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Fun Spot America Discussion Thread


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Fun Spot America has added another park to it's family of parks: Fun Junction USA in Fayetteville, GA (south of Atlanta). I was just thinking the other day about how it would be great if they expanded and either built new parks, or took over some struggling existing ones. I've also seen in this thread people wishing this as well, so here you go.

Side note...would be nice if they could take over Daytona's Boardwalk Amusements.

https://www.facebook.com/FunSpotAmerica/posts/10156313909696978

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This is great news! I've said it before: the world needs more Fun Spots. Maybe we'll see another mini-woodie there!

I know right? I'm wishing and hoping (Dusty Springfield reference) that they get a Gravity Group woodie. Maybe something like Switchback so that the Orlando park will have a twisty out and back woodie, the Kissimmee park has an inverting woodie, so now the Fayetteville park can have a reversing woodie. But yeah, I'm expecting great things. This new park has some decent expansion room and they already have an awesome little steel coaster! I really hope they can somehow clear out that nasty looking pond though.

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Fun Spot America has added another park to it's family of parks: Fun Junction USA in Fayetteville, GA (south of Atlanta). I was just thinking the other day about how it would be great if they expanded and either built new parks, or took over some struggling existing ones. I've also seen in this thread people wishing this as well, so here you go.

Side note...would be nice if they could take over Daytona's Boardwalk Amusements.

https://www.facebook.com/FunSpotAmerica/posts/10156313909696978

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We did a shoot at the park today and here is a 360 video we posted:

 

You will probably have to click the link and watch it either in your browser or in the YouTube app on the phone:

 

Some quick thoughts on the ride:

 

Pros: I actually felt the design and layout were *FANTASTIC* - Top 20 material, easy. The drop into the inversion was AMAZING and the ride has some great pacing and wonderful airtime. I loved the layout and it's probably one of my favorite Gravity Group designs to date.

 

Cons: It's rough. Much rougher than I was expecting, especially having been on both Twister and Switchback around the same time after opening and those rides ran AMAZING! I felt like Mine Blower, after the first drop and inversion, just shuffled like crazy and after one ride it actually gave me a bit of a headache. It's such a shame because the layout of that ride totally kicks ass and I'm sure people with more tolerance to rough woodies will love the crap out of it! But this isn't a ride I could do multiple laps on.

Edited by robbalvey
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That's too bad it has a pretty bad shuffle but I'm glad the layout delivers. Roar-o-saurus shuffled a bit in the turns but never came close to being rough. Meanwhile the older Wooden Warrior is still glass-smooth.

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Queue in the slew of 12-30 year old's that will come in here and say that they rode it and can't believe that anyone thinks that it's rough...claim that it's smooth as glass.

That classic 12-30 year old demographic that likes to come on here and misinform people about coasters. Not a broad generalization at all!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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I was able to ride this weekend. I pretty much agree with everything that has been said. It has an amazing layout and pacing and is much more substantial than I though it would be. I also found it surprisingly "shuffly," but still really enjoyed it.

 

The shuffle/roughness wouldn't have been surprising if the coaster weren't brand new.

 

That being said, I still feel it is a superb addition to the park and to the area and will happily ride it again.

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Queue in the slew of 12-30 year old's that will come in here and say that they rode it and can't believe that anyone thinks that it's rough...claim that it's smooth as glass.

That classic 12-30 year old demographic that likes to come on here and misinform people about coasters. Not a broad generalization at all!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

Didn't mean it to sound quite like that...

 

What I meant was that as you get older, your body isn't quite as tolerant of shuffling or getting banged around on a coaster. A lot of folks within that 12-30 age group will usually defend any ride that older enthusiasts say is rough by saying it isn't...because their bodies can usually endure more of an ass-kicking than someone that's older.

 

I'm not speaking for Robb or every coaster enthusiast over the age of 40 as everyone's idea of "rough" is different. Nor would I say that EVERY person between 12-30 isn't going to encounter a coaster that doesn't kick their a$$ at some point.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to give Mine Blower a whirl to see what I personally think of it...it certainly is a very interesting looking coaster. But I'd probably bring the Excedrin along with me as a back-up, just in case.

