Silverwood Theme Park
Silverwood Theme Park is an amusement park located in the city of Athol in northern Idaho, United States, near the town of Coeur d'Alene, approximately 47 mi (76 km) from Spokane, Washington on US 95. Owner Gary Norton opened the park on June 20, 1988. Originally, the park included a small assortment of carnival rides, a "main street" with shops and eateries, and an authentic steam train that traveled in a 30-minute loop around the owner's property. From 1973 to 1988, the land, along with a fully functioning airstrip, was operated as the Henley Aerodrome, named after the family whom Norton bought it from in 1981.[1]
 Timber Terror and Aftershock Roller Coasters | |
| Location | Athol, Idaho, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47.9085°N 116.705°W |
| Owner | Norton Family Corporation |
| General manager | Paul Norton |
| Opened | June 20, 1988 |
| Operating season | May through early October |
| Area | 413 acres (167 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | Over 70 |
| Roller coasters | 6 |
| Website | silverwoodthemepark |
| Status | Operating |
Over the years, Silverwood has grown in both size and popularity, transforming from a small local amusement park to a regional theme park destination. In 2003, an adjacent waterpark named Boulder Beach Water Park was opened. Entrance to Boulder Beach is included with admission to Silverwood. In 2009, Silverwood began an annual Halloween event called Scarywood, held during evenings in the month of October. Comic characters Garfield and Odie are the official mascots of the park.
Today, Silverwood is the largest theme and water park in the American Northwest on 413-acre (1,670,000 m2) and boasting more than 70 rides, slides, shows and attractions.[2] It is the northernmost theme Park in the United States. In 2019, Silverwood co-hosted (along with Rocky Mountain Construction) the Golden Ticket Awards.[3]
Timeline
| Year | Addition |
|---|---|
| 1973 | Henley Aerodrome founded by Clayton Henley.[1] |
| 1981 | Gary Norton buys Henley Aerodrome from the heirs of the Henley estate, lengthening and other improvements are done to the airstrip. Hangar is turned into an air museum. |
| 1986 | Norton outbids Disney and others for a narrow gauge locomotive for use at the Aerodrome. |
| 1988 | Walter Deptula, with skills and background operating visitor attractions in Hawaii is hired by Gary Norton as first General Manager to assure the park's opening on schedule |
| 1989 | Silverwood opens to the public with the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Silverwood Central Railway, and Main Street shops. |
| 1990 | Roaring Creek Log Flume (relocated from Kentucky Kingdom), Corkscrew (relocated from Knotts Berry Farm), and Country Carnival. |
| 1993 | Thunder Canyon |
| 1996 | Timber Terror (originally named Grizzly). |
| 1998 | Tinywood opens (later Garfield's Summer Camp). |
| 1999 | Tremors |
| 2001 | Garfield becomes the official mascot of the park. Tinywood becomes Garfield's Summer Camp |
| 2003 | Boulder Beach Water Park opens including Elkhorn Creek lazy river, Wave Pool, Rumble Falls tube slides, and Polliwog Park children's area |
| 2004 | Boulder Beach expansion including Velocity Peak speed slides |
| 2005 | Trabant and new Sky Diver |
| 2006 | Panic Plunge |
| 2007 | Boulder Beach expansion including second Wave Pool, Avalanche Mountain, and Toddler Springs children's area |
| 2008 | Aftershock (relocated from Six Flags Great America) |
| 2009 | Scarywood debut |
| 2011 | Boulder Beach expansion including Ricochet Rapids; theme park addition of Frog Hopper and Butterflyer |
| 2013 | SpinCycle and Barnstormer |
| 2014 | Garfield's Summer Camp Expansion including: Krazy Koaster, and Puppy Go Round. Kiddie Wheel relocated. |
| 2016 | Riptide Racer |
| 2018 | Silverwood celebrates 30 years, Boulder Beach celebrates 15, Toy Store expanded |
| 2019 | New Tilt-A-Whirl, Silverwood co-hosts Golden Ticket Awards with Rocky Mountain Construction |
Scarywood Haunted Nights
In 2009, Silverwood opened Scarywood Haunted Nights, a nighttime fright fest filled with scare zones and mazes. In 2010, Scarywood returned on a larger, grander scale with more to do. The main attractions for Scarywood include: Blood Bayou, an indoor haunted attraction; Planet Zombie, another outdoor haunt ; several scare zones and other walk through as well as the Timber Terror: Backwards.
