Disney Like Attraction in Phoenix (Mesa: waterpark, neighborhoods, shop)

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

The age of the argument doesn't make it wrong. Legend City was popular with locals, and if it were a raging success it would still be operating. I doubt that anyone travelled from out of state to get to it. To be a success a Six Flags or Disney sort of park needs to draw in people from more than just the metropolitan area. If you are in Kansas or Utah and thinking of making a summer trip to such a place, why would you ever pick 110 degree Phoenix over the parks in California?

I think you hit the nail on the head.

There's nothing wrong with amusement parks on a smaller scale, we have them already and plenty of waterparks to keep families occupied here in the summertime.

But a park on the scale of Disneyland-Disneyworld? I can't see people from across the country flying here or taking a Griswold-style roadtrip to visit a Phoenix funpark in June, July, or August.

[DeerValleyAZ]

Why is it that an indoor family friendly place would be also a homeless and/or a haven for bad doers? Indoor lazer tag, waterpark, mini golf, movies, food anything that would keep you out of the dry but still blistering heat. My seat belt buckle and steering wheel already attacked me on a short trip!

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by TempeAZnative

The summertime excuse is old and played out. We went to Legend City which was near Washington and Priest all summer long. Even got a Ladmo bag at one of the Wallace and Ladmo shows there. Just because transplants lock themselves up all summer long is not a good reason.

I completely agree. The ones who keep using the summer heat as an ongoing excuse seem to forget about the Las Vegas Strip, which is essentially a theme park of its own. Vegas can be just as hot as Phoenix in the summer, but it doesn't seem to discourage people from visiting there. Granted, many of their attractions are located indoors at the hotels/casinos ... but still, there are plenty of visitors walking up & down the Strip during the hottest parts of the summer, even in the middle of the day.

So with that in mind, there really is no legitimate reason to not have theme parks here ... although I do think a large indoor park would probably go over better than an outdoor one. Or perhaps it could be an indoor/outdoor combination of a water park & amusement park with the rides on the inside and the water park on the outside. I'm convinced that it's mostly the NIMBY types who oppose theme parks & keep on pumping the same lame excuses as to why there shouldn't be any here. They offer few or no positive alternatives or solutions, so they should simply be ignored as far as I'm concerned.

[IShootNikon]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

I completely agree. The ones who keep using the summer heat as an ongoing excuse seem to forget about the Las Vegas Strip, which is essentially a theme park of its own. Vegas can be just as hot as Phoenix in the summer, but it doesn't seem to discourage people from visiting there. Granted, many of their attractions are located indoors at the hotels/casinos ... but still, there are plenty of visitors walking up & down the Strip during the hottest parts of the summer, even in the middle of the day.

First of all the strip is free. Big difference walking the strip and entering air conditioned buildings on a whim to cool off vs paying $50-$100 and waiting in line for 2-3 hours in the searing heat to get on a ride that lasts 2 minutes (rinse and repeat throughout the day)

If I had to pay to visit the strip and wait in line outdoors in the heat to enter an attraction I'm sure the numbers wouldn't be what they are.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by stevek64

I agree a large park would be needed to attract regional and beyond travelers. For the draw angle, perhaps Phoenix would have an edge with the great hotel rates we see here in the summer that I think would certainly help draw value conscious families and other travelers over other regions. In addition, big theme park chains often will create unique rides for a specific city to help make it a draw. And assuming it's a big park as you say at the level of a six flags or disney type theme park, judging by the crowds I've seen over the years first hand in the hot/humid summer of FL and other parts of the south on the east coast, the heat and high humidity is obviously not an issue for lots of people. I'm guessing a big theme park here would also have lots of water attractions, more than average, for those who don't like to hang out it the heat too much. We could be known as the water flume ride capital of the world.

Yes, it would have to be the sort of park to attract people from out of state. Just a water park, no matter how big, is not enough, IMO. To attract outsiders, it would be hard with just one large park to compete with SoCal, which has multiple large parks within a reasonable distance of one another and better weather, (and oh, yes, the ocean) and, for that matter, Central Florida has more than one, too (Disney World, Epcot, Universal, Sea World), which helps balance against the hot humid weather (although their summer thunderstorms cool things off more reliably than ours do) Even the ocean is not that far away from Orlando, either.

