Darien Lake history · History of Darien Lake
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History of Darien Lake
History of Darien Lake
Darien Lake didn't exist before 1955. It was that year that the 25-acre man-made lake opened to the public (admission $0.50 for adults, $0.25 for children 10 and older). Swimming and picnicking were the only attractions. It was popular at first, but after a few years, records of it as a summer destination disappear.
By 1964, Darien Lake was open again, this time with boating, camping, and picnicking facilities. The first rides were added in the 1970s, and by 1980 the area had grown into a full-fledged amusement park, named Darien Lake Fun Country. The park added a marquee attraction in 1982: the Viper, the first roller coaster in the world with five inversions. In 1983, the park was sold; "Fun Country" was dropped from the name, and the new owners acquired the Giant Wheel, a 165-foot (50m) Ferris wheel, from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville.
The park continued to grow and add attractions, although it wouldn't get its second roller coaster?the wooden Predator?until 1990. The same year, a small water park was added in the middle of the park. 1993 saw the opening of the 21,600-capacity amphitheater, which replaced a smaller amphitheater and started attracting major touring acts. In the late nineties, the owners added a new roller coaster each year, increasing the park's total to five and making the park the roller coaster capital of the state.
In 1999, the park was rebranded as Six Flags Darien Lake to reflect its ownership by the mega-chain, and several licensed Looney Tunes and DC Comics characters made appearances in the park. The parent company soon fell into financial trouble due to overextension, however; Darien Lake was among seven properties put up for sale in 2006, and in 2007 the park was bought and "Six Flags" dropped from the name.
Although the new owners added another coaster in 2008, the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster, the park endured a couple of lean years as it struggled to reestablish itself. By the end of 2010, however, it was clear that the park was thriving again, as the year saw the expansion of the water park areas into a new "separate" park called SplashTown, new ticket packages, and a new paint job for the venerable Viper.
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Darien Lake Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.