 

And yes...getting older definitely sucks!

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Queue in the slew of 12-30 year old's that will come in here and say that they rode it and can't believe that anyone thinks that it's rough...claim that it's smooth as glass.

That classic 12-30 year old demographic that likes to come on here and misinform people about coasters. Not a broad generalization at all!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

Didn't mean it to sound quite like that...

 

What I meant was that as you get older, your body isn't quite as tolerant of shuffling or getting banged around on a coaster. A lot of folks within that 12-30 age group will usually defend any ride that older enthusiasts say is rough by saying it isn't...because their bodies can usually endure more of an ass-kicking than someone that's older.

 

I'm not speaking for Robb or every coaster enthusiast over the age of 40 as everyone's idea of "rough" is different. Nor would I say that EVERY person between 12-30 isn't going to encounter a coaster that doesn't kick their a$$ at some point.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to give Mine Blower a whirl to see what I personally think of it...it certainly is a very interesting looking coaster. But I'd probably bring the Excedrin along with me as a back-up, just in case.

 

And yes...getting older definitely sucks!

 

You're only as old as your age is in years.

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Queue in the slew of 12-30 year old's that will come in here and say that they rode it and can't believe that anyone thinks that it's rough...claim that it's smooth as glass.

That classic 12-30 year old demographic that likes to come on here and misinform people about coasters. Not a broad generalization at all!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

Didn't mean it to sound quite like that...

 

What I meant was that as you get older, your body isn't quite as tolerant of shuffling or getting banged around on a coaster. A lot of folks within that 12-30 age group will usually defend any ride that older enthusiasts say is rough by saying it isn't...because their bodies can usually endure more of an ass-kicking than someone that's older.

 

I'm not speaking for Robb or every coaster enthusiast over the age of 40 as everyone's idea of "rough" is different. Nor would I say that EVERY person between 12-30 isn't going to encounter a coaster that doesn't kick their a$$ at some point.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to give Mine Blower a whirl to see what I personally think of it...it certainly is a very interesting looking coaster. But I'd probably bring the Excedrin along with me as a back-up, just in case.

 

And yes...getting older definitely sucks!

This is so real...I remember riding the Coney Island and Riverside Cyclone in the back seat more than ten times on the same trip in the early 90's. Now, you can't pay me to ride the Coney Island Cyclone in any seat. For the young please value this time and enjoy yourself. I'm in great shape and look many years below my age. However, if taken out of my comfort zone age rears its ugly head. I just can't ride them and feel great like I use to.
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  • 3 weeks later...

With some extra time thanks to Delta delaying my flight an hour (as I write this it was delayed yet another hour, thanks Delta), I was able to pop into their recently acquired park in Atlanta (formerly Fun Junction) for an hour. It was definitely better than hanging around the airport and a solid FEC.

 

The park is definitely in the midst of an identity crisis. The park has 3 signs out front- a banner saying Fun Spot, a tiny picket sign saying Fun Junction, and large sign saying Dixieland Fun Park (the name before Fun Junction). Receipts and wristbands said Fun Spot, the tickets said Fun Junction, and then the drop tower still says Dixieland. So getting an identity is something Fun Spot should work on.

 

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Am I at Fun Spot or Fun Junction?

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Well this complicates things. Dixieland too?

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The park has 3 signs out front. The biggest is one is the name they haven't used since 2012.

The park charges $5 for parking, which seems odd for a FEC, especially one that isn't in a tourist location. However, they give you $5 in ride tickets when you park so it's essentially free if you plan to use ride tickets. The coaster costs 6 tickets in case you were wondering. Or you can get a $25 wristband which works on everything but the simulator.

