A guide to theme parks in California -- Travel Ame
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A guide to theme parks in California
The state\'s amusement attractions up the ante with new rides, animals, water parks and shows
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 23, 2004
Photo Caption: Paul Hogan, the Australian actor who starred in the \"Crocodile Dundee\" movies, gives a thumbs up to the new water park at Great America. Crocodile Dundee\'s Boomerang Bay is an Australian-themed park that features 11 slides and a splash area for young children. It\'s free with admission to the Santa Clara amusement park.
- Sacramento Bee/Scott R. Craig
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
WHERE
400 Beach St., Santa Cruz
(831) 423-5590 (live operator);
(831) 426-7433 (recorded information) www.beachboardwalk.com
HOURS
Opens at 11 a.m weekends until
Memorial Day weekend, and then
daily to Labor Day; closing times vary.
WHAT\'S NEW
Cyclone: New thrill ride sends
riders on a centrifugal journey high
above the Boardwalk.
Fright Walk: Take a walk through
a dark dungeon.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Giant Dipper: One of the world\'s
few remaining classic wooden roller
coasters.
Carousel: Antique merry-goround
has 73 hand-carved horses, a
working ring dispenser and a
342-pipe Ruth Und Sohn band
organ built in 1894.
Grand Arcade: Offers laser tag,
video games, miniature golf and pool.
Cliff Hanger: Twirling ride gives
the sensation of hang gliding while
overlooking Monterey Bay.
Free beach concerts: Every Friday
at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., starting June
25 with the Greg Kihn Band.
TIPS
Family pack: Buy four all-day,
unlimited-ride tickets for $74.99;
available only from Costco, including
stores in Sacramento area.
Essentials: sunscreen and sweat
shirts.
COST
Season pass: $56.95 (when
purchased online, includes a free
all-day pass for a friend; must purchase
48 hours in advance).
All-day, unlimited rides-plus
pass: $24.95 (online price, discounted
$5 from gate) for all rides
and two attractions (must purchase
48 hours in advance).
60-ticket strip: $29.95 (good for
10 to 20 rides, depending on choices
(rides range from $1.80 to $3.60).
All-day, unlimited-rides wristband:
$25.95.
Great America
WHERE
4701 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara
(408) 988-1776
www.pgathrills.com
HOURS
Opens at 10 a.m weekends through next
Sunday, daily from May 31 to Aug 22 (closed June 1), then weekends Aug 28-Oct 24.
Closing times vary.
WHAT\'S NEW
Crocodile Dundee\'s Boomerang Bay:
Australian-theme water park offers family fun
on 11 slides plus attractions and a splash area
for young children.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Top Gun: Experience a zerogravity
roll on this jet coaster.
Invertigo: A suspended, inverted roller
coaster.
Rip Roaring Rapids: Plan to get soaked on
this white-water ride.
Vortex: Passengers ride this roller coaster
standing up.
Demon: One of the oldest rides at the park,
with two 360-degree loops.
Nickelodeon Central: Kids area offers
Rugrats Runaway Reptar, The Wild Thornberrys
Rain Maze, The Wild Thornberrys Treetop
Lookout, SpongeBob\'s Boatmobiles, Dora\'s
Dune Buggies, Nicktoons LIVE at 5 and Slime
Time Live.
SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D: A motionsimulator
movie experience.
TIPS
Purchase the WOW card before May 31
for one full-price admission and free returns
all season.
Internet special: $29.99 ticket purchased
online good for one general admission.
Upgrade to the VIP season pass ($74.99;
four or more, $64.99) and gain free parking
at Great America as well as a season pass to
the Bonfante Gardens park in Gilroy.
Keep dry: Take dry clothes and towels for
the splash rides - and the ride home.
COST
$47.99 general, $39.99 ages 60 and
older, $33.99 ages 3-6 (or under 48 inches
tall), free for ages 2 and younger. Parking is
$10.
Bonfante Gardens
WHERE
3050 Hecker Pass Highway,
Gilroy
(408) 840-7100
www.bonfantegardens.com
HOURS
Open daily. Hours vary, but generally
opens at 11 a.m weekdays and
10 a.mweekends through June
and 10 a.m every day in July and
August. Closing time is 5 p.m to 8
p.m., depending on date.
