Six Flags Darien Lake facts for kids
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| Slogan | Go Big! Go Six Flags! |
|---|---|
| Location | Darien, New York, U.S. |
| Owner | EPR Properties |
| Operated by | Six Flags |
| General manager | Chris Thorpe |
| Opened | May 1981 |
| Previous names | Darien Lake Fun Country (1981–1999) Six Flags Darien Lake (1999-2007, 2019-) Darien Lake Theme Park Resort (2007-2018) |
| Operating season | May through October |
| Visitors per annum | 1.5 million |
| Area | 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 45 |
| Roller coasters | 8 |
| Water rides | 10 |
| Website | Six Flags Darien Lake |
| Status | Operating |
Six Flags Darien Lake is a resort located in Darien, New York that features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It is owned by EPR Properties and operated by Six Flags.
Contents
History
Darien Lake Fun Country
In 1954, Darien Lake was excavated and filled. The lake was a popular swimming destination for many years. In 1964, investor Paul Snyder acquired a 164-acre parcel of land bordering the lake and opened a small 23-site campground and picnic area. Snyder continued acquiring more land eventually increasing his holdings to almost 1,000 acres of land which included seven lakes, the largest of which was Darien Lake. He stocked one of the smaller lakes, Trout Pond, with fish, increased the number of campsites and added activities for resort guests such as a small petting zoo, horseback and pony rides, paddleboats, skateboarding, tennis courts and miniature golf. From the late 70s and into the early 80s, Snyder added more attractions, including a set of water slides on a hill near the park's entrance called Rainbow Mountain, creating an amusement park he named Darien Lake Fun Country. Snyder made a deal with HUSS Park Attractions, turning Darien Lake into the North American showcase for the German manufacturer's new rides. Through this deal, the park acquired rides such as the Pirate, Ranger, Thrillbilly and the Corn Popper, for use in the park and to give HUSS a location to display them to potential US and Canadian buyers. In 1982, the newly merged Arrow Huss built and opened the park's first major roller coaster, Viper.
Funtime Parks
In 1983, Snyder sold a 50% stake in the park to Funtime Inc., which also owned Geauga Lake and Wyandot Lake Park. The Fun Country was dropped from the name, and Funtime brought in some major improvements. Funtime's first purchase was the Vekoma-built Giant Wheel Ferris wheel, the showcase of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee and the largest in the United States at the time, which was permanently installed in the park's center. Although no longer the largest in the country, the Giant Wheel is still in operation today. Entertainment was also added to the park, with the construction of the Tops Jubilee Theater (now the Grande Theatre), the Lakeside Amphitheater, a large-scale concert stage on the south side of the main lake, presenting big-name acts including The Who, Alice Cooper, and Black Sabbath and Cinema 2000, a wide-angle movie theatre in the back of the park. In the mid-to late 1980s, there was Splashmania, a water skiing show located on Fun Lake. The improvements continued throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with the addition of a themed kids area, Adventure Land for Kids in 1988 and in 1989 Grizzly Run replaced a kids ride area that was located where a skatepark was. In 1990, six new slides were added to the back of the water slide complex and the area became known as Barracuda Bay and an extra charge was added to the waterpark as well a new locker area, food complex, shopping area and changing rooms. Following the success of a new wooden rollercoaster at Geauga Lake in 1988, Funtime contracted Dinn & Summers to build a new wooden coaster for Darien. The Predator roller coaster opened in May 1990. Around this time, Paul Snyder, sold his remaining share of the park to Funtime, turning over all control to them. In 1992, a new style of entertainment debuted on the midway between Barracuda Bay and the Giant Wheel, a laser light show called Laser Light Fantasy (now called Ignite the Night), which included laser graphics and fireworks. The show was permanently installed in the Lakeside Amphitheater the following year, while concert events were moved to the new Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, which could hold nearly four times as many guests. In 1994, the old Rainbow Mountain waterslides were replaced with a new set called 'Cuda Falls and waterpark became included with park admission.
