Power Tower

A Day at Valleyfair! – Minnesota’s Largest Amusement Park

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Valleyfair!

Valleyfair! opened on May 25, 1976, in Shakopee, just southwest of Minneapolis, as a joint venture between entrepreneurs Walt Wittmer and David Sherman. The park originally covered just 26 acres and featured around 20 attractions. Even then, the wooden coaster High Roller served as the park’s signature attraction and continues to operate to this day. The only older attraction is the historic carousel, which originally came from Excelsior Amusement Park following its closure in 1973.

Just two years after opening, the young park was acquired by Cedar Point. When the joint operating company was formed in 1983, its name combined Cedar Point and Valleyfair!, giving rise to the now well-known Cedar Fair name. Over the following decades, Valleyfair! continued to grow and eventually became Minnesota’s largest amusement park.

Like many former Cedar Fair parks, Valleyfair! is exceptionally clean and well maintained. Unlike most of its sister parks, however, it does not feature a traditional loop layout. Instead, guests enter roughly in the middle of the park and immediately have to decide whether to explore the left or right side first.

We begin by heading left, following the path beneath and behind Wild Thing. It quickly becomes clear just how much Valleyfair! captures the charm of a classic American amusement park. Flying Eagles, Tilter and Scrambler are all located just a few steps from one another, creating the kind of traditional midway that has become increasingly rare in modern parks. They are joined by North Star, a Funtime StarFlyer offering spectacular views across the entire park.

While Antique Autos invites guests on a relaxing drive, Steel Venom is waiting just a few steps away to provide the park’s first major adrenaline rush.

Steel Venom

Like every Intamin Impulse Coaster, Steel Venom kicks off with a powerful launch. Unfortunately, it also features the characteristic jolt these coasters are known for, slightly detracting from an otherwise enjoyable ride. The spiral is especially enjoyable in the front of the train, while it is barely noticeable in the back. It is also taken rather roughly, making it one of the less comfortable moments of the ride.

The real highlight, however, comes at the rear spike. Here, a holding brake brings the train to an abrupt stop and keeps it suspended for several seconds. The sudden braking throws riders noticeably forward into their restraints before the train rolls back towards the station. It is a simple but surprisingly effective moment that still makes me smile every time.

Despite a few shortcomings, Steel Venom is one of the stronger attractions in the park. The holding brake on the rear spike creates a memorable moment that never loses its appeal.

Delirium

Located right next to Steel Venom is Delirium, a Larson Giant Loop. I have always really enjoyed this type of ride, and Delirium is no exception. The only downside is the excessive noise during the ride, which slightly detracts from an otherwise very enjoyable experience.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a Zamperla Skater Coaster. At first glance, the attraction looks very similar to the manufacturer’s popular Disk’O Coaster, but there is one key difference. While riders on a Disk’O face outwards and are primarily pushed into their lap bars, the Skater Coaster has riders facing inwards, with most of the forces pressing them back into their seats. I find this riding position noticeably more comfortable and, over time, even more enjoyable.

The Wave

Located near the front of the park is The Wave, a Shoot-the-Chutes ride built by Hopkins Rides. After a leisurely climb, the boat plunges down the steep drop before slamming into the water at full speed. The enormous splash that follows makes it virtually impossible to stay dry.

I have always really enjoyed this type of attraction and think it is a shame that Shoot-the-Chutes rides have gradually disappeared from so many amusement parks. Even though Soak City is located some distance away, it is not unusual to see guests around The Wave wearing swimsuits or walking around shirtless – something that is rather uncommon in an American amusement park.

Corkscrew

Next up is Corkscrew, another classic from Arrow Dynamics. While the ride itself is certainly not among the park’s best coasters, it offers a surprisingly smooth experience through its vertical loop and corkscrews. Its greatest strength, however, is its setting. The track follows the shoreline of a picturesque lake and, together with the park railroad passing beneath the corkscrews, creates one of the park’s best photo opportunities. Combined with its attractive colour scheme, Corkscrew is one of Valleyfair!’s true visual highlights.

Monster

Located right next door is Monster, an American classic built by Eyerly Aircraft. To this day, it remains one of my favourite flat rides. If you are riding alone, a little body movement before the ride starts is enough to get your car spinning at a surprising speed – much to the amazement of the American riders. Once the ride is underway, the car continues to spin freely, creating a wonderfully chaotic ride experience. As so often, I had a great time riding it once again.

Planet Snoopy

Before reaching High Roller, we pass through Planet Snoopy. Like many former Cedar Fair parks, Valleyfair! features a charming Peanuts-themed children’s area. In addition to a wide variety of family and children’s rides, plenty of greenery, shaded walkways and thoughtful landscaping make Planet Snoopy feel noticeably different from the rest of the park. The area’s standout attraction is Cosmic Coaster, a Zamperla Powered Coaster.

