Advice on how to start an Amusement Park

I live in Michigan and my husband and I would like to start up a fairly large size amusement park. I was wondering if anybody can over suggestions.

mrskat2

Do you have 100 million hiding in a bank somewhere? That's the best start.

> I live in Michigan and my husband and I would like to start
> up a fairly large size amusement park. I was wondering if
> anybody can over suggestions.

I guess it depends on how much coin you have.
Cheapest way I can think to do it would be set up a Carni section where you could have Carni's coming and going every couple of weeks, which could offer alot of uniqueness but you wouldn't get all the profits.

I'd stay away from big expensive thrill rides right away and let the Carny's take care of thrills, but I would install family rides, preferably wet ones since summers are blazing hot. Afterall, family's would be your biggest market while you are small.

Some cheap good family rides would be a log flume, bumper cars or boats, water slides and splash zones.

You could probably pay attention the message sites like this one for closing parks, that way you could prolly purchase an old slide for next to nothing.

Low maintenance rides would be a must, so I would definately count Costers out of the picture for the first few years.

Whether you're serious or not, I dont know
But if I was fortunate enought to have money, that would be the approach I would go unless I had like 100 million.

The right way is to have a feasibility study done so that you will be able to determine how many guests may visit your park which will allow you to then design the park around that number.

Or you can do it the easy way by starting small and then grow as your attendance grows.

G-Dog

Hmm, sounds like a major risky undertaking to me to be honest with you. There are lots of parks in the market that are trying to stay alive these days. The market for this type of venture is quite unpredictable ide imagine.

Also like others have mentioned I hope that you have access to a large sum of money to build your capital. If not, I dont know how an individual would find a bank or investment company willing to throw money your way for such a venture.

My hats off to you for undertaking this journey. However, I have to say that it makes me wonder about your intentions when you have to ask strangers on a forum about how to start this business. I would think that you would need a stronge business background and knowledge of the industry already to take this kind of venture on.

Dont get me wrong, there are very intelligent informative industry people on this forum, but I think I would have some kind of business strategy and wouldnt have to goto a forum for this kind of information.

Good luck to you,

DEE

A niche market would be a good target. Something missing in the bigger parks that you can concentrate on at a smaller one maybe?
Go to the different parks and see what is lacking, talk to patrons while in line and ask them questions.

Your best bet is to deal with professionals in the industry already and definately get involved with IAAPA.

Compare the cost of rides, insurance, land. location and employees not to mention health care and taxes.Is it worth it, do you have enough money to not only invest but to have as extra revenue to pay people and your bills with.

I wish you the best.

My suggestion:

Talk to the people at Holiday World or follow their example.
You could also talk to the people at Silverwood.

You would probably want to have:

1 Signature ride - a wooden coaster
2 A good mix of flats
3 Water rides and/or a water park
4 Something else to bring the people in - go karts, mini golf, etc

Six Flags may be willing to sell you a few rides at a discounted price!!!

This is like RCT Real, and Unplugged or something. If I had that kinda loot to open a amusement park; I probably would do something stupid, like blow the loot on a top-notch coaster, then go bust. I'm definitely not the person to be in this kinda position. It seems like patience is the key. IMO, everyone before myself on this thread, brought out some excellent advice.
I hope everything goes well.

Chris.

Demon Drop is for sale at CP. That is one ride you could get for cheap.

BTW, does anyone know how much Cedar Fair is asking for Demon Drop? I know it is pretty cheap (for an amusement ride at least).

Zac

> Demon Drop is for sale at CP. That is one ride you could
> get for cheap.

> BTW, does anyone know how much Cedar Fair is asking for
> Demon Drop? I know it is pretty cheap (for an amusement
> ride at least).

> Zac

$250,000

> $250,000

Yeah, that's about how much I though it would be.

Zac

King's Dominion is selling Hypersonic XLC

http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=937

Where are you going to put your park? I also had a notion that it would be wonderful if you could give it a great food angle. Something along the line of rocking Bar-B-Q joint with great ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket. Something that would draw that business that travelers go to Frankenmuth for.

