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American Adventure Park

Rick said:
Don't be sad it's over, be happy that it happened. And don't sign bloody stupid petitions that try and rewrite history.
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Lol, very true.
As far as I understand it, American Adventure was always a flawed site for a big theme park and could only serve a certain regional audience, which was never going to fully support its long term future, plus a spate of mismanagement. It was good while it lasted but wasn't going to last, a product of a time when it was less costly to build theme parks and people were more ready to get out to have some casual fun, without needing to blow your socks off.

I never went but looked like it had some fun to offer. The petition is embarassing and probably rose-tinted, but at least nice that people care. Hopefully no more regional UK parks go the same way, because we're never going to get any new ones pop up now.
 
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I didn't even realise just how much of a short life span the American Adventure had, opening in just 1985. It wasn't even 20 years old before all the trouble kicked in. It's sad that it became so big and just suddenly failed in such a short amount of time.

And with regards to this petition, his persistence is admirable, but it's hardly reopening the "American Adventure", it's just countryside now.
 
I love that he's so pumped at getting 11,000 signatures, not realising that that's one busy day's worth of punters! What's his plan for the other 100-odd days of opening? Or is his expecting all these people to go everyday?
 
Sam said:
Unfortunately for Declan Salmon it looks like capitalism is at it again. :pensive:
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If someone was writing a sitcom about this exact type of thing I am pretty sure ‘Declan Salmon’ would be in the running for a character’s name. Astonishing.

Plus, it goes without saying, but the park only existed in the first place because of nasty evil capitalism.
 
electricBill said:
Lol, very true.
As far as I understand it, American Adventure was always a flawed site for a big theme park and could only serve a certain regional audience, which was never going to fully support its long term future, plus a spate of mismanagement. It was good while it lasted but wasn't going to last, a product of a time when it was less costly to build theme parks and people were more ready to get out to have some casual fun, without needing to blow your socks off.

I never went but looked like it had some fun to offer. The petition is embarassing and probably rose-tinted, but at least nice that people care. Hopefully no more regional UK parks go the same way, because we're never going to get any new ones pop up now.
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There's no reason (other than NIMBYs) why it couldn't have been a lot more than regional park. It's a huge, picturesque (but not of any real heritage value) site smack between two junctions on the M1.

With the right vision, it could have been fantastic. In fact, with the right vision it *was* briefly fantastic. John Rigby's original American Adventure was a high quality attraction. Unfortunately everything that was added after 1988 was, at best, lazily themed. As Alton Towers upped their game massively in the 90s, American Adventure added half-baked attractions, often using Granada's collection of ITV IPs which although popular didn't fit in at all. The attractions themselves were underwhelming (except Nightmare Niagara).

Under Ventureworld the game very quickly changed from investing loads and making a premier attraction to investing almost nothing and extracting as much revenue as possible.
 
@WillPS Do you think that would be the case alongside Alton & Drayton? I had some great days there, but I really don't think the market could support three large parks.

I'd be a little torn between Drayton and AA on most fronts. It'd have been interesting to see what Six Flags might have done in Ilkeston during their largely unsuccessful European experiment, but alas it was never to be.
 
It seems to be a similar story now at AT with the profit being sucked out, admittedly they are still investing when Ventureworld stopped.

If only that Woodie had been built :)
 
Rick said:
@WillPS Do you think that would be the case alongside Alton & Drayton? I had some great days there, but I really don't think the market could support three large parks.

I'd be a little torn between Drayton and AA on most fronts. It'd have been interesting to see what Six Flags might have done in Ilkeston during their largely unsuccessful European experiment, but alas it was never to be.
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With an equal level of investment, I expect American Adventure could have been more successful than either park. I don't buy that the market is too small to support all 3 though. The Midlands is massive (total population 10+ million), and the American Adventure would have been an easier journey for people in the North East than Blackpool, Drayton Manor and Alton Towers.

It's easy to say as a small park it was always doomed but it was only a small park because it was never fully developed. The park used the infrastructure put in place by Britannia Park and extended around the lake to Fort St. Laurence and Space Port/Trading Post. The park stopped growing physically after 1989 - but they had a huge plot of land allocated to them on a hill behind Fort St. Laurence. The whole top end of the park comprising the proper entrance and Pioneer Playland/Aztek Kingdom was always under utilised. The 'Pavillions' building itself was half the size Britannia Park had originally intended.

The park was never subjected to height and noise restrictions, and in any case lay in a natural basin so had some room to play with.

It's all academic of course, but if you're looking at the potential of the site itself, American Adventure could have been something awesome.
 
Mr Salmon is not giving up. He has started a Crowdfunding page, aiming to raise £1 million to get American Advnture open again. Mr Salmon is so keen for it to happen that he has put a huge £10 in himself; a further £2 has since been donated.

So £12 raised in just one week. It's time to get excited about another theme park in the UK!

:)
 
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