WHAT\'S NEW
Wild Bird Adventure: More than
300 tropical birds - cockatiels,
grass parakeets and zebra finches -
flutter and swoop among guests in
1,500-square-foot, 20-foot-tall
aviary.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Four unique gardens: Plantings
include famous \"circus trees.\"
Antique car ride: Take a spin in a
1920s or 1950s auto.
Rock maze: The configuration
changes every day.
Quicksilver Express: A minethemed
roller coaster.
TIP
A Paramount\'s Great America
VIP Pass ($69.99) allows admission
privileges to Bonfante Gardens.
COST
$31.99 general, $22.99 ages
3-6 and 65 and older, free ages 2
and under. Season pass $59.99
(plus online booking fee) Parking $7.
Knott\'s Berry Farm
WHERE
8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park
(714) 220-5200
www.knottsberryfarm.com
HOURS
Opens at 10 a.m daily; closing
times vary between 6 p.m and
midnight.
WHAT\'S NEW
The World According to Snoopy
- On Ice: Join Snoopy and his alter
ego, The Great Writer, as he travels
the globe through music and championship
ice skating. June 26-Sept. 6;
no show on Wednesdays.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Launch coaster: Xcelerator sends
riders from 0 to 80 mph in
2.3 seconds.
GhostRider: Longest wooden
roller coaster in the West.
Supreme Scream: Goes up 30
stories and drops in three seconds.
Camp Snoopy: Rides and shows
with the \"Peanuts\" gang.
TIPS
Get to major rides first thing in
the morning or after 4 p.m.
Joe Cool\'s Backyard BBQ,
offered select weekends by reservation,
includes park admission and
lunch for $29.95 general, $16.95
children; call (714) 220-5128.
COST
$43 general, $12.95 ages 3-11.
General price drops to $21.50 after
4 p.m.
Magic Mountain
WHERE
North of Los Angeles, off Interstate
5 in Valencia
(661) 255-4100
www.sixflags.com
HOURS
Opens at 10 a.m. daily through Sept.
6, closing times vary between 8 p.m.
and midnight.
WHAT\'S NEW
Looney Tunes Nites: Bugs Bunny
and a cavalcade of Looney Tunes
characters and DC Comics heroes star
in a parade that concludes with a
fireworks finale over Six Flags Plaza.
Select days June 5-Aug 29.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Scream!: A floorless mega-coaster where riders sit in \"flying chairs\" to
experience extreme maneuvers up and-
over seven 360-degree inversions,
with numerous twists along
4,000 feet of track.
Roller coasters: 15 other coaster
rides, including Deja Vu, a looping
boomerang; Goliath, a near-vertical
drop; and Riddler\'s Revenge, the tallest
and fastest stand-up coaster in the
world.
TIP
Go to a participating Burger King in
the Los Angeles or San Diego areas for
an XTREME coupon and get an all-day
ticket for $24.99.
COST
$46.99 general; $29.99 for children
48 inches tall or under and ages
55 and older, free for ages 2 and
under; parking is $8. A Magic Mountain/
Hurricane Harbor Combo Ticket
$56.99 (two separate tickets that can
be used on the same day, on consecutive
days or for a return visit). Check
Web site for limited-time specials.
Six Flags Marine World
WHERE
2001 Marine World Parkway, Vallejo
(707) 643-6722
www.sixflags.com/parks/marineworld
HOURS
Opens 10 a.m. daily through Sept. 1,
Saturdays-Sundays Sept. 6-28 and Fridays-
Sundays to Nov. 2. Closing times vary.
WHAT\'S NEW
Shouka: Killer whale show starts May 31.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Animals: Go wild at one of the six animal
shows and 35 animal attractions.
Kong: A 10-story suspended looping
roller coaster.
Medusa: Coaster passengers sit with legs
dangling as they drop 150 feet and travel at
65 mph.
Roar: A wooden roller coaster.
Zonga: Seriously twisted steel supercoaster
offers four full-circle loops.
