The numbers are in....

Last week, the Themed Entertainment Association and Economics Research Associates released their Attraction Attendance Report.

If you're interested in the business side of the amusement industry, it's a pretty interesting read. It's also fun to read if you're only interested in why the lines were longer at your favorite park.

There are a couple of interesting items in the report, but one that has my head spinning....

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is #1 in attendance for 2007 with 17,060,000 guests.

Wait a second.... if you divide that by 365 days, that means that the Magic Kingdom averaged 46, 739 guests per day. Is that even possible? I always thought that a crowded day at the park was when 25,000 people were in attendance.

I was also surprised to see Busch Gardens Europe beat out Cedar Point in pure attendance numbers. Although, BGE's attendance did jump 12.5% with the addition of Griffon. But Maverick wasn't too shabby of an addition either.

In the world of waterparks, I was also surprised that Disney's Typhoon Lagoon beat out Blizzard Beach in guest numbers. I suppose it could be because of the addition of Crush N' Gusher, but I always thought that Blizzard Beach was the more popular of the two.

Did anything in the report surprise you? Talk about it in the CoasterRadio.com forums!

Fascinated by Fascination

I'm a sucker for carnival games.

I don't go nuts like some people who spend $100 to win a giant bear that's only worth $7.50.  

Instead, I play because I like the challenge of trying to beat the game.

Because prices have gone up on admission, food, drinks and souvenirs, I don't play as many games as I did a few years ago.  However, on a recent trip to Knoebels, I found a game that grabbed my attention and monopolized my time.

Fascination.  The game is simple and very, very addicting.

Fascination was all the rage in the 1950's.  You couldn't go to any amusement park in the United States without finding a Fascination Parlor.

The thing that I like about the game is that you can play for hours without spending a whole lot of money.  It's a very social game because you can sit with friends and talk trash as you win and lose.  It also provides a nice break from riding and eating during your theme park day.

Plus, if you're lucky, you might even walk away with some prizes.

Sadly, there are only around a dozen places where you can play the game these days.  Places like Cedar Point, Hersheypark and Kennywood removed their Fascination Parlors to make room for new attractions.

But you can still visit traditional amusement parks like Knoebels and Indiana Beach and spend a few quarters trying to beat all the other players in this fast paced game.

I wish more parks had games like this.

Talk about this article in the CoasterRadio.com forum.