One-Tank Trip for
April 28/12
(c)| By Jim Fox
Hang on to your
hats – Canada’s Wonderland is unleashing Leviathan.
As well, the country’s largest theme park in
Vaughan, north of Toronto, will unearth mammoth full-size dinosaurs in an outdoor
Jurassic Park of sorts.
The thrills don’t
stop there: You can again hang around the top of Toronto’s CN Tower living life
on the edge.
 |
| Leviathan, called “one of the biggest and tallest” roller coasters in the world, takes off at Canada’s Wonderland this season. |
Fly like an eagle
Enjoy life in the
fast lane on Leviathan, a brute-force roller coaster that’s said to be “one of
the biggest and tallest” in the world.
With the park’s
opening on May 6, the monster coaster will “dominate the landscape, taking
riders to breathtaking heights and speeds never experienced before at
Wonderland,” said public relations manager Dineen Beaven.
“The excitement
begins on Leviathan’s first lift hill as riders climb to a record-breaking
height of 93.3 metres (306 feet) followed by an exhilarating 80-degree drop,”
she explains.
“Reaching a top
speed of 148 kilometres per hour, riders experience extreme coaster thrills on 1,672
metres (5,486 feet) of track that includes a series of giant camelback hills
reaching heights up to 54.9 metres (180 feet).
“Then, there’s an
astonishing overbanked hammerhead turn at 115 degrees that crosses above the park’s
front gate at 44.8 metres (147 feet) high.”
Leviathan is the
park’s 16th coaster, making it “one of the top three coaster destinations in
the world,” said Norm Pirtovshek, vice-president and general manager.
Leviathan was
designed and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, of Switzerland that
built Behemoth for Wonderland in 2008.
Dig it
It’s as if a part
of Jurassic Park, the fictional movie and book theme park of cloned dinosaurs,
was transported to Wonderland.
Dinosaurs Alive!
has some 40 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs set in an outdoor Jurassic-themed
environment.
 |
| Dinosaurs Alive! – a park with about 40 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs – comes to life at Canada’s Wonderland. |
There’s a gigantic
Ruyangosaurus towering at 12.8 metres (42 feet) tall and a vicious
Tyrannosaurus Rex at more than 18.3 metres (60 feet) in length.
The multi-sensory attraction
transports visitors back to prehistoric times to show how dinos lived,
protected themselves and other aspects of their existence.
Combining “inspiration,
science and technology,” visitors encounter handcrafted, life-like creations
made to replicate nearly every feature of dinosaurs right down to their skin-like
exteriors, Beaven said.
Several dinosaurs
have interactive consoles so visitors can guide the movements of their arms,
tails, mouths and eyes.
 |
| Dinosaurs Alive! |
There’s a
children’s paleontological dig site to uncover the skeleton of a large predator
buried in the sand.
The attraction was created by Dinosaurs Unearthed of Richmond, B.C., a travelling dinosaur exhibition company. http://dinosaursalive.canadaswonderland.com
The attraction was created by Dinosaurs Unearthed of Richmond, B.C., a travelling dinosaur exhibition company. http://dinosaursalive.canadaswonderland.com
Life on the edge
EdgeWalk returns to
Toronto’s CN Tower with its thrills from May 1 until Oct. 31.
That’s where people
take a stroll on a 1.5-metre-wide ledge around the top of the tower’s main pod
at 356 metres – or 116 stories above the ground.
 |
| Living life on the edge at EdgeWalk at Toronto’s CN Tower. |
“Trained EdgeWalk
guides encourage participants to push their personal limits, allowing them to
lean back over Toronto with nothing but air and breathtaking views of Lake
Ontario beneath them,” said public relations manager Irene Knight.
Oh, yes they are attached
to an overhead safety rail via a trolley and harness system.
In its first three-month
season last year, there were more than 9,000 walkers from ages 13 to 90, 12
marriage proposals, birthday and anniversary celebrations, corporate team
building and client appreciation participants, Knight said.
 |
| EdgeWalk |
The experience
lasts 90 minutes, including instruction time, with the walk itself being 30
minutes.
The price is lofty,
too, at $175 but includes a keepsake video, photos and certificate of
achievement. www.edgewalkcntower.ca; (416) 601-3833
If you
go:
Canada’s Wonderland
is at 9580 Jane St., Vaughan (off Highway 400 north of Toronto).
Open day is May 6
at 10 a.m. and it is open May 11, 12 and 13 and then daily from May 17 until
Oct 28 (weekends only after Labour Day).
Single-day
admission tickets on the web cost $39.99 plus tax, a saving of $17 ($33.99
junior/senior), with parking $15. An individual season pass is $79.99 ($61.99
junior/senior); $35 for a parking pass. Admission to Dinosaurs Alive! is an
additional $5.
Pay $50 more plus
tax and get a new “Fast Lane” ticket to bypass the lines on 15 of the most
popular rides. www.canadaswonderland.com;
(905) 832-8131
-30-
Jim Fox can be
reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
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