Mikey Mad

* This Post Has Been Modified *

What does the used ride listing for HyperSonic XLC have to do with advice on how to start an amusement park? Can you please explain?

Analyze your situation. If you are asking for park building advice on an internet message board, you should not be planning on building a park.

Adam

> Analyze your situation. If you are asking for park building
> advice on an internet message board, you should not be
> planning on building a park.

> Adam

Come on Adam you need to get out of the office and into reality. You know URC has been the roots to many great amusement park ideas. Don't discount the power of a message board like URC. We're influencing decisions worldwide.

* This Post Has Been Modified *

> Come on Adam you need to get out of the office and into
> reality. You know URC has been the roots to many great
> amusement park ideas. Don't discount the power of a message
> board like URC. We're influencing decisions worldwide.
> * This Post Has Been Modified *

Awsome! I love being part of this site! I feel like I am (as directly as possible) really involved in the industry. WOOT TO URC!

-Josh

Have you ever been to Knoebels? Please visit there. Its a big little park with two soon to be three coasters. It has a wonderful collection of flat rides and is a great place for families. Dee mentioned that there are lots of parks in the market, but I'm not sure about that. When you look up parks for Michigan, there is Michigan Adventure and....Jeepers! Its almost a hoot that Jeepers gets counted. Anyway, most the parks within a days drive of me here in Detroit are large corporate parks:Cedar Point, Michigan Adventure, Canada Wonderland, Six Flags in Chicago, Kings Island. There is not much for smaller family parks, perhaps Kennywood or Indiana Beach (haven't visited that one yet) are the closest.

Again I wonder, where are you thinking of?

Mikey Mad

> Have you ever been to Knoebels? Please visit there. Its a
> big little park with two soon to be three coasters.

3 soon to be 4.

> Have you ever been to Knoebels? Please visit there. Its a
> big little park with two soon to be three coasters.

> 3 soon to be 4.

Touche!

Mikey Mad

I think the op is awesome, and I hope you DO start and amusement park (whereabouts in Michigan are you thinking about?)

The following woodies are for sale from Geauga Lake:

Big Dipper
Villain
Raging Wolfbob's

These were found on a website, along with another woodie from Pigeon Forge, TN.

It would be totally cool if you got these rides, along with some others. They would definitely be a great start, and many people are wanting to still be able to ride those coasters!

Hopefully you could draw business from an Ohio competitor!!!

The original post is from July '06.

> The following woodies are for sale from Geauga Lake:

> Big Dipper
> Villain
> Raging Wolfbob's

> These were found on a website, along with another woodie
> from Pigeon Forge, TN.

A woodie from Pigeon Forge on sale? Umm, I really don't think that Thunderhead is for sale, even though the other three are.

However, to be blunt, if someone is posting on a board like this wondering how to start up a park, then they're never going to actually start a park, let alone be successful at it, for a very wide multitude of reasons.

It's Thunder Eagle from Race World in Pigeon Forge, TN. There's a big thread about this topic (mainly the 3 GL woodies for sale) on Geauga Lake Today.

A Jeepers in Maryland is closing and selling three of their rides including the roller coaster Python Pit!

www.amusementtrader.com

Try to contact a amusement park consulting firm. There are several and you can find them thru the IAAPA website. Good Luck!

I keep reading this thread to see if MRSKAT72 responds. I hope we did not put them off with the highbrow "what are you asking us for" stuff.

Mikey Mad

Considering that it was posted well over a year ago, I think it's safe to say that they're not going to come back and respond.

Reality- most popular message boards get a thread or two every year from someone that wants to start their own park and is making plans and wants advice. Then the reality of no money, no resources, and no real knowledge sets in and they're never heard from again. This is just another one of those.

And posting up rides that are "for sale and/or available" isn't going to help them. If they were serious and actually able to do this, then it isn't hard to figure out who and where to contact to look into rides. A coaster enthusiast board is NOT the place to do it, no matter how much some of us think our opinions are worth. :)

that's true. the focus of a park isn't payment. it's the fun for families and friends. that's what maked a great place like holiday world, or knobels. the small parks always have something to give you.

