a boat filled with park employees was overturned when the employees rocked the boat. No one was injured.
- In 1999, when the park was called Vision land, five people were injured when a raft overturned.
Roller Coasters
| Roller Coaster | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rampage Rampage (Alabama Adventure) Rampage is a wooden roller coaster located at Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. It opened on May 23, 1998.-History:Construction of the coaster would commence in the fall of 1997, and the ride would celebrate its topping out ceremony on December 2, 1997. The name Rampage was selected as the... |
1998 | A Custom Coasters International Custom Coasters International Custom Coasters International was one of the premier wooden roller coaster manufacturers in the world and produced more wooden coasters in recent times than any other company... wooden coaster. This coaster opened when the park opened. |
| Marvel Mania | 1998 | A Miler Coasters steel family roller coaster. Located in Marvel City. |
| Zoomerang Zoomerang (Alabama Adventure) Zoomerang is a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster that operates at Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. It originally opened in 1988 as Titan at World Expo Park in Brisbane, Australia. It closed after only one season before opening as Demon in 1992 at Wonderland in Sydney... |
2005 | A Vekoma Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment... Boomerang Boomerang (roller coaster) Boomerang is a model of roller coaster built by Vekoma, and named after the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians... roller coaster relocated from the defunct Wonderland Wonderland Sydney Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park was the largest one in the southern hemisphere. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was the premier theme park in New South Wales for much of its life, but it closed in 2004... in Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia. |
Flat/Spinning Attractions
| Attraction | Year Opened | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | 1998 | Bertazzon Musik Express | |
| Scrambler | 2003 | Eli Bridge Scrambler Twist (ride) The Twist, also known as the Twister, Cyclone, Sizzler, Scrambler, Merry Mixer, Jambalaya, or Grasscutter is an amusement ride in which suspended riders spinning in cars experience the illusion that they will crash into other suspended, spinning cars. Riders are seated in small carriages clustered... |
|
| Vertigo (formerly Voyager) | 1998; 2007 | Huss Enterprise Enterprise (ride) The Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1972. The ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was... |
Operated from 1998-2001; In storage 2003-2006 |
| Mind Spinner (formerly MindSpinder) | 1998 | Fabarii Crazy Dance | |
| Fender Bender | 1998 | Bertazzon Bumper Cars | |
| Tidal Wave | 1998 | Zierer Zierer Zierer is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures Tivoli and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying carpets, Hextentanz and Kontiki rides... Wave Swinger |
|
| Pirate Ship (formerly The Pirate) | 1998 | Huss Pirate Ship | |
| Midway Carousel | 1998 | Chance Carousel |
Other Major Attractions
| Attraction | Year Opened | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzsaw Falls | 2011 | SkyTrans Manufacturing Shoot-the-Chutes Shoot-the-Chutes Shoot-the-Chutes is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume, a Shoot-the-Chutes generally has larger boats and one single drop.... |
|
| Woodchuck Run (formerly "Cahaba Falls") | 1998; 2005 | Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of... log Flume Log flume (attraction) Log flumes originally referred to a special construct used to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. Today, however, the term is also used to refer to an amusement ride consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats... |
Operated from 1998-2001;In storage 2003-2004 |
| Wild River Gorge | 1999; 2001 | FAB River Rapids River rafting ride A river rafting ride is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting.-History:The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall and developed by Intamin AG... |
Operated briefly in 1999; Reopened in 2001 |
| Giant Wheel (formerly Sky Wheel) | 1998 | Mondial Ferris wheel Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on... |
|
| StratosFear Screamer (formerly Spaceshot) | 2001; 2003 | S&S Power S&S Power S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996... Space Shot Space Shot Space Shot is a type of amusement ride manufactured by S&S Power.The ride is a drop tower type attraction that uses compressed air to rapidly propel riders up the tower then gently lower them with a series of air-cushioned bounces back to the loading platform.The first space shot to be built in the... |
Operated with two towers in 2001;One tower removed in 2003 |
Children's Attractions
| Attraction | Year Opened | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel City Speedway | 1998 | Zamperla Zamperla Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.... Speedway |
|
| Adventure Express (formerly Visionland Express) | 1998 | Zamperla Zamperla Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.... Rio Grande Train |
|
| Ballon Wheel (formerly Sky Wheel II) | 1998 | Zamperla Zamperla Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.... Midi Wheel |
|
| Motorcross | 1998 | Hampton Motorcycle Jump | |
| Convoy | 1998 | Sartori Convoy Trucks | Moved to former Loc-O-Motion location in 2005 |
| Bump-A-Round | 1998 | Bertazzon Kiddie Bumper Cars | |
| Barnstormer | 1998 | Zamperla Zamperla Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls.... Mini Jet |
Splash Beach Attractions
| Attraction | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UpSurge! | 2009 | A 216 foot flume that takes riders up and down a vertical half pipe and end in a 25,000-gallon pool of water. |
| Acapulco Drop | 2003 | Nine story tall free fall drop slide. |
| Castaway Island (formerly Tower Works) | 1998 | A multi-level water play area for children with slides, geysers, and other water features. |
| Kahuna Waves | 2003 | An 800,000 gallon wave pool with 4 ft (1.2 m) waves. Also has a real sand beach. |
| Neptune's Plunge (formerly Mineshaft) | 1998 | Four enclosed tube slides. |
| Salamander Bay (formerly Quarry Bay) | 1998; 2007 | A water play area for smaller children. Re-themed, including new slides and other features, in 2007. |
| Splashdown | 2004 | A toilet bowl style slide. |
| Warrior River | 1998 | A relaxing "lazy river" style ride. |
Former Attractions
| Attraction | Years Operated | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Typhoon | 1998 | A polyp style ride. Replaced by two upcharge attractions in 1999. The Scrambler opened in this location in 2003. |
| StratosFear Screamer | 2001 | StratosFear Screamer was a twin tower ride from S&S Power. It featured Launch (what is now "StratosFear Screamer") and Re-Entry (A Turbo Drop). When Southland purchased Visionland they kept the Space Shot side, which still operates at Alabama Adventure today, and S&S regained ownership of the Turbo Drop. It is now at Lake Compounce Lake Compounce Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol, Connecticut, United States and a part of the neighboring town of Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, having operated every year... where it operates as Down Time. |
| Loc-O-Motion | 1998–2003 | A children's hand truck style ride. The Convoy was relocated to this spot in 2005. |
| Patriot | 2003–2006 | A Round Up style ride. Replaced the Voyager. For the 2007 season Patriot was removed and the Voyager was re-installed and re-named the Vertigo. |
| Rockwall/Venturer | 1999–2000 | Two upcharge attractions. Rockwall was a portable rockwall guests could climb and Venturer was a small motion simulator. Replaced Typhoon. The Scrambler opened in this location in 2003. |