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America's Fun Park (Branson, MO)

rideguy70

Mega Poster
Hey, everyone! I'm new to these forums, but wanted to introduce myself with a trip report to a newly opened theme park in the US, America's Fun Park in Branson--just a few miles away from Silver Dollar City.

When I visited the park, it had only been open to the public for about two weeks (after being delayed from a planned opening at the end of May). While I'd argue that the actual rides aren't necessarily anything to write home about, what made this park different was it's heart. I encountered some of the most positive, enthusiastic employees I've ever run across. If they can keep this up, it'll be a very enjoyable park to visit. I had a great time!

Park admission is free! Wristbands at the time were $20 for all day, unlimited rides; however, that may have been a special due to the newness of the park, so it's possible prices may have changed since then.

The park has two coasters (three if you count a Wacky Worm, which wasn't yet operational when I visited), but the real crown jewel in the park is the Ghost Train. I spoke to the staff for nearly 20-30 minutes just on it. Introductory history: it was built in Germany as part of the fun faire circuit back in 1972, and is a one of a kind. I'll share more about it in the next post!
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First ride, standard Galaxy. That said, it was running in great shape, so it was as good as a Galaxy could ever be. Plus, every time we went do the first drop, the staff member would smile and give our car a big thumbs up! It was so sweet!
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Part of a Scrambler that is yet to be assembled. Funny thing, no gates or fences around it at all. Unusual in this day and age. (More on this later)

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Mose Speed Flip, not yet ready to go, but looks close!

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The incredible (and slightly racist) cars of the amazing Ghost Train! More on this later, but this Ghost Train was remarkable!

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Windstorm, relocated from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and running great! While the design is rough, I still like it. And they are very generous about allowing rerides... I stayed on for 7 times in a row without even getting out!

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Wave Swinger, but you don't seen them operated from the center much anymore. If you look closely, you can see the ride's main axle inside, and it would rotate when the ride spun. Also, it seemed to be running a bit faster than other Wave Swingers I've seen before.

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More from the as-yet unassembled Scrambler.

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The incredible facade of the Ghost Train. It's massive in person!

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A short exterior portion of the Ghost Train.

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Look at the detail on the roof!

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Entry Door.

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Showing it's German roots.

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Exit doors.

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Other rides. Again, park employees are so nice. Even though I was the only one that went down the slide, the staff member cheered and clapped for me. It was really sweet.

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Kiddy rides and bumper cars/Scooter

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Kiddy scrambler. The red building in the back in the main admission building. The park is free to enter!

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Amazing dragon above the main entrance of the Ghost Train.

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More details.

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Quick detail of an interior effect on the Ghost Train.

More to come!
 

rideguy70

Mega Poster
I was so impressed by this park, I went back the next day just for more pictures!

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First off, more of the unassembled Scrambler. These pieces were sitting in the distant end of the parking lot, with no fence around them whatsoever. Things are done differently in Branson, apparently. :)
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In the distance, you can see the red main entry building and Wave Swinger.
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Daytime shot of the Galaxy.
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Ghost Train facade in it's full glory.
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Windstorm.
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Just look at this! Other things I learned about this (aside from it being a one of a kind German fun faire model from 1972): It was only open for two days when I got to ride it! It didn't get to open with the rest of the park due to all the extra work they had to put into it. First off, they had to convert all the electrify from 220V found in Europe to the 110V we use here. Then, many of the interior effects had been damaged in a flood as it was stored in New Jersery. So the inside is a mix of old and next effects.

It is still a work in progress.. they told me when I rode it, half of the planned effects weren't even inside yet... and it looked pretty full to me already! They admitted it wasn't fully finished, and it is a bit rough around the edges... you can plainly see power strips and extension cords, and all the interior walls are currently tarps. They do plan to continue to upgrade it, including getting permanent walls. They are also working on permits to have live actors inside, especially for Haunt season. And they did say they have another walk through Haunt maze planned. The staff members here have a background in haunt design, and even called in someone from the Knott's Scary Farm team to help them undertake this!
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I was really impressed by this park as a whole, and I was mainly sold by not only this unbelievable Ghost Train (I rode it 7 times!), but also the heart and enthusiasm of the staff. I hope many of you get to stop by!
 

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rideguy70

Mega Poster
I also took an on ride video of the Ghost Train. It doesn't really spoil very much, as most of it (especially the second half) is took dark to see on video, and my recording skills are crap anyway.

 
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