Theme Parks

Avatars, Napoleon, and Angry Birds: Theme Park News

What’s happening in the world of amusement parks? Phone apps, world domination, and futuristic technology are inspiring some interesting theme park ideas.

An augmented-reality, Kinect-powered theme park, Live Park, opened last December outside Seoul. The immersive experience includes 50 attractions within a 10,000-square-meter space through which the visitors—and the avatars they create—move and interact with 3D video projections, screens, touchable art installations, and live performers. The Live Park videos make the experience look simultaneously thrilling and overwhelming, sort of like the concept of an audience-participation Cirque du Soleil.

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Contest Watch: Paris, Mexico, Reykjavik + More

This month’s contest watch is a study in contradictions. Have a romantic escape to Paris or take the family to LEGOLAND. Indulge in a escape to Mexico, or help bring fresh drinking water to communities in Rwanda. It may be hard to chose, but entering is easy.

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Ferrari World Starts its Engines

The world's largest indoor theme park is coming to a sheikdom near you—well, as long as you live near Abu Dhabi, that is. That's where Ferrari World opens on October 27. The world's first Ferrari theme park (what, you thought there already was one?!) has shops, restaurants, and 20 rides celebrating various aspect of the Ferrari brand. No, these are not kiddie rides.

Here are the ones you'll want to hit first—or avoid, depending on your point of view:

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