> Demon Drop is for sale at CP. That is one ride you could
> get for cheap.

> BTW, does anyone know how much Cedar Fair is asking for
> Demon Drop? I know it is pretty cheap (for an amusement
> ride at least).

> Zac

> $250,000

Do they take credit? LOL

Hello; If you are wanting to start an amusement park, you will have to start small. While it doesn't necessarily have to cost millions, it is an expensive undertaking. Even the purchasing of used rides and attractions can be expensive. For example my company the midway marketplace is working to help find a buyer for the big dipper coaster on the site of what used to be geauga lake amusement park. The coaster is offered for $150000, but it would probably cost another $500000 to $750000 to take it down, transport it, and reinstall it; and that assumes it would be staying in the united states. In the beginning I think your best bets would be rides or attractions from two groups. First, there are the family entertainment center type rides such as go carts, batting cages, bumper boats, climbing walls, trampoline jumps, simulators, mini golf, etc. The next area would be good used rides from traveling carnivals. If after a while the park is successful, then you could look into a major investment like a sky coaster, a giant wheel, or a kamekaze, etc. I'd love to help you along the way to seeing if you can make this dream come true. And if anyone else has questions about buying or selling rides, please don't hesitate to ask. If we don't do business, we can still be friends; and you can never have enough good friend. thanks ands. take care, Max

Well I wish somebody would set up a theme park (like 6 flags in Melbourne AUSTRALIA). We only have 2 really good theme Parks but they are in Queensland but only 4 extreme rides that are worth going to. We have Dreamworld (2 good rides) and Movie world (2 good rides) but nothing like 6 flags or Cedar Point. I would be happy to put some money into it (like a syndicate). I think anybody setting up any amusement park whether in Australia or the USA, it's too much money to put up.. But if you can get several people to put the money (in a sydicate) for a theme park and borrow the rest then things would start moving. It may not take as long to get it together. Just a thought.

Hello; I have heard similar complaints from residents of New Zealand. They have only one theme park, and isn't up to six flags standards either. And yes it would work better if a group were to pool their resources to start a new park or augment an existing one. Perhaps the owners of the parks you do have would consider a working relationship some sort of a lease or profit sharing in exchange for your investment in thrill rides. As for purchasing equipment australia is further hampered by the distance between them and the major factories. The shipping costs are outrageous. Even if you purchase used equipment from the u s, it can still be prohibitive to import certain rides. I recently helped sell a ride called the astroliner. Its a big simulator built by wisdom industries back in the 70's and 80's. It cost half as much to ship it from long beach california as it did to purchase the ride in the first place. This was one ride with one trailer. Just imagine if it were a major coaster or thrill ride. You would be looking at several container loads at minimum. I recently heard of a story where a major older coaster was sold to a company in china and they literally cut the track up into smaller sections so they could cram it into as few container loads as possible knowing they would have to weld it back together on the other end. And in a lot of countries such a practice would be severely frowned on as making the structure of the ride less safe. There are some good used pieces out there in all categories including kiddie rides, family rides, water rides, and thrill rides or spectaculars. If you or someone you know has funds to invest and could use some advice' I'd be happy to help. And that goes even if they don't need to buy a ride from me. I don't know how helpful this has been. I do wish you all the luck in either starting your own park or convincing one of the existing ones to expand into some real heart stopping attractions. Thanks and take care, Max

Hi Max,
Thanks for your advice. I would also be interested in getting another theme park or rollecoaster park up and going in the US. or be part of a syndicate. I am retired from my profession and have also sold a house of mine, so I am financial. Theme parks have been my passion since I was 9 years old. I would get my Uncle to take me to Luna park evey week so that I could ride the Big Dipper which is pathetic really. There is a man that is on the ride and controls it using a break. When the coaster ride eventually gets to the top of the hill, the driver has to stick his leg out to make the coaster go down the hill...lol So I am very interested in getting a group together whether it's in the USA or Australia. It is not impossible to set one up, I have looked at the rides from Amusement Trader.com very reasonable if we can start small and work our way up. Of course. Nothing is impossible in life. It's just a matter of knowing how to start it. Walt disney started small, and that's how we need to start. So are you interested? if not how do I find the people that would be interested in a syndicate?
over to you. You can contact me via my Aussiethrillrider address if you like. or I can give you my own personal address since you know what you are talking about.
cheers