High Roller

High Roller is the park’s oldest roller coaster. After the first drop, the train climbs a large hill before entering a long turnaround. A series of unusually shaped hills then delivers several moments of airtime, although much of it is taken away by a trim brake. Another trim brake before the next turn scrubs off even more speed, causing the final hills and the closing turn to be taken at a much gentler pace. It’s a shame, because the two trim brakes take away much of the ride’s potential.

Mad Mouse

Located opposite the entrance to Soak City is Mad Mouse, an Arrow Dynamics wild mouse coaster. I have always really enjoyed the manufacturer’s wild mouse coasters. Unlike their European counterparts, Arrow’s designs combine tight hairpin turns with surprisingly steep drops and some rather unusual banking. As a result, the ride feels much more dynamic and unpredictable than a typical wild mouse coaster. Mad Mouse is no exception and makes excellent use of these characteristics.

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune gave me the opportunity to experience a classic Chance Trabant for the very first time. The ride later served as the inspiration for Mack Rides’ Hully Gully, which I had already ridden on several occasions. Although I slightly prefer the Mack version overall, I was delighted to finally experience the original. Both rides have become increasingly rare and, in my opinion, are attractions that every amusement park enthusiast should ride at least once.

Renegade

Renegade is home to one of Valleyfair!’s true gems. Built by Great Coasters International (GCI), the coaster immediately stands out with its compact, twisted wooden structure.

The ride begins with an exceptional S-shaped first drop that provides a fantastic start and is one of the best elements of the entire layout. A small airtime hill follows before the train races through a perfectly balanced sequence of fast direction changes, low-to-the-ground turns and well-timed bursts of airtime without giving riders a moment to catch their breath. The result is an almost relentless sense of pace, with the train carrying its speed all the way to the final brake run.

Renegade impressed me from start to finish and is, without question, one of the best wooden coasters GCI has ever built. As the day went on, the coaster became noticeably faster and by the afternoon it was absolutely flying.

Excalibur

Excalibur is one of Valleyfair!’s most distinctive roller coasters. Built by Arrow Dynamics, it combines the characteristics of a mine train with much larger drops and a highly unusual layout.

The ride begins with a long first drop before making its way through the terrain with sweeping turns, rapid changes of direction and a layout unlike anything else Arrow created at the time. One of my favourite moments is a hill that transitions directly into a change of direction. While this may seem commonplace on modern roller coasters, it was a remarkably innovative element when Excalibur opened in 1989.

Although the ride never completely won me over and can feel rather rough in places, Excalibur has a character all of its own. Its unusual layout and creative use of the terrain make it one of Valleyfair!’s most memorable attractions and one that should not be missed.

Thunder Canyon

Thunder Canyon is located in the same corner of the park. I would have loved to experience the rapids ride, but unfortunately it remained closed throughout my visit.

Power Tower

Next up is Power Tower, an S&S tower ride. Interestingly, it features three different experiences – two Power Drop towers and one Space Shot tower. What impressed me most, however, is the ride’s location. Built on an island and completely surrounded by Corkscrew, it is a real eye-catcher and a great addition to the park’s skyline.

Wild Thing

Wild Thing is Morgan’s hyper coaster and has dominated the Valleyfair! skyline since opening in 1996.

The ride begins with a long first drop before racing over two camelbacks. A twisting drop off the second hill leads into a large figure-eight element before the train enters the return journey after the mid-course brake run. Several smaller hills follow on the way back to the station. The sweeping turns are taken at impressive speed and create an exceptionally smooth ride experience. Surprisingly, however, the airtime on the numerous hills is rather weak.

Having ridden Mamba at Worlds of Fun just two days earlier, I found this particularly surprising. Despite their nearly identical layouts, Wild Thing feels noticeably tamer and never delivers the same level of airtime as its sister coaster. Nevertheless, Wild Thing remains an enjoyable ride, thanks to its flowing layout and beautifully sweeping turns.

Pictures Valleyfair!

Conclusion Valleyfair!

Valleyfair! may not be one of the best-known amusement parks in the United States, but it certainly deserves more attention than it usually receives. The combination of modern thrill rides, historic classics and a relaxed atmosphere gives the park a character all its own. Anyone visiting Minneapolis or travelling through the American Midwest should make time for a visit to Valleyfair!.

 

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The great Mid-Western Road Trip Day 4 - 5 / Valleyfair

Nessie and the Highlander

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Hansa Park‘s Beautiful Britain

Nessie

The Superrollercoaster Nessie is one of the most famous roller coasters in Germany. This Schwarzkopf looping coaster was the first stationary roller coaster featuring a vertical loop and is more or less a product of its time. Once the definition of a thrill coaster, it later became a beloved family coaster and the first roller coaster to go upside down for many growing up nearby the Baltic sea. It has been a very fine roller coaster for the past 38 years, but starting from this year it just got better.

