Worlds of Fun is located on the north side of Kansas City on the Missouri side and is 235 acres in size which also includes the Oceans of Fun waterpark. This park was founded in 1973 by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman through Hunt’s Mid America Company and they opened Oceans of Fun in 1982 and is included with admission to the dry park. That company operated both parks until 1995 when they sold them to Cedar Fair which is now known as Six Flags. It should be noted that Lamar Hunt also the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS, the Wizards are now known as Sporting Kansas City. 

Worlds of Fun is loosely based off Jules Verne’s book, Around the World in Eighty Days and has lands based on the areas that were visited in the book. The first area is called Gateway Gardens which is the main entrance and exit which is where you will find the ticket/season pass processing center, ticket booths, stroller rental, etc. There is also a small store, food stands, and one ride.

Grand Carrousel

This carousel has a very rich history to it and goes all the way back to when it was built, in 1918 by Marcus C. Illions. This carousel has 64 hand carved jumping horses and two chariots and was shipped to Philadelphia for the Nation’s Sesquicentennial Celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It remained in Philadelphia until it was moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1927. It was then moved sometime in the 1930’s back to the Illions’s shop in Coney Island, New York, to be restored by Marcus Illions himself where it stayed until 1936. It was then brought to Geauga Lake Park in Aurora, Ohio, where it remained until the park closed and it was put into storage in 2007. Cedar Fair then had Carousel Works in Mansfield, Ohio, restore the carousel and then had it brought to this park in 2011 and it has been here ever since.

This carousel is a bit unusual as each row of horses has its own base color and it has a Stinson band organ with a custom Illions facade that uses paper rolls made for a WurliTzer 165. I think antique carousels are absolutely beautiful with all the hand carved detail.

Click on the above video for an off ride view of this classic carousel. Now we turn left to enter our next area.

Scandanavia

This area is themed to the countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark and this one has quite a few rides, the first of which is a swinging ride.

Fjord Fjarlane

This attraction was built by Meisho Amusement Machines and is a Swing Around model that opened here in 1982.

 

this attraction is really quite fun and thrilling at the same time. Click on the video below for an off ride view.

Next up is a theater called Tivoli Gardens, that is currently being used to display the parks history as the celebrated 50 years in 2023.

Nordic Chaser

This attraction is a Seastorm model from Mack Rides which opened here in 2018.

Scandi Scrambler

This classic amusement park attraction opened here on May 26, 1973 and is a Scrambler model from the Eli Bridge Company. The park replaced the vehicles and added lighting in 2019. I will admit this is one of my guilty pleasures as I love riding these when I was a kid. 

Viking Voyager

This is another amusement park classic, and this one has been operating here since May of 1973. This is just a simple log flume that takes riders on a nice ride in the woods and up a lift hill for a nice plunge at the end. Don’t worry you won’t get soaked on this one.

Take a ride on Viking Voyager thanks to Woulds of Fun on YouTube.

Sea Dragon

This is the final attraction in Scandanavia, and it is a standard Pirate Ship model from Chance Morgan. This one opened here in 1994 and swings back and forth without going upside down. I recommend sitting on the ends to get the best ride experience.

Africa

This is the next area of Worlds of Fun and this one is separated into three subsections with Serengeti, Morocco, and Egypt so let’s see what the Serengeti has for us.

Africa-Serengeti

This area does have one flat ride, a parrot show, and two great wooden rollercoasters.

The parrot show is in the Serengeti Station and is called “Squawk” and you will see different species of Parrots showing what they can do.

Zulu

This is an Enterprise model from HUSS and has been here since 1979 and has 20 gondolas that can sit two riders in each gondola. This ride is pretty thrilling for most as the ride sits flat so all the gondolas can be loaded and unloaded. Then the ride spins so fast that centrifugal force, forces the gondolas to where they are almost parallel to the ground. Then the ride lifts the central wheel to a 90-degree position where it remains for a few rotations, and then returns to the ground and slowly comes to a stop. Zulu replaced an opening day attraction called the Safari Cars. The station was where Zulu is now and even used the queue house as well. The track went under the railroad bridge and back where Prowler is now. The sadly had to get rid of it because people were getting out of the cars mid ride and walking around the attraction. Here is an off-ride view of the entire ride cycle from my YouTube channel.

Prowler

This is one of the best wooden rollercoasters I’ve ever been on as this is filled with lots of tight turns and airtime filled hills.

