Frontier City

[ljbab728]

I'm sure they would disagree with my description.

nm

[HOT ROD]

The issue I have with Frontier City is the fact that it doesn't expand but rather replaces rides with 'new' ones. I would love it if FC went on a 10-15 year binge where it added rides every year (maybe one or two, whatever they can afford) but EXPAND the park at the same time. Maybe expand the shows a little bit so there's more going on. Add in more restaurant and OKC themed retail. Expand the operating hours, train the staff to be customer oriented and well versed (and pride) in the park and its offerings. Bring in a few attractions for adults, maybe make an entire section of the park for those over 21 (maybe with an ampitheatre). Perhaps renovate the existing/old areas and partner with someone to add hotel rooms onsite to make it more of a destination. FC can't and shouldn't compete with Six Flags but FC should be much better than it is and a few, simple ideas could make the park great for a mid-sized market.

[Just the facts]

Wild Adventures - Valdosta, GA.
Wild Adventures Theme Park | Valdosta, GA

2 hours from Jacksonville in the middle of a field in rural southern Georgia. If FC was just half the park this place is it would be amazing.

[SoonerDave]

The issue I have with Frontier City is the fact that it doesn't expand but rather replaces rides with 'new' ones. I would love it if FC went on a 10-15 year binge where it added rides every year (maybe one or two, whatever they can afford) but EXPAND the park at the same time. Maybe expand the shows a little bit so there's more going on. Add in more restaurant and OKC themed retail. Expand the operating hours, train the staff to be customer oriented and well versed (and pride) in the park and its offerings. Bring in a few attractions for adults, maybe make an entire section of the park for those over 21 (maybe with an ampitheatre). Perhaps renovate the existing/old areas and partner with someone to add hotel rooms onsite to make it more of a destination. FC can't and shouldn't compete with Six Flags but FC should be much better than it is and a few, simple ideas could make the park great for a mid-sized market.

This very concept was the notion behind the "Downtown Disney" area of Disneyworld that was created, oh, about twenty years ago (or so)? While it had a somewhat successful time, it never caught on the way Disney had projected/hoped - more grown up theming/entertainment options, clubbish atmosphere, etc amid the much more pervasive family atmosphere throughout DW. The region of the park, which wasn't/isn't a ticketed area and contains extensive retail and restaurant space, foundered for several years with multiple plans to retheme it considered and rejected until about two years (?) ago. Disney is in the midst of turning it into "Disney Springs" and abandoning the "over-21" entertainment as the underlying theme of the area.

I think the lesson there was you either have a family environment, or you don't, and no matter how hard you try to add the other, it's at best an unsuited appendage.

I think your idea to expand the park is reasonable, but the idea of adding hotels ala Disney is a very risky proposition. You've *got* to make it a destination stop at that point - you can't just rely on Oklahoma visitors alone if you want to make it a resort, and that's a *big* jump from what FC is right now. Not saying it can't work, but its certainly a high risk/uncertain reward option.

[shavethewhales]

Wild Adventures - Valdosta, GA.
Wild Adventures Theme Park | Valdosta, GA

2 hours from Jacksonville in the middle of a field in rural southern Georgia. If FC was just half the park this place is it would be amazing.

I think we brought this up before (probably earlier in this very thread), and as I pointed out then, Wild Adventures was widely considered a ****-hole by it's locals until a few years ago when HFEC bought it out. It went out of business a couple of times before HFEC and was heavily criticized for it's animal pen conditions, among other things. HFEC has done a lot to turn it around recently, but they are a pretty massive company these days with a lot of resources and power - far greater than FC's Premier/CNL situation. It's still a very random park/zoo out in the middle of nowhere and isn't exactly a beacon of success yet.

I'm also of the sentiment that I badly want to see FC truly expand for once, but I still stress that we should be very happy with what we have seen recently. The park has had to do a lot of refurbishment and even replacement of it's old rides that were falling apart, and that took time and money. I think we are very near to seeing something large added like a new coaster.

The CNL sale is the big lynch pin that we need to be watching for. They are extremely cheap and don't want to spend hardly any money on capital investments (IE: new coasters) because they are simply a holding company, and they were supposed to liquidate their amusement properties by now. It sounds like they want to sell their amusement properties as a package rather than selling them off piecemeal. That means Premier is less likely to be able to get FC outright since I doubt they have the capital to buy 4-5 theme parks at once. I don't think any of the other major chains like Six Flags are looking to expand right now, so the park may be passed off to some other holding company later this year.

Edit: Just FYI: the new ride is actually an old ride from the Magic Springs theme park outside of Hot Springs, AR. That park is also owned by CNL and managed by Premier. It seems CNL is going to cannibalize that park to add rides to it's other parks until they are able to sell them off.