During the past decade Hansa Park was working hard to get rid of its late 70s look and became a very Hanseatic theme park. After most of the facades were finally transformed, the park decided to expand its overall theme and added Britain as the first trade partner to the park. Hence, Nessie got a theme and moved back to its home in Scotland. The new station building looks amazing and due to the location of the new entrance, the ride regained a lot of its former popularity. Well done, Hansa Park!

Highlander

Another addition for this year is the drop tower Highlander, the tallest one of its kind. Built by the Austrian company Funtime, the ride offers a new way to enjoy the view onto the Baltic Sea and the surroundings, as well as the already proven drop experiences known from various German funfairs and other theme parks worldwide – currently, there are two options: a non-tilting one in the morning and a tilting one in the afternoon. I don’t particularly understand why they wanted to introduce two options, as the drop in the tilted position just enhances the overall experience without increasing the fear factor. Many visitors would not even notice it when looking at the ride. Needless to say, the Highlander became a hit among visitors during its first year of operation.

Personally, I don’t rank the Highlander as high as others. Compared to other installations of the manufacturer, it has some flaws. Yes, it might be the tallest one of its kind, but it lacks the thrills and the capacity of Donjon de l’Extrême at Nigloland. At least, the ride is far better than the Power Tower Montezuma, which used to stand at the park till the year 2012.

Pictures Hansa Park

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Hansa Park

The sun is shining in Hansa Park

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Hansa Park

Superrollercoaster Nessie

If you enter Hansa Park through the, once again grown, themed area Hanse in Europe, the first attraction you will come across, apart from a small carousel, is the Superrollercoaster Nessie, in the following simply called Nessie. Opened in 1980, the Schwarzkopf roller coaster is not only the first stationary roller coaster with a loop in Germany, but also one of the two entry level coasters par excellence in Northern Germany.

But Nessie is not as harmless as it seems from the outside, because the power Nessie shows during the ride is so much more impressive than some South German Megacoasters. Here not only the looping is done as it should be, you also feel one of the most distinct airtime moments of a roller coaster in Germany, at least in the back part of the train.

Dünenexpress Rasender Roland

In the direct vicinity or below and above Nessie the dune express Rasender Roland does its rounds. This children’s roller coaster made by Vekoma is an ideal, even if somewhat borderline, beginner’s roller coaster. Unfortunately the slightly longer roller skater doesn’t have any single bars, which have a positive effect on the ride comfort and don’t have such a huge play as the standard bars.

Space Race

Somewhat more hidden at the edge of the park is the indoor bumper car Space Race, a very unusual, even special ride of this type. During the ride you have to drive to single planets and collect them by buzzer in the car. During the game the time is measured and the fastest player wins the race.

Wellenreiter

Next to the space race building is the HUSS Troika Wellenreiter. The ride is fast, although slightly monotonous and is enhanced by the clearance gauge which is used to the limit. The ride, which was repainted last year, raises the hope that other rides like the log flume or Nessie can shine in new splendor some day.

Baracuda Slide

Placed in the middle of nowhere is the wave slide Baracuda Slide from Dutch production. If you don’t want to duel, a ride for two is recommended, as you can take off quite well with the rubber dinghy. It would be nice to see if this ride is not the only one far and wide anymore and if necessary crosses with a wooden roller coaster, because if you want to follow a trend then please follow it.

Crazy Mine

The Wild Mouse Crazy Mine from Maurer Söhne, which has dedicated itself here to the leading theme of a wild mine ride, is a remarkable ride, but it has suffered some losses over time. The ride was not lost, only the increased safety devices, be it the stairs or the sign warning of the first nasty brake, make the ride look overloaded and by no means as harmonious as before.

Schlange von Midgard

Where last year there was a construction site, the Schlange von Midgard now presents itself in a harmonious overall picture. The ride built by Gerstlauer is absolutely convincing and will be upgraded again thanks to the waterfall. The story itself in its completed version is by far not so annoying anymore, but still capacity reducing. The snake animatronic, or whatever it is supposed to be, in the outdoor area should be removed, after all it doesn’t fit into the overall picture, neither in terms of quality nor for story reasons.

Torre del Mar

The Torre del Mar, which unfortunately trumps the neighboring elevator from Maurer Söhne, is a ride that for years I could describe as boring at best, unless you reverse it. But now the taste seems to have developed in a way that I consider the ride as good, although nothing has changed at all. The fading away of the Star Flyer concept from Funtime in Europe may have a positive effect on it.

