When Fun Spot says they’re going to go big, you can take it to the bank. The little amusement park on I-Drive is currently in the middle of a two phase expansion, with the first phase to open on June 8th. To say that it’s going to change the face of the amusement park is a bit of an understatement. The park is investing $20 million dollars to bring a plethora of new attractions, and three new coasters. We were able to take a walk around the construction site this weekend for a closer look at what the park has planned.
Join us on a short walking tour of the construction area! It might look like there’s not too much happening from the road, but there’s tons of work going on inside of Fun Spot!
So many changes are coming to Fun Spot Orlando, located on International Drive (just across the way from Universal Orlando) that the park is not only changing the layout of the park, but also the name. When Fun Spot America opens on June 8th the current area that is the front of the park will become the back of the park. The rides that are in the area will be moved to the new section of the park, and even more rides will be placed.
The park’s new admission gate, while still under construction, marks the beginning of the new adventure. The park takes a more traditional approach to admission and ticketing, giving free parking and admission. Instead of using a one price for all the rides, you essentially only pay for the rides you want to ride. You will be able to purchase armbands at the front gate which will give you unlimited rides on all of Fun Spot’s attractions. Normally the armbands are about $35 dollars, but when Fun Spot America opens on June 8th, guests will be able to purchase armbands before noon for just $15 dollars. The savings…IT’S HUGE!
Get a look at the park with our video walk through:
Another fun fact about the Fun Spot front gate. Some of the original plans called for it to be the home to a new Ferris Wheel that guests could actually ride. Construction crews actually built the front gate so that it is reinforced, and strong enough to put a huge Ferris Wheel on top of it. While the plans currently do not call for it to have a Ferris Wheel, it’s not out of the question.
Some fun facts about the attractions at the park. A lot of the attractions are attractions that come from other parks, or have pieces that come from other parks. The double decker carousel at Fun Spot, is brand new. However, the horses on it come from the carousel that was at Cypress Gardens. That park was turned into Legoland Florida. They kept the carousel base, but wanted horses that fit the Lego theme better, so they sold the gorgeous carved horses to Fun Spot.
The Enterprise ride at Fun Spot is from Six Flags Over Georgia where it was called Wheelie. The park removed the attraction in the fall of 2012 to make room for their all new Sky Screamer swing. Fun Spot was able to snap up the old wheelie and give it some TLC, and a new home. We were lucky enough to walk up on it as they were installing one of the cars. Everything from the classic attraction is the same, minus the paint job, although everything was given a good tune up and older worn parts were replaced.
The Sea Dragon is a classic Dragon Wagon kid coaster, and a very last minute edition. It will bring the coaster count up to three, which ties it with Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios Florida for the number of coasters.
The park is also constructing an all new food court, something they are building from the ground up. The area will feature indoor and patio seating as well as a huge selection of food and drinks.
A look from the top of the Sky Coaster tower gives you a complete overview of the park. This will be the best view in the house before you plummet 250 feet over the midway and back up again.
The park is famous for their very challenging go-kart tracks. Fun Spot isn’t going to let fans down. They are building onto their biggest go-kart track and making it…you guessed it…HUGE-ER! The track will be three stories tall, and will be the largest of all the Fun Spot parks. It will also offer the most challenge to drivers as it will have tons of great turns, twists and fun. Building huge new attractions takes tons of employees and construction crews. The team at Fun Spot had to bring in outside contractors for things like the two new coasters, but they were able to use their own skilled in-house team to build the go-kart track, something the park is very proud of.
Footers await the arrival of steel supports for the new White Lightning coaster. The coaster and the track will make the most of the environment and get very close to each other. In fact Fun Spot is going to be very unique in the layout of the park as they will get you as close to the coasters, the guests waiting to ride below and the rides as is safely possible.
More from around Fun Spot:
While the park will be doubling, and eventually tripling it’s size with tons of smaller rides for the entire family, the main attractions will be the two all new coasters. Fun Spot America tries to buy American as much as it can for most of the rides.
The freedom flyer is a Vekoma designed family suspended coaster, and is designed to fit into small places while giving a fun ride. The coaster will be 64 feet tall with a top speed of 34 miles per hour. However, with the tight turns and close proximity to the other coasters it will be give even the smallest fans something to have fun with.
With the size of the park, it’s very important to use as much space as possible. The Flyer will get very close to the park’s other coaster, White Lightning. It will also get very close to the crowds, giving both the crowds and the riders the sensation that they are on a collision course. However, rest assured, it’s all very safe.
The coaster is about 98% complete, with only electrical and train testing remaining. The coaster should be testing by the end of the week. The trains were shipped a few weeks ago, and we were lucky enough to get to see them coming out of the plastic.
Freedom Flyer is designed by Vekoma, a Dutch coaster company, however, keeping with the Fun Spot America tradition, it was built by American coaster manufacturer Chance Morgan.
Electrical and break systems are very close to being done. The coaster will have only one train, giving it a capacity of about 758 riders per hour.
Get a closer look at Freedom Flyer:
The most exciting addition to the park is the addition of Orlando’s first wooden roller coaster. With all the parks in the area, the closest wooden coaster is Coastersaurus at Legoland Florida…45 minutes away. The next closest is the ill fated Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa. Not only will Fun Spot have the only wooden coaster in Orlando, but it will be the only hybrid coaster in Florida.
While coasters have had steel supports for years, this one is technically a hybrid with the all steel supports on the bottom and the wooden rails on top. It doesn’t go upside down, nor does it have a super steep drop. Fun Spot wanted to keep things simple and fun for the whole family.
The coaster, designed by Great Coasters International, is a classic out and back coaster. It will feature a height of 75 feet, and an overall length of 2,000 feet. The coaster will have a top speed of about 48 mph and have tons of airtime for coaster lovers.
The coaster will not only hug the ground in some spots, but also hug the road. It’s visible from every entrance near the park, and comes within feet of the cars passing by.
Get a closer look at White Lightning:
While phase one will open this summer, Phase 2 will open at a later date. The second part of the project called for a 2 acre waterpark to be built adjacent to the new attraction. The park recently acquired an additional ten acres of land across the street from the park, so the decision is being made whether or not to go with the two acre waterpark, or the ten acre waterpark. Personally, Orlando needs another place to cool off, but you can also always use more coasters…so why not both!
Fun Spot America opens June 8th to the public. Keep checking back for more information and updates!
For more information about the new attractions, including tickets, visit the official Fun Spot website by clicking here!
