PREMiERdrum

Over the weekend, I had the great opportunity to take my family to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for their “Media Appreciation Days,” a weekend every summer where working members of the media are invited into the park. For those of you who haven’ t made the trip, I cannot tell you how much you are missing. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was recently ranked as the number 1 zoo in the country, after spending years in the #2 spot, behind the San Diego Zoo. As you approach the Zoo from parking lot (on foot or on the free trolley service), you come to a gorgeous new entrance plaza which features food and drink, a gift shop, and guest services all situated around a large globe sculpture and fountain. If you go straight through the plaza, you’ll pass thru the main entrance for the Zoo and Aquarium. If you turn left at the plaza, you’ll find yourself on a wide path that takes you to the Animal Encounters Village, Jungle Jack’s Landing, and at the end of the path you’ll find the main entrance for Zoombezi Bay. The ticket booths are outside the main plaza, and you can choose to buy a Zoo admission ($12 for adults, with discount tickets available at Kroger), or a Zoombezi Bay admission ($30 at the gate, discount tickets available at Kroger). Zoo admission is included with a Zoombezi Bay ticket, and admission to Jungle Jack’s Landing and the Animal Encounters Village is included with Zoo or Zoombezi Bay admission. The rides in Jungle Jack’s Landing work on a ticket/point system, but a very reasonable POP wristband is available. I’ll break the rest of the report down by individual park, with the photos included for the Zoombezi Bay and Columbus Zoo portions. Animal Encounters Village The Zoo’s website describes it as such: The “village” is a collection of buildings in the old Key West style, mixing several different types of architecture with bright, tropical colors. You can see the daily “Walk of the Flamingos”, where the pink birds are walked freely from the exhibit inside the zoo out to their area in the village. Throughout the day, you can meet and touch several of the zoo’s residents, including snakes and alligators, and also see stage demonstrations with cheetahs (as close as a few feet away, on leashes), Lynx cats, and some primates. This is simply a must do if you head to the zoo, and it’s included with admission to either park. The area is the brainchild of longtime Zoo PR member Suzi Rapp, who regularly appears with Jack on Letterman, GMA, and the CBS Early Show. Jungle Jack’s Landing JJL features a decent amount of lightly-themed flat rides, and has always seemed to have a decent crowd. The park is anchored by the classic Sea Dragon junior wooden coaster, the 2nd oldest operating coaster in Ohio. A complete list of rides at JJL from the website: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The zoo is unique in that their animal collection is arranged into “Biomes,” meaning that they are grouped by climate, not by species, although the regions are named geographically: -North America, featuring the new Polar Frontier -AsiaQuest -The Shores -African Forest -Voyage to the Islands of Southeast Asia, and - Austrailia The Zoo also features a very well done animal show, Animals on Safari, that plays several times daily in an indoor/outdoor theater at the side of the Education Building near the main entrance. The show was produced by the same man who produced the Pets Rule shows for the Bush parks, starring locally rescued dogs, cats, birds, and livestock, performing alongside some of the Zoo’s big cats and other animals. North America The zoo’s North America region, built in the 1980’s, is now the oldest development in the park. It is a very large, heavily wooded area, and it home to several species of wolves, bobcats, bald eagles, otters, bison, pronghorn, prairie dogs, black bears, brown bears, wolverines, moose, and a large aviary of North American bird species. The new for 2010 Polar Frontier region is an off-shoot of the main North American loop. Polar Frontier is simply incredible, and impossible to describe. The area is home to Polar Bears, Kodiak Bears, and Arctic Fox. The Polar Bear enclosure features a 400,000 gallon pool which is stocked with live trout that the bears can catch and eat at their leisure, sand and gravel digging pits, fallen trees to play with, a splash pool, and large grass yards. The bears can be viewed through large glazed glass windows at eye level with the bears, thru glass that forms the edge of their larger pool, or a very unique underwater viewing area where you can watch the bears swim over your head. The Kodiak Bear enclosure features another large pool, large grass yards, and activity pits. The third and final enclosure within Polar Frontier is the Arctic Fox exhibit, which is a nice enclosure themed to an abandoned mine. The Polar Frontier area is very nicely themed to an abandoned Alaskan mining town, and has a large education building at its center. There is a nicely themed train ride that circles thru most of the North American section. The ride costs $1, and is included with the POP wristband. AsiaQuest The AsiaQuest region was completed in 2003 and is home to Sun Bears, markhor, red pandas, langurs, Pallas’ cats, giant fruit bats, colorful pheasants and the endangered, Siberian tiger. The area is highly themed, starting off inside a richly detailed show building replicating a Himalayan village. The area is also home to the largest Pachyderm building in the world, and several large outdoor elephant and rhino yards. The tiger exhibit is consistently ranked alongside Disney Animal Kingdom’s as the best in the world, and it really cannot be missed. AsiaQuest is also home to the largest snake in captivity, Fluffy the reticulated python. The Shores The Shores area is comprised of Discovery Reef (the largest man-made coral reef when it opened in ’94), Manatee Coast, the zoo’s Reptile house, a large Penguin exhibit, and a very unique mixed Flamingo and Alligator exhibit (they share a pool divided by an “invisible” barrier). Manatee Coast is the standout in this region, with a huge pool that holds as many as 6 or 7 Manatees, alongside turtles, rays, and fish. The manatees are brought up from Florida, rehabilitated, and then released into the wild. African Forest This area is home to endangered lowland gorillas, rare bonobos, Jaguars, red river hogs, leopards, okapi, and Colobus monkies. The Zoo’s first claim to fame was the first captive-born Gorilla, Colo, in 1955. Since then, the Zoo has grown to house 3 troupes of Gorillas: 2 family groups and 1 bachelor group used for breeding. The gorillas have a gigantic multi-story outdoor yard and a unique indoor exhibit where guests are “surrounded” by the gorillas with 360-degree viewing (the animal’s areas extend over the doorways allowing them to completely surround you). The zoo has a successful Gorilla surrogacy program, which allows orphaned or injured baby gorillas to come into one of the family troupes, where several males and females have been “trained” to raise the babies as their own. It is the only program of its kind in the world. Besides the Gorillas, you can’t miss the Bonobos within this region. They have a gorgeous, lush outdoor yard, as well as 2 indoor playgrounds that actually feature large playground equipment you’d see at a school or park. The primates can be seen on the jungle gyms, going down the slides, and flying across the monkey bars. No pun intended. Voyage to the Islands of Southeast Asia The islands area is beautifully done, but in my opinion put a little but too much focus on the themeing than the actual presentation of the animals. The area is home to Orangutans, Komodo Dragons, Clouded Leopards, Asian Small Clawed Otters, and a unique indoor-outdoor Lemur habitat themed to an abandoned temple. There is a very nice boat ride that takes you thru all the exhibits for breathtaking views of the animals. The ride costs $1, and is included with the POP wristband. Australia The Australia region is home to the famous Kangaroo Walkabout and Koala outdoor exhibits, along with the unique Roadhouse nocturnal building, which features Tree Kangaroos, Kiwis, Sugar Gliders, and Tiger quolls. The Roadhouse starts inside an authentic Australian roadside diner, and from the diner you begin your “night hike” thru the outback. In the Kangaroo Walkabout, you enter the enclosure and walk around with the animals, without any major barriers between you. The animals don’t often venture onto the path, but the experience is very, very cool.

