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Thread: Lake Winnepesaukah
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07-04-2017, 02:33 PM #1
Lake Winnepesaukah
Just outside of Chattanooga, my wife and I and two boys made a day trip yesterday. We enjoy these little family amusement parks. Nothing like not having to elbow crowds, and wait in line forever for a 2-minute ride.
Price is terrific--$35 for a standard pass to both the amusement park and water park, and if you're 55, they recognize that many of us won't want to do everything like we did when we were a kid, and knock the price down to only $18. Steal!
We usually take a couple of rides over the Lake on the alpine sky lift, and enjoy the scenery, allowing stomachs to settle if we have engaged one of those spinning, flipping behemoths that masquerade as a "fun ride," and enjoy the cool-ish air.
We ride the wooden roller coaster (the "Cannon Ball"), and enjoy the "Oh-zone," the 14-story free-fall drop ride. I know it's not the same height as the big ones, but it is plenty big enough for me. In fact, I told my son when we were about halfway up that I didn't realize it was that tall. Then we continued to ascend at least the same distance. I know, I'm old. I get it. The Cannon Ball is a pretty mild wooden roller coaster, has a 70-foot vertical drop, 50mph speed, and goes straight out and straight back, 2,272 feet long. Just a fun little trip, and good for old fogeys like me who still enjoy the thrill but want to ratchet it back a notch.
We ride the "Fireball," the ride that goes in a 360 degree full circle. Those are fun for me because they don't spin and don't upset my constitution. You're completely upside down, which is how I feel like my life is much of the time anyway, so it's all good.
I avoid like the plague rides like Twister, a ride that flips you upside down over and over, turns you sideways and all kind of cruel punishment things. In fact, my 16-year old son was ready to go to the car to cool off and let his stomach settle after that. It's a new ride, and appears not to have caught on very well. My two sons were the only ones riding it at the time. It's pretty sickening. You're connected to a device that mixes you up like two mixers, sometimes going one way, sometimes going opposite. and then you spin on an axis. Yech. Anyway, time to cool off after that and let things settle.
Which brings me to the next thing that is cool. Free parking. And they have a picnic area where you can bring your own food and drinks. How cool is that? Rather than eat standard amusement park fare, you can bring your own turkey subs, chips, bottled water, etc., cool off and eat at a pavilion just off the ride area. Or you can go back to your car--we opted to do that, which was only about 150 yards from the front gate, and you have unlimited in-and-out passage.
We rode their Boat Chute, built in 1926, it is the oldest mill chute water ride in the United States. Not my favorite, pretty boring as far as log flumes go, but it's a Lake Winnie staple, and you gotta do it if you go.
Kids rode the Orbiter (version of what we used to call the scrambler), while I watched. No way do I tempt fate with a spinning vessel. They laugh at me. I am happy sitting watching those. Roller coasters, fine. Big loops, fine. Big drops, fine. Something that will spin and scramble my stomach? No way.
They rode the Matterhorn--I would have, but wanted to rest, and watch, they rode the swinging Pirate ship thing called the Pirate--Beech Bend has the one that was purchased from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, and was reputed to be Jackson's favorite ride. Insert inappropriate joke here.
We all rode Conestoga--the pioneer covered wagon that goes up in the air very high, around in a circle, but you don't flip. Got some air time, which surprised me, but it's still pretty tame. Has a "3" on the Thrill Ride meter, which is the highest any of them go. I don't get that, as the Oh-Zone is 2x the thrill that one is, and I don't even want to talk about Twister again (I may post a video of it later today to show you a little of what it looks like.)
For calm times, we do Bumper Cars, they even have an 11-hole mini-golf course we always play. We make up our own rules. We usually play "best ball" (not scramble, but low score between you and your partner each hole). If you make a hole-in-one, you get a "0," rather than a "1." If your partner also gets a hole-in-one on the same hole, you get a "-1." Silly things like that. It's fun when we knock it off the course. We play it no matter where it lies, trying to chip it back on the course with a putter.
We ride the Ferris Wheel (most of the time is spent loading passengers on, but that adds to the fun of it as you're stuck high overlooking the park), and do things like the Wave Swinger (swings that swing you over the lake), the paddle boats, and other pretty tame stuff.
Easy to do in 3 or 4 hours. Stretch it out, take your time, take a lunch break, and it's a 6-hour event.
For about $100, give or take, I'm not sure you'll find a better family entertainment value. Very clean park, everybody friendly, things generally work (the Fly-o-plane was down, as was the small steel roller coaster, but that was supposed to be up later--we didn't go back and see.)
Oh--we did not do any of the water park. We're not big water park folks. They have some big slides there, and a nice, long 868 feet lazy river. We did go look at it, and it looked fun, but we just weren't in the mood to get wet.
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07-04-2017, 02:42 PM #2
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
Twister. This isn't my video. I took two separate videos. The ride was in excess of 5-minutes long. I don't know if they just gave extra time to my two sons because literally nobody else was riding it, or if they generally do it that long. Crazy.