 

Speaking of the coaster, the park has one in the Screamin' Eagle. This looks like an innocent family coaster, but Screamin' Eagle is a surprisingly wild coaster. This is my first non-kiddie Miler and this one has some steep drops that build up good speed. The double up gives good air in front and the double air gives good air in the back. Then the last two hills absolutely try and eject you, which completely caught me off-guard. The second to last hill is one of the most powerful and abrupt airtime moments I've experienced. The turns are very jerky but thankfully they are taken slowly. 7.5 out of 10

 

I know we bash Castaway Cove's Wild Waves (still no excuse for taking this long to open), but based on Screamin' Eagle it may be a surprisingly intense little ride with the most air in NJ after El Toro and Nitro.

 

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The real reason I'm here.

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This Miler looks like a death trap.

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But the drops were smooth and some gave really great air-time, especially the second to last hill.

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Some jerky turns, but definitely a fun little coaster.

The park has an interesting mix of other attractions. They have the FEC staples in an arcade, bumper boats, go karts, mini golf, and laser tag, but they also have a diverse mix of rides. They have some spinny rides like a Scrambler and Spider, a screamin' swing, and a full-on Antique Car ride with a custom layout. For a FEC, they have a ton of land so Fun Spot has a lot to work with.

 

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FEC staple. It was hot so people were parking themselves under the squirting elephant.

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I'm glad the park has a classic Spider. I've seen a lot of these lately.

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The screamin' swing (Giant Swing) is definitely their most thrilling ride.

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Still weird to see a single swing version like this.

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The Antique Cars had a much longer and more expansive layout than I'd expect for a FEC.

The park's most popular ride was the Zip Line. Everything else in the park was a walk-on, but the Zip Line had a half hour wait. It also had a putrid capacity (max of 3 riders and 350 total pounds) which may have helped explain it. I've never done one of these chairlift style zip lines before. The seating is a major improvement over standard ziplines since it doesn't make me regret being a guy during the descent. The views from the top were just ok (nothing to see other than the park) and the descent was decently fast but not overly thrilling. Glad I tried it, but I don't see myself doing on of these again since they are usually upcharges. At Fun Spot it was included for a change. 6 out of 10

 

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The Zip Line towers over everything else at the park.

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Fun to try once, but not something I need to try again.

The park also has some weird bits. First, there is this massive Western facade that spans almost 2/3 of the park. There is no additional theming around it and in fact as you walk by it, I believe you are standing on the park's old lot since you can clearly see the lines for parking spaces. The facade has a restaurant inside and the arcade. It looks really nice but just doesn't seem to tie into anything else at the park in any way. They also had this weird tram thing parked in the middle of a walkway. No one was around it so I have no clue if it's ever used or not since that seemed like an odd place to park it.

 

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The western facade seems very out-of-place but it does look nice.

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The facade spans the length of most of the park.

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No clue what this thing was. It was parked dead center on a pathway.

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Kids only. I tried, but was denied.

If you ever have some time to burn before a flight at the Atlanta Airport, definitely check it out since it's just 15-20 minutes down the road. It's also about 35-40 minutes from Six Flags if you're in the area next year for the likely new RMC. Based on Fun Spot's track record, I expect the park to grow in the next few years and it already has a solid base to start with.

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I think the real challenge will be boosting the park's attendance since it's not quite in as touristy/well-traveled of an area as their other parks. It does have the Atlanta metro area to tap into, but Fun Spot just needs to get people down there way since they do have a nice base to work with and the land you mentioned to expand.

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Nice report. I'm excited to see what Fun Spot will do with this property. With all that land to expand, I would hope they add a new coaster or two. I think it'd be great to see another small or mid-size Gravity Group or GCI built, especially with it being unique to the area since SFOG, Carowinds, and Wild Adventures have mediocre wooden coasters at best.

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Especially since arguably the best of those woodies (Georgia Cyclone) is all but confirmed to be RMC'ed and one of the others (Hurler) is a likely candidate to be RMC'ed as well if it goes well in Virginia (I'm guessing it will since there's no launch, as far as we know).

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I've taken a trip down to Orlando for...reasons, and I stopped by Fun Spot Kissimmee this evening to check out Mine Blower.

