Indoor Amusement Parks Are The Future Of The Industry
Are indoor amusement parks the future of the industry? Indoor won’t entirely be replacing your standard theme/amusement park. There’s a lot of reasons that they should. They aren’t too different from your standard outdoor park.
There are quite a few advantages to an indoor park. For starters, it’s protected from the weather. It doesn’t matter if the outside temperature falls to negative or it’s 100 degrees, the indoor park will stay open. This is especially nice for the locations that have seasonal park openings. However, whether it’s hot or cold, the indoor park won’t get any business without the rides.
You can’t have a theme park without the rides. Make no mistake about it, you’ll get some pretty amazing attractions at these indoor parks. Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America has a nice collection of coasters and flat rides. In addition, there’s an interactive dark ride. The crown jewel is the log flume. Where else can you go on a water ride in the Minneapolis winter?
American Dream, another Nickelodeon Universe park, sits just outside of New York City. While it’s yet to open, there are going to be quite a few standout rides there as well. There are two Gerstaluer coasters, Shellshock, and The Shredder. In addition, they’ll be Slime Streak and Sandy’s Blasting Bronco.
Having a year-round park like American Dream just outside of New York will do wonders for the tourists during the cold months. This gives another reason to visit the city. Same can be said for visiting the Mall Of America in January.
You can do a lot of unique attractions at an indoor park. You won’t get a massive 300-foot coaster. You’ll still have a solid 120-foot coaster to go on. There are also other attractions that can be quite unique for an indoor setting.
Taking Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America as an example, there’s a giant spinning pendulum ride called Shredder’s Mutant Masher. It doesn’t go as high as some outdoor parks would, yet, you still get a very thrilling ride. You’ll probably forget you’re at an indoor park at all while riding it. This does feel like it’s an outdoor attraction.
Another cool aspect of indoor parks are the views you’ll get. These aren’t just reserved for the outdoor locations. In the American Dream Nickelodeon Universe, you’ll get a great view of the New York skyline on one of their coasters. Again, almost makes you feel like you’re outside. The Spongebob themed Euro-fighter at Mall of America sends you straight up, looking at the clouds in a glass ceiling.
As more and more of these indoor parks will begin to show up (Depending on the success of the first American Dream, a second will open in Miami), we’ll continue to see parks push the envelope. This could mean the buildings get taller, more adventurous rides are put in, there are more water rides, the list goes on. These indoor parks are great for the off-season in the theme park world.
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