Premier Parks/Six Flags
In 1995, growing regional park chain Premier Parks bought Funtime, Inc. and its three parks. Premier dove right into changes and additions. In 1995, Skycoaster opened located over Fun Lake. In 1996, Adventure Land was replaced by Popeye's Seaport with all new kiddie rides like a Ferris wheel made to look like barrels, a hand-cranked train ride, a submarine ride, a ship themed play place (removed in 2004), children's shows Popeye's Magic Show and Olive Oyl's Circus that featured audience volunteers, and a food stand and restrooms in the then new kiddie area in an area that was occupied by miniature golf course. A new miniature golf course opened behind the then-new kiddie area near Viper which replaced the old golf course. Also a waterpark expansion with new attractions took place in 1996 and 1997 with Hook's Lagoon (opened in 1996) the Crocodile Isle wave pool (opened in 1997) took over Adventure Land's old location by Elk Lake with new changing rooms and a food stand were built, and a bridge was built to connect the Barracuda Bay slides with the then new water park area and a boat tag game was added to the midway. Three of the old Adventure Land rides were moved to another part of the park as the Tiny Trio in 1997. From 1996-1999, Premier would also install a new roller coaster each year, Nightmare at Phantom Cave in 1996, Mind Eraser in 1997, Boomerang: Coast to Coaster in 1998 and Superman Ride of Steel (the world's first Intamin hypercoaster) in 1999. Nightmare was removed in 1998 and relocated to sister park The Great Escape. In 1998, Premier purchased Six Flags Theme Parks and began to rebrand its own parks as Six Flags. In May 1999, Six Flags Darien Lake opened under its new name, with a few major changes. Premier brought Six Flags' own character base, Looney Tunes and DC Comics, into the parks, renaming Popeye's Seaport to Looney Tunes Seaport, added a show in the vacant former Nightmare at Phantom Cave building called the Batman Thrill Spectacular and Hydro Force, Pipeline Plunge, Riptide Run and Torpedo Rapids were removed from Barracuda Bay and Scrambler replaced Cinema 2000. The midway stage was added to replace the boat tag game and The Emporium gift shop opened in Lasso's old location, Crazy Quilt was removed and replaced with Lasso. Premier Parks formed in 2000, assuming the name "Six Flags Inc." and adding new attractions. The next major attractions installed the Twister in 2000 and Shipwreck Falls in 2002, replacing the old Cascade Canyon water slides on the east side of Barracuda Bay as well as Slingshot behind the 'Cuda Falls water slides; and the Tornado in 2005.
Troubled times
2006 was a year of turmoil for Six Flags and its parks. For the 2006 season, Six Flags moved the Big Kahuna, a family-sized waterslide, from Six Flags AstroWorld to Darien Lake and also moved the Batman The Escape roller coaster from Astroworld into storage at Darien Lake, with possible plans to build it. They also added an opportunity to meet with the entire Justice League at the park. Only a month into the season, however, Six Flags began pulling back the Justice League from Darien Lake and announced Darien Lake, along with eight other parks, was being considered for sale. Many parks throughout the chain, not just those for sale, also experienced numerous changes and cutbacks throughout the summer. In October 2006, after shortened operating hours and seasons, Six Flags officially announced the parks were being offered for sale as a package. Paul Snyder stated in a radio interview he would have considered purchasing Darien Lake from Six Flags if they allowed the parks to be sold individually. In January 2007, Six Flags announced a potential sale of seven of the parks to a new company, PARC 7F (officially called PARC Management). Six Flags chose to retain two parks it had originally considered for sale.
