The main reason that people nominated and voted for SeaWorld in our recently concluded Worst Company In America tournament was the controversy — highlighted in the documentary Blackfish — over its treatment of orca whales and, more precisely, the multiple deaths that have been tied to one particular whale. SeaWorld has been fighting workplace safety citations issued following the 2010 death of a trainer, but today a federal appeals court ruled against the park. [More]
amusement parks
Get What You Want: Find The Right Person, Ask Them In A Nice Way
By 10.1.13
Eric bought tickets for a special event at a theme park a month in advance. Well, more like 30 days. He purchased it for the wrong day, but figured a simple call to customer service would get him new tickets for the correct date. He was wrong. A complaint on their Facebook page didn’t help, either. What next? [More]
Six Flags Magic Mountain Has A Waiting List To Reach The Lost & Found Dept.
By 9.3.13
All over the L.A. area, there are clubs, restaurants, and parties where people would do just about anything to get “on the list,” but we think the lost-and-found folks at Six Flags Magic Mountain might have taken that idea to a ridiculous end. [More]
Man Claims In Lawsuit That Six Flags Kicked Him Off Ride Because He Has No Hands
By 2.15.13 — Updated: 2.19.13
A man born without hands has had quite a full life — he went to college, got married, had kids, rides a bike and plenty of other things people with both hands do. For fun he enjoys riding roller coasters at Six Flags Over Texas, including the Aquaman Splashdown ride, but he says last May he was told to get off the boat because of his lack of hands. [More]
Nothing Quite Like Being Stuck 150 Feet In The Air For 2 Hours To Put You Off Roller Coasters
By 7.30.12
If anything could turn a die-hard roller coaster rider off the idea of any more trips looping crazily and careening joyfully through the air, it would likely be sitting in a non-moving train car 150 feet up in the air for almost two hours. That’s what happened to a dozen riders the new Superman ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. yesterday afternoon. It could be worse, right? At least it wasn’t upside down. [More]
Despite Economic Woes, Americans Are Still Getting Their Kicks At Theme Parks
By 6.1.12
Some Americans might be cutting back in tough economic times and tightening purse strings on big splashy purchases — but skip checking out Hogwarts in Harry Potter World? Not gonna happen. Despite financial woes across the country, theme park attendance was up for 2011, partly due to the boy wizard wonder and his magical, imaginary land. [More]
The Post-Apocalyptic Clownscape That Was Six Flags New Orleans
By 7.1.11
How long after civilization collapses will it take for our infrastructure to crumble into a rusting, weed-choked hellscape? With the help of some flooding, just a few years, if the current state of Six Flags New Orleans is any indication. Pump systems failed after Hurricane Katrina, leaving the site in up to seven feet of brackish water for about a month, corroding the rides and wrecking everything else. The park site is now property of the city of New Orleans after Six Flags declared it a total loss, collecting insurance and moving a few salvageable rides to other parks. The front gate is open, and the city already has enough problems and can’t pay for 24-hour security. That means local teens and roving urban explorers have found their way in to show us all the carnage. [More]
Boy Dies In Roller Coaster Fall
By 4.4.11
A 3-year-old Chicago-area boy died after he fell off an indoor amusement park roller coaster. [More]
Beware Fake Theme Park Passes
By 9.11.09
Everyone knows that you should never purchase gift cards on eBay or Craigslist, but it turns out that theme park passes in the form of gift cards are just as likely to be fake.
Six Flags Over Bankruptcy Court
By 6.15.09
Those home ticket-printing fees just weren’t enough to help Six Flags pay down their $2.4 billion debt load. The economy and bad weather have taken their toll, and the company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the weekend.
By 9.9.08
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Astroland, the Coney Island amusement park, is closing for good this Sunday, says its owner. You can buy the rides at www.rides4u.com. Sorry, the wooden Cyclone coaster and the Wonder Wheel are part of another amusement company and won’t be sold (they’ll continue to operate). [New York Times]
