Adventureland
3200 Adventureland Dr, Altoona, IA 50009
Adventureland Park’s Abandoned Attractions
While Adventureland (Altoona, Iowa) is alive and well and thriving in Iowa, there are still some remnants of the past to see. What has come and gone, but not all gone?…
- The Aquatheatre and pool. There was once an amphitheater with a seating capacity for 2,500. High diving and dolphins were popular shows with a round deep 14 foot pool. The Underground is currently in this spot.
- The Toonerville trolley tracks and a trolley stop. Replaced by the A Train.
- The dock and posts for the Queen riverboat. The funnel cake stand is in this location.
- The Dragon roller coaster loading station and part of the coaster. The Dragon Slayer opening in June 2021 sits in a portion of the former coaster.
- The farmhouse and fir trees on the original farmland Adventureland was built on. The fir trees served as the farm’s windbreak (source Adventureland Park) The Beer and Wine tent, and restrooms is here.
- The Log Ride. Dismantled in 2015 and replaced by The Monster roller coaster in 2016.
- Outlaw Gulch performance stage. Now Wild Bill’s Beverage stand.
The Aquatheatre – The Underground dark ride coaster repurposed this space.
The Aquatheatre, was an ampitheatre with a seating capacity of 2,500. The theatre was constructed at the same time the park was being built with images showing it circa 1970s (predating the Tornado roller coaster of 1978.) The Underground dark ride coaster has occupied the space since 1996.
In 1977-1979, the Dolphin & Sea Lion Show was introduced.
In 1980, a comedy high diving act replaced the dolphin show. A hilarious show with clowns diving from 85′. Dave Lindsey posted a YouTube video of the 1980 show, shown below.
A new Dolphin & Sea Lion Show opened in 1988 and ran through 1991. An article from the Des Moines Register advertised the new water show at Adventureland’s amphitheater. The show brought dolphins Wendell and Wally and sea lions from the Gulf of Mexico. The dolphins performed tricks such as skating backwards on their tail, waving with their fins, jumping over poles and through rings. Since the pool is 14′ deep (exceeding federal guidelines) the dolphins had even more fun during their stay at Adventureland.
In 1992 and 1993 the amphitheater was the stage for Family FunZone, a televised game show that mimicked Nickelodeon’s Double Dare. The show was produced on Thursdays from June through August and aired on television stations in Des Moines, Waterloo, Moline, Mason City, Sioux City, and Omaha. A stage was built over the top of the pool to tape the episodes. Magician Ben Ulin hosted the show and contestants submitted their teams to FOX17 for a chance to be on the show. Park goers could watch the show tapings in the amphitheater seating.
In 1996, The Underground opened.
The Underground is a dark ride roller coaster built over the top of the Aquatheatre. Custom Coasters International designed the dark indoor coaster ride with the limited amount of space that the Aquatheatre occupied. The Underground was built above ground over the top of the concrete from the sloped amphitheater. It is considered a roller coaster because of its 2 lift hills and reliance on gravity although not having any major drops (Facebook). The pool remains and is used in the center as the mining hole the ride goes over twice. A miner is seen climbing out of the hole, as I understand, the miner’s arms used to move.
The Underground certainly utilizes a leftover 14′ diving/dolphin pool, but as you enter the que, notice the concrete. The entrance and exits are the same paths from the former Aquatheatre . While you are in line Check out the rest of the old amphitheater foundation by peeking around the corner beyond the fence.
Below is a YouTube video from 1980 by Dave Lindsay.
Below is a YouTube video of The Family Fun Zone at Adventureland during the 1992-92 seasons. Video by Shawna Stiver.
The A-Train formerly the Toonerville Trolleys
Back in August, 1974 when the park opened, the Toonerville Trolley track encompassed the park. The Trolleys were hand made on property.
What’s left to see of the Trolleys?
The A-Train Station has had a few changes, and the station is still used for the train stop and a candy store. An old trolley stop was at the entrance to the Tornado roller coaster. As you exit the coaster you can see old rail tracks. Also on the north side of Bernie’s playground you can see track leading from a warehouse and the doors have been changed since a trolley traveled through the space. Source: Adventureland Park Hopping
The Queen river boat and dock
When Jack Krantz was building Adventureland , he knew he wanted a boat ride.