Link - The Standard More info and photos at the link, including a brief description of the ride:

You can't fault him, he isn't a "finance guy."

In his defense, he simply reports whatever is reported to him thru his website. Even a blind nut finds a squirrel every now and then.

Lance got something wrong? Well knock me over with a feather.

This may be the case, that it was leased to SFKK, but GL's SkyCoaster is still standing, and was auctioned along with the rest of the park back in '07.

I agree... I saw this ad on their Facebook page today and some of the bigger attractions in the state should take notice. It's full of whimsy, wonder, and it really tells a story. Reminds me of the best WDW ads from the mid and late '80s. The Zoo's ads are actually led by an in-house group within the marketing department and produced locally... I think the money they save on the front-end of the ads allows for higher production values in the ads themselves. Let's not forget their last major ad push (which was aired in several markets outside Columbus). The "No More #2" ad was conceptualized by Zoo marketing and all the performers in the spot are zoo employees. The Zoo's awesome "No More #2" ad: The Zoo is really shaping up to be a major, multi-day destination. Zoombezi Bay and JJL expansions are in the works, the new hotel is in it's final feasibility study, and the zoo's new African Savannah and Madagascar exhibits will be open in the next few years. For those of you who haven't been to the zoo, it really is worth the trip. I'd plan to spend 1 whole day at the Zoo (there really is that much to see), 1 day between Zoombezi Bay and Jungle Jack's Landing, and 1 day at the Zoo's sister park, The Wilds near Zanesville. http://thewilds.org/

Lance's post is the first mention I've heard that the blow-up started over response to Rock Band Live! Weird... I can imagine with the failed buyout, failed Re-Fi, and STR's issues, that tensions in the Ivory Tower are running pretty high. I've had some limited personal experience with Jack but he seemed like a decent man with a good understanding of the business.

