Premier Parks/Six Flags (1995-2006)
CNL Lifestyle Properties (2007-2016)
EPR Properties (2017-present)
Premier Parks/Six Flags (1995-2006, 2018-present)
PARC Management (2007-2010)
Herschend Family Entertainment (2011-2014)
Premier Parks (2015-2017)
Six Flags Darien Lake is an amusement park located in Darien Center, New York, USA.
History
Darien Lake first opened in 1954 as a campground, but later expanded into a theme park between the years of 1979 and 1981. The park's first roller coaster, Hoot N Holler opened in 1981.
Darien Lake announced a partnership with Huss Trading Corp. of Switzerland in 1980 that would include $16 million in rides, including attractions from HUSS, Arrow Development, and Mack Rides, among other manufacturers.[1]
On March 29, 1982, Ohio-based Funtime Parks acquired a 50% stake in the park.[2] In June 1985, Funtime purchased the other 50% and became the sole owner of the park.[3] Darien Lake was sold to Premier Parks on August 15, 1995 as part of a $60 million deal that also included Geauga Lake and Wyandot Lake.[4]
As part of a restructuring, in 2007 Six Flags sold Darien Lake to PARC Management. PARC simultaneously sold the park to CNL Lifestyle Properties who leased it back to PARC to operate.[5] Herschend Family Entertainment took over operations of Darien Lake and Elitch Gardens, starting January 25, 2011.[6] Operations were transferred to Premier Parks after the 2014 season.[7]
In November 2016, the park was sold to the Missouri-based EPR Properties. EPR are known for owning the Schlitterbahn chain of waterparks.[8]
On May 22, 2018, it was announced that Six Flags had repurchased the park's operating lease along with four other former Six Flags properties, including Frontier City in Oklahoma.[9] The park officially returned to Six Flags branding for the 2019 Season.[10]
Darien Lake announced in September 2020 that it would remain closed until 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the state of New York had not allowed amusement parks to reopen.[11]
Roller coasters
Present (8)
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boomerang Coast to Coaster | Vekoma | Shuttle | May 16, 1998 | Operating |
| Hoot N Holler | Zierer | Kiddie | May 1981 | Operating |
| Mind Eraser | Vekoma | Inverted | May 17, 1997 | Under Referbishment |
| Moto Coaster | Zamperla | Motorbike | May 3, 2008 | Operating |
| Predator | Dinn Corporation | Wooden | May 25, 1990 | Operating |
| Ride of Steel | Intamin | Hyper | May 15, 1999 | Operating |
| Tantrum | Gerstlauer | Steel | May 25, 2018 | Operating |
| Viper | Arrow HUSS | Sit-Down | May 29, 1982 | Operating |
Past
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nightmare At Phantom Cave | Schwarzkopf | Enclosed | 1996 | 1998 | Relocated to Great Escape |
Cancelled
Attractions
Operating
Closed
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMX Motocross | Hampton Rides | Roundabout | 1980s | 2011 | Relocated to Elitch Gardens |
| Crazy Quilt | Mack Rides | Calypso | 1981 | 1998 | Scrapped |
| Critter Chase | Zamperla | Junior Jets | 1988 | 1997 | Stored - reopened in 2010 |
| Giant Wheel | Vekoma | Ferris Wheel | 1983 | 2019 | Scrapped |
| Grizzly Run | Intamin | River Rapids | 1989 | 2019 | Scrapped |
| Raft Adventures | Zamperla | Junior Jets | 1996 | 2010 | Unknown |
| Raging Seas | Mack Rides | Sea Storm | 1981 | 2012 | Scrapped |
| Ranger | Arrow HUSS | Ranger | 1982 | 2015 | Scrapped |
| Red Baron | Chance Rides | Junior Jets | 1980 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge Company | Scrambler | 1999 | 2011 | Stored - reopened in 2014 |
| Thrillbilly | Arrow HUSS | Troika | 1981 | 1983 | Unknown |
| Thunder Rapids | Arrow HUSS | Log Flume | 1981 | 2017 | Scrapped |
| Twister | HUSS | Top Spin | 2000 | 2018 | Scrapped |
| UFO | Arrow HUSS | Round-Up | 1982 | 2012 | Scrapped |
Water slides
Six Flags Darien Lake also contains an adjacent water park named Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Darien Lake, included with the price of admission. It originally opened as Barracuda Bay in 1990, and renamed Splashtown at Darien Lake from 2010 until 2021.
Operating
| Name | Manufacturer | Class | Type | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado[12] | ProSlide | Tube | Funnel | 2005 |
References
- ↑ "Darien Lake". National Amusement Park Historical News. 1980-11-01.
- ↑ "Geauga Lake-Funtime posts earnings decline". The Akron Beacon Journal.
- ↑ "Funtime buys all of park". The Akron Beacon Journal.
- ↑ "Premier Parks acquires Funtime parks". The Daily Oklahoman. 1995-08-16. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ↑ "Six Flags sells parks for $312 million". Variety.
- ↑ "Herschend Family Entertainment To Manage DARIEN LAKE THEME PARK RESORT and ELITCH GARDENS" (PDF). CNL Lifestyle Properties and Herschend Family Entertainment.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|archive=ignored (help) - ↑ "Darien Lake's new owner: 'Business as usual' at theme park". NYup.com.
- ↑ "Darien Lake has new owner, who isn't talking about theme park's future".
- ↑ "Six Flags Adds Five More Parks to US Portfolio". Business Wire.
- ↑ "Darien Lake Adds Six Flags Branding + New Swing Tower in 2019". NewsPlusNotes.
- ↑ "Six Flags Darien Lake + The Great Escape Announce Plans to Stay Closed in 2020". NewsPlusNotes.
- ↑ "A tornado of thrills sets down at Darien". Democrat and Chronicle. 2005-02-04. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
