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Cedar Fair Pumps Loads of Cash into Their Theme Parks for 2012

Whether you like it or not, the winter is pretty much upon us, but that doesn’t mean that theme parks aren’t hard at work. Cedar Fair—owners of parks like CedarPoint and Canada’s Wonderland—are already hard at work in preparation for wowing visitors when the warmer weather of 2012 rolls around.

Ticket sales must have been strong in 2011—or they had a good hand at the casino—because the company is looking to invest around $90 million back into their parks. Thankfully they’re not just adding new signs and trash cans either, as it’s all about coasters, attractions, and other thrill rides.

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Paramount Park Murcia Might Be the World's Next Great Theme Park

Theme park junkies might need to cross the Atlantic to get their next fix in the future, as the newly announced Paramount Park in Spain might just be the next big thing. The corporate wallets are open wide, as organizers and officials are thinking about spending around $1.5 billion to get the new place up and running just outside Murcia along the country’s coast.

There’s a lot of stuff still on the drawing board, as bulldozers and backhoes probably won’t start rolling around until 2012 at the earliest. However, if all goes well it could be welcoming tourists from around the globe in 2015, as it looks to compete with Disneyland Paris as the amusement park hotspot in Europe.

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Each and Every Six Flags Getting Sick New Rides

There’s still plenty of 2011 left, but we can’t stop looking forward to the new theme park options set to debut next year. We mentioned some of the best rides to hit the parks in 2012, and now it looks like Six Flags is outlining their plans to thrill visitors at their parks next summer.

Six Flags wants everyone to be excited to visit each and every year, so they’re going to start ensuring that there’s at least one new ride and attraction at each Six Flags every year. Obviously, every addition can’t be a world class coaster, but we’re certainly not complaining.

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Three New Roller Coasters Are Already Announced for 2012

This year’s roller coaster season is quickly wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean that coaster enthusiasts will have a depressing off-season. Parks are already thinking about 2012 and how to improve on their steel track offerings, so it won’t be long until you’re strapped into one of these new coasters. Here’s just three brand new coasters hitting parks in 2012: :

· Leviathan - Canada’s Wonderland:
North of the border just outside Toronto proper sits one of Canada’s best theme parks, and once 2012 rolls around things will get even better. Leviathan will be the parks 16th coaster when it debuts next May. This $28 million roller coaster will feature an 80-degree initial drop, a bunch of crazy twists and turns, and it will last for over three and half minutes.

The track even buzzes past the front gates of the park, so you get a sneak peek when you first enter for the day. The coaster might just be one of the best in the world when it arrives, as it will be top ten based on speed and height. The thing rises over 300-feet and might just hit speeds of over 90mph.

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What You Need to Know as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Celebrates One Year

Has it already been a year then? Universal Studios' The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park just celebrated its first anniversary, after opening last June to much fan fare and continuting right through the winter and spring with crazy crowds. We were there on opening day, and although we're adults who travel around the world all year, being in the midst of that excitement still counts as one of the coolest things we did in 2010. The Wizarding World absolutely has the Jaunted seal of approval.

So, if you're heading down this summer for an icey mug of Butterbeer, a ride on the Chinese Fireball Dragon and maybe even a chocolate frog, there's a few things you need to know one year in:

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Coney Island Scores Two New Coasters for Summer 2011

After years of decline it looks like Coney Island has finally found its place in the 21st century, and things seem to be moving full speed ahead into the future. Last year Luna Park joined the theme park offerings, and this summer looks to welcome a pair of brand new roller coasters. Sure they aren’t the extreme offerings at some of the country’s bigger parks, but these are the first new coasters to hit the boardwalk in more than 80 years.

Scream Zone is one of the area’s newest amusement park spots, and recently they introduced the new rides. Soarin' Eagle and Steeplechase were welcomed by coaster fans—including Mayor Bloomberg—last week.