I'd wager that the cost to repair would be miniscule in comparison to their other expenditures... and they could squeeze quite a bit of positive PR out of it as well. Bring back some of the less advantaged kids for a morning at the park for the "Grand unveiling" of the organ, hold a small media event, talk about how how committed the park is to guest experience... it seems so simple. It's just not a priority to those at the top, rightly or wrongly so.

Yes, the boats are identical to the Pilgrim's Plunge boats, and that's where the problems lie. The maneuvers are tighter than the PP's course, and if my info is correct, the boats were shipped without chain dogs. I didn't believe it at first, but apparently the contractor was asked to build 10 more boats to the same specs that PP's boats were built to. It seems they forgot that there was a different lift system in place here. I've also heard that the in-boat pumps aren't getting the water out of the boats fast enough in the station, which is leading to heavier boats bottoming out along the course.

The same complaints came from RB:L at Cedar Point, too. I know it's hard to learn to mix for a new venue, but those bugs should have worked out after the first rehearsal. I'm thinking that a less-than-seasoned engineer was at least partly to blame.

Well that made it easy! Really, though, I think that the Dominator plaza and ride area look well done in person, and don't look like a parking lot at all.

Not exactly Apples to Apples here, Terpy... I have yet to see CF leave pavement and yellow stripes under a coaster (although, such a treatment could actually improve the "theme" of the ride once known as the Italian Job). Oh, really? http://www.rcdb.com/4079.htm?p=21368 Wasn't all the pavement removed and grass/landscaping put down? http://www.rcdb.com/4079.htm?p=21309 If you're going to expand into an existing parking lot, this is the way to do it. SCREAM! was added directly ontop of existing blacktop, with lines and markings still clearly visible. That's the true definition of Parking Lot Coaster.

Have you been to the Columbus Zoo? Did you know it has been this way for over 50 years? Their was originally 2 separate parks. There was the Columbus Zoo and Zoo Park with the latter being a small amusement park. Zoo Park had nothing to do with the Columbus Zoo. In latter days Zoo Park became Wyandot Lake and then became part of Six Flags. Two years ago the Zoo purchased Wyandot Lake and inc operated it into the Zoo. Most of the rides are in a separate area from the animals and in no way affects the atmosphere. The only rides that in the animal area are the Train, the boat ride in the Asia area and the carousel that was once at Olentangy Park. BTW, the Jet (sea dragon) roller coaster is the oldest operating coaster in Ohio. This was my first coaster and why I can't bring myself to call it by it's new name. To me it will always be the Jet. OK thanks, I never have been to that zoo, but I have been to some zoo's with rides right in the middle of it. Inside the zoo, you'll find the beautiful and historic Mangles Illinois Carousel, a themed boat ride through The Islands region, and the (very well themed) CP Huntington train ride through the North American exhibits. The other rides are situated in a separate park, Jungle Jack's Landing, which fills the space inbetween the Zoo's main entrance and Zoombezi Bay's main gate. Here's the Entrance Plaza layout: The orange box is the main gate for the entire complex. This area has ticket booths, concessions, guest services, and a gift shop. The red box is around the main portal into the Zoo. The blue box is the portal/turnstile into Zoombezi Bay. The green box is around (part of) Jungle Jack's Landing.

My friends and I used to buy a Wyandot Lake Season Pass at Kroger for $39.99 every year, which got us into all Six Flags parks. This was back when SFO / SFWoA was around and we would easily visit parks 10-15 times over a season, having paid just $39.99 (and I believe in 2000, we got the passes for just $34.99, which was also the first year for Six Flags Ohio).

Not exactly Apples to Apples here, Terpy... I have yet to see CF leave pavement and yellow stripes under a coaster (although, such a treatment could actually improve the "theme" of the ride once known as the Italian Job).

It really is worth the trip! It's been incredible to watch the Zoo grow up in the last 20 years. When I was a child, the North American region was the "hot new" area in the zoo. It's now the oldest area in the zoo by far. The zoo's expansion has been rapid, adding the African Forest (home to the famous Gorilla and Bonobo programs, Leopards, among others) in 2000, the Shores region (Manatees, Discovery Reef, Reptiles, Alligators, Flamingos, and Penguins - all new since the late '90s), Australia (with the incredible Roadhouse nocturnal building, indoor/outdoor Koala house, and a Kangaroo walk through - nothing between you and the 'roos!) in 2003, Journey to the Islands of Southeast Asia (with the aforementioned boat ride through Gibbon, Orangutan, Komodo Dragon and Small Clawed Otter exhibits) also added in 2003, the award-winning Asia Quest (Amur Tigers, Asian Elephants, Black Rhinos, Sun Bears, Letungs (primate), Bats, flying fox, Tufted Deer, Markhor, Red Panda, Water Monitor, and the largest snake in captivity: Fluffy, the 24' reticulated python) added in 2006. The Zoo just opened Polar Frontier as a sub-area of the North American region and is renovating much of the area as well, including new bear yards (the 3 old yards are being merged into 2, since the Brown Bear boys moved into their new Polar Frontier digs). In the next few years, the Zoo is set to open a 70+ acre African Savannah and a new Madagascar area. They are also planning a hotel, indoor waterpark, and expansions to Jungle Jack's Landing and Zoombezi Bay [the latter should bring animal encounters into the waterpark, Jack himself has talked of waterslides going thru a penguin enclosure]. The Zoo has definitely earned their spot as the number 1 zoo in the United States... and has this clever ad to show for it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6HusggA8k8