PARC Management/CNL Lifestyle (2007-2010)
In April 2007, Six Flags completed the sale of Darien Lake and six other parks to PARC Management. Upon completion of the sale, PARC entered into a fifty-year contract with CNL Income Properties, under which CNL purchased the properties from and lease them back to PARC for operation. Because of the timing of the final sale with respect to the park's opening, PARC was unable to make any major changes for the 2007 season. The biggest changes for the season were the addition of an all-new show, Le Grande Cirque, which replaced the Batman Thrill Spectacular, and the removal of all Six Flags-, Looney Tunes- and DC Comics-themed signage and references. In 2008, the park debuted the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster, its first launched rollercoaster. A Zamperla Motocoaster coaster, it was the prototype that had been running outside Zamperla's factory in Italy. PARC pledged to lower admission prices that had risen under Six Flags ownership. Floodgate Falls was closed. In March 2010, Darien Lake expanded its current waterpark to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Darien Lake) (featuring several new attractions and a repaint of the 'Cuda Falls waterslide complex in Barracuda Bay), a new 16-foot-wide (4.9 m) lazy river called Flotation Station, Swirl City slide complex (with four new slides) and a kiddie wave pool called Lazy Days Lagoon. 2010 also brought about some minor park changes such as Viper being repainted with a black track, The Predator getting new trains and the addition of the Critter Chase in Adventure Isle replacing Raft Adventure. CNL subsequently announced that it had reached an agreement to terminate PARC's lease of Darien Lake and up to 17 other locations. The move was made after, according to their 2010 SEC filings, PARC defaulted on their lease obligations.
Herschend Family Entertainment/CNL Lifestyle (2011-2014)
In 2011, Herschend Family Entertainment assumed day-to-day operation and management of Darien Lake and Elitch Gardens. Rowdy's Ridge opened in 2012 with several family rides. For the 2013 season, Blast Off was placed in the newly rethemed Waterfront Boardwalk area, which included major renovations to rides like the Grand Carousel and the Giant Wheel, along with some new dining options. Laserblast received new improvements and was rebranded Ignite the Night. UFO and the 'Cuda Falls waterslides were closed and removed. The Scrambler ride returned after two years in storage.
Premier Parks, LLC (2014-2018)
Herschend Family Entertainment's lease ended after the 2014 season and was taken over by Premier Parks, LLC. New rides installed during this period include Rolling Thunder, a 72-foot Larson 22M Giant Loop; Brain Drain, a set of two body slides that drops riders through a trapdoor at high speeds; and Ripcurl Racer, a six-lane Proslide Kracken Racer. Following the 2016 season, CNL Lifestyle sold Darien Lake and 14 other amusement parks to EPR Properties. The park continued to be leased and operated by Premier Parks, with no immediate change in operations or staffing. Tantrum, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter coaster, opened for the 2018 season.
Six Flags/EPR Properties (2018-present)
In May 2018, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation acquired lease rights to operate the park, with the park remaining under the ownership of EPR Properties. Six Flags SkyScreamer, a Funtime Star Flyer, opened for the 2019 season. During this season, the park reverted to the Six Flags Darien Lake branding. For the 2020 season, it was announced that Wahoo Wave, a ProSlide waterslide, would be added to the newly re-named and re-themed Hurricane Harbor WaterPark.
As of September 1, 2020, the park remains temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic (except for the campgrounds and Darien Square), with no timeframe from the state of New York on when theme parks can open. On September 11, 2020, the park announced on their social media channels that the park would remain closed for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All season passes and tickets will carry over to the 2021 season.
Current rides and attractions
Roller Coasters
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boomerang | 1998 | Vekoma | A Boomerang Shuttle roller coaster. This ride is located on the edge of Fun Lake in the Darien Square section of the park. The coaster features a 120-foot (37 m) tall backwards lift hill, a cobra roll and a loop. The train passes both forwards and backwards through both inversion elements. |
| Mind Eraser | 1997 | Vekoma | A steel Suspended Looping Coaster, which is considered to be New York's only Suspended Looping Coaster. This ride is approximately 120 feet (37 m) with 5 inversions including a heart-loop (half loop followed by twist followed by another half loop). |
| Motocoaster | 2008 | Zamperla | A Motorbike roller coaster which was the first of its kind in the United States. The Orange County Choppers branding was removed in 2010. The coaster launches riders from 0 to 40 miles per hour (0 to 64 km/h) in several seconds up to the top, followed by dips and turns on the way down before reaching the brakes. |
| Predator | 1990 | Dinn Corporation | A wooden roller coaster. The Predator currently holds the title of New York's largest wooden roller coaster. In 2010, used trains from The Voyage were added to the ride. |
| Ride of Steel | 1999 | Intamin | A steel Mega Coaster, formerly known as Superman – Ride of Steel. With a top height of 208 feet (63 m), and a maximum speed of 72 miles per hour (116 km/h), the coaster is the tallest in New York State and one of Darien Lake's largest attractions. |
| Tantrum | 2018 | Gerstlauer | A Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter. Tantrum features a 98-foot vertical lift hill with a 97-degree drop, a pretzel inversion, a bunny hop, an Immelman turn and a tilted loop. It reaches a top speed of 52 miles per hour (84 km/h). |
| The Viper | 1982 | Arrow Huss | A steel looping roller coaster. The Viper was the first coaster in the world with 5 inversions. Originally painted all black, the track was painted green when Six Flags took over and painted black in 2010. |
Thrill rides
Many of the rides manufactured by Huss Park Attractions were installed as part of a deal with Huss to use Darien Lake as a North American showcase for Huss's new rides in the early 1980s.
