Many of the park's removed attractions are documented - The Old Dominion Steam Train, The "Lost World" Mountain w/Haunted River, the Monorail through the animal areas, and of course Lake Charles. The theme park fully opened two years earlier with 15 attractions; its Lion Country Safari area had opened in 1974. The amusement ride wiki. When I was there last weekend I was trying to walk up to that tunnel and look inside but I was afraid I would get in trouble to I decided not to. Have a splashtastic blast with water slides, splash pads, a wave pool, a lazy river, cabanas, and more! An Intamin Flying Dutchman flat ride called Jamestown Landing operated in Old Virginia through the 1970s, and was removed in 1980. Here is a timeline of Kings Dominion Attractions 1974 - Lion Country Safari & Scooby Doo Rollercoaster open as a preview. Families raced down 12 hills on the Rebel Yell racing roller coaster, took a spin on the Carousel, viewed the musical revue "Give My Regards to Broadway" in the Mason Dixon Music Hall and observed the park atop a 315-foot-tall Eiffel Tower. Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia in Hanover County, 23 miles (37 km) north of Richmond and 83 miles (134 km) south of Washington, DC on Interstate 95. . Acampground was added in 1978 and a popular attraction known as Lost World debuted in 1979. Kings Dominion added another launched roller coaster in 1998, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, in the former Lost World mountain. The northern Hanover County theme parks iconic sign along Interstate 95 is getting a face-lift with an updated logo, LED lighting and a bigger full-color screen. Kings Dominion, along with Kings Island, Carowinds, Great America and Canada's Wonderland, were sold midway through the season to Paramount Communications, Inc. An exciting new attraction opened this year with Days of Thunder, a racing simulator ride. [11] They thought that if students were not able to attend school in August, then more families would spend money at Kings Dominion, and more teenagers would be able to provide a low-cost workforce to the amusement park. The rides trains are themed to Olympic bobsleds from five countries:United States, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. Kings Dominion is filled with AMAZING fun for everyone in the family. [57] Kings Dominion cancelled the event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But if you want thrill rides, it's your place. From left are driver Ken Lion, Lora Becraft and Larry and Mary Tropea. This attraction also appeared at Kings Island, Dorney Park, Cedar Point, and Canada's Wonderland. [53] A steam train ride called Old Dominion Line operated nearby in the same park section. A few small elements are still missing, but many key components are there. [30] Dominator opened on May 24, 2008, becoming Kings Dominion's first roller coaster with five inversions. In the 2006 season, Kings Dominion opened the Italian Job Turbo Coaster, its fourth launched roller coaster. The ride featured two separate launch sections, a roll-out inversion on the top of the mountain, and three heartline rolls on the way back down. The theme park opened with 15 attractions; its Lion Country Safari area had opened a year before. The following season, in 1997, saw the debut of KidZville, which was a re-theming of the Hanna-Barbera section. The Time Shaft (1979-1997) The Haunted River (1980-1997) Diamond Falls (1985-2002) Sky Pilot (1989-1994) Categories Categories: Virginia . All in all, "Lost World" is a fine addition to Kings Dominion, and . This all-new section featuresrides, shows andattractions specifically for kids. Halloween Haunt is an annual Halloween event at Kings Dominion on weekends during the months of September and October. The Showplace re-opened as the Kingswood Amphitheatre. Expansion continued in the waterpark area with a re-theme to WaterWorks in 1999. This May 1979 image shows the interior of the new Time Shaft ride at the Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell. Includes unlimited visits in 2023, free parking & more! Tim Wright Kings. Little ones can get their own thrills at Planet Snoopy, featuring the entire PEANUTS gang. The ride opened on May 26, 1979 along with Journey to the Land of Dooz and Voyage to Atlantis as part of the new The Lost World themed area. In 2015, the water park was expanded and re-branded as Soak City.