Flooded with Crowds and Water - A Story of an Amusement Park Drowned in Popularity
Written: Aug 26 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: One-day ride fee; Outside picnic area; Waterpark; Rides suitable for the entire family
Cons: Weather conditions require late-year opening; Somewhat expensive entrance fees; No outside food or beverages
The Bottom Line: If you avoid food, drink, and Challenge Park, Valleyfair has an exceptionally good value, and is a promise of a great day for anyone.
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| gmontag's Full Review: Valleyfair |
Ahhh, rural Minnesota. Many epinionaters are from here, such as the excellent book reviewer Stephen_Murray (please forgive the blurb), and nothing personifies the quietness of this area than the southern portion. Marshall, Fairmont, and Red Wing are all areas that are quiet and peaceful, and a small town named Shakopee also belongs to this quiet southern circle of peace. However, there is one minor thing in Shakopee that is not in the rest of rural Minnesota - that is the noise and excitement of a unique theme park not located anywhere else in the world - Valleyfair.
Valleyfair is, due to the harsh Minnesota extremes, closed during the winter months. This is obvious, as outside attractions are generally not popular during -40 degree wind chills. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't have a chance to open during the spring months, either. In fact, its first opening day is Memorial Day Weekend, which is, of course, during late May. Why? Unfortunately, during the winter, a heavy amount of precipitation falls to the ground. During the spring, snow melts away (duh!). Add this to rising waters in the Minnesota River, which runs through Shakopee, and you have floods throughout the spring. A drive through the area near Valleyfair (which is connected to a highway for easy access) will show how severe the flooding is - roads and signs literally disappear, and the child of Valleyfair, the Wild Thing, doesn't look quite so tall anymore. So, Valleyfair is flooded throughout the spring months.
However, Valleyfair has flooding during the summer months as well. Not water still, but rather, people. As one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state of Minnesota, Valleyfair is rather busy on almost every day of the summer. Don't get me wrong, the crowds aren't horrible, but the indication of people shows the exact caliber of Valleyfair's excitement.
So, we can start to look at exactly why Valleyfair attracts the floods of people.
Entrance
The entrance to Valleyfair is generally crowded, as are the parking lots. There is a minimal fee for parking (which is somewhat aggravating) and unfortunately, the parking spaces, as well as the centers used to drive in, are quite narrow. Oh, how fondly I remember seeing my father trying to get out of the space with his Chevrolet Suburban - I've never heard so much yelling at once. So, if you choose to go, try to go in a smaller vehicle, and be prepared to pay upfront. Valleyfair also holds a special section for motorcycle parking, and of course, parking that is close to the entrance for physically challenged persons.
The price of Valleyfair is approximately $28.00, which can tend to grow quite expensive with a small number of persons. People under 48 inches are a significant less amount of money, but then again, they also are allowed to ride on a significantly less amount of rides.
Once inside, there is a clear view of several of the rides attractions. There are gift shops and restaurants which offer free maps of the entire park (which are completely free) and there are many things to do.
Thrill Rides
Valleyfair offers an extraordinarily large amount of thrill rides, which is great if you choose to go with friends or family. Valleyfairs newest thrill ride is the Power Tower, a ride that shoots you up 300 feet into the sky, or shoots you down 300 feet to the ground (you get to choose any one of the three towers - although I generally just pick the tower that has the smallest line. Although your sunglasses will not fall of, or even break (as shown in local television commercials), the Power Tower offers a thrilling ride which is sure to pump adrenaline into even the strongest soul. If perhaps the Power Tower is too rough for you, there are many other alternatives, including several roller coasters. About three years ago, Valleyfair introduced the Wild Thing, a green roller coaster that is fast, furious, and sends you into a tunnel to get your picture taken. This ride is not for the faint at heart - on my last ride, I was stuck in my seat for ten minutes, because attendants had to clean up the...well...lunch of a rider who was just getting off. Not a fun time. Valleyfair also offers Excalibur, a roller coaster with a much steeper drop than the Wild Thing; the Corkscrew, a ride with often short lines that brings you in spirals and loops with water underneath; and a single-rail coaster in which individual cars are ridden, rather than one interconnected chain of cars. All in all, Valleyfair is a great place to go to take advantage of thrill rides. With roller coasters, and other rides that have'nt even been mentioned for the sake of moving on, visitors with a stomach for speed will have a great time.