[Renegade007]

Castles and Coasters isn't my idea of a real amusement park. But for Phoenix, it will have to do, at least for now. *sigh*

California has the good ones: Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, etc. Phoenix has... Castles and Coasters.
They even have the biggest water park in the world - the Pacific Ocean. The fake waves at Big Surf can't compete.

But we do the best we can. We don't have earthquakes in Phoenix...

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by observer53

Yes, it would have to be the sort of park to attract people from out of state. Just a water park, no matter how big, is not enough, IMO. To attract outsiders, it would be hard with just one large park to compete with SoCal, which has multiple large parks within a reasonable distance of one another and better weather, (and oh, yes, the ocean) and, for that matter, Central Florida has more than one, too (Disney World, Epcot, Universal, Sea World), which helps balance against the hot humid weather (although their summer thunderstorms cool things off more reliably than ours do) Even the ocean is not that far away from Orlando, either.

I agree, and while our summertime heat might be less humid, it's still a very intense heat for three or four months.

Phoenix is just not a vacation destination in June, July, or August for that very reason.

A funpark on a Disneyland-Disneyworld scale wouldn't have a high success rate here.

When I go someplace in the summertime for fun I certainly wouldn't go where it's easily 110 in the shade, what fun is that?

Six Flags Over Texas doesn't sound like much fun either with their heat indexes.

Why not stay here and enjoy the waterparks or visit an indoor aquarium? It would be cheaper and more fun than any amusement park, but that's just my opinion.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

I agree, and while our summertime heat might be less humid, it's still a very intense heat for three or four months.

Phoenix is just not a vacation destination in June, July, or August for that very reason.

A funpark on a Disneyland-Disneyworld scale wouldn't have a high success rate here.

When I go someplace in the summertime for fun I certainly wouldn't go where it's easily 110 in the shade, what fun is that?

Six Flags Over Texas doesn't sound like much fun either with their heat indexes.

Why not stay here and enjoy the waterparks or visit an indoor aquarium? It would be cheaper and more fun than any amusement park, but that's just my opinion.

Ahh, c'mon people..... Who wouldn't enjoy second degree + burns when pulling down the restraint bars on the rides or touching a seat belt buckle?

Just the idea of frying ones thighs/butt sitting on a hot fiberglass seat/vinyl seat and then flaying skin off when you peel your thigh off said seat makes me giddy with excitement!

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by jimj

Ahh, c'mon people..... Who wouldn't enjoy second degree + burns when pulling down the restraint bars on the rides or touching a seat belt buckle?

Just the idea of frying ones thighs/butt sitting on a hot fiberglass seat/vinyl seat and then flaying skin off when you peel your thigh off said seat makes me giddy with excitement!

R-R-Riiiiip!!!

[mn55110]

The idea of Phoenix having an amusement park like Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Studio's, Sea World which would attract tourists from around the nation and the world here to "The Valley" most likely will not occur. So Cal and Central Florida maybe the few US destinations which could have international appeal for amusement parks.

With that being said, it still surprises me that we do not have a major regional amusement park which would act as a regional draw from those in surrounding states, families vacationing in Phoenix for one reason or another deciding, "Hey let's go to the amusement park while we're in town" and local residents. I love Six Flags, however those amusement parks mainly draw visitors from surrounding area's and neighboring states which is what a large amusement park here would do as well,-draw residents from: AZ, UT, NV, NM, far-west TX etc.

Metro area's smaller than Phoenix in northern climates have long standing successful large amusement parks which do well in spite of only being open 3-or-4 months a year. Valleyfair in Minneapolis-St. Paul has been doing great since 1976, and can really only be open from Memorial Day-to-Labor Day. Adventureland is in Des Moines, and there is an amusement park along the I-435 in Kansas City as well. Each of these examples is larger than Castles and Coasters' which I do really enjoy.

In reference to beastly hot summers, with Six Flags over Texas in Arlington and Six Flags over Georgia near Atlanta, summers in both the DFW Metroplex and Metro Atlanta can be just as challenging to what we face here in AZ.