Bad to the Bone Water Ski Show: Water-
skiers perform acrobatic jumps and
freestyle stunts.
White Water Safari: Guests coast
through raging waterfalls and dark tunnels.
TIPS
If you\'re going more than once, a season
pass is the ticket. Until May 31, passes are
$59.99, or $55.94 for four or more. They\'re
also good at Waterworld USA in Sacramento
and Concord, and at other Six Flags parks.
The pass is available at Albertsons and on
the park\'s Web site.
If you\'re going for a weekend, two-day
passes provide significant savings.
Save line time with a Fast Lane pass
($14.99 at Guest Relations) with seven
tickets valid at Turbo Theater, Zonga, Medusa,
Monsoon Falls, Boomerang, Taz Devil and
Kong.
COST
Tickets purchased online cost $29.99. At
the park: $45.99 general, $35.99 for
ages 60 and older, $24.99 for children
48 inches tall and under, free for ages 2
and under. Parking is $10.
Legoland
WHERE
Interstate 5 at Cannon Road, Carlsbad
(760) 918-5346
www.legoland.com
HOURS
Opens at 10 a.m. daily through Labor
Day weekend. Closing times vary.
WHAT\'S NEW
Five attractions: Block of Fame,
Coastersaurus and Dig Those Dinos are
open; the interactive ride Fun Town Fire
Academy opens Friday; and the Miniland
Florida LEGO structure will be built by
June 18.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Bionicle Blaster: You control the speed
of this ride with cars that twist and spin.
Fairy Tale Brook: Boat ride cruises
through favorite childhood fairy tales.
Safari Trek: Guests venture into Africa
and see life-size LEGO beasts.
TIPS
Skip the line: Order tickets a week in
advance online.
Baby center: Has a baby-changing
area with diapers and rocking chairs for
nursing moms.
COST
$43.95 general, $36.95 ages 60 and
older and 3-12. Parking is $7.
Universal Studios
WHERE
Highway 101 in Universal City
(800) 864-8377
www.universalstudioshollywood.com
HOURS
Open daily at 10 a.m weekdays, 9 a.m.
weekends through August. Closing times
vary from 6 to 8 p.m.
WHAT\'S NEW
Revenge of the Mummy: High-speed,
indoor roller coaster that opens June 24
rockets riders into the face of fiery high-tech
monsters made popular by the
\"Mummy\" films.
Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula: Inspired
by the current movie, the re-creation of
Dracula\'s castle opened May 7 with frightful
special effects, artifacts and sets from
the movie.
POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
\"Shrek 4-D\": A 20-minute, multisensory,
multimedia continuation of the
movie.
Spider-Man Rocks!: Aerial stunts with
pyrotechnics and rock \'n\' roll.
Jurassic Park the Ride: A water ride
through \"living\" dinosaurs and a plunge
down an 84-foot waterfall.
Special-effects stages: Three stages
immerse visitors in sight and sound illusions.
TIPS
Many online specials, including passes
to behind-the-scene tours and discounts
for print-at-home tickets.
Take a bus from your hotel.
COST
$49.75 general, $39.75 for those
under 48 inches tall; parking is $8.
Disneyland/California Adventure
WHERE
Side-by-side parks at 1313 Harbor Blvd.,
Anaheim
(714) 781-4565
www.disneyland.com
HOURS
Both parks open at 10 a.m.; closing times
vary.
NEW AT DISNEYLAND
\"Snow White\": A stage adaptation of the
classic fairy tale is loaded with special effects,
and the audience is invited to sing along with
the memorable songs.
NEW AT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Chilling
thrill ride in an elevator that drops 13 stories.
TIPS
FastPass is a free service that assigns a
time slot for popular rides, saving a long wait
in line.
Insider tip: Technically, you can have only
one FastPass out at a time, but 30 minutes
into your window, you can get a second one.
Take a break midday and go back in the
evening.
Check Web site for ticket bargains.
COST
$49.75 general, $39.75 ages 3-9 for
single-day tickets. Multiday passes available.
Discounts available online and through travel
agents. For example, a five-day park-hopper
pass costs $184 at the gate and $129
online.
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