Fun Spot America Theme Parks

Fun Spot America Theme Parks
Location
Coordinates
Theme Americana
Opened
  • 1979 (1979) (first park - now closed)
  • December 24, 1997 (1997-12-24) (Orlando)
  • 2007 (2007) (Kissimmee)
Previous names
  • Fun N Wheels
  • Fun Spot Action Park
  • Fun Spot USA
Operating season Year round
Visitors per annum
  • 500,000 est 2013 (Orlando)
  • 700,000 est 2013 (Kissimmee)

[1]

Area
  • 14 acres (5.7 ha) (Orlando)
  • 9 acres (3.6 ha) (Kissimmee)
Rides
Total
  • 27 (Orlando)
  • 22 (Kissimmee)
Roller coasters
  • 3 (Orlando)
  • 2 (Kissimmee)
Website fun-spot.com
Status Operating

Fun Spot America Theme Parks is a group of amusement parks located in Orlando, Florida, and Kissimmee, Florida. Since 1979, the group has owned and operated a number of small amusement parks over the years and currently has two locations, Fun Spot America - Orlando and Fun Spot America - Kissimmee.

History

Early parks

Fun Spot America Theme Parks began in 1979 under the name Fun N Wheels near the I-Drive tourist corridor in Orlando, Florida. This 3 acre park near Wet 'n Wild Orlando, with no frontage on the main roads, had an arcade, three go-kart tracks, a miniature golf course, bumper cars and boats, Raging Riptide (a 40 foot high water slide) and a 55-foot Ferris wheel. This park became the world’s first themed action park with premering new types of rides such as the riptide slide manufactured by New Wave Rides. In 1988 a second Fun N Wheels location was opened in Kissimmee next to the regional mall. Both locations were sold in 1988 to Pleasurama USA, who also owned Hard Rock Café at the time, with the expectation of expanding the concept to malls region wide. This however did not occur.[1][2][3][4][5]

In 1990 Fun Spot Amusement Park was opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Two years later a second park was opened in Virginia Beach, Virginia. These parks were operated until 1998.[1][3][6]

Current parks

The Original Area of what was Fun Spot Action Park, as seen in 2016

Fun Spot moved back to Orlando in 1997 and opened Fun Spot Action Park (now Fun Spot America - Orlando) near the original Fun N Wheels location on the I-Drive. The $4 million, 4.7 acre park opened on December 24 featuring their now signature patented design multi-level go-kart tracks, going up three levels. The park also included a 102-foot-high Ferris wheel and a two-story video arcade among other attractions.[1][3][6]

In 2004 Fun Spot purchased the site of the world’s tallest Skycoaster located in Kissimmee, adjacent to the Old Town entertainment and shopping complex. The site was purchased from Bill Kitchen, the inventor of the skycoster and owner of Skyventure. The site also included a recently opened G-Force dragster ride. Fun Spot developed the 9 acres around the skycoaster into another amusement park call Fun Spot USA in 2007 (now Fun Spot America - Kissimmee). They added 2 multi-level go-kart tracks, family/thrill rides and an arcade. Summer of 2011 saw the arrival of Fun Spot's first major roller coaster, the Power Trip Coaster at the Kissimmee park (now Rockstar Coaster). The Wild Mouse roller coaster, manufactured by Zamperla, was relocated from Cypress Gardens, where it was known as Galaxy Spin, when Cypress Gardens closed and became Legoland Florida.[1][3][7][8][9][10]

The 10 acre expansion to the renamed Fun Spot America Orlando park

In 2010 Fun Spot purchased an additional 10 acres of vacant land next to their Orlando location. 2011 was spent researching nearly 30 parks and 50 rollercoaster across the country planning a major expansion of the park. Late in 2011, they meet with three professional roller-coaster salesmen. Ground was broken in 2012 for the expansion that tripled the size of Fun Spot Action Park, turning it into Fun Spot America - Orlando. $25 million was spent on two new roller coasters, the world's second tallest Skycoaster (second only to their Kissimmee location), and numerous other attractions. The brand new two coasters are the wooden out and back roller coaster White Lightning, and the steel Suspended Family Coaster Freedom Flyer. The skycoaster came from MGM Grand Adventures in Las Vegas, where it had been disassembled in storage for 8 years. It is now the centerpiece of the park. Additional improvements include three new thrill rides, new multi-level go-kart track new food court, new ticket booth, additional parking and rest rooms. A grand re-opening was held on June 8, 2013, celebrating the tripling of size of the park, and the park's 15th anniversary.[3][11][12]

Gator Spot Entrance at Fun Spot America Orlando

Fun Spot, in collaboration with Gatorland, opened Gator Spot at the Orlando park on May 11, 2015. The $1 million attraction allows Gatorland to extend their brand to the I-Drive tourist area, with visitors able to hold, take photos with, and feed alligators. The star of the attraction is a leucistic alligator named Bouya, a white gator with blue eyes.[13]

Orlando location

Fun Spot America - Orlando is an amusement park in Orlando, Florida, near Universal Orlando and I-Drive. It has 4 different go-kart tracks and three roller coasters. The Sea Serpent which is an E&F Miler Industries family roller coaster. They have a GCI wooden roller coaster named White Lightning. They have a Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster named Freedom Flyer.

