Valleyfair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Valleyfair

Aerial view of Valleyfair
Location	One Valleyfair Drive Shakopee, Minnesota, U.S.
Coordinates	44°47′55.47″N 93°27′12.13″W / 44.7987417°N 93.4533694°W / 44.7987417; -93.4533694
Opened	May 25, 1976 (1976-05-25)
Owner	Cedar Fair
General manager	Raul Rehnborg
Slogan	Where Awesome Happens
Operating season	early/mid-May through October
Area	125 acres (0.51 km2) (0.5 km²)
Attractions
Total	75+
Roller coasters	8
Water rides	2

Valleyfair is a huge 125-acre amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. It's owned by a company called Cedar Fair. The park first opened its doors in 1976. Today, it has more than 75 rides and fun things to do, including eight exciting roller coasters!

Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City. You can enjoy the water park for free with your regular ticket. Valleyfair and Cedar Point were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair family. The company's name, "Cedar Fair," comes from combining parts of their names: "Cedar" from Cedar Point and "Fair" from Valleyfair.

Discovering Valleyfair's History

Valleyfair's old logo, used until 2007

Valleyfair first opened in 1976. Back then, it had 20 rides on 26 acres of land. The main attraction was a roller coaster called High Roller. An interesting fact is that the park's carousel is its oldest ride. It came from Excelsior Amusement Park, which closed in 1973.

In 1978, Valleyfair joined the Cedar Point family. This helped the park get more money to grow. Since 1976, Valleyfair has spent over $96 million to add new rides and attractions. Now, the park covers 125 acres and has more than 75 attractions!

There was a rule set in 2000 about how tall new rides could be. This happened when Power Tower was built. Because the park is close to Flying Cloud Airport, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) limited the height of Power Tower to 275 feet. Its original plan was to be 300 feet tall.

Valleyfair did not open in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. However, it was expected to open again for the 2021 season.

Since the park is near the Minnesota River, sometimes the river floods in the spring. This has happened several times, like in 1988, 1993, and 2019. Some rides, like Excalibur and Thunder Canyon, were built knowing that flooding might happen.

Key Ride Additions Over Time

Valleyfair has added many exciting rides over the years:

• 1970s: The park opened with classics like the Carousel, Ferris Wheel, and the High Roller roller coaster. Later, rides like Monster, Tilt-A-Whirl, and Ye Olde Log Flume were added.
• 1980s: The famous Corkscrew roller coaster opened in 1980. Thunder Canyon and Excalibur were also big additions.
• 1990s: Wild Thing, a huge roller coaster, opened in 1996. The Mad Mouse roller coaster came in 1999.
• 2000s: Power Tower and Steel Venom were added. The park also started its popular Halloween Haunt event. In 2007, the exciting Renegade roller coaster opened.
• 2010s: Planet Snoopy opened in 2011, a special area for kids. New rides like Dinosaurs Alive! and Northern Lights were also added. In 2017, North Star, a tall swing ride, opened.
• 2020s: In 2021, a new event called Grand Carnivale launched at the park.

Exciting Attractions to Ride

Valleyfair has many different types of rides for everyone!

Roller Coasters: Get Ready to Scream!

Coaster	Picture	Year Opened	Manufacturer	Description	Thrill Rating
Corkscrew		1980	Arrow Dynamics	A steel roller coaster with a loop!	5
Cosmic Coaster		2011	Zamperla	A fun roller coaster just for kids.	3
Excalibur		1989	Arrow Dynamics	A steel roller coaster with a wooden frame.	4
High Roller		1976	Rauerhorst Corporation	A classic wooden roller coaster. It's the oldest coaster at Valleyfair!	4
Mad Mouse		1999	Arrow Dynamics	A steel wild mouse roller coaster with sharp turns.	4
Renegade		2007	Great Coasters International	A fast and exciting Wooden roller coaster.	4
Steel Venom		2003	Intamin	A steel Inverted Impulse roller coaster that launches you!	5
Wild Thing		1996	D. H. Morgan Manufacturing	A tall steel hyper coaster. It's the tallest roller coaster at Valleyfair.	5

Thrill Rides: For the Daring!

Family Rides: Fun for Everyone!

Water Rides: Splash and Cool Off!

These water rides are separate from the Soak City water park.

