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Area amusement parks beckon Early season taste just whets the appetite
Returning to Kings Dominion brings fond memories for two 20-somethings
Date published: 6/23/2006
By BEN SELLERS It took very little for me to catch the amusement park bug. In April, I previewed the upcoming Busch Gardens season with my uncle. The two of us, both advanced in years (24 and up), must have been a sight, howling away as if we were 15 years younger on The Big Bad Wolf. But after attending the May grand-opening ceremony for Kings Dominion's new Italian Job Turbo Coaster, I knew my job wasn't finished. On revisiting the park's International Street for the first time in a decade, my inner child awoke once more. I knew I would need to return to the Doswell park, a 30-minute drive down Interstate 95 from Fredericksburg. This time, I had my 21-year-old cousin Ashley in tow. Immediately upon entering, we were confronted by a massive, yet tranquil, pool of rushing water, bordered on each side by boutiques. At its end was one of the park's defining characteristics, a 33-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, which overlooks the entire park, making it the ideal meeting place for groups or large families. Just seeing the tower from the interstate sparks excitement. Yet Ashley and I were on a mission, and had little time to spare. We coasted through the park's Old Virginia section, where one of my all-time favorite rides, the Grizzly, awaited. (For more on this and other rides, see the sidebar.) On our way we passed several shows, including the brand-new "Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera" in the Paramount Action FX Theatre. We grew sentimental, remembering that the theater once housed the popular "Days of Thunder" ride, back when Ashley's favorite attraction was Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster. While the three-dimensional special effects were sure to entice the young at heart, we kept to our destination. We passed the Blue Ridge Tollway track, remembering the excitement of cruising in its antique cars back before we had our driver's licenses. Complete with stage dives and guitar solos, the "School of Rock" revue, which opened in the Paramount Theatre last weekend, might have been the ticket on another occasion, but not this one. We hit up five rides in quick sequence before breaking for lunch.
Date published: 6/23/2006
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