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The Top Three Theme Park Season Passes for Summer 2011

With the clocks moving ahead this weekend it’s only a matter of time before theme parks across the country throw open their gates for the summer season—check right here for the most anticipated theme park opening dates. However, if you’ve got more than one roller coaster in your sights, there are a few passes that will get you access to all the season’s screams and thrills. Here are our picks for the Three Best Park Passes for 2011:

· Cedar Fair Platinum Pass
There’s only 66 days until Cedar Point opens for the 2011 season, but that doesn’t mean that you need to wait to order your ticket. The ultimate season pass grants you access to every coaster, attraction, and ride in the Cedar Fair empire. So not only can you visit roller coaster mecca in Ohio for free, but any and all Cedar Fair parks are free too—think King’s Dominion and King’s Island. Free parking and exclusive ride nights are yours with the pass, but the best perk is getting into the park an hour before everyone else. All this can be yours for $165 per person, or $155 per person if you order in packs of four.

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All the Season Opening Dates for the Best Theme Parks Around the USA

Even though March is just around the corner, the weather around much of the country makes it feel as if spring will never arrive. We’re remaining hopeful that it will, and that’s why we’re already planning our first roller coaster rides of the season. We looked into several theme parks across the country to see when they plan on firing up the corn dog machines, and here’s what we found:

· Carowinds:
Charlotte, North Carolina is one of the most southernmost parks in the country that shuts things down for the season, as it’s just not as warm as Florida. The summer season starts early enough here though, as the park cracks open the gates on Saturday, April 2.

· Cedar Point:
The granddaddy of all them parks in Sandusky, Ohio—at least where coasters are concerned—opens up for the season on Saturday, May 14. That’s only like 81 days from today, so start saving up for souvenirs along with the regular admission price.

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UK Theme Park Relocates Ride Because It's Haunted by a Headless Monk Ghost

We’ve been to the Disney version of a haunted house at both Mickey’s world and his land, but the latest spooky theme park news out of the United Kingdom appears to be way more hardcore.

At Thorpe Park in England, workers were busy doing their thing getting a new ride ready for visitors come this summer season, but when the bulldozers started moving the earth around they clearly disturbed something—or someone—that wasn’t as excited about the new attraction. After starting to construct a new water ride called Storm Surge park, workers noticed that bits and pieces of the ride starting moving around the construction scene on their own.

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The Green Lantern Roller Coaster Arrives at Six Flags Magic Mountain

The Green Hornet has been in theaters for a few weeks now, but there’s another green super hero movie coming out later this year—and it has its very own roller coaster. The LA Times is calling the new ride “the most anticipated new roller coaster of the summer,” so we’re thinking when this thing finally arrives at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California the line is going to be pretty long.

The coaster isn’t going to set any speed records when it debuts, but what makes it so unique and exciting is the way in which in moves riders. Things will be set in a sort of zigzag track, and plenty of tourists and locals alike will hold on for dear life as speeds approach close to 40mph as the ride twists and turns. It kind of simulates a marble falling down a series of tubes, and unfortunately—or fortunately—we’re the marbles.

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World's 'Merriest' Coasters: Manta During SeaWorld Orlando's Christmas Celebration

Sea creatures and aquariums might not be the first thing you think about when it comes to the holiday season, but SeaWorld Orlando is looking to change that. Since the weather stays warmer in Florida there is still plenty of fun to be had this month, and there’s no better roller coaster ride to experience during the holidays than Manta.

The people over at SeaWorld think that the Manta coaster does a great job of simulating what it’s like to sail through the water like a ray, but we’re thinking that this coaster does a great job of scaring the bejesus out of you. The coaster is shaped liked a creature from the deep and once strapped in, you’ll be swooping and soaring at speeds of close to 60mph. It’s not all up and down either, as this coaster goes through four inversions while you try to hold onto your seat as you navigate around 3,500 feet of track.

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World's 'Merriest' Coasters: Xcelerator During Knott's Merry Farm

While plenty of spots across the country are already getting hammered by winter weather, Southern California has remained mostly nice and sunny. The folks at Knott’s Berry Farm have done their best to create a warm version of a winter wonderland at the park, and there’s no need to brave the cold to take in their holiday decorations during Knott’s Merry Farm.

Even though it’s difficult to hang wreaths, lights, and garland from steel beams, you’ll still feel merry during a ride aboard the park’s Xcelerator roller coaster. Sitting within the park’s Boardwalk section, this ride brings back the 1950s with flame-kissed, fin-tailed hot rod cars right on the track. However, even a leather jacket with a popped collar can’t save you from the hydraulic launch—you’ll hit over 80 mph is just 2.3 seconds.

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