The Rivers area had a man made lake/river created with a large island in the middle, much like Disneyland. Krantz wanted a river boat for his river. He had been searching for a suitable boat and settled on Iowa’s most famous boat, The Queen. The Queen, at the time, was an 89 year old passenger ferry on Lake Okoboji. Krantz purchased The Queen for $33,000. The owners of the boat had it for sale and Adventurelands of America Inc, in May of 1973 purchased it, much to the dismay of the people of Okoboji. This was going to be a huge attraction for Adventureland. After a few obstacles were cleared the boat was trailered from Okoboji to Altoona. The Queen had it’s own 17 acre Queen’s Lake. It ran on a track that encircled Fort Wilderness Island and the Indian Village. The Lake was reported to be only 92″ deep (about 7 1/2 feet). According to Krantz the boat was not sea worthy. The Queen ran from 1974 -1979 and was replaced by the River Boats from 1977-1979.
By 1983 The Des Moines Register wrote, the Queen was deteriorating and listing in a small marsh at the amusement park and was no longer seaworthy. (DM Register). The boat had been replaced by smaller boats and it sat in a corner of the lake for some time.
A 1984 article noted “The Queen was undergoing a refurbishing that will make it no more water worthy, but visually more attractive.”
The Queen had been moved to a permanent docking area and was refurbished. It was turned into a walk through stationary attraction complete with a Dixieland Band and memorabilia. It’s dock is where the River City funnel cake stand is.
June 19, 1986, The Sioux City Journal ran an article about the Queen. “We tore it down to the deck last year and we are just getting ready to refurbish it”, Jack Krantz. “Our plans are to rebuild it so it’s a replica of the original. But the Queen will never sail again.”
Behind the funnel cake stand there are four supports still in the water that were used to anchor the Queen.
What eventually happened to the Queen is a mystery. After 1986 when the The Sioux City Journal reported it was being refurbished it was not mentioned again. Perhaps it is tucked away in a dark corner of an Adventureland warehouse?
The Dragon roller coaster was replaced by The Dragon Slayer
In May of 1990, The Dragon, the park’s newest roller coaster premiered. It was a 2.5 million dollar, double loop steel coaster. The Dragon, an O.D. Hopkins roller coaster, was the brainchild of park owner Jack Krantz. Created from a drawing Krantz sketched on a piece of tissue paper. The ride was 90 feet tall and 2,600 feet long. It featured the worlds only figure 8 helixes with teardrop loops, bringing more punch than circular ones. When the ride opened the train had 7 cars and by it’s last ride in September 1, 2019, it only had 5 cars. During 2020, cranes were busy removing the coaster’s steel structure and the loading building entrance was boarded up. Posters teasing the new roller coaster, The Dragon slayer appeared as did a banner hanging from the defunct loops. It will be replaced by The Dragon Slayer in 2021. The exit for the Dragon had a mirror maze, left over from the old Des Moines Riverview Park fright house.
Iowa Beer and Wine Stage formerly the original farmhouse and fir trees
When Adventureland was constructed, farmland was purchased for the park. The original farmhouse and barn were kept and used as part of the Iowa farm section of the park. This also included a petting zoo, utilizing the barn that is still there and also the popular ride the Silly Silo (replaced by The Storm Chaser).
The Log Ride
While the Monster roller coaster replaced the Log Ride in 2016, You can see two of the old logs by the Club House behind the Frog Hopper. (Just placed here May 2021.)
Outlaw Gulch stage
The Outlaw Gulch stage was repurposed into Wild Bill’s beverage stand. The speakers are still mounted on the back right side.
The Raging River?
After a very tragic accident July 3, 2021 an 11 year old boy passed away. The boat/raft he was in, riding the rapids with his family, flipped over.
Speculation is rising that the ride will never re-open. The ride was not open for the 2020 season and it had just opened for the first day on July 3rd, 2021.
(I mean no disrespect to the family involved, I am merely showing what the ride looked like when it was working and when it was empty in October of 2020.)
Newspaper clippings to check out
Adventureland Iowa to open soon – DM Register June 1974
The Old Quen awaits refurbishing: The Daily Reporter 1986
All photos by: abandonedexplorers.com ©
Map photos: Google Maps • Iowa DNR historic aerials
The Dragon by: Martin Lewison
Raging River photo by: Daniel McDermott
Source information:
- Park Hopping – A great source of information and tips for what to look for.
- Adventureland Resort
- Wikipedia
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