How about a theme park in Eloy, Arizona? (Phoenix, Tucson: amusement parks, hotel)

[BillyBaroo]

It's halfway between Phoenix and Tucson.

Decades

A Phoenix-based investment team said today it wants to build a 240-acre rock 'n' roll theme park in Pinal County intended to rival Orlando's Disney World complex and the Busch Gardens amusement parks across the country.

The $800 million project, which is proposed to include a luxury hotel and retail space, would be known as Decades Music Theme Park. One of the consultants for the project was a project manager of Disney's Epcot Center.

The park would be located in Eloy, with roller coasters and other rock-themed rides divided into sections associated with music through the decades, starting in the 1950s.

Rock 'n' roll theme park proposed for Eloy (broken link)

[Nice Nice Baby!]

I've seen proposed developments come through the Eloy area before. The last one was to create a recreational lake called Picacho where the reservoir sits. It never got support as time went on, probably because of money and/or politics. I would be very surprised if this gets passed. Wait and see, because it will take many years to find out.

[BillyBaroo]

Remember "The Wooz"? You can still see remnants of that along I-10. Here's a few of the biggest flops in Arizona.....

What were they thinking?

I could see an amusement park working in Eloy. There's going to be a lot of growth in Pinal County up and down the I-10 corridor. Tucson is going to continue to grow, especially toward the northwest. Phoenix will continue to expand into Pinal County. Eloy would be halfway between Phoenix and Tucson and near the junction of I-10 and I-8 so it could get people from California. You have a market with millions of people and the closest amusement park is in California. I've been in Dallas at Six Flags during the summer and it was just as hot as Arizona plus it had higher humidity. Misting systems and shade would be more effective here. The rides don't get hot when they are sitting in the shade. I've been at Six Flags Great America in Chicago when we sweated so much that we never dried out during the entire day. Same thing at Six Flags in St. Louis. The weather during the rest of the year is always better in Arizona compared to those places.

I don't think you can compare the failures from twenty years ago to current Arizona. There's so many more people now than there used to be and there's only going to be more. It's easy to laugh about Eloy right now, but I don't think people will be laughing ten years from now.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

Remember "The Wooz"? You can still see remnants of that along I-10. Here's a few of the biggest flops in Arizona.....

What were they thinking?

I could see an amusement park working in Eloy. There's going to be a lot of growth in Pinal County up and down the I-10 corridor. Tucson is going to continue to grow, especially toward the northwest. Phoenix will continue to expand into Pinal County. Eloy would be halfway between Phoenix and Tucson and near the junction of I-10 and I-8 so it could get people from California. You have a market with millions of people and the closest amusement park is in California. I've been in Dallas at Six Flags during the summer and it was just as hot as Arizona plus it had higher humidity. Misting systems and shade would be more effective here. The rides don't get hot when they are sitting in the shade. I've been at Six Flags Great America in Chicago when we sweated so much that we never dried out during the entire day. Same thing at Six Flags in St. Louis. The weather during the rest of the year is always better in Arizona compared to those places.

I don't think you can compare the failures from twenty years ago to current Arizona. There's so many more people now than there used to be and there's only going to be more. It's easy to laugh about Eloy right now, but I don't think people will be laughing ten years from now.

He-he, you reminded me of this little gem:

The THING

I'd imagine it's still functioning... for whoever is dumb enough or bored enough to check it out... No offense anybody - I have! With this "abundance" of entertainment, you can even be tempted by "The Thing!"

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

He-he, you reminded me of this little gem:

The THING

I'd imagine it's still functioning... for whoever is dumb enough or bored enough to check it out... No offense anybody - I have! With this "abundance" of entertainment, you can even be tempted by "The Thing!"

I can't think of a better way to spend a dollar between Tucson and Las Cruces.

[Boatdrinks]

I heard about this on the radio today. I think that once the Waveyard thing gets going, we'll see more entertainment venues built here...at least I hope so.

