Here's what's new, what's gone, what's on the way for Bay Beach Amusement Park's 131st season
GREEN BAY - Sporty new cars for bumping, new Scrambler buckets for sitting and a new ride that might make your head spin before you even climb on board.
Welcome to the 131st season of Bay Beach Amusement Park.
As synonymous with the arrival of summer in Green Bay as the Packers are with fall, the city park will open May 6 with a few fresh takes and a whole lot of tradition.
“We’re just really excited to get going. Like with every year, so much work goes into getting this park ready behind the scenes, and the best part is seeing everybody on opening day running around and having a good time,” said park manager Jason Arnoldi. “It’s my favorite day of the year every year."
He offered a quick spin through the season ahead, including which rides are coming, which rides have left and why the bumper car line should move faster this year.
Biggest new attraction first: What's the NebulaZ and when is it arriving?
Manufacturer Zamperla isn’t kidding when it says its ride's “hypnotic movement is like a visual riddle.” If you can figure it out, you have a better engineering mind than us, but let's just say there's a lot going on.
Four arms with a four-person gondola on each end rotate in rapid intertwining orbits. The synchronized arms swing about horizontal axes in a circular motion while the central tower rotates around itself. The gondolas stay upright.
Arnoldi had a chance to not just see it in action but also ride it when it debuted at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo a couple of years ago.
“It’s very aesthetically pleasing. It looks really cool when it’s moving around, so it’s fun for anybody watching it, but it’s also cool to go on,” he said. “It’s not real aggressive. You get some height, you get that little weightlessness feeling going forward and then halfway through the ride it brings you backward, so you get kind of the full gamut of experiences.”
It’s also a ride that just about any age can enjoy, which makes it a good fit with Bay Beach’s goal to have attractions that work for as many people as possible.
A refurbished NebulaZ is being shipped from the manufacturer and should be on site in June. It’s expected to be up and running by late July or early August, Arnoldi said.
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There's a new Bay Beast that will take riders to new heights
When the park’s original Bay Beast closed before the season started last year, you might say hearts dropped. The hopper or spring ride that takes riders high into the air and then drops them back down was a favorite with visitors and accounted for some of the most screams at the park. Costly repairs on Bay Beast, which was purchased used and opened at the park in 2016, forced it to be permanently shut down.
The park purchased a similar ride last year to replace it that Arnoldi hopes will be ready by Memorial Day weekend. It’s about 10 feet higher than the old Beast, and he anticipates it will be more reliable.
“It’s a new, improved, bigger, better Bay Beast essentially,” Arnoldi said.
And now for the departures ... So long, Sea Dragon
When corrosion turned up during a yearly inspection of the ride, the park brought in manufacturer Chance Rides to take a further look. Given its age and the amount of corrosion on the Sea Dragon, Chance’s recommendation was that it would be cost prohibitive to fix it, Arnoldi said.
It was manufactured in 1990 — one of the first Sea Dragons ever made — and came to Bay Beach used in 2013. While the park was able to extend its life by nearly another 10 years, Arnoldi understands it's still sad to see it go.
“Obviously, the last thing we ever want to do is take out a ride,” he said. “We’ve prided ourselves in having rides operable and safe for a long period of time, but if there’s any kind of safety issue with any of our rides, we’re just not going to run them.”
The Chairplane kiddie ride is gone — at least for now
Inspections revealed a structural issue with the swing ride that dates back to 1936 and was donated to Bay Beach in 2009. There will be future discussions about whether it could come back if it can be properly fixed to ensure its safety and at what cost, Arnoldi said.
The space it occupied will be the new home of NebulaZ.
Bumper cars get a retro Corvette upgrade and more on the floor
No telling how many miles they had on them, but Bay Beach’s bumper cars were more than 30 years old, so they’ve had their share of repairs. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to find replacements parts for the cars, which as you might guess, get pretty banged up.
Riders will be able to get behind the wheel of new fleet of 1960s Corvette-themed cars this season. They come with another perk: There will be 15 of them on the floor at all times. That’s more than Bay Beach was able to do with the old ones in the last few years.
“It’s more fun the more people you get on the bumper car floor, and also it keeps that line moving a lot quicker,” Arnoldi said.
The Scrambler and Bay Beach Pavilion are getting upgrades, too
Fans of the Scrambler will happy to learn it got some love this offseaon. It’s one of the rides that has been at the park the longest, since 1977, and it will be sporting shiny new buckets this year.
“All the seats you’re riding on the Scrambler, brand new, just built this winter down at the manufacturer,” Arnoldi said.
Bay Beach Pavilion will get a new roof, and while that may not sound exciting on its own, it’s the first step in upgrading the historical structure so it can be used for more than just six months out of the year. Plans to add a heating and cooling system would allow it to host concerts, weddings, family and corporate events and programming through Green Bay Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department. The first area of focus will be the main dance hall area.
“If we can make this a year-round destination for everyone and something the community can utilize year-round, I think it’s going to be a great step forward for us,” Arnoldi said.
Has the cost of ride tickets gone up due to inflation?
No. Tickets are still 25 cents each. Most rides require one or two, a few take three and the Zippin Pippin roller coaster, which is scheduled to begin test runs this week as temperatures warm, takes four. Admission to the park is free.
What are the hours for this season?
Bay Beach will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m May 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21. Daily operations begin May 23 and continue through Sept. 4.
Weekday hours from May 23 through June 8 are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hours during peak season from June 9 through Aug. 20 are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, except 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 4.
Beginning Aug. 21 and continuing through Sept. 4, hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours are the same for the final three weekends of the season Sept. 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24.
Still looking for more info?
The best place for updates on hours, ride closures and weather delays is facebook.com/baybeach. You'll find information about each ride, including height or weight restrictions and number of tickets required, at greenbaywi.gov/445/Bay-Beach.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay adds and closes rides in 2023
