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From Screamscape:

Interesting developments are afoot for Dollywood that will affect the park for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Screamscape has confirmed with Pete Owens at the park that two large attractions will not be return for the 2013 season. According to our exclusive letter from Pete...

"On the heels of five Golden Ticket Awards, including Best Shows and Best New Attraction, Dollywood announces an exciting new addition for 2013 and plans for a new major family attraction in 2014. Imagination Cinema will become a 500-seat venue for a new Dolly family show. Plans for 2014 are under way for a one-of-a-kind attraction on the Adventure Mountain site.

"When your business grows, it is important to evaluate and improve the experiences you provide to your guests," Craig Ross, Dollywood President said. "For 2013, we're excited about Dolly's new family show and its new venue. Our guests will start to see construction activity for the new 2014 attraction as soon as the park opens next season Family are going to be thrilled and excited about the new additions. They'll be like nothing you've seen before."

"Imagination Cinema and Adventure Mountain will not reopen for the 2013 season to accommodate preparations for the new 2013 and 2014 additions. "

So while I'm not surprised at all to see an outdated style sim-theater like the Imagination Cinema closed for good, I do have to admit I am very curious and somewhat confused about the closing of Adventure Mountain. Adventure Mountain, a huge large-scale themed multi-lane ropes course attraction, included for free to all guests by the way, is perhaps one of the most unique theme park attractions I've ever seen anywhere. On top of that, it also seemed to be extremely popular with the guests during my visits to the park. With a unique hillside location and custom themeing, I'm very curious how the park will follow up such a unique one-of-a-kind attraction... with a new one-of-a-kind attraction experience.

More on this as I try to dig deeper... but there has been some speculation for years about now this area of the park may evolve over the years, linked to the removal of all the trees from the upper circle of the Dollywood Express, which is located just above the hillside for Adventure Mountain. There have been a number of people waiting to see if Dollywood would expand the park to this upper section of the mountain, adding a second train station up there as well to turn the Dollywood Express more into a form of transportation instead of just a round-trip ride.

Buys out Lucusfilms from George for 4 billion and change in stock and cash.

Hmmmm. Wonder if they add a Dagobah System area to Animal Kingdon since they are messing it up with an Avatar area. Please let Lego keep the the Star Wars minilands?

Disney has also aquired Marvel comics recently. Wonder how this is going to affect Universal's theme parks.

This shows how the hotel fits into the plans.

Spent two nights there this past week. Leaves were really starting to color up in Kansas, it was pretty. Waterpark was great as usual. The only difference between this place and Grand Country is that GWL has a tower slide structure that offers three more rides that go outside the building and back in. The most popular one on that tower is the twist that sends you into those funnel looking things. It is the most fun but the yellow slide is pitch black at night and adds much more to it than during the day. The lazy river has more water effects  and they have a larger pool with more goals and a rope course, the Indoor toddler area is better as well but Grand Country has a better outdoor area. GWL is just more like a big pool. It was decorated for Halloween well with a giant spider made out of ballons and they had a trick or treat trail for the kids. That pajama storytime seems real big with the little ones. They had a dance party for the kids Friday nite. Weather wasn't condusive to outdoor minigolf/

It seems that the area around Schitterbahn seems under heavy construction. From the expressway, it seems full of containers.  Guess they are finally getting into the Village part of the development that's several years behind. Is Scheels still part of this? Maybe Swoosh knows.

Got to spend 5 hrs, yes 5yrs , in the Legoland Discovery Center at the Crown Center.

My kids, age 10 and 9 loved it.

The dark shootem up ride consists of several giant screens that you shoot objects being thrown at you. There's another ride thats basically a little spinning ride with arms that lift in the air if you peddle. the Indoor playcenter was rocking this midday Friday and the test track area where you make your own cars and race them is very popular.  My wife loved the 4d theater. She really loved the water and snow effects and she watched all 3 films.

My wife was against the Sealife Aquarium being that we eat at T Rex which has quite a bit of aquarium in it. T Rex was a hit as well. It's a good thing cause we used up so much time at Legoland, Sealife would have been rushed so it'll wait along with the Childrens area/model train part of Union Station.


I think it's a great concept, I understand that this was the largest of the existing ones and I think you'll see more. This is screaming Nashville to me but would love to see one in Memphis downtown near St. Jude for families to go to but like a Chucky Cheese it screams kids and germs. I think it needs about two more small flat rides and the test track was crowded and needed more tracks. The Minilands are quite the works of art.

Oh no, it's way too cold. Tell that to the folks  that run Toverland over across the pond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyy4ixum-Ds

Saw on screamscape that Dollywooy is up in the teens percentage wise and six flags growth is up 12%.  Wonder what SDC's numbers given there was no major new attraction this year.

From a friend back home. I'm trying to get this verified with a childhood friend that's on Governor Haslam's staff as well.

"I'm only counting this as a rumor at this time but I've heard from a reliable source that in the next 30 days that there will be an announcement made that Walt Disney has purchased property around the I-40 & I-81 split and is going to build a Walt Disney World.

From what I hear, I've heard that Walt Disney has purchased the property from the beginning of I-81 up 4 miles to exit 4 and the property goes back toward the Smoky Mountains some ways."

