Your Attraction Ideas

Firstvisit1967 · April 06, 2010, 06:48:29 AM

If they were going to build a new rollercoaster the runaway Butterfield Stage coach would be a great start. Guest board the Butterfield Stage. The stage leaves the town and is attacked by bandits. The race is on. This ride could also be done in a 3D ride.

It would be great to see them bring back the waterfall area of the park. That would be a great place to have the Ozark animals. Besides deer, bear, etc. they could use the waterfall to add an Ozark aquarium.
Guest could view, catfish, stugens, gar, etc.

They could also add and ozark dinning area. One where catfish, deer, bison, wild boar, snake etc were served as the main courses.

History Buff · April 06, 2010, 06:26:50 PM

It works for me. Previously, I have suggested an area with the indigenous wildlife, and the runaway stagecoach works nicely as an alternative to yet another runaway mine car.

Firstvisit1967 · April 07, 2010, 10:12:30 AM

They could also move White Water onto the property. They have enough land to build a great water park to go with SDC. They could really theme it well. The could call it the White River Water Park.

They could also build at least three hotels on the property. One themed like Grandpas Mansion, one themed as the Tree House, one themed as the Rude Dugans Diving Bell. They would be booked a year in advance.

themeparkguy · April 07, 2010, 10:23:13 AM

I have always loked dollywood 3-d theatre and think the city should also have one to help with rainy or cold days and have another inside attraction.

History Buff · July 07, 2010, 11:42:33 AM

A barber shop would be a great addition, complete with quartet. Of course, the barber would have to cut hair without modern tools.

The best location, theme-wise, would be in the Grand Expo, maybe next to the C&A School, overlooking Echo Hollow.

I could get a haircut while watching the show. Plus I like the idea of getting a shave and haircut for two bits!

PastorDon · July 07, 2010, 02:59:32 PM

This isn't exactly an attraction, but HB's Barber Shop idea sparked something in my mind that my son mentioned when we were at SDC a couple of weeks ago. He said they really need a full-fledged Western Wear store with boots, hats, jeans, etc. It would certainly seem in keeping with the theme!

Junior · July 07, 2010, 03:53:21 PM

Let's go for something really off the wall...a full blown oddities show...a freak show...in Grand Exposition. Pickled punks, bearded lady, rubber man, sword swallowing guy, people with no limbs, dog faced boy, mummified bodies, conjoined twins, three headed calf, four legged chicken, chickens playing a piano, display of goiters and other odd things removed from human bodies in surgery, and a top of the line barker to pull in the crowd. OH WAIT! I think Branson has something like that already...Ripley's Believe it or not. (Of course, I'm just joking...my strange sense of humor...my wife says "sick" sense of humor...just temporarily kicked in.)

Zephon · July 07, 2010, 11:37:11 PM

Were you working here, Junior, when we had the knife thrower, Larry Suseski, and the jugglers that performed at the intersection by the Saloon and Tintype Shop? That's what your idea reminded me of.

Andymeets1880s · July 08, 2010, 12:21:03 AM

How about a James Gang or Jesse James ride?! Maybe a coaster like FITH where you ride through robberies and shootouts? The coaster would go right down the middle of shootouts with the James Gang on one side and law enforcement on the other. It starts with Jesse in Quantrills guerrillas and ends with his last hold-up.
Or...
maybe something like a Quantrill or Border Wars ride where you go through battles and events like Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas!

Junior · July 08, 2010, 08:05:43 AM

Yeah, I remember Larry and the jugglers. Larry managed to appear on a new NBC morning show hosted by David Letterman. Poor ole Larry, he lasted only part of one season...I saw his show daily because it was in the little "Theater in the Woods" (Where Dockside Theater is now) just across from the diving bell. Really, he was only so-so with the act. Hard to work with, and went through many women assistants. He grazed one gal with a throwing knife, giving her a cut. After that, it was hard to find anyone to work with him. That was the 1980 season.

History Buff · July 08, 2010, 12:30:39 PM

Quote from: Andymeets1880s on July 08, 2010, 12:21:03 AM
How about a James Gang or Jesse James ride?! Maybe a coaster like FITH where you ride through robberies and shootouts? The coaster would go right down the middle of shootouts with the James Gang on one side and law enforcement on the other. It starts with Jesse in Quantrills guerrillas and ends with his last hold-up.
Or...
maybe something like a Quantrill or Border Wars ride where you go through battles and events like Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas!

How about the Adventure Mountain course, only with live fire from the James Gang?

betamike · July 26, 2010, 08:12:47 AM

So here's one that could be a seasonal offering.

At Disney during the Fall, we take the old horse-drawn buggies out of storage and offer a nighttime tour of the back 40 of Fort Wilderness Campground (waaaay away from the campers) with nothing but the moonlight shining by the lake. That is until the headless horseman actually follows you and gallops right alongside your buggy!

It would be pretty awesome to crank up the old Butterfield stagecoaches once again and have a similar theme to it with maybe the exception of an old outlaw....or maybe a ghost mailman delivering a love letter and theme it to the pony express (since that started in St. Joe, Mo).

Junior · July 26, 2010, 08:21:48 AM

I like the stagecoach idea, but think they sold off all but one of the coaches a few years ago. I was disappointed when I heard that, too. One old stagecoach was on display a few years ago at Ralph Foster Museum at College of the Ozarks, but I don't know if they still have it.

--

Speaking of Disney and special effects...you have got to explain to me, BetaMike, how the Imagineers came up with the ghost in the haunted mansion at Magic Kingdom that gets into the car with you for a moment as you are traveling through. That blew me away in 1996 when I visited with my family, as well as the Honey I Shrunk the Kids thing at Epcot...the special effects with the 3D glasses...it was fantastic! At one point in the film, the kids knocked over a cage with mice in it, and I guess the Disney people used jets of air to simulate the mice running up my pants leg. Again, those two special effects at the Haunted Mansion and Honey I shrunk the kids thing totally knocked me out.

betamike · July 26, 2010, 09:06:05 AM

I would imagine that SDC got rid of those assets a long time ago, but may be worth re-creating a new one down the road. I have always thought that was one thing missing from the City and its theme was an actual carriage or stagecoach. Even if they didn't allow guests to ride in it (for liability), just to have one on display. Think of it as an investment in heritage.

Yeah, the effects are pretty cool in the Haunted Mansion. I used to walk the place early in the morning when I worked in Adventureland as a Jungle Cruise Skipper. It's actually very simple how it's done too. The Pepper's Ghost effect that is used in the ballroom scene is just a reflection on a mirror. For the exit when they ride with you, it's a special kind of glass that is reflective (so you can see yourself) and also see-through so you can see the ghosts ride with you. They are on a large carousel just behind the mirror.

The Honey I Shrunk effect was actually a piece of plastic that air pumped out and was made to wiggle. When you left the theater you could sometimes see these "rat tails" hanging down that didn't return to their proper place in the seat. Sadly, the Honey show is no longer there but they use the same effect for the return of Captain Eo including the shaking floor!

Copper · July 28, 2010, 09:51:35 AM

I too had a stagecoach ride idea, but it was an indoor dark ride sort of like Spiderman at Universal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PcLmfBUemI

During the ride you would travel through different scenes encountering many opsticals including bandits after the stagecoaches money ect...

I like Beta Mike's idea of the headless horseman! This could be a special show for Sep & Oct. With this type of ride several different shows could be created.

This attraction could also be open during bad weather and it would be in operation all season long.