Power Tower Montezuma

The Power Tower Montezuma has been given a new ride program this year, but the soundtrack is also different now. The forces during the ride are now much more pronounced, which was really good for the prototype. Although the ride before was also much better than the ride of the Power Tower El Desafio from Isla Magica, Spain, the gap now became even larger.

Rio Dorado

Rio Dorado is the largest version of a White Water West spinning raft ride in the park, and luckily it’s a beautiful design. The ride itself offers besides a foot massage, at the beginning and at the end of the ride, a nice long slide part, where you can also achieve a distinct turn if you have a good load, and a rafting part towards the end of the ride, where now one of the cannons is regularly fired and with a little luck moistens some passengers.

Fluch von Novgorod

The reason for many amusement park fans to come to Hansa-Park lies in the Russian section of Hansa Park and is called Fluch von Novgorod. On the day of the visit there were only three cars in operation, so the queue was quite long. Because of the really bad rearrangement of the rows, the cars didn’t move at all for some minutes.

The ride on Fluch von Novgorod begins with a little serenade by the ghost Rurik, which is quickly memorized as a catchy tune during several rides. Then follows another room where you get acquainted with the seal of the wolf, after which you are let loose on the following roller coaster part of Fluch von Novgorod. After a 90° drop follows the launch, which is astonishingly powerful for LSM, whereupon you leave the building in a curve and experience well dosed airtime on the hill, which is more intense in the first row. The bay knot is the most uncomfortable part of the ride on Fluch von Novgorod, as you often get to know the shoulder restraints. This element leads into a perfect heartlineroll. After a brake, you climb the 90° steep lifthill, where you are stopped only to find out that Volkov is still alive and then fall 97°. After a steep bend, the braking follows bit by bit, only to climb back up to station level and be laughed at by a scarecrow, one of the few effects that still work.

The Fluch von Novgorod is a good roller coaster, but nothing more. The story the ride tries to tell is well done, but leaves an open end, which isn’t really satisfying. The way to the exit of the Fluch von Novgorod shows a slide and a labyrinth, where most passers-by get scared by somebody simply standing around.

El Paso Express

Back in daylight, you have to get used to the theme, as you are now in Mexico. Here you will find the BHS Metroliner El Paso Express in the direct vicinity of the shop. The ride in a double bavarian curve takes a lot of getting used to when the cars are folded up, but otherwise it is a lot of fun. The little Mexican jokes were unfortunately not available on the day of the visit.

This year, the Arena Plaza del Mar is the venue for the Variety Show City Dreams 2012, which, in contrast to Phantasialand or Europa-Park, did not try to make me fall asleep or managed to do so. The show basically consists of only four acts, two of which are so similar that it’s better to do without one. Especially worth mentioning are the Chinese artists, who performed on two pillars in their first number and jumped through rings in the second number.

Wildwasserbahn

The park’s log flume Wildwasserbahn has been given an optical innovation, but not during the actual ride. At the exit of the ride in need of renovation there is now an inviting lounge instead of a single photo sale. It is still there, but in a much smaller and more attractive version. At the same time the photo quality in the whole park was raised.

Super Splash

A bit off the beaten track, the Super Splash water ride awaits its passengers. This ride is to be redesigned in the near future and so you can already discover first hints for the later design. The ride itself is simply outstanding and can be very wet if the boats are loaded correctly. This is something you unfortunately rarely find in Europe.

Fliegender Hai

The Fliegender Hai is one of the unfortunately rare HUSS Rangers. This year, the ride has been slightly modified and so the first change of direction will be initiated a bit earlier. The following part of the ride is full of somersaults and the softer stirrups are very convincing.

Navajo Trail

One of the reasons to visit Hansa Park is the Navajo Trail. As a high ropes course, it rounds off Hansa Park’s offerings and is quite convincing due to its length, but not necessarily due to its degree of difficulty.

Spanische Glocke

Very rarely and once again defective, the Schwarzkopf Dschunke Stumvogel shows up to the public. In a similar way the Spanische Glocke presented itself as functional later in the day, because the podium, which is used for getting in and out, did not allow a safe step. The Spanische Glocke itself is a really good swing, as both the rotation and swing were perfectly coordinated. Although the ride feeling doesn’t come close to a Zamperla Giant Discovery and is more comparable to a Mondial Revolution, it is better than the counterpart from HUSS which is not particularly difficult.

Pictures Hansa Park 2008 – 2012

Conclusion Hansa Park

Hansa Park has managed to please again this year, even though the entrance fee has increased once again. It would be nicer and also more appropriate if the prices were on a similar level as at Nigloland in France, which has a similar offer, but for that you would have to travel two years into the past. Should the park in the distant future have completed all its projects and maintain the rides as well as its green areas, Hansa Park can certainly become one of the best parks in Europe.

 

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