Being as I'm native of the flat lands of the Delta and Libertyland in Memphis being a big part of my childhood, I remember one thing that I always enjoyed, Watermelon. They had a stand where you could get some watermelon. They kept the melons in a huge tub with ice and the melons floated. Man, wouldn't this fit right in with Wilson's Farm especially with the traffic that will head there with the new ride. Serve other melons like cantaloupes and honeydews and candy and caremel apples as well. Watermelons are pretty well a year round fruit these days. Make it look like a old fruit stand and the melon tub look like a giant oak barrel. Have a seed spitting prop if it serves the seeded varieties.

Will now include hotel and silliness

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/14/pyramid-plan-takes-shape/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/11/developer-plans-200-foot-tall-cross-in-missouri/

Screamscape posted a new rumor about Dollywood working with Rocky Mountain on coaster based on some ideas that Dollywood management team has came up with.

Anyone in the White River Basin needs to watch carefully. The NWS Tulsa office is predicting up to 15 inches of rain in NW Arkansas up to Springfield. The rain has started here in Fayetteville.

Stumbled across this looking for other info.

Man what a cool concept and a darn shame it got caught up in the credit crunch in 08. Really wish someone would come along and reopen it with the original idea and ride naming the future ride ideas would be limitless

This is finally going to happen. Good Luck Doing Business with the City of Memphis:

From the CA:



Construction that will turn The Pyramid into a Bass Pro Shops superstore will begin Oct. 11, with plans to open for business Aug. 1, 2013, according to sources familiar with the project.

The city of Memphis and Bass Pro have reached a consensus on the above-ground and below-ground costs for stabilizing the vacant arena, a key hurdle in the nearly six years of negotiations about the Downtown site, the sources said.

Officials believe it will cost $19.5 million to retrofit the structure and $5.5 million to stabilize the soil on the west side of the building closest to the Wolf River Harbor.

On Tuesday, Robert Lipscomb, director of Housing and Community Development and the point man for Pyramid redevelopment, is slated to give the 13-member City Council an update on the project. Council members said Lipscomb began meeting with them individually Wednesday to talk about the project.

"When we're ready to talk, we'll talk to all the media at the same time," said Larry Whiteley, manager of communications and outdoor education for Bass Pro Shops.

Since Bass Pro began negotiating with the city about The Pyramid in 2005, the company has expressed concerns about the seismic stability of the structure. Experts say the land beneath the arena could be subject to liquefaction -- when solid ground becomes like quicksand -- in an earthquake.

In January, Bass Pro and seismic experts called for a detailed test of a scale model to see if the building could survive an earthquake or if retrofitting was needed.

With the city and the Springfield, Mo.-based retailer agreeing on the stabilization costs, planners have been able to set a timeline for construction and completion.

Beyond transforming the arena, the project is expected to inspire a redesign of the area around The Pyramid, focusing on the connections among the building, the Mississippi River, Memphis Cook Convention Center and the historic Pinch District.

"The Pyramid and Pinch Historic District have received the most attention, but the city of Memphis redevelopment vision is much bolder," Lipscomb said in an interview earlier this year. "It is not about the addition of a retail magnet and a distinctive retail district, but more precisely, it is about building a thriving, active convention center district."

Lipscomb is proposing the city purchase Shelby County's share of the convention center, which would then be renovated, but not expanded. That part of the project is expected to cost roughly $60 million. The city also expects to purchase the old Lone Star Industries property, which features neon "Memphis" signs, for $12 million to $15 million.

Bass Pro is expected to invest at least $33 million in the project.

The city plans to float bonds through the Center City Revenue Finance Corp., the finance arm of the Downtown Memphis Commission, which would be repaid through increases in state sales tax revenue from new retail businesses in the Tourist Development Zone.

Tourist Development Zones divert the increased collections of new tax revenue from businesses within the designated areas back into specific public-use facilities, such as The Pyramid or Memphis Cook Convention Center, instead of sending that revenue to the state.

Last year, the city and Bass Pro signed a lease for the retailer to occupy the redeveloped Pyramid for an initial period of 20 years, with seven five-year renewals, for a possible total of 55 years.

The Bass Pro Shops store at The Pyramid will re-create a Delta "cypress swamp," with a large body of water on the ground floor and cypress trees stretching into the upper reaches of the refurbished building.

Visitors would travel on elevated walking paths, above a swamp stocked with freshwater fish.


Video:
http://www.wmctv.com/category/195967/video-landing-page?clipId=6161528&autostart=true

Memphis is getting the Old Delta Queen back for cruises on the Sippi again

Creepy

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/05/creepy-crusty-crumbling-illegal-tour-of-abandoned-six-flags-new-orleans-75-pics/

This made my two days (Sun and Tues) at the park very much bearable. The girl rode powderkeg for the first time and in the dark. Sweet!

Pet project of Alice Walton will open up this November.

Admission will be FREE TO ALL. The facility is impressive.

First, this one is about ready to come online:





And this one was announcend in the last couple of days concerning the NHRA:
http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news/?nxd_id=244177&shr=addthis