[35]. Also new this year is a popular family ride, Triple Spin. Rangers manned a lookout tower at Kings Dominion Lion Country Safari Park, waiting for calls for assistance. The new ride resembled a bobsled run and even got a thumbs-up from members of that years Jamaican Olympic bobsled team, who visited the park to help introduce the ride. [13] Three parks were involved in the sale Kings Island, Kings Dominion, and Carowinds along with a 20-percent stake in Canada's Wonderland. Anew waterpark addition opened in 1992, Hurricane Reef. There are other versions of the ride in Cedar Fair parks such as Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, and Carowinds. (1979 - 1995) Centrifugal force, created as the ride spun, held passengers against the wall as the floor dropped out. [40][41][42], Normal operation resumed for the 2021 season, and in August of that year, the park announced that Safari Village would receive a makeover for 2022. JavaScript is disabled. In 2016 Kings Dominion introduces the all new gravity defying thrill ride, DELIRIUM! Originally, only the walkway and its shops were considered part of the International Street area;[53] during the park's Paramount seasons, the boundaries of International Street expanded to include the Action Theater.[54]. It was built by Rocky Mountain Construction utilizing many of the original wooden supports from Hurler. [4] The early part of the decade saw two popular attractions added with the Grizzly roller coaster in 1982 and the White Water Canyon river rapids ride in 1983. In 2002, Ricochet was added, followed by Drop Zone (now Drop Tower)in 2003. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}). It was the first looping coaster to feature an underwater tunnel and the first coaster at Kings Dominion to feature more than one inversion. The park's signature attraction was the EiffelTower, a one-third scale replica of the original Eiffel Tower in Paris,France. Kings Dominion opened in 1975 and is currently owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company who purchased Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation on June 30, 2006. With more than 60 rides, shows, attractions, a kids area, and a waterpark, Kings Dominion has AMAZING fun for everyone. It was renamed Candy Apple Grove in 1976. Kings Dominion celebrates its 25th anniversary season. The Italian Job:Stunt Track (now Backlot Stunt Coaster)opened as a new fully themed action stunt car experience. Experience fun all season long with our world-class events. At the end of your wait for the Volcano, look up towards the mountain and you'll see a rusted broken track infused in the side of the mountain. Also, before Smurf Mountain, it was called Land of the Dooz. In 2017 we're making room for more fun, more laughs and more thrills will our Planet Snoopy expansion that includes 3 new thrill rides- Kite Eating Tree, Sally's Sea Plane, and Peanuts 500. The attraction is the park's second linear induction launch-style roller coaster, joining Flight of Fear. The theme park fully opened the previous month with 15 attractions; its Lion Country Safari area had opened in 1974. [39] The event featured specialty food trucks, seasonal decorations, a small selection of rides. Journey to Atlantis was replaced by the Haunted River themed flume ride in 1980. Starring everyone's favorite PEANUTScharacters and their summertime adventures,this colorfulpageant of lights invites guests to explore a breathtaking display the entire family enjoys. In 1993, a motion simulator ride featuring the Days of Thunder film, debuted. Just a few of these attractions were the Candy Apple Grove and the Singing Mushrooms. This exciting ride allowed guests to determine their own flight pattern, including the option to spin a dizzying 360-degrees. The Kings Quarters Hotel also opened. The Haunted River was a lot of fun. [citation needed] Kings Dominion expanded WaterWorks for the 2007 season, adding a second wave pool called Tidal Wave Bay, a four-person family raft slide called Zoom Flume, and a ProSlide Tornado.[27]. The 17-story Lost World mountain was the new attraction this year, featuring three separate rides:Journey To Atlantis,Land of the Doozand the Time Shaft. Kings Dominion Park Hours Beginning in 2023, Kings Dominion will expand to year-round operations. You have permission to edit this collection. [14], One of the first additions under the new management group was Berserker a looping starship ride added to International Street in 1984. It's Here! Kings Dominion celebrates its 10th anniversary season. In June 1975, the band Ice Water performed in the Flintstone Follies Theater at Kings Dominion in Doswell. 