Screenshot from Bing Maps
Various reports across Twitter visiting the park this weekend have concluded that the IMAX Theater, built in 1982, is going to be removed at the end of this season. Unrelated to the Route 76 expansion coming next year, pictures of trees being marked off as seen in this picture from @Valleyfairzone, gives a clear indication that this building’s days are marked.
With the location of the Theater right next to the landlocked Soak City water park, the circular buiding seen in the image above, the long rumored water park expansion could be on its way in 2015. The water park received a much needed wave pool in 2009, but with only a handful of slides and a fairly small kiddy play area, it isn’t as extravagant as some water parks have expanded over the years with newer and more thrilling slides.
As water parks have been major draws to amusement parks on hot summer days, especially parks like Valleyfair where it’s included with admission, quite a few parks have invested into expanding their options. Examples would be the World of Fun and Oceans of Fun combining into a single ticket this past year with a new slide structure, and the brand new water park being put in at Six Flags Over Georgia. Valleyfair’s Soak City is the smallest in the Cedar Fair chain, even being outdone by Michigan’s Adventure with WildWater Adventure, which is the smallest park in the chain but has a massive water park for its size.
The IMAX Theater has featured several IMAX films over the years, including one that featured Morgan Freeman, but as IMAX films in amusement parks have become less popular over the years, many of these theaters have been converted to a live entertainment venue instead. Valleyfair has kept theirs intact as an IMAX Theater, but since the draw isn’t as big in the past few years, attendance numbers have dwindled. Since it’s sitting on prime real estate for the water park, it’s removal is certainly going to bring a much needed addition to Soak City in the future.
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