double post

Not quite... Disney/ABC have no ownership over the Peanuts characters or specials, they simply pay the syndication contract to broadcast the shows.

It truly is something to behold... and then once you add in that most animals have guest-accessible indoor exhibits and several special holiday programs, it makes for a great way to spend a chilly winter night. They even run their animal show, Animals on Safari: Live! during the winter (the zoo is open 365 days a year). The show is similar to the "Pets" shows at the SeaWorld parks (produced by the same man), but the Zoo's show adds Llamas, horses, lynx, otters, and other "exotics" into the show along with the usual cast of dogs, cats, and birds. After seeing the show this past December (on a night that Jack Hanna was there doing presentations), he promised that for 2010's winter season the covered theater would add skirt walls and heaters to make watching the show a bit more "Bear"-able (sorry for the pun!). Amen. Each ownership and management team has brought changes to the park, and each has had their fair share of positives and negatives. I consider myself lucky to be so close to so many world-class parks (Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kennywood, Holiday World, and of course, the Columbus Zoo [now rated #1 in the United States]).

Not to veer too far off topic - but have you ever been to Columbus Zoo's Wildlights? Simply breathtaking, especially since they've upgraded to 2 million LED lights.

I'll take "Stars and Stripe" over "Stars and a Mountain" in that spot any day. Looks great!

I know that there are a few planned expansions of JJL, but I wouldn't plan on any adult rides for quite a while... they will continue to target children and families, and I know that they have plans for a spinning coaster and a dark ride, but both are on hold until the hotel and indoor waterpark are built. I've heard that the hotel construction could begin as soon as the African Savannah work gets underway next year. A study commissioned by the zoo found the hotel and waterpark would be viable.

I LOVE that the waves will be continuous, are there any other pools that operate that way? This is the first I've heard of it. Having been several times last season, I really came to enjoy the Croctail Creek area. For those of you who haven't been, it's essentially a lazy river (left over from the old Wyandot Lake) that circles around a tiki-style bar and goes under the historic Sea Dragon roller coaster. The entire river is adults only, and it makes a very nice getaway from the rest of the park. I'm anxious to see how this park develops. I've been told that their next wave of expansion will focus on adding more animal encounters to the park, including slides going thru habitats (a la Aquatica)and things like that.

The darkride/coaster you're referring to, Journey to Atlantis, was actually a Mack Rides production: http://rcdb.com/1904.htm But yeah, JTA was amazing and I wish that Kings Island had a ride like that. Actually, I wish KI had rides like: Curse of DarKastle - I wanted Tomb Raider: The Ride to be this considering the original press release made it sound almost exactly like what Spiderman's technology used (rocketing upwards to one thing and then plummeting towards another) Splash Mountain/Ripsaw Falls - One of the many ideas in my head was Nicktoons Falls which had two drops, the original and a newer 60-foot drop, and a Nickelodeon-themed Mt. Rushmore (Mt. Gakmore) with four major Nick character heads on it (Tommy, SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron, and Cosmo & Wanda) Nemesis - A smaller Beemer invert that relies more on scenery and ingenuity/creativity than size and height Men In Black: Alien Attack - Another idea in my head was to have a zombie-themed shoot-em-up dark ride for grown-ups but with a 50s-styled take on it named Zompocalypse JAWS - Yet ANOTHER idea involving, not a giant shark, but a trek into the depths of a Louisiana swamp with giant crocodiles, deadly snakes, and crazy voodoo witch doctors called Black Bayou GoodYellow is right, there was a true coaster/darkride planned for Sea World SD that, from all the art that I've seen, was incredible. JTA at SeaWorld Orlando is pretty good, but JTA at SeaWorld SD is pretty weak as far as story goes, while JTA at SeaWorld Texas is flat out lame, with no darkride elements at all. It's an outdoor flume with a turntable.