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blast Off | 2013 | S&S Power Space Shot design | A Drop Tower ride relocated from Alabama Adventure, which closed in 2011. Stands on the former spot of the Raging Seas. |
| Red Hawk | 1995 | A Sky coaster ride that hoists riders to 180 feet (55 m) and releases them in a swinging motion. This attraction was originally named Skycoaster. In 2013, the name changed to Red Hawk. Not included in the admission price. | |
| Rolling Thunder | 2015 | Larson International | A Larson Giant Loop model which is located on the former site of UFO. |
| Skyscreamer | 2019 | Funtime | A Funtime Starflyer model that swings riders 242 feet high in the air at 35 mph. |
| Slingshot | 2002 | A reverse bungee model that is located at the front of the park. It's the tallest attraction at Darien Lake at 300 feet (91 m). Not included in the admission price. |
Family rides
| Ride | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Valley Bumper Buggies | 1981 | DUCE Ride Manufacturers | A traditional Bumper Cars attraction. Guests drive around in one direction. |
| Boat Docks - Midway Marina | Guests can rent a paddle boat and paddle across Fun Lake. Not included in the admission price. | ||
| Corn Popper | 1982 | HUSS | An original Swing Around. Part of the Huss showcase. This ride was called Rodeo Round Up when the park was owned by Six Flags. The name was changed back to Corn Popper in 2010. |
| Giant Wheel | 1983 | Vekoma | A 165 feet (50 m) tall ferris wheel. It was originally part of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee and was the tallest in the United States when constructed. |
| Grand Carousel | 1981 | International Amusement Devices | A traditional carousel. It received a large refurbishment before the start of the 2013 season. |
| Grand Prix Speedway | 1987 | A go-kart track. Not included in the admission price. | |
| Grizzly Run | 1989 | Intamin | A river rapids ride. |
| Haymaker | 1981 | Heintz Fahtze | A Paratrooper-style ride, the only one of its kind. |
| Hornet's Nest | 2012 | Larson Rides Flying Scooters | A Flying Scooters ride where guests are able to control the flight pattern of their vehicle. |
| Lasso | 1981 | Zierer | A traditional wave swinger ride. Lasso was previously located where the Emporium currently stands. It is now located where Crazy Quilt once stood. |
| Moose on the Loose | 2012 | Metallbau Pony Trek | Riders ride a runaway moose through multiple scenes. |
| Pirate | 1981 | HUSS | A swinging pirate ship ride on the edge of Fun Lake. It was installed as part of the HUSS showcase. |
| Rock Wall | A rock-climbing wall | ||
| Rowdy's Heave Ho | 2012 | HEEGE Tower | Guests pull themselves up a tower and then drop down. |
| Scrambler | 1999 | Eli Bridge | A standard scrambler ride that originally opened in 1999. It was removed before the 2012 season to make way for the Rowdy's Ridge family area. The ride remained in storage until the middle of the 2014 season, when it returned in a new location next to The Predator. |
| Shipwreck Falls | 2002 | Intamin | A Shoot the Chute ride. |
| Silver Bullet | 1981 | Heintz Fahtze | The only Enterprise manufactured by Heintz Fahtze in operation. |
| Sleighride | 1981 | Mack Rides | A Petersburger Schlittenfahrt type ride. |
| Tin Lizzy's | 1981 | Arrow Dynamics | An antique car ride. |
Kids rides
Adventure Land for Kids contained all kiddie rides from 1988 through 1996 when it was replaced by Beaver Brothers Bay (previously called Popeye's Seaport, Looney Tunes Seaport and Adventure Isle) with all new rides, exclusively from Zamperla. The Tiny Trio was a set of older kiddie rides from Adventure Land located near Mind Eraser. In 2012, the trio was expanded into Rowdy's Ridge. The Bay is located on an island surrounded by the midway originally formed by Treasure Island Mini-Golf.