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07-04-2017, 02:52 PM #3
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
My favorite Oh-Zone video. I figured it out. I have now turned into an 8-year old little girl. That was me yesterday. So high. Too high. Oh no.
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07-04-2017, 07:12 PM #4
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
Glad you had fun. You couldn't pay me to be on most of those rides. I used to as a kid, but never loved it, and really don't think I could hold my lunch on them now.
Also why I don't try deep sea fishing. I figure I'll be sick out there all day, doesn't sound like a lot of fun.
Sounds like a great holiday choice.People keep asking if I'm back and I haven't really had an answer. But now, yeah, I'm thinkin' I'm back.
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07-05-2017, 06:11 AM #5
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
Just a fun day trip.
Trust me, I'm more like you than not on the rides. I get more enjoyment out of watching the kids on the rides and people watching. Years ago I learned at Disney that the simplest of rides--the spinning tea cups--make me sick as a dog. So I avoid anything that spins like the plague, and have for years.
Disney is a million times better with the "theme" rides and such--a simple log flume ride is a trip through Winnie the Pooh land. You don't have to be a "Disney" person to appreciate it. And the drops, splashes, etc. are just a million times better.
But for a day trip with as many rides as you want and no waiting--this fits. It's just sort of a hidden gem.
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07-05-2017, 06:17 PM #6
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
That "no waiting" thing sounds good for a guy who was raised on King's Island, where you wait far more than you do anything else most times. Did go there some years ago, the last time actually, and got into the non-major rides pretty easy. But in truth I was there with some fairly older friends and, no surprise for me, we drank more than anything else.
But I remember going there as a kid and had a ball. I do remember passing on whatever was their hottest new ride, b/c waits were insane. I remember a sign that said "3 hours beyond this point" and thinking there is no ride that good. Now of course I know there is, but "2 blondes on a waterbed" wasn't something King's Island offered.People keep asking if I'm back and I haven't really had an answer. But now, yeah, I'm thinkin' I'm back.
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07-05-2017, 06:37 PM #7
The no waiting absolutely makes it.
We had maybe a 10 minute wait for the roller-coaster, and maybe the same for the boat chute. I hear the line got longer for it as the day went on, so maybe we got lucky.
But I'm of the Six Flags group here, and used to the 90-minutes from here, 120 minutes queue lines. So even a small wait is fine,especially after you've literally gone on 3 or 4 "good" rides in a row waiting only for the ride to stop before you get on. It's a big plus.
Beech Bend in Bowling Green has similar lack of lines when we've been too. It's another nice amusement park. I like their wooden coaster better myself, and the portable log flume ride next to it is pretty solid for that type of ride. I'd pick those two over Lake Winnie's duo (which are at opposite ends of the park).
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07-13-2017, 01:00 PM #8
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
And we compare this to the house of the mouse. I know many folks love to visit the rodent's abode, but I have never been and unless I am tied, drugged, and hauled there against my will, I will never visit.
Linkageseeya
dan
I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.
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07-13-2017, 04:24 PM #9
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
20 minute wait? That's nearly nothing.
This is in the heat of the day, when people are starting to get out of the heat, go home, etc. Other times are much worse.
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland
30 Min
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Frontierland
50 Min
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Tomorrowland
60 Min
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Fantasyland
20 Min
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Fantasyland
35 Min
Haunted Mansion
Liberty Square
45 Min
It's a small world
Fantasyland
30 Min
Jungle Cruise
Adventureland
55 Min
Mad Tea Party
Fantasyland
15 Min
Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
Magic Kingdom
35 Min
Meet Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
95 Min
Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
Magic Kingdom
40 Min
Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
100 Min
Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete's Silly Sideshow
Magic Kingdom
15 Min
Meet Magnifique Disney Friends as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
Magic Kingdom
30 Min
Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
Magic Kingdom
30 Min
Meet Rapunzel and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
35 Min
Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
Magic Kingdom
10 Min
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Fantasyland
20 Min
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Tomorrowland
10 Min
Peter Pan's Flight
Fantasyland
85 Min
Pirates of the Caribbean
Adventureland
65 Min
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Fantasyland
5 Min
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Fantasyland
130 Min
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland
130 Min
Splash Mountain
Frontierland
60 Min
Stitch's Great Escape!
Tomorrowland
20 Min
The Barnstormer
Fantasyland
35 Min
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Adventureland
25 Min
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Fantasyland
40 Min
Tomorrowland Speedway
Tomorrowland
50 Min
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Fantasyland
35 Min
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/magic-kingdom-wait-times/
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07-13-2017, 04:27 PM #10
Re: Lake Winnepesaukah
Can you imagine waiting 2 hours, 10 minutes in 90+ degree weather, heat index well over 100?
Or right now, it's 82 and thunderstorms? Feels like 96?
For a ride? A 3 minute ride?
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07-13-2017, 08:13 PM #11
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