Public Entertainment : Amusement Parks

It’s no doubt that creating a family oriented theme park based on popular, beloved cartoon characters and imagination was a good idea. From Cinderella’s castle to the famous Main Street, U.S.A, there’s something extraordinary lying around every corner. Walt Disney World, other wise known as “the happiest place on earth”, or the place “where dreams come true”, was founded by a man with a dream of creating a place where children and parents could spend time together while making amazing memories. However, this extravagant amusement park is only one of the major accomplishments of Walt Disney.

The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the creation of the first amusement parks in the United States, resulting from the ability to create mechanical rides due to the industrial revolution sweeping the country. This activity was primarily localized in the state of New York, along the boardwalk of Coney Island, Brooklyn.

As a child I enjoyed going to amusement parks. I enjoyed spending the weekends and afternoons with my family going to an amusement park. Amusement parks are something magical full of fascination and excitement for kids and grown ups. But there are some things that ruin that moment of enjoying a day in the afternoon in our favorite amusement park. Disneyland is greater than Universal Studios Hollywood because of their rides, waiting times, the prices.

“Walt wanted to create an amusement park in which his cartoon characters could come to life and interact with the visitors.” A place where both parent and child could have fun. So in 1955 Walt purchased 160 acres of land in California and began the $17-million-dollar project to construct Disneyland. His vision of how he wanted to construct Disneyland was unpretentious. He wanted the entrance to embody a euphoric restoration of the conventional American main street. The goal was that people would walk down “Main Street, USA” and want to discover more by going to the other 4 different “dream lands,” he had creted: Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. Fantasyland was created to be more child orientated, where all of Disney’s

As everyone always says, Disney World is the happiest place on earth, but for Iowans' we have Adventureland, where we are sure to have a fun filled day. To us Iowans', Disney World and Adventure are the two best theme parks we've ever known of! Both theme parks are full of happiness, good food and exciting rides, although Disney World and Adventureland have lots of differences and yet some similarities in hand. In this paper I am going to explain and list off the vast similarities and differences of Disney World and Adventureland!

Since the grand opening in 1971, Walt Disney World has continuously brought dreams to life. Walter Elias Disney and his brother Roy Oliver Disney cofounded Walt Disney World in hopes of encouraging imagination among all attendees. The park continues to grow and excite visitors from all over the world. Many people deem Walt Disney World as one of the best theme parks to exist. To make this evaluation one must consider the qualities successful theme parks possess. These include entertainment for all age groups, flexible options for health needs, advanced technology, and alluring themes. While Walt Disney World may be busy, it exhibits all the necessities of an excellent theme park.

| The theme park was and continues to be one of the largest attractions of consumer culture in America. Disneyland didn’t solely make money through ticket sales, but the theme park advertised other Disney products like films and toys.

Roller coasters are the bomb. Would people still enjoy amusement parks if they knew the danger of them? Roller coasters cause deaths and severe injuries. In one year, there’s 350 injuries on roller coasters. It’s like an injury a day! Now, it’s much rarer, because the technology is safer, but there’s always a slight risk. Inspectors notice that most injuries or deaths are from rides over twenty years old. One coaster is less than 10 years old. Amusement parks are fun, but can be life threatening.

In this case there has been a recognition of a trend, which is the trend of people going to theme parks during the weekends for entertainment of them as well as their children. Also here is an existing need for entertainment of this kind. Therefore, an opportunity exists

Background Cedar Point Amusement Park is a 364 acre theme park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. The park has been open since 1870, and is the third oldest park in North America. It is currently tied with Six Flags Magic Mountain for having the most roller coasters in the world. Outside the park is a mile-long white sand beach, an outdoor water park called Soak City, two marinas, several resorts, and an area known as Challenge Park that houses upcharge attractions (golf, racing, rip cord and skyscraper rides). Typically, the park's operating season runs daily from Mid-May through Labor Day, and then on the weekends until late October, when it becomes too chilly for most people to remain comfortable. The park has a number of milestones that draw tourists from all over the Midwest; and is known as "America's Roller Coast," and the "Best Amusement Park in the World" for the past fourteen years (Golden Ticket Awards 2011, 2011).

Thus, with the openings of amusement parks created a stir and curiosity in the public, which caused the increase

Amusement parks have been developing across the country for centuries. Their success is often attributed to the wide variety of entertainment within each park. In Ohio, many amusement parks have come and gone over the years, but one has stayed. Cedar Point has stood high above the other parks, including Geauga Lake now merely a water park, paling in comparison. It is constantly developing in order to keep guests captivated while also preserving historical treasures. Which in turn aids in the economic development of the state. As the marking director for Cedar Point once said, “it is the only old time amusement park to successfully make the transition to the new amusement park culture” (Hildebrandt, 87).

Amusement parks are in the umbrella of the hospitality industry. One of its goals is to provide entertainment for all guests. It has been that way since the beginning and has been advancing ever since. If anyone had to say it the best, it will have to be the father of the amusement parks, Walt Disney. “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy” (GoodReads). He understood that how important amusement parks are, how keeping the original charm that the guest grew to love and advancing that park to make the guests continue to enjoy the park for years to come. Understanding the past, present and future of the amusement park will show how these parks have lasted for years and years.

     Along with his serious Down to earth side Disney also lived part of his life in the realms of fantasy and imagination. His great love of fantasy and the great lack of family entertainment in America inspired Walt to build a theme park of his own. All of America thought that this time Disney had really gone crazy. As Disney once said about the reactions to his ideas for a park "Almost everyone warned us that Disneyland would be a Hollywood spectacular - a spectacular failure. But they were thinking about an amusement park, and we believe in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have

“Hey Mom!” I said happily as I walked in the door of my house. I had just gotten home from school.