[Kemotblue]

I'm sure CNL will sell their parks individually, Prime example just this last year Elitch Gardens was sold to a local Denver owner last year. So the possiblity of them selling their parks is pretty good. I know Premier park owns only two parks. A water park in Nashville and a really small themepark Clementon Park in New Jersey. They do manage alot of parks for CNL. I saw today White Water Bay a Premier managed park posted on FB that they are redoing the Kids Kove area and changing the area and it will be called "Barefoot'in Bay"

[Jeepnokc]

The owners of 'that blighted trucking thing' might disagree with your description of their business, not to mention the availability of their property for the amusement of others.

Actually the property just sold to the people who own Western Flyer Express. WFE is the trucking company next door to the Sam's just west of this location. I am guessing they are moving operations but just speculating. I should probably walk next door and ask my neighbor as he owns WFE.

[OKCisOK4me]

Not only do deaths come in three's. Apparently so do roller coasters!

[Laramie]

Not only do deaths come in three's. Apparently so do roller coasters!

Heard that saying before about death coming in three's. It's ole so true. Since 2003; I've lost 3 relatives or friends every year leading up to this year where there has been two deaths so far.

Most recent relative died in Dallas two weeks ago; his brother had him cremated and flown to Kansas City for burial.

My brother wants to be cremated and have is ashes spread throughout the various places that he scuba dives. As for myself, I haven't decided about cremation. Would hate to think that might be a prelude to my everlasting eternal life.

[Kemotblue]

This could be great news for both Frontier City and White Water Bay. I looked into the new company EPR they are part financial backers for Schlitterbahn Resorts, Top Golf Entertainment and AMC Movie Theaters Chain U.S. . So will they be willing to put more money into the parks then their former investment company CNL who limited the spending on the parks. Hopefully we will see new changes coming soon to the park. http://newsok.com/article/5525634

[rte66man]

My not-quite-exact analysis of why they cannot expand the park footprint.



The yellow outline is the current footprint of the "active" park. I know they also own most, if not all, of the area immediately to the west (blue dashed line). However, they are very limited in what they can do with it due to the very rich people to the west and north. Their "boneyard" can be clearly seen in the middle. That alone generates a ton of neighborhood complaints.

One proposal they have on their books is to take over the existing parking for park expansion and move the parking to west of Coltrane. Not sure if they are serious about that.

[ChrisHayes]

OKC could so benefit from a much larger version of Frontier City built on a few hundred acres on the outskirts of the city. I used to go to Cedar Point when I lived in Ohio and they got 3.5 million visitors per year. That's a HUGE tax base. It would be nice if the owners of Frontier City would buy up a few hundred acres and more or less move the park somewhere where they're free to expand it without NIMBYs getting in the way. Doubt it would happen, but it would be awesome.

[traxx]

Hopefully this will mean a cleaner White Water.

[CloudDeckMedia]

A view of Frontier City looking north.

[G.Walker]

I was just thinking about this yesterday. White Water Bay is outdated, the problem is that the area they are in has no room for expansion. I say they purchase land in a new area & build a brand new park.

[rte66man]

I was just thinking about this yesterday. White Water Bay is outdated, the problem is that the area they are in has no room for expansion. I say they purchase land in a new area & build a brand new park.

While I agree with the sentiment, do the new owners have that kind on money?

[HOT ROD]

how about combine Frontier City and White Water in one location.

[traxx]

how about combine Frontier City and White Water in one location.

White City

[jn1780]

When was the last amusement park to open in U.S? I don't really see the owners wanting to invest that much money to completely start over from scratch. The best chance for frontier city park expansion would be for frontier city to push out northward and also build a new parking lot west of coltrane.

White water bay isn't using all of their land. If they pushed the parking lot all the way up to Reno and stretched the parking lot east and west they could free up some more land. They could also try to buy some of the surrounding businesses on the westside of them if they really wanted to. Obviously Mathis Brothers to their east side of them isn't an option. I see that whole Reno and Portland corner being one big distribution facility 5 to 10 years from now.

[oklip955]

I wish they would buy and tear down the abandoned motel and other run down business to the north. Would be nice to take out the K of A campground and build a nice hotel complex in it place. Add the existing parking lot and that would make for a nice expansion. The wooded area to the west could be a nice parking lot with a large buffer between it and the houses to the west. I see it as just a money issue.

[oklip955]

I'm wondering if one of the tribes could buy it and add a small consino to the mix and have a state or regional destination. Thinking like for Oklahoma, and southern Kansas area.

[catch22]

I'm wondering if one of the tribes could buy it and add a small consino to the mix and have a state or regional destination. Thinking like for Oklahoma, and southern Kansas area.

It has to have been original federal land assigned to a tribe. They can't just buy land and incorporate it as an Indian Reservation.

[kevinpate]

If memory serves, some of the 'abandoned' motels/business to the north are storage and repair/build/workshop space for FC.

[Richard at Remax]

White City

I don't think that would go over too well lol

[elitespy]

I know it probably would never happen and maybe it's just me, but I feel like White Water Bay and the Mathis Brothers warehouse are missing a great opportunity. You have that huge bland wall there, it would be great to get somebody to come in and paint a nice mural on the side there facing the park. Like some type of summery/beach themed thing, at least in my head that would be pretty cool.