Magic Springs and Crystal Falls

The entrance to Magic Springs and Crystal Falls.

On ride shot of the Arkansas Twister, a thrill ride at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls.

The Gauntlet. A suspended looping coaster at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls.

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about 50 miles from Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and attractions in both parks. The park is open weekends from April through October and daily late-May through mid-August. Magic Springs and Crystal Falls was opened in the late 1970s, closed in 1995, and reopened in 2000. Magic Springs and Crystal Falls is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Amusement Management Partners, LLC.

History

Magic Springs (reopened as Magic Springs and Crystal Falls in 2000) opened July 22, 1978, but investors became burdened by millions of dollars of debt and sold the park in the 1980s to a group headed by businessman Melvyn Bell, who then had his own financial troubles. It closed in 1995. Fitraco, a Belgian company, bought the amusement park at a foreclosure auction in 1995. Ed Hart of Themeparks LLC was approached by Fitraco, and decided to take on the project.

Magic Springs and Crystal falls reopened in 2000 after Hot Springs voters approved a bond issue providing financing for the park. Attendance totaled more than 362,500 in 2000 and beat expectations. In 2001, attendance fell about 25 percent to roughly 272,000, and then to about 254,000 in 2002. The park continued to expand its ride offerings instead of hunkering down. Attendance grew again to more than 291,000 in 2003, the year the Timberwood Amphitheater debuted. It topped 400,000 in 2004 when The Gauntlet was added and the concert series was expanded. In March owners of Magic Springs agreed to sell the attraction to CNL Income Properties. They will lease back the park to the former owners, who will continue to manage it. On June 10, 2008 it was announced that PARC Management has taken over the park. They are doing surveys to see what changes and improvements are wanted by the guests in the park.

Rides and attractions

Thrill rides

• X-Coaster - (52") A steel sit-down coaster which flips upsidedown 150 ft in the air. Opened in April 2006. Built by Maurer Söhne.
• Arkansas Twister - (48") A classic wooden out and back coaster. Features a 92 ft. drop. Relocated from Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida in 1992 where it operated as the Florida Hurricane. Designed by Don Rosser and William Cobb, built by Michael Black.
• The Gauntlet - (52") A Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster. Built in 2004 by Vekoma for Six Flags New Orleans. The sale never finalized and Magic Springs and Crystal Falls bought the coaster. Features a 110 ft. drop and is the first Vekoma SLC to feature a redesigned wheel assembly to give a more comfortable ride.
• Dr. Dean's Rocket Machine - (52") A Double Shot tower ride that launches riders almost 100 ft. in the air and then drops them back down. Built by S&S Power exclusively for the park and debuted in 2001.^[1]
• Wild Thang - (48") Riders can flip, twist, and spin through two motor driven rotations, with a third gravity driven rotation. A Zamperla Spinning ride.
• The Hawk - (48") A boom that rotates both clockwise and counter-clockwise at speeds of up to 13rpm that spins you over 70 ft. in the air. A Zamperla spinning ride.

Family rides

• Twist and Shout - (48") A steel sit down coaster featuring crazy twists and turns. A Zamperla Wild Mouse Design. Relocated from Gillian's Wonderland Pier as Wild Wonder. Operating since 2000.
• Diamond Mine Coaster - (between 36" and 42" with adult) A small but fun and exciting coaster. Built by Miller Coaster, Inc.
• Rum Runner Pirate Ship - (between 42" and 48" with adult) A pendulum ride in the style of a pirate ship that swings you back and forth higher with each swing.
• Old No. 2 Logging Company - (between 36" and 42" with adult) A log flume ride that takes you through the rapids before taking a huge drop into a splash pool.
• Carousel - (under 42" with adult) The classic ride with horses and carriages.
• Magic Swings - (48") A swing ride that lifts you high in the air and then rotates.
• Big Bad John - (42") An Arrow Dynamics Mine Train Coaster. Tallest drop of 41 ft. Originated in Six Flags St. Louis as one half of the River King Mine Train duo. Removed from park in 1988 and sold to Dollywood. Relocated from Dollywood in 1998 where it operated as "Thunder Express".
• Plummet Summit - (42" to ride alone 36" with adult) A splash down ride with a 50 ft. drop. Built exclusively for Magic Springs and Crystal Falls and debuted in 2005.