Attractions

Roller coasters

Name Manufacturer Model name Opened Notes
Freedom Flyer Vekoma 395m Suspended Family Coaster 2013
Sea Serpent E&F Miler Industries Family Coasters / Oval 2013 Purchased from Playland's Castaway Cove[14]
White Lightning Great Coasters International Custom Out and back wooden roller coaster 2013 Only wooden roller coaster in Orlando, Florida

Go-kart tracks

Fun Spot's patented multi-level go-kart tracks are a signature of the park

Name Description Color Opened Notes
Conquest Multi-level double corkscrew Florida Ski Jump figure 8 track Blue 1998
Commander Road Course Style multi-level track Green 1998 Extensively reconfigured in 2013
Quad Helix Multi-level quad corkscrew track Yellow 1998
Commander Single rider, flat ‘road course’ sprint track Red 1998

Thrill rides

Name Manufacturer Model name Opened Notes
Enterprise Schwarzkopf Enterprise 2013 Purchased from Six Flags Over Georgia where it was called Wheelie[15]
Rip Curl Wisdom Rides, Inc. Himalaya (ride) 2013 Brand new with a taller than normal ride base[15]
Skycoaster F3 Amusements, Inc. Skycoaster 2013 Purchased from MGM Grand Adventures[16]

Kissimmee location

Fun Spot America - Kissimmee is located in Kissimmee, Florida, adjacent to the Old Town entertainment and shopping complex. The park is designed as a circular walkway around the lagoon featuring the world's tallest skycoaster, the entrance of which is on the west side of the lagoon. The south end of loop features the signature multi-level go-kart tracks, the east side the flat slick tracks. In the north east side of the loop is the Arcade and Kiddie Area and the Rockstar Coaster is at the north end of the loop.

Attractions

Roller coasters

Name Manufacturer Model name Opened Notes
Kiddie Coaster E&F Miler Industries Family Coasters / 11.5 ft Single Helix Center - CCW 2012 Purchased from Enchanted Forest Amusement Park in Illiois, where it was known as Boa Squeeze[17]
Rockstar Coaster Zamperla Wild Mouse roller coaster 2011 Purchased from Legoland Florida, where it was known as Galaxy Spin when Legoland was Cypress Gardens[18]

Go-kart tracks

Fun Spot's patented multi-level go-kart tracks are a signature of the park

Name Description Color Opened Notes
Vortex 4 stories (40-ft high) Helix track with 32 degree banks Yellow 2007
Chaos Multi-level track Blue 2007
Road Course Hairpin Turn Track Green
Slick Track Fastest slickest track Red

Thrill rides

Name Manufacturer Model name Opened Notes
Skycoaster F3 Amusements, Inc. Skycoaster 2004 World's tallest

Awards

Fun Spot was awarded the 2012 Brass Ring for "Top Family Entertainment Center (FEC) - North America" by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).[19][20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lamanna, Dean (July 2013). "Fun Spot Attractions is a happy medium for owner John Arie, Sr." (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Vaughan, Vicki (October 25, 1988). "Fun 'N Wheels -- Kids' Idea Of Having A Good Old Time". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Fun Spot America Theme Parks". fun-spot.com. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. ↑ McFaul, Lauren (January 4, 1987). "Fun 'N Wheels -- Kids' Idea Of Having A Good Old Time". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Go-Karts and Gators: Putting the Fun in Fun Spot America". blooloop.com. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 Spitz, Jill Jorden (July 14, 1997). "Tourist Corridor Amusement Park Aims To Be A Fun Spot For Families". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Boyd, Christopher (June 22, 2007). "Squeals of tiny wheels". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Panoff, Rebecca (April 29, 2004). "Fun Spot Buys Kissimmee Ride, Plans 2nd Park". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Bevil, Dewayne. "Power Trip Coaster at Fun Spot USA in Kissimmee". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "A look at Fun Spot's first roller coaster – Power Trip Coaster debuts in Kissimmee – Video/Photos". attractionsmagazine.com. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Rutherford, Scott (July 2013). "Orlando's Fun Spot America opens to record numbers" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Smith, Steven Cole (August 14, 2011). "For your amusement: Fun Spot executive embraces the inner child". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Dineen, Caitlin (May 5, 2015). "Gator Spot quietly opens to the public". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Fun Spot America Discussion Thread - Page 72 - Theme Park Review".
  15. 1 2 "Fun Spot America Discussion Thread - Page 77 - Theme Park Review".
  16. ↑ "Fun Spot America Discussion Thread - Page 80 - Theme Park Review".
  17. ↑ "Kiddie Coaster".
  18. ↑ "Rockstar Coaster".
  19. ↑ Bevil, Dewayne (November 15, 2012). "Fun Spot grabs IAAPA's Brass Ring Award". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  20. ↑ "2012 Brass Ring Awards Winners". www.iaapa.org.

External links

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