Current Silverwood Theme Park rides
Roller coasters
First drop on the Tremors roller coaster
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aftershock | 2008 | Vekoma | An inverted roller coaster, relocated from Six Flags Great America where it was known as Déjà Vu. Riders are arranged in a 'V' shaped seating configuration below the track where their legs dangle. The coaster is the third generation of Boomerang, known as the Giant Inverted Boomerang. |
| Corkscrew | 1990 | Arrow Development | A steel roller coaster, relocated from Knott's Berry Farm in 1990. When Corkscrew first opened in 1975 at Knott's Berry Farm, it achieved two things of historical significance. Corkscrew was not only the first modern inverting coaster in the world, but it also was the first roller coaster to take riders upside down twice. |
| Krazy Koaster | 2014 | SBF/VISA Children's spinning coaster | A children's spinning roller coaster with a figure-8 layout. The cars of the train spin freely based on weight distribution. |
| Timber Terror | 1996 | Custom Coasters International | A wooden roller coaster with a classic out-and-back layout. The ride uses trains from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. Formerly known as the Grizzly until a potential lawsuit from the former Paramount Parks prompted the name change. Since 2010, the train has been reversed for the park's Scarywood Haunted Nights events every October. |
| Tiny Toot | 1998 | Zamperla | A powered roller coaster themed to a mine train for young children and parents as well. Ride is driven by a rear wheel that runs along a central tread that runs along the middle of the track. Ride has an oval layout and runs over a small manmade creek. |
| Tremors | 1999 | Custom Coasters International | A wooden roller coaster with a twister layout that uses the terrain to its advantage. It features four tunnels, the first of which goes under the ride's gift shop. The coaster uses rolling stock from the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters company. In 2010, the ride was the first to receive "topper track," a new track system designed by Rocky Mountain Construction of Hayden, Idaho. The new system, similar to the company's new Iron Horse I-Box track system is designed to cut down on track maintenance, as well as daily wear and tear. Rocky Mountain Construction had previously assisted with the initial construction of the ride. |
Other rides
Silverwood Central Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ride | Description |
|---|---|
| Antique Cars | Track based car ride |
| Barnstormer | Zamperla Barnstormer |
| Ferris Wheel | Eli Bridge Co. Ferris Wheel |
| Bumper Boats | Bumper Boats |
| Carousel | Allen Herschell Carousel |
| Flying Elephants | Children's elephant ride |
| Kiddie Wheel | Zamperla children's Ferris wheel |
| Kiddie Copters | Children's helicopter ride |
| Krazy Kars | Bumper Cars |
| Panic Plunge | A.R.M. / Larson International Drop Tower |
| Paratrooper | Paratrooper ride |
| Puppy-Go-Round | SBF/VISA Dog's Ride |
| Red Baron | Children's airplane ride |
| Roaring Creek Log Flume | Arrow Dynamics Log Flume (Relocated from Kentucky Kingdom) |
| Scrambler | Eli Bridge Co. Scrambler |
| Silverwood Central Railway | 30 minute, 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, steam engine-pulled train ride around park property |
| SpinCycle | SBF/VISA Group Maxi Dance Party 360, Largest of its kind in the United States and tallest of its kind in the world. |
| Super Round Up | Roundup ride |
| Thunder Canyon | White water raft ride designed and built in-house, with lift and rafts supplied by Hopkins Rides |
| Tilt-a-Whirl | Classic tilt-a-whirl ride; replaced park's original Tilt-a-Whirl in 2019 |
Current Boulder Beach Water Park slides & attractions
| Ride | Description |
|---|---|
| Avalanche Mountain | 6-Person Raft Slide |
| Boulder Beach Bay | Set of 2 side-by-side wave pools |
| Elkhorn Creek | Lazy River |
| Polliwog Park | Water play complex featuring hoses, slides, shallow water pools, rope bridges, and a giant water bucket above |
| Ricochet Rapids | 4-Person enclosed raft slide |
| Rumble Falls | 4-tube slide complex, featuring four slides, each with their own unique layout, with two enclosed, one fully open, and the fourth half-enclosed, half-open |
| Toddler Springs | Toddler play complex |
| Velocity Peak | 3-speed slide complex, featuring three speed slides side-by-side, each with their own unique layout, with one enclosed spiraling slide, one open slide, and one half-enclosed, half-open slide with recorded speeds of up to 55 mph |
| Riptide Racer | A 6-person racing waterslide. 55.8 feet tall with 405.9 feet of slide. |
Gallery
The lazy river of Boulder Beach
One of the two wave pools in the Boulder Beach Water Park
Silverwood Theme Park Train and Coffee Shop
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References
- Herta Long (March 6, 1981). "Aerodrome undergoing airstrip renovation". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
- Commissioners approve Silverwood rezoning
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqBaWQH-f9Q/
External links
- Silverwoodthemepark.com Official Site
- Roller Coaster Alley Unofficial site with message boards, park information, a Silverwood Wiki, and more.
- Silverwood Theme Park at the Roller Coaster DataBase
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