Hello Aussie Thrill Rider; First, thanks for the complement. I like to think I'm helpful. If I don't know something, I'll tell you and then see if I can find an answer. I am not in a position to invest in a park. I could publicise your desire to locate investers on my website and blog if that interests you. I can also help with locating the equipment if and when you are ready to start. My website doesn't have the volume of equipment that amusement trader does, but there are more than a few good pieces. of course, there are also some that are overpriced. I have heard that the Australian government is offering financial assistance to businesses that can generate tourist dollars. Perhaps you could tap into some of that. Also, I've gotten to know the group at geauga lake in aurora ohio. I don't know if it will ever work as a major theme park again, but the owners of the coaster and the land are willing to sell especially if it keeps the coaster on it existing site. You wouldn't have to buy all the land just enough for the park. However, there are people in the area who would be interested in developing other businesses such as restaurants, shopping, movie theatre, etc. You might could buy the land and then resell some of it to other dreamers. I know the dipper isn't a thrill coaster by todays standards, but it is a landmark coaster and has an existing family. I don't know about the land but they want $150000 for the coaster. It was refurbished in the 80's so i don't expect it will need a lot to get it going again. And I do know there is a community that wants this to happen so perhaps you could sell shares or something. None of them can afford to buy a ride or a park, but they can all afford to invest in a piece of their history. And oh yes, there will be a lot of free publicity for anyone who is interested in restarting Geauga lake. If I'm willing to help in the running, I know a few ride owners who would be willing to lease me their equipment in exchange for a share of the gross. I understand there are some fairly successful neighborhood parks that charge tickets instead of a blanket admission this allows people to come in and out to eat or shop or play games without having to spend $20, $30, or more. I hope I haven't bubled over too much here. And just so you will know, I will receive a commission on the coaster and the land if I'm responsible for the sale; but my fee does not affect the asking prices for either. I would like to discuss it further. I'd also like to hear from anyone else out here who has questions about amusement rides, parks, carnivals, fun fairs, etc. so, my email is maxwell@midwaymarketplace.com or you can use the contact me on my website. I hope to hear from you again soon. Thanks and good luck, Maxwell

Hello; I just received an email from a gentleman who is representing the owner of a family entertainment center that will soon be for sale. The owner wants to avoid the effect of the news that it is for sale, so he has a rep who will speak to me. The point is it is a two story complex with bowling alleys, rides, games, arcade equipment, banquit facilities, etc in north texas. I'm told the asking price will be about 8 million dollars for this established business. It currently grosses about 2 million a year, but the fellow i spoke with said that he believes it could gross up to 5 million a year with good management. They are willing to entertain a lease if they have a qualified buyer. I mention this because we have been talking about how expensive it is to start a park. I also figure there might be someone out here who could actually take advantage of it. I will be posting photos, and all the details on my website as soon as I get them. I should have something up there by the end of the week. I hope this helps the discussion. thanks, max

Hi Max,
Thanks for all the information. I use to do ten=pin bowling, in fact I was in a league doing competitiion evey now and then. But I have to get back to the theme parks. My main passion are the rollercoaster rides, but it would be fun to have everything together, such as mini=golf, ten=pin bowling, rollercoaster rides on one large property somewhere in the US. Cedar Fairs in Ohio is major competition, I would not like to buy an old theme park where there is already a good one in the same States. I think New Mexico could probably do with one though. I know they have one, but I am not sure if it's up to scratch or not. I do love the USA rather than my own country. So I would rather invest over there. Here we are very conservative bunch of people and getting through local council could be a real pain. If there is somebody that would like to get a park up and going, then I will be wanting to put my hand up. I am not experienced with the business side of things when it comes to Theme parks especially with Council permits, and the technical knowledge of the rides etc. But I guess it can't hurt to put up an advertisement for s sydicate to get a park going. We could start from scratch or buy an existing one, but not with too much competition around. Is there anywhere in the States that needs a theme park? What about Oregon? they don't have one. There would be people in the US that are financial that would/could be interested, not everybody is broke. Anyway get back to me about your thoughts when you have time.
cheers
Dianne