Kids' rides

• Fearless Flyers - (under 42" with adult 1 adult per car) Small airplanes where you control up and down movement while the ride spins.
• Looney Ballooney - (under 42" with adult 1 adult per car) Hot air balloons that rise up while the ride spins.
• Bugga Booga Wheel - (under 42" with adult 1 adult per car) A bug themed miniature ferris wheel.
• Kit 'n Kaboodle Express - (less than 42" with adult) A miniature train ride that is exciting for the kids.
• Lil' Leapin' Lizards - (minimum 42" maximum 48") A gentle yet fun freefall tower.

Timberwood Amphitheater

The Timberwood Amphitheater is a state-of-the-art concert venue which offers a variety of entertainment. Concerts are held every Saturday during the operating season. While there is free lawn seating, there are also 26 rows of bench reserved seats in front of the stage. Currently VIP Reserved seats (the first six rows) are $10.00 while the price for the rest of the reserved seats is $5.00.

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  Timberwood Amphitheater at Magic Springs

Annual events

• Education In Motion - School group days where fun at the park is linked to lessons in the classroom.
• Magic Screams - Halloween festival in October where Magic Springs is transformed into a scary and frightening Magic Screams.

Crystal Falls

Crystal Falls is the water park portion of Magic Springs and Crystal Falls and is included with park admission. Crystal Falls is open daily from May through mid-August and weekends to the end of September. Crystal Falls has many water attractions which include:

• Bear Cub Bend - kid play zone
• Crystal Cove Wave Pool
• Crystal Lagoon - four tube slides, three body slides and an activity pool (Opened in 2007)
• Grizzly Creek Splash Zone - kid activity zone with a suspended bridge and three smaller water slides
• High Sierra Slide Tower - four tube slides, each different in darkness
• Kodiak Canyon Adventure River
• Rapid Falls Raceway - seven side-by-side racing slides (Opened in 2008)
• Boogie Blast - FlowRider wave simulator (Opened in 2010)

Awards

“Best of the Best” Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Readers Poll

Golden Guard Award Excellence in lifeguarding, Ellis & Associates

Southern Travel Treasure AAA

Gold Elite Award Performance of water safety staff, Ellis & Associates

Platinum Elite Award Performance of water safety staff, Ellis & Associates

The Natural State Award Arkansas’ top tourist attraction, Arkansas Governor's Conference on Tourism

Best Area Attraction Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, Readers Poll

Silver Elite Award Excellence in lifeguarding, Ellis & Associates

Large Business Recognition Excellence in landscaping, Hot Springs/Garland County Beautification Commission

Large Business of the Year Excellence in community service, Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce

Outstanding Achievement for Access to Persons with Disabilities S.A.I.L.S.

Silver Cup Outstanding effort in tourism, Garland County Hospitality Association

Top Three Family Friendly Parks in the Nation Better Homes and Gardens

Incidents

Main article: Incidents at PARC Management parks

• On June 9, 2007, a power outage left 12 roller coaster riders stranded upside down 150 feet in the air for 30 minutes.^[2][3].

• On September 4, 2006, an 11-year-old boy was shot in the wrist by a falling .22 caliber bullet.^[4]

• On July 30, 2006, a 45-year-old woman from Memphis, Tennessee fell from the Twist and Shout coaster. Inspectors said that she was too large for the ride, causing the restraints to not work properly.^[5].

References

1. ^ s&swebwide2
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2]
4. ^ [3]
5. ^ [4]

External links

• Official Magic Springs and Crystal Falls Site

Coordinates: 34°31′10″N 93°0′57″W / 34.51944°N 93.01583°W / 34.51944; -93.01583