| Name | Opened | Manufacturer/Model | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Dam Explorer | 1996 | Zamperla Crazy Bus | Themed as a Submarine. Formerly called "S.S. Popeye (1996–1998), "Daffy's Diver" (1999–2006) and "Dipsy Diver" (2007–2011). |
| Bucky's Barrels | 1996 | Zamperla Sun & Moon | Barrel themed Mini Ferris wheel, formerly called "Olive's Barrels of Fun" (1996–1998), Michigan J Frog's "Ferris Wheel" (1999–2006) and "Barrels of Fun" (2007–2011). |
| Chucky's Mud Buckets | 1996 | Zamperla Mini Tea Cup | Teacups style ride themed as open aluminum spinach cans. Formerly called "Spinach Spinnaker" (1996–1998), "Bugs' Carrot Cans" (1999–2006) and "Twisty Tubs" (2007–2011). |
| Critter Chase | 2010 | Zamperla Mini Jet | An animal themed ride where the rider makes the animal go up down manually. It originally operated from 1988 until 1997. The ride returned in 2010 to Beaver Brothers Bay. |
| Darien Lake Railway | 1996 | Zamperla Rio Grande | A small train ride that goes on a figure eight track
Formerly called Rabbit Transit, Darien Lake Express and Anchors Away Railway |
| Hoot N Holler | 1981 | Zierer | A steel kiddie roller coaster. Formerly called Ladybug and Nessie the Dreamy Dragon while it was part of Adventure Land for Kids. The ride was also part of the Tiny Trio and used to be called Brain Teaser. In 2012, the train was remodeled to look like an owl and the ride was given the name Hoot N Holler so that it would fit in with the new Rowdy's Ridge theme. |
| Raccoon Rally | 1981 | Kiddie Bumper Cars | Has been relocated several times. Formerly known as Dodgems. |
| Tree Stump Turnpike | 1996 | Zamperla Convoy | Formerly called Foghorn's Coastal Delivery, Monster Trucks and Brutus' Monster Trucks. |
| Wally's Weather Balloons | 1996 | Zamperla Samba Balloon | A Samba Balloon ride. Formerly called Seaport Weather Balloons, Weather Balloons and Up Up and Ahoy. |
| Woody's Whirlers | 1996 | Zamperla Mini Swings | A mini swing ride for small children that was formerly named Taz Twister, Whirlwind and Swee' Pea's Swings. |
Water park rides
- Further information: Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Darien Lake)
Entertainment
All show venues listed here are included with price of admission.