Kiddie Rides
However, Valleyfair is not only an amusement park for those with a strong mind. Valleyfair also has its own kiddie park, which includes a Bernstein Bears treehouse, a small playground (including the skeleton of some unidentifiable creature, and a miniature duplicate of the Wild Thing, named the Mild Thing. Kids also have a great time at Valleyfair, which truly makes it not only a park for adults, but also for the young.
Water Rides
In addition to the normal fair rides, Valleyfair is also proud to have a number of water rides. In its very own waterpark, Valleyfair has a number of slides, and even a lazy river, to be enjoyed on hot summer days. A number of staffed lifeguards are always on duty, and safety is always a priority. Unfortunately, there is no pool that can be used just for free swimming, but the waterpark is still a lot of fun anyways. In a ride named Rapid Canyons, up to eight riders can be together in a giant circular tube which takes you through waterfalls, giant streams flowing down off of rocks, and rapids which are sure to get every single rider very wet. If you do not want to be wet, DO NOT GO ON THIS RIDE! However, Valleyfair also has a stand available that sells plastic ponchos (which are somewhat costly) for those who ride but still do not want to get wet. This is definitely a ride I recommend - lines can be long, but often go by very quickly.
Challenge Park
Challenge Park is a seperate portion of Valleyfair in which the high entrance fee must still be paid, but unlike the roller coasters and the waterpark rides previously mentioned, but be paid for as well. Challenge Park offers two main rides: a bungee jump and go karts. In the bungee jump, up to three riders can jump from an extremely tall pole to the ground. They are all tied together, but unfortunately, each extra rider means a lot of extra cash. For one rider, the cost is approximately $16.00, the 2nd rider is approximately $15.00 extra, and the third is about $14.00. While this does tend to cost a lot of money, I've gone on it once with my two friends, and it was the experience of a lifetime. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is in for a bit more fear. Go karts are also available for an additional fee, but I have never had this experience, and am not sure the price. I do happen to believe, however, that the cost is approximately 3-5 dollars.
Restaurants/Gift Shops
Valleyfair offers its share of many restaurants, including pizza and hot dogs, but unfortunately, the food is extremely expensive. A bottle of water cost an upwards of $2.00, while I could have purchased the same exact brand and size in my school cafeteria for $1.00. The food and drink is, in my opinion, not a good value at all, and I defnitely recomment visitors to bring their own food, or eat before they come. Unfortunately, in an effort to gain more cash, coolers and outside food/beverages are not allowed inside the park, but visitors ARE allowed to eat in special picnic areas set up outside the park. If you choose this option, MAKE SURE TO GET A STAMP ON THE WAY OUT, and you will be allowed back in for free. The stamp will disappear in about 10 seconds, but technology allows Valleyfair to use ultraviolet lights on your hand and detect the stamp. I guess it's better than walking around with some weird design on your hand...or maybe they're just looking for something to do with their money. Who knows?
To cap up, Valleyfair is flooded with popularity because of the excellent rides that it provides, and while it can seem rather expensive to get in, if you choose to stay the entire day, and not purchase any food or souvenirs, you will definitely have a very good value for the day. Because the rides are free, you can go on the same rides as many times as you'd like (assuming you're not in Challenge Park) and you can stay until closing time. So, don't let the flooding scare you. Let it encourage you to come have a great day at Valleyfair, a place that any person, no matter how much of an intensity level they can take, can come and have a great day.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gmontag
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Member: Zach
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
Life's to short to not feel alive.
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