This isn't so much of a rumor as it is a guess being thrown around by me.
Anyone been by good ole' Tom Sawyer's Landing lately? Once the most popular area of the park, now it's just a flow through for guests going to the riverfront or to TGS. The play area is somewhat dilapidated and definitely stripped of almost all of it's former charm; the tree house will never open again, and will probably come down this winter; the kiddie coaster was removed, leaving only a smoking section. Overall, if it weren't for the fact that the area is right smack dab on a major pathway, no one would visit it, and that shouldn't be for such a prime piece of land within SDC.
SDC's management seems to think so to. The Grand Expo was originally set to take the place of the Landing, but good sense overcame that. Still, that obviously means they're thinking about switching that area of the park up.
It's been said by the park management that this year's investment will fall in the $6-8 million range, but they're not getting a coaster, and they're probably not getting another huge thrill ride, and they don't need any more kid's stuff; soooooo...
After all, even though the park's management hasn't decided what to do with it yet, the tree house is going to have to come down. It's been closed for two years now for being too dilapidated, and all the park's efforts to fix it have failed, so what choice do they have? After it's gone, they'll need something to replace that area, seeing as it's right in the middle of the park.
Anyone seeing this? I think we're in for a few new shops, as that's been one of the most highly requested things lately, but I don't think the landing will die completely... We'll just have to see. Conductor Sam is supposed to be dropping a few hints on the SDC blog soon.