Hayride into the Unknown?

[The Master]

Last year while riding Nitro during FF it was sad to see the hayride wagons just sitting there in the employee parking lot. Are there any rumors that the park might back the hayride for this year or is it gone for good? I know last year SFStL still had their Hayride besides a haunted train ride!

[29yrswithaGApass]

Last year while riding Nitro during FF it was sad to see the hayride wagons just sitting there in the employee parking lot. Are there any rumors that the park might back the hayride for this year or is it gone for good? I know last year SFStL still had their Hayride besides a haunted train ride!

 

I don't know if the Hayrides will be back but if they aren't I think it would be a good idea to move the Terror Trail this year to the vacant lot behind Looney Tunes Seaport. The crowds that it created in the main thoroughfare of the park was ridiculous last year. In the back of the park they could do a longer trail and use the walkway leading up to the Koala Kanyon site as the queue. Like last year, they could keep Looney Tunes Seaport closed during FF so it shouldn't bother the little ones.

 

 

[The Master]

I do hope they bring it back. It is just not FF without a Hayride!

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

Seriously I would love to see it make a comeback this season. Anyone remember when the line used to begin somewhere around Skull Mountain before Nitro was in the park I think. I just remember seeing a monster line full of people waiting to get on the Hayride while we were walking around trying to convince my brother (we went to Fright Fest every year for his birthday since he was born on Halloween) to go on some of the coasters since he was afraid of them when he was younger.

[GAcoaster]

I think that's the biggest problem with the hayride. It has limited capacity and is labor intensive, so it means a lot of money needs to be spent on it, and guests will always complain the lines are too long.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

This is very true. The last time we got on the Hayride though the line was probably the most interesting part. While we were sitting outside of the arena in the haybale queue we all started doing to wave to see how far we could get it to go down the line. When that was finished someone had one of those inflatable balls and it ended up getting hit around in sort of a makeshift volleyball game as we moved on through the line which was pretty fun and also kept the time from seeming to take forever. When we got inside the Stunt Arena all hell broke loose because half the line wanted to stand around and watch the FireFly show and the other half just kept walking through and in and out of the roping that was set up along the inside of the arena for the hayride. This led to not only mass chaos but a lot of near fighting. There was a group of four people (two couples) that we met while on line and we all just ended up following the roping and not really watching the show so that we got to the ride as soon as possible. When the Firefly show ended more chaos erupted when a woman (probably in her 40's) began screaming bloody murder because the guys in front of her at that poit had originally been behind her when everyone entered the arena. This led to back and forth fighting (at that point how could anyone know what had really happened this was now two hours in line) and eventually security removing the guys who had gotten in front of her because they began using foul language towards her and her kids (which is uncalled for no matter what in the park). This led to everyone who had seen and heard what was happenning singing the "Nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye" song for a few minutes. Within another ten minutes the same woman was yelling at more poeple who were behind her but she still "knew" they had cut the line as well and she called security back. At this point the line was not moving because security was up in front talking to her. Security finally had enough of her yelling at people and removed her at which point people in line once again chanted a bit of the same song. Finally after all of that the line began moving a bit faster and we got on probably one of the more dissapointing Hayrides in memory. Luckily by the time we were done we had time to get on line for the Terror Trail which we did not actually get out of until almost 1am but that's a story for another day as a whole.

 

With all that in mind, you are right the Hayride is very intensive both from a preparation and running standpoint so it can be understood if it is eliminated when a good ride experience can not be thought up. Hopefully this year we will get it back in whatever form they can think of.

[The Master]

I think the main cause of that was the park not planning and setting up the queue very well. Most people are too dumb to queue themselves up even. The last year they had the hayride alot of the Haloween props were gone, the year before it was pretty good with a good number of props many of them new. Maybe they got shipped to other SF parks like SFStL which had a hayride last year.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

Who knows lol. It is sad that we were more entertained on the line than the ride itself. Kinda reminds me now of that South Park episode where they go on the line ride lol.