Planet Snoopy: Fun for Little Ones!

Planet Snoopy is a special area in the park just for kids. It opened in 2011.

Route 76: A Trip Back in Time!

The "Route 76" area makes you feel like you're in an old-fashioned amusement park. It brought back three classic rides that opened with Valleyfair in 1976. These include the Antique Autos, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Scrambler.

The main attraction in this area is 'Northern Lights'. This ride has a track over 300 feet long and reaches 42 feet high. It goes up to 43 miles per hour! At night, it lights up with green, blue, and purple lights, looking like the Aurora Borealis. Route 76 also has Picnic Point, a place for groups to eat. This area opened on May 16, 2014.

Soak City: Dive into Fun!

Soak City is Valleyfair's water park. It's included with your park ticket! You can float along a lazy river, splash in a wave pool, and zoom down water slides. New slides like "Breakers Plunge" were added in 2015.

Fast Lane: Skip the Lines!

Fast Lane is a special pass you can buy at Valleyfair. It gives you a wristband that lets you get to the front of the line on popular rides. This means less waiting for rides like Wild Thing, Renegade, Steel Venom, and Xtreme Swing!

Shows and Entertainment

Power Tower, Xtreme Swing, and Corkscrew from Wild Thing

Valleyfair offers many live shows and entertainment options. These are usually included with your park admission.

• The Amphitheater is a big outdoor stage. It has hosted many different shows, from music tributes to acrobats and even dog shows. In 2016, it was updated for a new show called All Wheel's Extreme.
• The Galaxy Theater is an indoor, air-conditioned theater. It has professional lights and sound. It used to have musical shows, but now it hosts comedy and magic acts.
• The Gazebo Stage is an outdoor stage with a covered bandstand. It features a live band playing classic and new songs. You can enjoy your food while watching the show.
• Benchwarmers is a brass band that walks around the park. They play many classic and modern songs.
• PEANUTS Showplace is an outdoor stage in Planet Snoopy. It has bench seating and lots of room for interactive shows with the Peanuts characters.
• The Vocal Coasters are a group that sings without instruments, often with a beat-boxing background.

During Halloween Haunt, there are special spooky shows. The Great Pumpkin Fest also has family-friendly Halloween shows.

Past Rides and Attractions

Valleyfair has changed over the years, and some rides have left to make way for new ones.

• Berenstain Bear Country (1994-2003) was an area with indoor and outdoor attractions for younger kids. It had a tall treehouse and other fun spots.
• The Flume (1979–2008) was a log flume ride. It was removed to make space for the Soak City water park expansion, including the wave pool.
• Chaos (1999–2011) was a spinning ride that would lift into a vertical position. It was removed before the 2011 season.
• Skipper and Dolly Dolphin Show (late 1970s – late 1980s) featured two Bottlenose dolphins.
• Antique Autos (1976-2012) was a track where you could drive replica cars. It was removed for Dinosaurs Alive! but a new version returned in the Route 76 area.
• Pepsi IMAX theater (1982-2013) was taken down to build Barefoot Beach in 2015.
• Enterprise (1979-2016) was a spinning ride that went upside down. It closed to make room for North Star.
• RipTide (2005-2017) was a ride that sprayed riders with water. It closed before the 2018 season.
• Dinosaurs Alive! (2013-2019) was a walk-through area with moving dinosaur models. It closed at the end of the 2019 season.
• Looping Starship (1985-2019) was a pirate ship ride that would spin upside down. It closed at the end of the 2019 season.

Halloween Haunt at ValleySCARE

Halloween Haunt is a special Halloween event at Valleyfair. It used to be called HalloWeekends. The name changed to Halloween Haunt in 2006. During the day, there's The Great Pumpkin Fest, which is fun for families. After the sun goes down, Halloween Haunt takes over! It has haunted houses, outdoor mazes, and "scare zones" with spooky characters. Many rides stay open during this event.

Haunted Attractions: Are You Brave Enough?

The Great Pumpkin Fest: Daytime Halloween Fun!

The Great Pumpkin Fest is a family-friendly Halloween event. It was renamed in 2015. It includes fun activities like trick-or-treating, storytelling, live shows, a petting zoo, and a corn maze. It's a great way to celebrate Halloween during the day!

Images for kids

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  ValleyScare logo