2002: Ricochet and Triple Spin; Meteor Attack (feature in Action Theater); 2003: Drop Tower and SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D (feature in Action Theater), 2005: Tomb Raider Firefall (later known as The Crypt), 2007: Tidal Wave Bay, Tornado and Zoom Flume added to WaterWorks; FearFest becomes Halloween Haunt, 2009: El Dorado and Americana (both relocated from Geauga Lake); Grizzly retracked, 2011: Snoopy's Starlight Spectular; Shockwave repainted a new color; Grizzly retracked; El Dorado closes. The park added its first Ferris Wheel in 2009 with Americana, as well as El Dorado, a family flat ride. Three new attractions are added in WaterWorks:Tidal Wave Bay, Tornado and Zoom Flume. Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, "Old Dominion.". Dont miss Jungle X-pedition, an immersive x-perience x-ploring an ancient jungle civilization. With over 60 rides shows and attractions, there is something for every member of the family! "the Time Shaft," on the other hand, is too much, at least for anyone subject ot claustrophobia and/or motion sickness. In 1998, the mountain was repurposed to accommodate Volcano, the Blast Coaster, which still operates today. [37] In 2017, Planet Snoopy was expanded with the addition of three new children's rides in the former Nickelodeon Central side of the area. 2018 also marked the debut of WinterFest, a Christmas-themed holiday event, during the winter season. Standing 305 feet at its highest point, riders race down a 300-foot first drop and through high-speed twists and turns at speeds over 90 miles per hour. Formerly named. Hurricane Reef is expanded from six acres to 19 and rebranded WaterWorks. This page was last modified on 4 February 2022, at 15:43. Also in 1993, Smurf Mountain was removed, leaving only the Time Shaft and Haunted River remaining in The Lost World Mountain until 1995 when both rides were removed. It is currently owned by Cedar Fair, and was part of the former Paramount Parks chain that Cedar Fair acquired from CBS Corporation on June 30, 2006. [29], The 2008 and 2009 seasons saw Kings Dominion receive three rides that had operated at Geauga Lake during its dry amusement park's final season. The idea for a family amusement parknorth of Richmond, VA and south of Washington, D.C., began as a dream in 1971. Five years after The Outer Limits opened, Paramount Parks' licensing agreement to use theming from the television show after which the ride was named expired; the Outer Limits theming in the ride and its queue was removed, and the ride was renamed Flight of Fear. Busch Gardens & Kings Dominion aren't far away, It's the last weekend for Kings Dominion's Shockwave roller coaster, Kings Dominion opening part of park with free admission for one day during bike race, Kings Dominion starting work on Delirium thrill ride, A look back at Kings Dominion's opening day in 1975. Halloween Haunt and The Great Pumpkin fest will make you shriek and giggle in the fall, and our holiday event, WinterFest, immerses you in the seasons spirit. This May 1979 image shows the interior of the new Time Shaft ride at the Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell. And the Haunted Mansion; similar Scooby-Doo-themed dark rides had opened at three other Paramount Parks during the three previous seasons. KECOalso managed Kings Island, Canada's Wonderland and Great America in Santa Clara, California. Full-time and seasonal jobs are available across all departments including rides, food service, maintenance, and more. #3. The park was named after its sister park, Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, USA. In 1977, Kings Dominion added a fourth roller coaster in King Kobra. From music festivals to seasonal celebrations, our special events calendar dishes out unique experiences and family activities all year. In the next season, Kings Dominion added a Huss Top Spin called Tomb Raider: Firefall, and was named The Crypt, which was a standard size and outdoor version of a similar, but larger, ride named Tomb Raider: The Ride, also now The Crypt, at Kings Island. Both mother and baby seem to be doing fine, said Larry Mather, zoological manager, though he added that the baby's chance of survival "is not 100 per cent. Control of Paramount Parks had been transferred from Viacom to CBS Corporation in 2007. The 180-degree theater opened, which allowed visitors to cruise through the Baja desert and see a volcano up close! I know this has been asked, but do they still have any room for such a ride in the mountain structure? RE: Time Shaft (1979- 1995) Time Shaft was my favorite ride, when I was young! In 2013, Cedar Fair merged the KidZville section of the park and introduced 12 new and re-themed attractions. Asite was selected in Doswell, VA in the heart ofthe Mid-Atlanticto build the 400-acre park. A light coating of dust, just waiting to be brushed away. Today, the park offers more than 60 rides, shows and attractions as well as a water park. The rotor attraction was one