Originally Posted By phruby What if they brought back the Haunted Shack as a ride in the old Dinosaurs building? I wonder if Matt could get the budget for something on par with the Haunted Mansion. One thing I would love to see Matt do is remove that old Roaring 20's sign over that building. Does that thing even work?
Originally Posted By tashajilek "I wonder if Matt could get the budget for something on par with the Haunted Mansion." I kind of doubt that.
Originally Posted By crapshoot I finally got some quality time inside Knott's last night. Wow, Ghost Town is looking great! They have replaced all the wooden sidewalks with beautiful stamped and stained wood grained concrete walks. The trip hazards are now gone. A wonderful attention to detail is now the result. Ghost Town is perhaps slightly too sterile at the moment, but I prefer that over the trashiness that had befallen it for so many years. The Calico Mine Train has been "fluffed & folded" to the point that ALL F/X work, all lights work, all the minimatronics work. Mostly though, the have re-lit and UV theme painted the rock-work just like the old days. Had to ride it twice just to realize I wasn't dreaming. Okay, here comes the big negative of the night; The BGM absolutely sucks and is completely out of context to the "Old West" themed experience. I will be lodging a formal complaint. Nothing like being in the now amazing Calico Ghost Town listening to Free Ride. It's a great song, but . . . .
Originally Posted By DBitz2 Regarding the Haunted Shack, a Knott's Cast Member told a friend and I awhile back that the structure was so badly deteriorated that they couldn't simply do a refurbishment of it. It would need to be torn down and rebuilt, meaning it would lose any grandfathering status it would have had for ADA regulations. Thus, they did not rebuild it. That's what we were told, anyway. I wish they would come up with some kind of "haunted house" attraction. A ghost town really should have one! When I was growing up in Texas, Six Flags over Texas had a gravity house that I always enjoyed. The one I liked best was Grandfather's Mansion at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. There was more to it than slanted floors and water running uphill. It's too bad that the Herschend Corporation, who runs SDC, didn't buy Knott's. They would have done a much better job of growing the park without destroying its heritage. Silver Dollar City, has long been one of my favorite theme parks outside of the Disney parks.
Originally Posted By crapshoot New on the rumor front at Knott's is that the Ghost Town shop called Sticks and Stones is going to be turned into another GT Peak-In. Wow, one less place to take our money. I love the direction back to themed entertainment. Now what the peak-in will be, haven't yet heard.
Originally Posted By crapshoot The latest is that there is now shifting of backstage infrastructure between Ghostrider and the hotel parking lot. Indications are that another ride will be built in that area.
Originally Posted By phruby Knott's version of Phantom Manor! Knott's version of Phantom Manor! Knott's version of Phantom Manor!
Originally Posted By crapshoot Knotts just complelely remodeled the old Crew's Nest employee cafeteria and menu. The pics look very nice.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Just got wind of another old Knott's element making a return - <a href="http://micechat.com/forums/knotts-berry-farm-cedar-fair-parks/180412-knotts-announces-return-california-mission-dioramas.html" target="_blank">http://micechat.com/forums/kno...mas.html</a> If I could throw a few "wish list" items ... I'd ask for the volcano to return .. along with the San Francisco Cable Car .. making a run down to Crescent Street ..and back.
Originally Posted By phruby Just bring back Knotts Beary Tales and the Haunted Shack and I'll be happy.
Originally Posted By fabshelly Unfortunately, the Haunted Shack can't be replicated while still being ADA-compliant, according to Knott's PR. However, I did do a walk-in of the construction for the Timber Mountain Log Ride redo and it's simply breathtaking (literally, they're making use of smellitzer-type technology). Garner Holt Productions (aka MAPO) is doing the animatronics based on Bud Hurlbut's old gags that never got in due to cost in the 70s. Matt revealed on the Season Pass podcast that the Calico Mine Train is next, and Raffi told me that a dark ride is in the future after that. I believe that's when I started begging for Bear-y Tales! Garner Holt did Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, but I'd rather see the old musical classic returned. Robert Niles mentioned that he'd like to see a Peanuts dark ride, but I think the licensing fees would be prohibitive.
Originally Posted By phruby How about a new show for the mystery lodge? Maybe the return of the haunted shack show could go in there. Something along the lines of the old Ghostbusters show at USO.
