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January 09, 2019
2019's Most-Anticipated New Thrill Rides and Theme-Park Attractions
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But there are plenty of other cool things coming to parks in 2019, including some wild roller coasters (over which I rhapsodize in an earlier article). It's not just parks. A number of pilgrimage-worthy attractions will open at nontraditional venues. LetÕs run down some of the coolest rides (other than coasters) that are on the way, starting with the obvious. Star Wars: GalaxyÕs Edge at Disneyland in California and DisneyÕs Hollywood Studios in Florida Two rides will headline the lavishly themed, nearly identical 14-acre lands coming to both of DisneyÕs U.S. resorts. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will empower visitors to take control of Han SoloÕs famed hunk-of-junk starship, while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will place them on the front lines of a skirmish between the Resistance and the First Order. Beyond the rides, expect lots of details to explore, blue milk and other distinctive drinks and dishes to sample, and interactive opportunities to experience, including the chance to meet Kylo Ren. The West Coast GalaxyÕs Edge will open in the summer, while the galactic gang wonÕt make it to Florida until the fall. Mickey & MinnieÕs Runaway Railway and Wonderful World of Animation at DisneyÕs Hollywood Studios in Florida. Mickey recently celebrated his 90th birthday, but the cherubic mascot hasnÕt aged a whit. In fact, retro, pie-eyed versions of Mr. Mouse and his constant companion will star in their first ride, Mickey & MinnieÕs Runaway Railway. Set to debut in the fall, passengers will be magically transported into an animated world alongside the mice where they will board a train with Goofy at the helm. What could possibly go wrong? On May 1, the new nighttime show, Wonderful World of Animation, will premiere at the park as part of DisneyÕs Hollywood StudiosÕ 30th anniversary. It will draw on the Disney studioÕs overflowing catalog of movies and characters and use the Chinese Theatre (which will also house the Runaway Railway ride) as the backdrop for the multimedia presentation. Nickelodeon Universe and other entertainment venues at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey This is not your fatherÕs mall. When the 3-million-square-foot American Dream (the third-largest mall in North America) opens in 2019, it will boast more space devoted to entertainment than to retail shops. Leading the lineup will be Nickelodeon Universe, the largest indoor theme park in the Western Hemisphere. It will feature rides (including two record-breaking roller coasters), live shows, and games based on SpongeBob SquarePants, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other Nickelodeon characters. American Dream will also include the indoor, glass-domed, 8-acre Dreamworks Water Park. It will be open year-round and feature an enormous wave pool and other rides themed to the animation studioÕs movies. Open year-round as well will be Big Snow America, the first indoor ski and snowboard park in North America. Among its attractions will be a 16-story-tall, 800-foot-long ski slope and an ice-climbing wall. Outside the complex will be The American Dream Observation Wheel, a 235-foot-tall slow-moving ride with climate-controlled cars that will offer stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. Other venues will include an outpost of KidZania, where children can try their hand at a variety of professions and roles, a Legoland Discovery Center, a Sea Life Aquarium, and a large ice skating rink. If all of that fun makes you hungry, American Dream claims it will have more eateries than any other mall in the country. The Lego Movie World at Legoland Florida The Lego brand soared in popularity when the wildly funny ÒThe Lego MovieÓ opened to critical and audience acclaim in 2014. (A sequel is set to open this February.) Legoland wisely capitalized on the hoopla and incorporated elements from the films into its theme parks. Legoland Florida will open an entire land devoted to the movies this spring. The featured attraction will be The Lego Movie Masters of Flight. A flying theater attraction (think SoarinÕ from the Disney parks), it will immerse passengers in the filmsÕ offbeat animated world. The land will also include UnikittyÕs Disco Drop, a drop tower ride; Battle of Bricksburg, a ride that will arm passengers with water sprayers; and EmmetÕs Super Suite, where visitors will be able to meet characters from the movies. Lionsgate Entertainment City in New York City's Times Square Another new indoor venue, Lionsgate Entertainment City will present experiences based on the movie studioÕs films and television shows such as ÒDivergent,Ó ÒGods of EgyptÓ and ÒAsh vs Evil Dead.