Just as there are a handful of oceanside parks remaining in America, so there are only a handful of lakeside American amusement parks left. Where real estate values on any body of water drove out most of 1,500+ plus American amusement parks during the 1920s, Canobie Lake Park still sits by the lake, clean, beautiful, and thriving. Gary Kyriazi pays a visit.

Flamingo Land theme park and zoo in England is adding no fewer than six new attractions this season, plus a new entrance. Park World dropped by during the run-up to opening.

Located in Tongeren, the oldest city in Belgium, Ooit Tongeren was created as a sister park to Het Land Van Ooit in Holland. “Ooit” is the Dutch word for “ever” (or “once”) but ironically both parks closed down last year when the operating Taminiau family encountered financial difficulties. In the case of the new facility at Tongeren, that was less than three months after opening. Park World talks to the man trying to find a new operator.

It’s been a busy winter at Drayton Manor. The English amusement park has ditched its entire children’s area and replaced it with a new one – Thomas Land. On behalf of the park, Andrew Mellor gives Park World an exclusive peak during construction.

It all started with a fast food restaurant. The awesomely energetic 75-year-old Ken Cormier (pictured) turned a drive-in into an FEC, then an amusement park. Gary Kyriazi meets the man that keeps the family at the heart of everything he does. And he’s still dreaming...

Located 800-metres above the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, Mtatsminda Park has been a popular fun spot for generations and this September moved up a gear with the opening of East Europe’s newest theme park. Two months later, however, the fun came to an abrupt end. Owen Ralph meets the project consultant who describes the new park facility as one of the most beautiful he has ever worked on and assesses its chances of it re-opening in 2008.

Modelled on the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, Metroland in Gateshead, England, opened in 1988, was relaunched as New Metroland in 1996, but will very soon become ex-Metroland. Park World bids farewell.

With roots stretching back to 1766, the Vienna Prater is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. Now, as it undergoes regeneration, it is to draw on its rich heritage in an attempt to create a timeless atmosphere for guests arriving at the park.

Dinoland is the first outdoor theme park in Northern China designed specially for kids under the age of 12 and, as June Ren reports, it’s been putting smiles on their faces since it opened just over a year ago.

This autumn (fall), Wild Wadi is due to welcome its five millionth guest, confirming the popularity of this world-class waterpark. Located on the Gulf Coast in Dubai, with its blistering year-round temperatures, its success is not surprising, but its general manager feels it is down to more than just a good location. Like many other facilities in the Emirate, Wild Wadi prides itself on service, as Owen Ralph discovers.

Enjoying its first full season under the ownership of the Spanish-based, private equity-backed Parques Reunidos group, Mirabilandia remains one of Italy’s most popular amusement parks and has just opened Raratonga, a Polynesian-themed water ride (pictured) perfect for the summer. Park World called ahead of the big Assumption Day holiday in August.

US coastal parks are in danger. For those by water, the threat is particularly acute. In the 1920s there were over 1,500 authentic waterfront amusement parks in America. It was a given — where there was a body of water that people used as a gathering place for recreation, there was an amusement park. Out of those 1,500, there are less than 15 left. Gary Kyriazi profiles a survivor.

For 100 years, Hersheypark has provided countless happy memories to generations of guests. Founded as a picnic and pleasure grounds for the employees of chocolate magnate Milton S Hershey, the 110-acre theme park in the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, is celebrating its centenary with a $21 million enhancement.

Run by IAAPA committee member Gary Smart, Harbour Park has invested £750,000 (€1.1 million) on new additions this season.

American cowboy spirit is a richly ingrained tradition in Kansas, and now Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge, developers of new park Wild West World, want to bring the values of kindness, generosity, and bravery to a new generation of families. Paul Ruben saddles up and gets on down to Wichita.

When it lost is Warner Brother franchise in 2005, Movie Park in Germany was forced to find new intellectual property licences that resonate with its guests. Now it’s got some, and park management claim they are in a stronger position than ever without the shackles of being tied to a single brand. Nickland, a new children’s area themed around various Nickelodeon cartoon characters, is one of two rejuvenated areas of Movie Park that have opened for 2007. Park World meets SpongeBob and friends.

The Gulliver’s family theme park group from England has opened its fourth park, and thrown the rulebook out of the window …for recycling. Owen Ralph unearths a new entertainment concept in Milton Keynes.

You’re strolling along a pier over the ocean; the surf beneath you barely overpowers the roar and shrieks from the rollercoaster overhead; but the cool, salt air is the perfect complement to the hot dog you’re enjoying. Just past the cotton candy stand a tough-looking barker challenges you to knock down three heavy, steel milk bottles and win a doll; Madame Sofia attempts to lure you into her tent with promises of your future. It is still possible, says Gary Kyriazi, and he travelled to California to prove it.

Thrills and visitor numbers are at all time high for UK park Adventure Island, which has just added a new superhero-themed rollercoaster. Park World pays a visit to Southend-on-Sea.

Joseph Manning had been looking to take on an attraction of some kind for a number of years. The UK amusement operator never would have guessed, however, that he would soon be as well versed on feeding sheep and breeding livestock as he is in maintaining rides and attractions. Welcome to life on the farm.

All of us in the amusement industry know we're not in it for the fame or the fast buck. We're in it because it's something we need to do, something we have to do and something we have a passion for. We're in the amusement industry because we're ...well, crazy. Gary Kyriazi meets a family with the perfect credentials.

Konge Parken (King Park), Stavanger, Norway, first opened on May 3, 1986. We say “first opened” because it has opened and closed a number of times in its 20-year history. But at last its present owners, the Lund family, are making a go of it. David Wallis visits the home of the bear.

'Thrills' and 'families' can go hand in hand. discovered Gary Kyriazi on a visit earlier this season to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana.

Bellewaerde – Belgium’s unique mix of animals, amusement rides and landscaping – has been entertaining Belgian, French and Flemish families for over half a century. This season the park has been taking guests into a new dimension – 4D – as it increases its range of allweather offerings and builds on its range of seasonal events.