Worlds of Fun - 15 Years (at least) Later

Today my son and I went to Worlds of Fun. The last time I went was sometime before his birth and that was almost 15 years ago. At least I remembered how to get there.

We took cans of food to donate to Harvesters, so that got us a reduced rate. I paid $10 to park, so that parking lot had better look good for years to come. We parked close enough to walk to the park entrance. I don't even know if they still run the trams. I didn't see any while we were there.

Our first ride was the Spinning Dragon. Not only was it a rollercoaster, but the car also spun on the tracks as it hurtled up and down and around. I found out later that the Spinning Dragon is a double-black diamond ride, the most thrilling ride rating. We also rode the Timberwolf and Prowler rollercoasters. My son would not consent to riding the Mamba, and I really can't blame him.

Le Tour Taxi was our destination for adolescent driving practice. We went there twice. The second time I wanted to keep silent and just let my son drive without interference. I couldn't do it, though. There was a little girl right on our tail toward the end. A future speeder in the making.

Food and drinks are still expensive. We split a personal pan pizza and large drink for a late lunch. It was a good pizza, though. I don't know if it was just today, but the concessions didn't appear to be very busy for the most part. Something new that I noticed is vending machines for drinks and candy.

We had a pretty good time. A thunderstorm rolled through in the early afternoon, so we waited until the weather cleared to continue our fun. We ended our day at the Fury of the Nile, where I was the recipient of the most water in our rafting craft. I was absolutely drenched.

So much has changed in the last 15+ years, but so much has remained the same. As we went around the park I remembered how I got my brother to go on the Zulu before he could really see what it was all about. I remembered going on what is now Cyclone Sam's with a classmate years ago and being crushed against the side of the ride by the force of her weight. I remembered going on the Finnish Fling (which is still there) and determining that I would NEVER go on that ride again. Some rides are not there anymore, including one of my favorite rollercoasters, the Zambezi Zinger.

I'm glad I went and got to relate some of those memories to my son and make some new memories that he and I can share.