Nearby getaways look to cash in
Regional theme parks to stay open during winter
Folks with a yen for negative G-forces and churros in the heart of winter have long been able to head to destination theme parks in temperate Florida and California.
Those hoping to get their roller coaster fixes at parks in other parts of the country were generally out of luck. That’s changing as some seasonal parks open their gates in January and February and switch to four-season, yearround operation.
In recent years, Halloween events expanded shoulder seasons at regional theme parks, along with holiday events that kept gates open through late December.
Now, the carousels practically never stop spinning at parks such as Six Flags Over Texas near Dallas and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia.
The trend is partly fueled by the pandemic. “With COVID, people are craving to get out, and Six Flags has a safe, outdoor environment conducive to social distancing,” says Bonnie Sherman Weber, the park chain’s senior vice president of operations. She also notes that people aren’t working traditional schedules and have more flexibility to visit parks.
Six Flags Over Texas is presenting its first-ever Fire & Ice Winter Festival on weekends through Feb. 28 as well as Feb. 15 for the Presidents Day holiday. Visitors will still be able to enjoy the twinkling lights and snow sledding that were already part of the park’s holiday event. There are fireworks shows every Saturday, and most rides, such as the New Texas Giant coaster, are open. For an additional fee, guests can indulge their inner Winter Olympian by trying their hands at curling at the Six Flags ice rink. (Note: Reservations are required.)
Sister park Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio is holding a Mardi Gras festival, complete with cavalcade floats, New Orleans-style music, colorful beads, and treats such as boiled crawfish, jambalayas and beignets. It is also open on weekends through Feb. 28 as well as Presidents Day. The park is offering a walk-through haunted mazestyle attraction, The Houngan House of Voodoo, along with most of its rides. (Reservations are required.)
Generally, the winters aren’t crazy cold in Texas. The same can’t be said for Virginia, where Busch Gardens Williamsburg is opening its gates in January, February, and early March for the first time ever. “Our fans love riding our world-class roller coasters no matter the temperature,” says Kevin Lembke, the park’s president.
The Virginia park is holding its own Mardi Gras event on weekends from Jan. 29 through Feb. 28 as well as the Presidents Day holiday. There will be a New Orleans jazz band, stilt walkers, hurricane cocktails and other NOLA fun. (Reservations are required.)
Busch Gardens Williamsburg plans a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on select days March 5 to March 28. It will focus on the park’s Irish village and celebrate the country’s music, dance, and cuisine. More than a dozen rides, including the wooden coaster InvadR, will be open.
(Tickets have not gone on sale yet, but reservations probably will be required.)
The winter events help add value to the annual membership programs available at Six Flags as well as Busch Gardens (part of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment) – especially after the pandemic forced the parks to close and reduce capacity once they reopened. The January and February events likely are an attempt by the park chains to recoup some of the revenue they have been losing because of the pandemic.
“It made perfect sense for us to continue to offer our members and guests an opportunity to safely experience Busch Gardens year-round. It’s evident people are seeking some sense of normalcy, and we are thrilled to be able to provide that with our limited-capacity events,” Lembke says, adding that the pandemic “forced us to rethink our business and challenged us to be creative.”
SeaWorld San Antonio, which is not far from Six Flags Fiesta Texas, is open year-round for the first time in more than a decade. On weekends through Jan. 31, it is presenting Wild Days, which will celebrate the park’s animals as well as its rides. On weekends and other select days from Feb. 6 to Feb. 28, the park will hold its own Mardi Gras event .
The pandemic may have inspired some regional parks to open their gates in the first months of the year, but some already had been exploring the idea of operating year-round.
“We were discussing and planning year-round operation before the pandemic,” says Byron Surrett, SeaWorld San Antonio’s park president. He hopes the park will keep its gates open after the threat of the pandemic has passed.
“The world has changed,” says Six Flags’ Sherman Weber. “It’s not just COVID. People want to come out. They can experience the parks without the big crowds.”