Why couldn't Kings Dominion have been laid out like this?

[cschnizer]

One of KD's biggest flaws is the park layout. The waterpark is weird being split in two by R75 and the north part of it took out half of Lake Charles. Most of the trees by Grizzly were cut out due to the developments of Hurler and Wayne's World. FoF, Backlot and I305 are shoved into the jungle section where they simply don't belong. Most of all, placing I305 and Hurler/Twisted Timbers in corners of the park have blocked any convenient access to potential expansions in the old Lion Country Safari land, which has sat dormant for years. Additionally, I learned long ago that KD is the only former Paramount-turned-Cedar Fair park to not have an "Action/Thrill Zone" section. I don't know about everyone else but it's better than placing movie-set themed rides in random places. This is an alternate reality of how things could've been better.

The Hurricane Reef water park is built where Twisted Timbers and Apple Zapple are instead of in Lake Charles, sparing some trees by Grizzly. After Lion Country Safari closes, Hurler and Wayne's World go in the plot east of where I305 is. Flight of Fear goes where it is now and Xtreme Skyflyer is built east of Anaconda instead of in Candy Apple Grove. These additions form an Action Zone area that includes Hurler and Juke Box Diner. Instead of the Old Dominion Line closing down, the line is extended out to the new Action Zone with a second station put there. This gives the train a transportation purpose in addition to just being a leisurely ride through the backwoods of KD. Hurricane Reef then expands into Waterworks south of R75 where that half of the area is now. This makes the water park more cohesive instead of being split in two halves. The Mack Wild Mouse is put in next to Kings Dominion Theater where the go-karts are instead of by Hurler/Twisted Timbers. When Diamond Falls closes, it is eventually replaced by...something. I'll let you decide on that one. Wait why did it close? I need to look into that. Backlot Stunt Coaster is built in Action Zone, by the R75 turnaround. The go-karts are also placed nearby instead of next to KD Theater. El Dorado opens where Skyflyer is, but due to low ridership it is replaced by Windseeker three years later. Also in 2009, some new flat rides are built west of the Action Zone train station to form a new area. Eventually, Intimidator 305 becomes this new area's anchor attraction in 2010 and with the bigger land available, has the potential for a layout that is still intense but enjoyable for all thrill seekers. Because of this. I305 becomes a huge success and Cedar Fair adds more capital investments into the park like at their five bigger parks. A path connects the new area to the water park, forming a park circle.

Attached is a rough visual of what this looks like.

 

[mwhinva]

It's fun to come up with a better layout for KD; but it took over 48 years for the park to be as it is now. During that time frame, KD has had
3 main owners; park and corporate leadership changes during each of those ownership eras; corporate directives and economic conditions and how that impacted attendance and budget; and changes over time with how folks in society spend their free time. What was priority for people in the mid-70's is probably not a priority in the 2020's. Lord knows how many times changes in park operations and planning happened when corporate and park leadership changed over time.

 

[Thriller]

The water park and Timbers area were damage done by KECO and Paramount. If neither had gotten their greasy hands on the park (if only Taft and Cedar Fair) the park would have a better design and be much nicer IMO.

 

[mwhinva]

The water park and Timbers area were damage done by KECO and Paramount. If neither had gotten their greasy hands on the park (if only Taft and Cedar Fair) the park would have a better design and be much nicer IMO.

KECO was formed from the executives that ran the theme park division under Taft. When Taft wanted out of managing theme parks, the executives of Taft's park division decided to arrange financing for the purchase of KD, KI, CW, and Carowinds. They approached Taft with the offer and they accepted. The split happened around 1981. KECO arranged for the park's to hang on to the H-B intellectual rights, characters, and themes. That stayed in place until the end of the 1992 season when Paramount bought them.

That is why I never considered Taft/KECO as completely distinct entities. The same executive management that managed them under Taft were the same folks that managed the park's from 1981 to 1992..

 

[Thriller]

KECO was formed from the executives that ran the theme park division under Taft. When Taft wanted out of managing theme parks, the executives of Taft's park division decided to arrange financing for the purchase of KD, KI, CW, and Carowinds. They approached Taft with the offer and they accepted. The split happened around 1981. KECO arranged for the park's to hang on to the H-B intellectual rights, characters, and themes. That stayed in place until the end of the 1992 season when Paramount bought them.

That is why I never considered Taft/KECO as completely distinct entities. The same executive management that managed them under Taft were the same folks that managed the park's from 1981 to 1992..

The parks notably started declining under KECO. They were in debt without the backing of a larger corp. Ride removals bad decisions like Lake Charles, and the parks looked not as well maintained. Their years were far better than Paramount but not great.