http://www.wben.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=05532

I've never been to Darien Lake, but in theory doesn't it seem like it's a park that should do well? It's in a touristy area (not too far from Niagra Falls), and while Rochester and Buffalo aren't booming metropolis's, they're fair sized metro areas and DL is the only park in the area...

There must be other factors I'm missing with this one...

The park is well off the beaten path, not near Buffalo itself or Niagra Falls. The parking charge is steep. The rides are not often all open. And the times I have been there, the customer service has left a LOT to be desired. I am not even a little surprised the park is for sale. As Cedar Fair has pointed out in their conference calls, the North and especially the rust belt is a very difficult place to do business right now. Eastman Kodak is the primary employer in that area, and they have laid off not hundreds but thousands, and with very little prospect of any of them ever being called back.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060809/1062507.asp