| Name | Recent Shows | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Theatre | Nik Wallenda: Beyond the Falls (2014), Sea Lion Splash (2010–2011), Survivor Live! (2009), Cirque Nouveau (2008), Le Grande Cirque (2007), Batman Thrill Spectacular (1999–2006) | Building originally housed Nightmare at Phantom Cave, an indoor roller coaster. Was called the Gotham City Theatre while holding the Batman Thrill Spectacular show during the Six Flags era. This venue was closed for the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the exception of the building being temporarily used in 2013 during Kingdom Bound and for a haunted attraction during Fright Fest. |
| Beaver Brothers Bay Showplace | Backstage variety Show (2018), The Wizard's Apprentice (2016–2017), Character Tales (2015), Multiple shows in 2013, Beaver Mania & Beaver Fever Dance Party (2012), Thomas & Friends Full Steam Ahead Live! (2011), Bob the Builder Let's Recycle (2010), Bob the Builder Live (2009), An Alarming Adventure (2008), Blake Daring's Storybook Adventure (2007), Bugs Bunny Goes Hollywood (2002, 2004–2006) | Features shows for families and children. Located in Beaver Brothers Bay. |
| Grande Theatre | Aaron Radatz Illusion Show (2018–19), American Pop (2017), American Rock (2016), World of Magic (2015), Multiple shows in 2012 and 2013 including Street Beat (2013) and the Aaron Radatz Illusion Show (2013), Legends of Rock (2011), RockNation! Don't Stop Believin (2010), RockNation! (2009), Rhythmnicity (2008), The Magic of Cliff Hopkins & Kelly (2007), Totally Pop (2006), America: State of Rhythm (2005), American Pop (2004), Radioactive (2003), Broadway Rhythm (2002) | Opened as the Tops Jubilee Theatre in 1980, has also been named Tops Palace Theatre. |
| The Lakeside Amphitheatre | Ignite the Night: COLORBLAST (2016), Ignite the Night (2013–2015), LaserBlast! (1998–2012), LaserLight Reality (1995–1997), LaserLight Fantasy (1992–1994) | The Lakeside Amphitheatre used to be the home of major concerts and other events until the 90s when the Performing Arts Center opened. It also held several concerts that were free to Darien Lake guests. Now, it is the place for the nightly Laser Show and has been since 1992. |
| The Gazebo Stage | Hypnotist Tammy Barton (2018–19), Multiple shows in 2012 and 2013 such as Hypnotist Tammy Barton (2012–2013), Jump, Jive and Swing (2011), Midway Dance Party Blow Out (2007–2008, 2011), The Heart Of Country (2010), Country Unleashed (2009), And The Answer Is! (2008), Keepin' the Beat (2007), Rockin' Country (2003–2006), Bahama Boys/Street Pop (2002) | Outdoor stage in the midway. Sometimes holds special events such as karaoke. |
Fright Fest
The original Six Flags Fright Fest was an annual event held at the end of the operating season (Weekends in October, typically) from 1998-2006, which celebrated Halloween. Fright Fest added new areas to the park (Bloodstone Hollow, a free haunted graveyard and town; and Brutal Planet, an upcharge haunted house) and different shows than the regular season (Dead Man's Party in The Grande Theater and Laser Spooktacular at the Lakeside Amphitheatre.) When the park was sold to PARC Management in 2007, the event was rebranded as "Fall Family Fun Fest," adding family oriented areas such as hay mazes and pumpkin painting in addition to the haunted house. During this event, admission to the park was free, with individual charges for each ride and attraction. A re-branded FrightFest returned in 2008 with similar elements to the former Six Flags Fright Fest and additional new elements such as the Fright Night Field Trip, a bus ride through the haunted campgrounds. The Haunted House and the Trick or Treat Trail also returned from previous years. Fright Fest was removed from Darien Lake in 2015 and replaced by Harvest Fest. The Halloween-themed event is scheduled to return to Darien Lake in 2018 under the Six Flags branding. Recently, Darien Lake reintroduced Fright Fest with Six Flags' management.
Harvest Fest
As of 2015, Darien Lake replaced their fall events with a more family-friendly event named Harvest Fest. Although this idea was attempted before with Fall Family Fun Fest, here rides were included with admission and less focus was put on scary attractions. Instead of upcharge haunts, hay rides and crafts for children were included with admission. Food trucks, craft beers and other vendors were made available to offset lower staffing during the offseason. Also, the schedule of the season was shortened to end in September, rather than the end of October.