Ó There will be a motion simulator attraction that will take passengers on an adventure in the Capitol from ÒThe Hunger Games,Ó an interactive shooting dark ride set to the movie ÒJohn Wick: Chapter Two,Ó and a VR experience that will place participants on virtual motorcycles and unleash them in the world of the film ÒNerve.Ó When the Lionsgate complex opens in the fall, visitors will also be able to load up on carbs at Peeta's Bakery and make like Don Draper and order an Old Fashioned at the Mad Men Lounge. Kind Heaven at The Linq in Las Vegas Perhaps the most outrŽ venue to open in 2019 will be Kind Heaven, a hard-to-describe $100 million attraction set to open in the late summer on the Las Vegas Strip. The brainchild of JaneÕs Addiction front man and Lollapalooza impresario Perry Farrell, it will include dining and live music enveloped in a highly themed experience. Visitors will be transported, using theme park trickery, to Asian locales modeled after Bangkok, Taipei, the Himalayas and elsewhere. Vegas is no stranger to grand spectacle, but Kind Heaven promises to be especially audacious. Sesame Street at SeaWorld Orlando There are plenty of sunny days in Orlando. And now youÕll know how to get to Sesame Street when SeaWorld brings the beloved locale to its park. After guests visit Mr. HooperÕs store, the 123 stoop, Big BirdÕs nest and other iconic spots, theyÕll be able to hop on themed rides such as ElmoÕs ChooChoo Train and SlimeyÕs Slider (which will let kids explore Oscar the GrouchÕs compost heap Ð ew!). The former Shamu Express family coaster will get a makeover with the new name, Super Grover's Box Car Derby. A parade featuring characters from the show will wind its way down Sesame Street daily. Wildwood Grove at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee For its latest expansion, Dollywood carved out a 6-acre tract for the $37 million Wildwood Grove. Geared to visitors with children, the land will welcome original woodland characters such as Benjamin Bear and the fairy butterflies Flit and Flutter. The centerpiece Wildwood Tree will sparkle with incandescent leaves and other effects after dusk. Rides will include the spinning TreeTop Tower and the galleon ride, Sycamore Swing. Jurassic World at Universal Studios Hollywood The Jurassic Park ride has been terrorizing visitors with its fearsome dinosaurs and splashdown finale for years. With the ÒJurassic WorldÓ reboot amassing T. Rex-sized box office receipts, Universal is getting its water ride spiffed up for the next generation of genetically engineered, prehistoric creatures. Meow Wolf's Kaleidoscape at Elitch Gardens in Denver The art collective Meow Wolf is partnering with Elitch Gardens to bring what it is describing as the Òfirst artist-driven dark ride.Ó The multimedia attraction, which will open in April, will likely be highly colorful (you know, like a kaleidoscope) and trippy. Calico River Rapids at KnottÕs Berry Farm in Buena Park, California The parkÕs BigFoot Rapids gets a makeover and will reopen in the summer as Calico River Rapids. Like its wonderful, classic attractions Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride, Knott's will be introducing animatronic characters and themed show scenes. It will also amp up the river rapids thrills for the ride. ReeseÕs Cupfusion at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania Another makeover, the former ReeseÕs Xtreme Cup Challenge will morph into ReeseÕs Cupfusion at the candy-crazy park. In the new version of the interactive dark ride, visitors are assigned the mission of protecting the candy factory while scoring points. Pirates of the Deep Sea at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio Previously themed to Scooby-Do, Six Flags has re-imagined its interactive dark ride with new, original, seafaring characters. Scheduled to open on Jan. 12, passengers will wage battle against nefarious mermaids and pirates, including the dastardly Captain Morgold, while trying to capture hidden treasures. They will use onboard guns to shoot at targets and rack up points along with the booty. Copyright 2019 USA Today. All rights reserved. From https://www.usatoday.com. By Arthur Levine, Special to USA TODAY.
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