The Eiffel Tower takes on a sinister flow
The magic combination of dancing lights that come alive and begin sparkling during an early sunset, plus cool but comfortable Autumn temps just can't be beat when you're visiting an amusement park. It's seriously the best time to go to any amusement park!
Kings Dominion in Doswell, VA wraps up their 2017 season this weekend and it's just a temporary bitter-sweet farewell as they gear up for one of their biggest years yet. In 2018, Kings Dominion will be introducing a new hybrid coaster called "Twisted Timbers" that is actually a rebirth of "The Hurler", but yet it's own unique ride using steel track with wood supports.
As you can see from the pic at the top of this blog, it's coming together nicely. But this photo is more than just a photo of a coaster under construction. It captures the crisp Virginia Autumn sky as the sun sets and backlights the progress in the most hauntingly way possible! I'm a huge theme park nut and the fall is my favorite time to visit. The crisp air, the faint scent of roller coaster grease and a hot funnel cake just can't be duplicated anywhere else.
Here's another look at one of the wicked new turns that this coaster will bring in 2018...
This weekend is also the last chance to experience "Halloween Haunt" at Kings Dominion, when they transform the park after sunset into a sort of sinister playland for ghosts and ghouls who lurk around every dark corner. Seriously, they unleash a fog into the park that obscures lights and creates the perfect atmosphere for Halloween. There are literal roaming bands of misfits looking to create startles and misfortune at every opportunity.
The park was pretty busy on this final weekend before Halloween, but that's where Kings Dominion shines. They offer a pass called "Fright Lane" available for a nominal upcharge that lets you skip right past the lines and enter their expertly-crafted haunted houses first. As an added bonus, you also get to participate in several "Skeleton Key Rooms" which are creative mini-escape rooms scattered throughout the park.
Even if you don't manage to secure a Fright Lane pass, the lines move pretty quick. Trust me, they want you to get in and get scared, but not be scared of the lines!
There's a brand new haunt this year called "Blood On The Bayou." I would have shown you a photo, but it would have ruined the surprise. Deep inside the twisting track of the soon-to-be "Twisted Timbers" coaster, lies the unassuming shelter for this movie-set quality scare. You enter what appears to be a small town on the Bayou in Louisiana, and as you explore deeper, you realize you've entered a place you may not be able to escape alive. Around every turn is something more disturbing, from plates of human remains served up in a deli case to walking through actual curtains made from the meat of the ghoul's prey, this is one of the best haunted attractions I've ever seen.
Of course, a haunt can't solely rely on it's set to provide the scares. "Bayou" has a full cast of scare actors that are--when I say committed, i mean it--committed fully to their roles. I'm not entirely sure these folks know how to turn it off, honestly. The feeling of creepy swamp-turned-murderous voyage never quite disappears, even after you leave the Bayou. Maybe the Bayou never leaves YOU?
I'm excited now more than ever about the 2018 season of KD. I've been a season pass holder for years (seriously, since 1996). I'm happy to lay down the cash for guaranteed entertainment. It's nice to be able to go whenever the heck I want and leave without feeling unaccomplished...because I know I can come back again!