Not sure about the whole Rock n Roll theme. I'd love it, but it seems like it'd be playing toward a specific clientel. Or maybe they'll just throw in a Barry Manilow tea cup ride, and a Mel Torme roller coaster for those non-rock-n-rollers

[AndyJ]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

Remember "The Wooz"? You can still see remnants of that along I-10.

I always wondered what that was when I lived in Tucson! Thanks for filling me in BillyBaroo. I personally always thought it was kind of eerie looking, sitting out in the desert, especially those little tower cage things. I don't live in AZ anymore, but alas my question has finally been answered

[backtochitown]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

Remember "The Wooz"? You can still see remnants of that along I-10. Here's a few of the biggest flops in Arizona.....

What were they thinking?

I could see an amusement park working in Eloy. There's going to be a lot of growth in Pinal County up and down the I-10 corridor. Tucson is going to continue to grow, especially toward the northwest. Phoenix will continue to expand into Pinal County. Eloy would be halfway between Phoenix and Tucson and near the junction of I-10 and I-8 so it could get people from California. You have a market with millions of people and the closest amusement park is in California. I've been in Dallas at Six Flags during the summer and it was just as hot as Arizona plus it had higher humidity. Misting systems and shade would be more effective here. The rides don't get hot when they are sitting in the shade. I've been at Six Flags Great America in Chicago when we sweated so much that we never dried out during the entire day. Same thing at Six Flags in St. Louis. The weather during the rest of the year is always better in Arizona compared to those places.

I don't think you can compare the failures from twenty years ago to current Arizona. There's so many more people now than there used to be and there's only going to be more. It's easy to laugh about Eloy right now, but I don't think people will be laughing ten years from now.

Sorry but the worst day at Disney in Orlando or Six Flags anywhere won't even be close to almost 4 straight months of 100+ degree HELL...at least with humidity you are not BAKING in the sun...plus imagine how HOT outdoor seats will be anywhere.

If they are stupid enough to go forward this it will FLOP like no other just because of the SUPER NASTY almost 8 month long summers in AZ...this is a guaranteed flop! Let's not forget how FUGLY the Eloy area is too...

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by backtochitown

Sorry but the worst day at Disney in Orlando or Six Flags anywhere won't even be close to almost 4 straight months of 100+ degree HELL...at least with humidity you are not BAKING in the sun...plus imagine how HOT outdoor seats will be anywhere.

If they are stupid enough to go forward this it will FLOP like no other just because of the SUPER NASTY almost 8 month long summers in AZ...this is a guaranteed flop! Let's not forget how FUGLY the Eloy area is too...

I don't think the looks of the area matter that much as long as the place is conveniently located between Phoenix and Tucson. The Renaissance Festival by Apache Junction (it's open for only a few months, but the buildings are permanent) does pretty well. Even though it's a lot closer to Phoenix, Tucsonans go, too. I personally believe it can do well even if it's open all year round, but the staff moves from state to state performing at other festivals.

[BigDMTP]

I am an organizer with the Decades Team.

To answer your question on the heat, the we are giving this very careful consideration in the design of the theme park. Approximately 70% of the rides and attractions will be indoor dark rides or water rides. We also will design Decades with plenty of shading features, water features and indoor cue lines to keep the audience cool. This will be a modern design built for the Arizona climate. There will be ample opportunity to get out of the heat, get hydrated and stay entertained!

The location was chosen in Eloy due to the long-term population trends and the strong transportation backbone. The site is located on an existing municipal airport that can be expanded to 6,500 feet. It is also surrounded by major access roads that are laid out well to permit circumfrential traffic patterns, avoiding major traffic bottlenecks

As for the rest of the comments within this thread, we appreciate the healthy skepticism. It is a very large project proposal and it is difficult to fully understand the theming, design and vision behind it from a single press release. I encourage you all to keep an open mind.

We are a home grown local group with a genuine desire to bring something cool to the state. Marty West, the designer of the park, was born and raised in AZ.

We are currently scheduling a Public Speaking series to bring the park to you. We can send a speaker with our full presentation to your civic organization meeting or even to a your living room for all your neighbors to hear! Just e-mail me and we can get your group on our schedule

BigD