of three inside the just-opened Lost World mountain. : If you look carefully, you can still see the splash zone and an old ride vehicle from the Haunted River, which is at the exit to the gift shop. [5] In addition, Kings Dominion's 1/3-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower and the International Street Fountain greet visitors near the main entrance to the park. Kings Dominion celebrated its 40th year in operation in 2015. Zimmy, SWStevo and Unagi. Watch the park go from scary to merry as the park transforms into a winter wonderland full of enchantment and holiday cheer with millions of lights, festive shows, and more during WinterFest. With gift shops and dining locations featuring European architecture and stunning views of the royal fountains, this is surely a great way to start your day at Kings Dominion. Anaconda was also originally billed as having six loops,[17] but unlike Arrow's six-inversion coaster Drachen Fire that opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg the following year, the Anaconda actually has only four inversions: a vertical loop, a sidewinder, and two consecutive corkscrews. A custom looping roller coaster. I think this would have placed Time Shaft's entrance somewhere near where Scrambler is now located. The next year, the park installed a monorail that guests used instead of driving their cars among the several hundred animals, which included lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes and other jungle dwellers. Mike Gabay works as trainer with some of young pachyderms in 'Lion Country' elephant herd. 13,773 articles since August 2009. Here, the first visitors paid their admission fee. The Grizzly roller coaster was retracked this year, providing riders with a smoother, more enjoyable ride experience. Our 14-acre kids' area features 20 rides designed for families to enjoy together, live entertainment featuring Snoopy and the PEANUTS Gang, and more. The trend of adding launch coasters continued in 1998 when the park opened Volcano, The Blast Coaster. It is the first baby to be born from some 60 eggs that were laid in January. The park sent visitors spinning around Candy Apple Grove in the new Apple Turnover ride. [55] It has since been removed. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1. The construction of Kings Dominion began October 1, 1972. The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. [1] It was closed down in 1995. I guess this draws back to the age-old question: Was Volcano really worth it? This shaft drives a series of pinion gears, providing rotation to not just the center mast but the four individual "sweeps." Kings Dominion Attractions: International Street - Begin your journey of fun in this tiny European village. Also expanding the Planet Snoopy experience includes a new event space and upgraded food and beverage locations. The park added the new Taxi Jam roller coaster, and Scooby's Playpark became a construction-themed playpen called Kidz Construction Company. The Rebirth of The Grizzly Part 3 - The Forces of Gravity. Time Shaft, Journey to the Land of Dooz) 1980 - Haunted River . In August 2019, Kings Dominion announced that Soak City would be expanded in 2020 to include a new sub-area called Coconut Shores, featuring a multi-level water play structure and a children's wave pool. 2. [4][5] The new park was designed with similar themes, rides, and activities as sister park Kings Island. New Ride Complex Opening At King's Dominion, https://coasterpedia.net/w/index.php?title=Time_Shaft&oldid=189946. On June 30, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company purchases Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation for $1.25 billion. Tornado, Dinosaurs Alive, and Volcano: The Blast Coaster were all removed before the 2019 season. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the area has a vintage, rustic theme marked by its wooded architecture and country-style decor. The expansion included the addition of five new children's rides, more characters, as well as new games and shows. A performance stage beneath the Eiffel Tower. Park visitors enjoyed five magical lands -- International Street, Old Virginia, ConeyIsland, The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera and Lion Country Safari, which opened as a preview to Kings Dominion in 1974. Diamond Falls, the Shoot the Chute ride closed that season. It was in the park for nine seasons before being relocated to Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland, Alton Towers in England, and later to Hopi Hari in Brazil where it exists today as Katapul. It is similar to the Backlot Stunt Coaster rides at Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland, which both opened in 2005. The King Kobra roller coaster was the new attraction this year, featuring a 75-foot drop. A 115-foot-tall (35m) spinning pendulum flat ride. 19751983: Adam's Apple/Vertigo (Himalaya ride), 19751995: Old Dominion Line (steam train), 19751995: Sky Ride (two entrances, one next to the Racer 75 and one in (Planet Snoopy)Hanna-Barbera Land; one entrance still stands), 19752011: Yogi's Cave (renamed and rethemed later, did not open in 2012 and was demolished after the season was over, replaced by Snoopy's Junction), 19761993: Apple Turnover (Enterprise ride next to Lake Charles), 19791980: Lost World Mountain: Journey to Atlantis (replaced by Haunted River), 19791995: Lost World Mountain: The Time Shaft, 19791983: Lost World Mountain: Journey to the Land of Dooz, 19801995: Lost World Mountain: The Haunted River, 19852002: Diamond Falls (shoot the chute) (located where Backlot Stunt Coaster sits), 19861996: Fred's Jungle Gym (children's play area), 19871996: Racing Rivers (waterslide complex), 19891998: Sky Pilot (Located near Racer 75 in Candy Apple Grove), 19922004: Kiddie Cove (children's area of WaterWorks(Soak City)), 19922007: Spiral Chute (two, body waterslides next to the Anaconda roller coaster), 19922014: Shoot-The-Curl (water slide, demolished to make room for a food stand), 19952012: Snoopy's Splash Dance (formerly Nickelodeon Green Slime Zone), 19972012: KidZville (This section became part of Planet Snoopy in 2013. This could be a link to the alien activity. It's that time of year where come together as ONE Team and become KD Proud. Is there anything still in there? Shockwave had one loop, similar to the older King Kobra but added a helix. New attractions and areas of the park themed to Paramount's television shows and films appeared at Paramount's Kings Dominion almost every season that they were under Paramount's ownership. The area is home to many of the park's thrill rides and roller coasters. American Financial Group later purchased KECO in 1987 but allowed KECO to continue to manage operations at the amusement parks. For the 2010 season, Kings Dominion opened Intimidator 305, a 305-foot-tall (93m) giga coaster by Intamin. The expansion included a new 65-foot tall slide complex featuring three different attractions called Paradise Plunge, Aqua Blast, and Thunder Falls; a new children's area called Splash Island; expanded cabana areas, updated bathhouses, and other improvements to the area. New for this season was the Haunted River, which replaced Journey To Atlantisin the Lost World. The mountain also once held two other attractions, Time Shaft, which was a gravitron on the south side of the mountain (near the entrance to Flight of Fear), and Smurf Mountain, which was a. Racing Rivers, a water slide complex, opened in 1987. History The ride opened on May 26, 1979 along with Journey to the Land of Dooz and Voyage to Atlantis as part of the new The Lost World themed area. New owner Paramount Communications, Inc., begins the process of re-theming rides and attractions to movie themes. Busch Gardens is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The area received similarly-themed restaurants and retail shops, as well as a new roller coaster named Tumbili, a 4D Free Spin model manufactured by S&S Sansei Technologies. Kings Dominion unveiled a TOGO stand-up roller coaster in 1986 called Shockwave, the first of three roller coasters to be added under KECO. [33] Kings Dominion also added Dinosaurs Alive!, an upcharge dinosaur walkthrough exhibit, located in the Old Virginia section of the park. Themulti-sensory rideappeals to park visitors and coaster enthusiasts alike with its thrills and specialeffects. ), 1998-2019: Soak City Splash House (children's water play area; replaced by Lighthouse Landing), 20092011: El Dorado (where the WindSeeker is now located), 20102016: Snoopy's Moon Bounce (replaced by Sally's Sea Plane), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 07:50. A 40- to 60-pound hippopotamus was born at Lion Country Safari in Hanover County Thursday evening. The 1994 season saw the addition of a new area of the park themed to the 1992 Paramount motion picture Wayne's World, which featured its third full-size wooden roller coaster, Hurler, a shop called the Rock Shop, and a Stan Mikita's restaurant similar to the one featured in the film. A fun new area opened this year with the addition of Wayne's World. The following year, in 2005, Tomb Raider:The Ride (now The Crypt) was added. The upgraded section of the park, Jungle X-Pedition, is themed to an archeological research facility and dig site. That day, approximately 20,000 guests enjoyed the park.