Former attractions
| Ride | Opened | Closed | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMX Motocross | 1980s | 2011 | Hampton Rides | A circular kiddie ride featuring BMX style motorbikes that jumped over humps as they were moving. It was originally located near the Giant Wheel. The ride moved to Adventure Land in 1988 and to the Tiny Trio in 1997 before it was relocated to Elitch Gardens in 2012 as Tike Bikes. |
| Boat Tag | 1996 | 1999 | A boat ride that was located where the Midway Gazebo Stage now stands. | |
| Boats | 1980s | 1990s | A small boat ride. It was located near the Giant Wheel. | |
| Crazy Quilt | 1981 | 1998 | Mack Rides | A Calypso ride. It was located where Lasso currently stands. |
| Earth Orbiter | 1980s | 1996 | Zierer | A small kiddie ferris wheel that was part of Adventure Land. |
| Funtime Junction | 1980s | 1997 | Chance Rides | A miniature railway located around Elk Lake in Adventure Land. |
| Monty's Moon Walk | 1980s | 1996 | A ball pit in Adventure Land. | |
| Mountain View Golf | 1996 | 2012 | A miniature golf course located underneath the Viper. It replaced Treasure Island Golf. | |
| Nightmare at Phantom Cave | 1996 | 1998 | Schwarzkopf | This coaster was Relocated to Darien Lake from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in 1996 and housed in the building next to the Viper. It was relocated to Great Escape in 1999 as Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon. |
| Raft Adventure | 1996 | 2010 | Zamperla | A mini jet ride made to look like wooden rafts. The ride was replaced by Critter Chase. |
| Raging Seas | 1981 | 2012 | Mack Rides | A Seesturmbahn ride that featured small hills and was themed with boats. The boats would spin as they went up and down the hills. This ride was called Sea Storm until 1999. It was removed towards the end of the 2012 operating season and was replaced by Blast Off. |
| Ranger | 1982 | 2015 | HUSS | An original Huss Ranger, the first of its kind in North America. It was the only Huss Ranger ride still operating in North America. It was installed as part of the HUSS showcase. This ride was removed due to high maintenance costs and a lack of parts, as well as the addition of Rolling Thunder. |
| Red Baron | 1980s | Unknown | A kiddie airplane ride that was located near the Giant Wheel. | |
| Runaway Railway | 1996 | Zamperla | A miniature train ride. Formerly called Elmer Fudd's Tiny Tooter Railroad and Muscle Junction. | |
| SS Looney Tunes | 1996 | 2004 | A play structure themed as a ship. It was formerly called SS Olive. | |
| Thrillbilly | 1981 | 1983 | HUSS | A Troika ride located where the Predator now stands. The ride was installed as part of the HUSS showcase. |
| Treasure Island Golf | 1981 | 1996 | Located where Beaver Brothers Bay now stands. It was replaced by Mountain View Golf. | |
| Turbobungy | 2002 | 2007 | An upcharge trampoline. Riders were attached to bungy cords while jumping. This attraction was located in the vicinity of the Mind Eraser bridge. | |
| UFO | 1981 | 2012 | HUSS | An original HUSS UFO ride that was installed as part of the HUSS showcase. It was removed prior to the 2013 season due to unreliability with maintenance. |
| Thunder Rapids | 1981 | 2017 | Arrow Dynamics | A Log Flume which stood where Tantrum now stands for the 2018 season. Removed at the end of the 2017 season due to high maintenance costs, as well to make room for Tantrum. |
| Twister | 2000 | 2018 | HUSS | A Top Spin ride. It was themed to look like it was made out of wood. Removed at the end of the 2018 season and replaced by Six Flags SkyScreamer. |
Past entertainment
Former entertainment venues within the park.
| Name | Closed | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Top Circus | 1996 | Circus show | Located in Adventure Land. |
| Cinema 2000 | 1999 | 3D cinema | Located where Rowdy's Ridge currently stands. |
| 50's Bandstand | Music show | Located where the queue line for Predator is now. | |
| Splashmania | Water ski show | A water ski show on Fun Lake. The pole that was used by the divers is still in the lake. |
Other on-site entities
Lodge on the Lake Hotel
In 1998, Premier Parks made a major investment to the property with the park's first on-site hotel, designed with a North Woods theme. The $12 million Lodge on the Lake Hotel opened with 161 hotel rooms, two suites and an outdoor heated pool. A few months later, the similarly themed Beaver Brothers Cafe opened as a full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Campgrounds
The campground and picnic area offers campsites, approximately half of which are equipped with park-owned RVs and cabins.
Darien Square
Located within the campgrounds which includes; a General Store, 2 restaurants, a gift shop, arcade and lounge, laundry and the campground Office.
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
The Darien Lake Performing Arts Center is an outdoor music venue on the park grounds.
Ignite the Night COLORBLAST
Concerts were formerly held at the Laser Stage, also known as the Lakeside Amphitheater. A pool was added in front of the stage as part of the Ignite the Night laser show.