[29yrswithaGApass]

In the most recent years, I thought the line moved quickly compared to earlier days. They also invested quite a bit of money in the fleet of higher capacity wagons which were longer and had the center bench for additional seating.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

I will never forget the first time we brought my brother and his friend on the Hayride. It was when they had the T-Rex head placed in the woods to come out and look like it was attacking the ride and when it lit up and came towards us him and his friend bolted into the middle of the wagon and refused to move or open their eyes until the ride was over. Ah classic GA

[MRHS Falcons]

I know their were a ton of complaint about Fright Fest this year (these complaints were; lack of ghouls, the Shortness of the terror trail, the lack of things to do, and the biggest thing the removal of the hayride), i think after the complaints this year we may FF redovolped and redone to include more and better capacity haunted attrations. I would not be surprised to see the Hayride return this year and maybe be a lot better.

[Up_Up_and_Away]

In my opinion, walk-thru attractions are always FAR scarier than hayrides. Busch has a VERY successful Halloween event with no hayride, but multiple walk-thru attractions. VERY effective...

[29yrswithaGApass]

Properly done walk-thrus (like Busch) are scarier!

 

In comparing GA's hayride to their walk-thrus, the hayride always seemed scarier. Maybe it was the dark, heavily wooded lakeside setting.

[The Master]

Properly done walk-thrus (like Busch) are scarier!

 

In comparing GA's hayride to their walk-thrus, the hayride always seemed scarier. Maybe it was the dark, heavily wooded lakeside setting.

 

 

The heavy wooded lakside is perfect for a hayride! Years ago there used to be haunted hayride called River's Edge, it used to run in the woods along the Delaware river, you looked over across the river and there was the outskirts of Philly. But where the hayride mainly drove was pitch black and spooky, lots of props and ghouls. Sadly they stopped running about 4 years ago.

Edited February 26, 2008 by The Master

[29yrswithaGApass]

Did anyone ever go on the "Doom & Gloom by the Flume" hayride back in 2004? I did not because the line was always too long, but I would be curious to hear if it was any good.

 

[The Master]

I remember that, sadly I did not ge on it either because the line was too long. Back in 04 FF was unusually crowded, it was much more crowded than in the years before or after that year. I think the park added that hayride about half though Oct because FF was so crowded that year. The early 04 FF guide maps did not list that hayride at all.

Edited February 27, 2008 by The Master

[MRHS Falcons]

I actually did go on that hayride, i did not think it was the best hayride but it was a overflow type of attraction seeing as the beter hayride always had long lines. Desturb silence was the better of the two hayride because DS was planned out way better ( i wish they would bring back DS or somthing similar), Doom and Gloom was just thrown together with a lot of left over peices.

[The Master]

I actually did go on that hayride, i did not think it was the best hayride but it was a overflow type of attraction seeing as the beter hayride always had long lines. Desturb silence was the better of the two hayride because DS was planned out way better ( i wish they would bring back DS or somthing similar), Doom and Gloom was just thrown together with a lot of left over peices.

 

 

That makes sense that it was thrown together, it was put in for FF 04 as a afterthought due to the unusually high crowds that year. I know there is a hayride just north of GAdv, is that one any good?

Edited February 27, 2008 by The Master

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

You know I have seen the advertising for that one I believe, but never gone one. I was tempted to suggest that this past FF but I think I was too wiped out while driving past it the one night this year. I too would like to know how that one is as they seem to do good business over there.

[The Master]

Well things are not looking too good for the Hayride's return this year or the next. This year even SFStL will not have their hayride which is a really bad sign for ours.

[CablesEric]

The hayride was always a good time. One season while working at the park I had the opportunity to drive the tractors during dry runs and dress rehearsals for the actors during work crew, back when it was on the stretch of woods behind Riptide and Skull Mountain. I never did get to play in the big game though!

[av8r296]

Eric, you missed out. Driving the tractors during Fright Fest was by far the most fun I had working at the park.

[The Master]

Well this year the DF trail was not as good as the old Hayride. It sucked that they charged extra for the terror trails and the they were not really worth the extra money. In fact walking along the old hayride road made me miss it even more. Sadly I doubt we will see the hayride ever return the way things are now. Also it's sad the old hayride wagons are just sitting in the employee parking lot.

Edited November 7, 2008 by The Master

[ThemeParkRider]

I saw the part of the hayride from the seaport and I didn't see anything but the rudting fire engine back there.

[The Master]

I checked SF's website and SFStL has both a hayride and haunted train again this year but their hayride is an extra $5 a ride. SFA also has a haunted train ride for an extra $5 too. So if GAdv's hayride ever returns they will probably also charge $5 and not be free like it was in the past.

Edited September 29, 2009 by The Master