 

The bad news: I spent $18 to take two laps on the coaster and only got to take one because the lap bars in the front half of the train got stuck closed. They had to wait for their mechanic to come over, do all of the tests, let everyone out, and cycle the train empty. By the time they dispatched the train I just wanted to go to my hotel, as I had been on planes for over six hours beforehand. Maybe I'll go take my Fun-e-Card and go ride White Lightning tomorrow.

 

The good news: Mine Blower is pretty good! It's definitely a Gravity Group hybrid, and you can tell - it's somewhat of a rough ride in the turns but the airtime is great! The parts of the ride where there are a bunch of bunny hops in a row are probably the best. Thinking about it I probably like White Lightning better but Mine Blower is pretty solid. If you ever find yourself in the area go give it a ride, you can get on and off in about twenty minutes max.

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The year White Lightning opened I stopped by Fun Spot. At the time they offered what I think they called a "trial pack" that gave four rides on anything. Worked well to grab the credits and get an extra ride on White Lightning. It was a slight discount off of buying the same number of individual rides. Does the Kissimmee park offer something similar?

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Nothing of the sort that I saw the other night. You could load money onto your Fun-e-Card, get a single day or season pass, but that was about it.

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The year White Lightning opened I stopped by Fun Spot. At the time they offered what I think they called a "trial pack" that gave four rides on anything. Worked well to grab the credits and get an extra ride on White Lightning. It was a slight discount off of buying the same number of individual rides. Does the Kissimmee park offer something similar?

 

This is what is offered on the Orlando Go Card deal.

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  • 2 months later...

This is a little short on pics, but boy oh boy do I love Funspot. The staff is great and really wowed us several times. Our extended weekend started out with going to Orlando's Pride Fest Weekend. Friday we got to party with Ultra Nate backstage, and wow is she cool and does she have a ra..., sorry, I'll stop. ( pics if you want). So yeah, there was a parade etc etc on Sat, but the real fun was on Sunday. Stopped for brunch and bloody Mary's at the Hammered Lamb, ( oh wow) Then headed to Funspot in Kissemmee. Driving down I-4 passing White Lightning in O Town was tough but we had bigger fishes to fry, namely Mine Blower. Mind you, I haven't done many parks this year as I had 2 heart attacks and under went surgeries twice this year. I was dying to ride coasters. My Doc gave me the all clear and I was ready ! Now here is where we get to the awesomeness that is FunSpot. We get to the gate and we had 2 passes we bought back in 2014 for their anniversary celebration for 15 bucks. Didn't think they would be good, but, Surprise, they honored them ! Got our arm bands and rushed to Mine Blower and found, what? the line was down the stairs onto the midway. Holy Toledo, a line? Thanks to, here's the 2nd wow, the crew was pumping like crazy. We had a 3 train wait that only took minutes. That crew was hauling. Get in, pull down, check and out the door ya' go. They might even try to beat Knoebs loading, sorta. Mine Blower, like Coasterbill and XViceandvirtues said, this coaster will blow your !!! Ho;y Cow Is it amazing. Not rough, just waayy waayy intense. Rode every seat front to back. WOW. Then we rode next the other new hotness, HeadRush 360. OMG, I didn't think I could handle it, but I loved it ! Long story short, had so much fun, got a cheapy room next door so we cold stay all night. Had dinner and went back for more rides. Rode MB 10 times, Rockstar coaster 6 times, tilt a whirl, yo yo and other flats. Seeing as we got the deal on the ride bands we also had "several" adult bevs, munchies, bought a on ride pic and , my fave to leave by, cotton candy.At 15 to midnight my hubs found out why they call a ride a spin and puke. We had one last ride on 360 and thankfully he made it to the bushes. Hehe. I still got 1 more ride on MB tho. If anyone has the chance, Mine Blower is a must do. So now a few pics.

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Freaky furry for Rob at Pride

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gotta have your nutrients first

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Midway looking good

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Blurry but cool

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Station

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Sky Coaster lit at night

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Giant wheel

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Rising pumpkin monster by tilt a whirl

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