Hello Dianne; First, let me apologize for assuming you were a man. Its a natural biase in the amusement industry that I'm going to have to curve. As for cedar fair, they have recently been sold, and no one knows what their plans are for their parks or for their signature rides. It may be that there will be some real bargains on equipment soon. As for the geauga lake area it only has the one coaster and a lot of land is available. In oregon I know of a man who is wanting to start one. They had a park for many years that closed down a few years ago. The fellow I've been emailing has property but no rides. we would have to check his background, but that might be something to look into. new mexico is a growing area, so that might be a good place to look. in houston we lost astroworld several years ago and now have only a small park in galveston about 90 miles or so away called the kemah boardwalk. they do have a new 2 million dollar wooden coaster that runs partially over water like they all used to. we have space center houston, a couple of water parks, and moody gardens but nothing that I would call an amusement park. of course, finding real estate to build one in this area would be the hard part. I'm also wondering if the park were themed as a holesome family place if utah might not be a good place even though the operating season would be short. I understand about not wanting to fight the red tape involved in getting government money. I recently spoke with a fellow from new zealand who was thinking about buying a train from me to ride tourists around. He told me that his only real chance to get funding would be if the company came out with a bio diesel or electrical version of their train engines. One thing I do know for certain is that if you can manage the land, the rides, the publicity, and the other start up aspects, you could probably lease the food, games, and novelties to start with. and whether or not we do business, it looks like we wil be friends; so i should tell you that I'm almost totally blind. I grew up in this business and helped run my family's carnival until my dad died; but now I'm out here trying to help people sell their amusement equipment. I hope to hear from you again soon. thanks, max

Hi Max,
Thanks for your speedy response. I don't know of any man named Dianne. And yes I guess the theme parks are a ''mans world''. I don't consider myself the usual hand bag type of woman either. I was in Oregon just just November and shot my first Stage (9 pointer) and had only used a rifle 3 times in my life!! Don't worry I am not a lesbian either. Anyway, back to theme parks.
I am not sure why Cedar Point would sell and then close down, that does not make sense. I wish I had known about it, I would have included myself in that one. I don't know why 6 flags didn't buy it. In fact I wish 6 flags would bring their coasters and crew down here, we are getting a lot of bored teenagers and adults. There is nothing to do here, everything is done on a small scale and not done very well at all. WE have the people, but not the imagination or the manpower to start something like 6 flags. I am sure if a theme park was up and running, nobody would be complaining about it. I thought Cedar Point just put in a new ride which I am wanting to go on at the end of this year. A two carriage/two rows ride. There must of been a syndicate of people to buy that park out surely!! Are you able to stick your nose in and find out about that Cedar point theme park and what is suppose to happen to it? I am sorry that you are almost blind, but I guess you would still be able to get on those rides. I think if I had no limbs on my body, I would make sure I could get on there somehow or other. When I was at Knotts Berry farm, there was a 12 year old girl who had Spina Bifida, and she got on all the coaster rides with a helper.!! I was impressed. (she was partially blind as well). Over to you.
Dianne

>Hi Max,
I could see that you sent a reply, but I was not able to open it. For some reason the reply was in a box which I was not able to get to. If you have a look on the site it was not a written reply. You could always send your reply to my home email address which is diannegriffiths333@hotmail.com that way I should get all your emails, or just send to Aussiethrillrider whichever you are comfortable with. I am sure the person that started this forum on ""Advice on how to start an Amusement Park"is getting their Jollies worth seeing our replies to one another.!!!
over to you
Dianne