Page 32 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

THEME PARKS
BY MATT VILLANO
The Fun Starts Here
California’s theme parks appeal to kids of all ages
AMUSEMENT PARKS
Europeans started the concept of
amusement parks centuries ago with
fairs and pleasure gardens created for
people’s recreation. The world’s oldest
amusement park is Bakken, just
north of Copenhagen, Denmark,
which opened in 1583. The oldest
theme park in the United States is
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
(called Santa Claus Land from its
opening in 1946 until 1984) in Santa
Claus, Indiana. California’s theme
parks date from 1950.
Diversions are as plentiful as sunshine
in California. One of the most popular out-
lets: original theme parks. These attractions
are meccas to amusement, each focusing
rides and exhibits around different concepts
such as fairies, film, plastic blocks, sea life
and an inimitable mouse. Most of the parks
are situated in the southern part of the state
(where the weather is generally warmer), but
the granddaddy of them all is up north. Each
of the parks is worth a closer look.
Universal Studios Hollywood
This film-themed park got its formal start
in the 1960s when walk-throughs of Uni-
versal Studios soundstages and sets were
expanded to include peeks at actual pro-
duction. Over the years, the studio added a
tram to shuttle visitors through the back
lot; this tram remains the best way to expe-
rience stunt demonstrations and staged
events (such as an encounter with the shark
from Jaws).
In 2016 the park opened its most antici-
pated attraction ever: The Wizarding World
of Harry Potter, complete with a replica of
Hogwarts castle and a recreation of the
shops of Hogsmeade. This new section is
home to two new rides: Harry Potter and
the Forbidden Journey, and Flight of the
Hippogriff. It also affords visitors the
opportunity to drink (non-alcoholic, but-
terscotch-flavored) Butterbeer in a rustic
tavern named Three Broomsticks, and to
shop for wands and other trinkets and sou-
venirs in Diagon Alley.
The rest of the park is divided into two
areas connected by escalator: the Upper
30 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
ANJELIKAGR/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: NATHANIEL CHADWICK/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD; CITYPASS; DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE