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General overview
of Adventure Rivers |
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In fall of 1990 the
area around the Hydro Flume was closed off, and a sign was posted
announcing Adventure Rivers complete with artists rendering of the new
area went up.
A few interesting notes about the rendering versus what would be built
as Adventure Rivers is the placement of the children's area that would
become Koala Kanyon at the front of the section in the area that would
eventually become home to Skull Mountain. The Skull pictured
as part of that children's area suggests that the theme would have been
very different from Koala Kanyon (perhaps the old Six Flags "Skull
Island" name was being considered?). Also notice all three
towers seem to have an Asian look to them, though they ended up taking
on varied themes when constructed.
The area slated for development was still heavily wooded.
After the Great Train Ride was removed several years before, the
only attraction to occupy the space aside from the Flume were remote
control cars and boats which had just been relocated the year before
when Shockwave was added. |
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In spring of 1991,
construction of Adventure Rivers was still in full swing, with the park
targeting an early June opening. The North America and Africa
slide towers were up and appeared to be nearly complete on opening day, while the
more complex Asia tower was still just in the early stages of
construction.
The massive size of the area meant the addition of huge expanses of new
pavement and fences, as well as fairly elaborate landscaping to screen
the area from adjacent sections and add a lush semi-tropical feel.
The effort to add theme elements to the Adventure Rivers area marked the
park's first serious attempt at adding a themed attraction in several
years. Previous years additions of Condor, Great American
Scream Machine and Shockwave led one member of the American Coaster
Enthusiasts to ask park president Ray Williams "if Great Adventure is a
theme park, what is the theme", to which Mr. Williams replied, "The
theme is 'fun'". The next season with the addition of
Adventure Rivers, the park was brought a little closer to its Theme Park
roots. In the following years when Time Warner
purchased and ran Six Flags, the idea of bringing themes back to the
park sections continued as new scenery and landscaping were added to
other areas.
The addition of Adventure Rivers was one of the park's attempts to move
away from the teen-oriented thrill rides to more family friendly
attractions and clientele. After some difficulties with bad
crowds in past years the park was in a rebuilding phase, trying to win
back guests who had a negative impression of the park. |
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Besides the new slides and water
elements added to the new section, a gift shop was also constructed.
The Rivers Edge Trading Post was a shop that would sell all the
necessities for a day in the sum and water, including towels, sunscreen
and T-shirts.
The elaborate entry portal at the front of the area featured rock
fountains on either side of the pathway, as well as a log structure
which held the sign.
In some of the surrounding pictures you can see the brand new log
fencing in place which still stands today.
Stacks of pavers await placement along the paths as workers level
the ground in preparation.
The framework of the Asia tower is built up with the crane, as the
sections of yellow tube sit in the back areas awaiting assembly.
The sheer number of yellow slide tubes hints at the massive size and
impressive appearance the Asia tower will have when it is completed. |
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As opening day draws ever closer, the
final pieces are going into place. The fences and a good
deal of the landscaping is set, and the basic concrete structures of the
jumping fountains are ready to receive their outer layers of decorative
stucco.
Some of the light posts are in place around the area, and reflect the themes of
the slides they are placed alongside.
One of the final pieces to go into place is the log structure spanning
the Adventure Rivers entrance portal. With the final pieces
of the slides in place, the need to bring cranes and other large
vehicles through the entry portal is diminished, minimizing the
possibility of an accident with an over-size vehicle trying to go under
the logs and damaging them. Throughout the park there are
trees and other structures that bear the scars of large trucks trying to
make it through tight spaces. |
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Technical Information |
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Opened: |
June 1st, 1991 |
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Cost: |
$4 million |
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Size: |
15 acres –
largest new area added to the park
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Slide Manufacturer: |
Bill
Crandall’s New Wave Rides of
Arlington, TX
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Capacity of Adventure Rivers: |
7,700 guests per hour |
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Features: |
Entranceway
contains 50,000 lbs of artificial
rock into its stone structures, waterfalls and pools.
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6500 lbs of timber |
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20,000 lbs of bolts and fasteners |
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9,000 lbs of reinforcing steel |
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Nearly a mile of fiberglass |
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5,300 gallons of gel-coat |
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Rides pump a total of 3,800 gallons of water per minute. |
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Koala Kanyon – ½ acre children’s area themed to Australia’s
Snowy Rivers |
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The finishing touches are going into
place as the end of May approaches.
The twin rock formations at the entrance are already pumping water
through the waterfalls.
Some of the last minute changes still happening are the addition of the
sign to the portal, and repainting of the Hydro Flume canopy to fit its
new Asian theme as the Irrawaddy Riptide.
The jumping fountains are already running just beyond the fences of the
nearly completed section. |
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Roaring Rapids
received the name Congo Rapids as part of its inclusion in the Adventure
Rivers section of the park. Nothing else was changed except
the name.
Access to Congo Rapids was initially only through
the Adventure Rivers main entry with the old path past the platforms of
Lightnin Loops closed off by bamboo plantings. Eventually
the foot traffic through the bamboo led the park to reopen the pathway.
As part of the Adventure Rivers construction, a building that was a
combination restrooms, changing rooms and mini First Aid station was
constructed near Koala Kanyon. The changing facilities
offered showers and there were small banks of lockers available, despite
the fact that it wasn't necessary to change into swimwear.
The addition of a First Aid station suggests they anticipated possible
scrapes and bumps from kids in Koala Kanyon.
The
block of shops and food stands near the Rapids were the only food outlets for
the first season. |
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Press Releases
and Press Photos |
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Great attention to detail was found throughout the
Adventure Rivers area with nicely themed signs and other little touches
everywhere that made the section more than just a collection of
waterslides.
Thatched roofs, colorful paint, and a general fresh appearance of the
pavement and landscaping made the area one of the standouts in the park.
The addition of water rides was a huge success with crowds.
The park's water rides always had some of the longest lines in the park,
and the additional capacity created by Adventure Rivers helped to
alleviate the wait times. |
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A great deal of attention was paid to
the landscaping of the section, with dozens of new bushes and plants
added in an effort to replace the woodlands that had been removed to
build the new attractions.
In addition to the trees and bushes, the Landscaping Department added
lush lawns and beautiful seasonal flowers. The swan topiary
which still sits in the park today was originally a landscape accent
piece from Adventure Rivers.
To add more color to the area, bright banners were placed throughout the
Adventure Rivers area.
The Hydro Flume was given a rich red, green and gold paint scheme in its
makeover to become Irrawaddy Riptide. A matching bridge was
added as a way to cross the flume trough. That bridge would
remain as one of the obstacles to get into the Looney Tunes Seaport
until the end of 2006 when it was removed with the Flume to make way for
the 2007 addition of Wiggles World.
The Rivers Edge Trading Post was added as part of the Adventure Rivers
area, and featured all the necessary supplies for fun in the sun.
The Trading Post would later go on to serve as the gift shop at the exit
for Skull Mountain. After the initial popularity of Skull
Mountain wore off, the shop went through various phases, often being
neglected, finally becoming a temporary tattoo stand, before finally
finding new life in the 2007 season as the Wiggles Gift Shop. |
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In a media event, the park invited
members of the Polar Bear Club to come out for an early season dip on
the slides of Adventure Rivers to kick off the 1992 season.
An existing structure that was incorporated into the Adventure
Rivers section was the Lightnin Loops Cafe, which was renamed River Bank
Cafe in 1992 as part of the efforts to bring themes to the park by then
owners, Time Warner.
Also for the second season of Adventure Rivers, Andre's River Fries was
added. The new restaurant was even given a back story to
make it fit the theme of the adjoining North American Rivers slides.
Andre's River Fries was more or less forgotten after the Adventure
Rivers slides were removed, since it sat on a dead end path. Later it
became Chippy's, and was rarely open except on busy days in the peak
season. In the spring of 2007 it was given a new
lease on life with its makeover as the Yummy Yummy Cafe as the area
received a makeover to become Wiggles World. |
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The seasonal
nature of water rides meant that the Adventure Rivers area had a very
limited season of just over 3 months each year.
Some of the examples of the theme elements that made Adventure Rivers
unique included the small details of themed signs and even the TV
monitors that stood in the lines for the slides which along with the
fences and light posts reflected the theme of each slide and attraction.
The second season of Adventure Rivers in 1992 also brought the addition
of Captain Jack's Burger Grill. The additional restaurant
was needed to handle the crowds that filled the area which had limited
food options. Captain Jack's would eventually get renamed
the Nitro Grill when Nitro was added in the 2001 season.
The Adventure Rivers slide towers were removed in the 1998-1999 off
season to make way for Looney Tunes Seaport. Great Adventure was
left without a water park area for a season until the addition of
Hurricane Harbor as a full scale, separate admission water park in 2000.
Koala Kanyon, the final remaining element that was created as part of
Adventure Rivers, was removed in the 2006-2007 off season after a year
of sitting unused.
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| Remnants of Adventure Rivers |
| Up until 2007, the three circular spots where the
jumping fountains used to stand remained in the pavement next to Skull
Mountain. |
The attraction marker in the sidewalk in front of
Justice League Headquarters is still in place. |
The wooden fences that were built around the slides
and fountains are still in place, thought they have been repainted
several times in varying colors. |
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| The original 3 dimensional sign for Captain Jack's
is now located in Hurricane Harbor |
After the rock waterfall was removed to build Skull
Mountain, the fiberglass rocks made their way into the Fright Fest
Hayride. |
Until the removal of the Hydro Flume in 2007,
footings for some of the Adventure Rivers slides still stood in the
retention pond. |
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An ad for New Wave Rides, manufacturer of the slides
for Adventure Rivers.
The large center picture is of the North American Tower.
An interesting note is the address of the manufacturer is Arlington
Texas, (then) location of Six Flags corporate headquarters.
Several suppliers and manufacturers of products for the theme park
industry seem to have chosen to locate their headquarters in Arlington. |
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| Picture and descriptions from the 1993 park
guidebook. |
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