This coaster was built by Great Coasters International which is a company that is widely known for its incredible wooden rollercoasters. It opened here on May 2, 2009 and is near the top of every rollercoaster enthusiasts list of best wooden rollercoasters, including mine. 

This beast of a rollercoaster is 3,074 ft long, 102 ft 3 in tall, has a top speed of just over 51 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes and thirty seconds. Prowler is best ridden at night as the entire course runs out into the woods, so you are in almost complete darkness. Take a ride on Prowler from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube channel and you will see why it is one of the best wooden coasters I’ve been on.

Zambezi Zinger

This one is a really good wooden rollercoaster from what I have been told but unfortunately, it was down the four days I was there so I never got to experience it myself.

This coaster was also built by Great Coasters International and opened here on June 19, 2023. It has a spiral lift hill which is the only wooden rollercoaster that has that. It is 74 ft tall, 2,428 ft long, has a top speed of about 45 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes.

I have been told this is a really good ride and you can see why in the video below from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube channel. Now I have a reason to come back to Worlds of Fun in the future.

The coaster above, actually replaced a steel coaster with the same name which also had a spiral lift hill. The older Zambezi Zinger was built by the Schwarzkopf Company and it operated in that spot from May 26, 1973 to 1997 when it was removed. It was a Extended Jumbo Jet model that was 2,583 ft long, 56 ft 8 in tall, with a top speed of just over 41 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes and thirty seconds. The old Zambezi Zinger was bought by Parque del Cafe in Montenegro, Colombia where it operates to this day as Montana Rusa. Take a ride on the original Zambezi Zinger operating at Parque del Cafe from Coaster Studios YouTube channel.

Africa-Morocco

This section only contains a few shops, and one rollercoaster called Boomerang.

Boomerang

This coaster is called a shuttle coaster, which means it goes out to a point, and then returns by the way it came. These are fairly common around the world, but this model from Vekoma is the most common of the shuttle coasters. Ironically, the name of the coaster, is also the name Vekoma gave to the model.

You can see the entire track in the photo above and how the train traverses the course in the photos below. The train is pulled out of the back of the station and up the rear spike where it is released, once it gets to the top, to rocket back through the station, then through a dual inversion element called a Cobra Roll, then through a Loop, then up the rear spike where it is pulled to the top. All of this is being done while facing forward. Once the train reaches the top, the train is then released to go back through the course backwards this time. 

Boomerang opened here on April 8, 2000, and is 935ft long, 116ft 5in tall, has three inversions with a loop and a dual inversion element called a Cobra Roll, a top speed of 47 mph, and a ride time of about one minute and forty-eight seconds.

Riding a coaster backwards is a unique experience so I recommend riding it at least once, but I would get there early or wait until closer to closing time as the hourly capacity is quite low so the wait times can get long, especially during busy days. Here is my off-ride video of Boomerang.

Here is the on ride video from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube Channel.

Next up is the final section of Africa.

Africa-Egypt.

This area really only has two rides but they are big ones!

Fury of the Nile

This is a river raft ride where you float down a river in round rafts encountering waterfalls, rapids, and water geysers along the way which will get you wet, and possibly SOAKED!

This is a River Rapids model that was built by Intamin and opened in 1984 and can seat 12 riders per raft. Be warned, that water can come in from all directions, including the river itself. Up next is an air-time machine.

Mamba

The Mamba is a large, highly venomous and agile African snake and this coaster pretty much fits that to a T.

Mamba is an “out and Back” coaster, meaning that it goes out, turns around, and then comes right back to the station. This one is 205 ft tall, 5,600 ft long, has a top speed of 75 mph, and a ride time of about three minutes.

There is one large 184 ft hill after the first drop, then it goes into the massive 580-degree helix which has several close encounters with the rides support structure. We call those “head chopper” effects because it looks like you are going to come too close to the supports when in reality you are a good distance away. Then Mamba goes through the mid-course brake run and then through five bunny hills which give several doses of extreme airtime.

Mamba was built by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Inc. and opened here on April 18, 1998, and has been thrilling riders ever since. The front row gets really good airtime, but the back row gets the best airtime off the lift hill and great ejector airtime on the bunny hills. I rode this multiple times when I visited, and I consider it one of the best at the park. Here is my off-ride view of Mamba.

Here is an on-ride video from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube Channel.

You can also access the water park called Oceans of Fun at this point, which is included in your park admission.

Now, onward to our next land which is a fun area for the little ones

Planet Snoopy

This area features lots of rides for the kiddos and lots of benches. The adults may know them as Bench: The Ride.

Snoopy’s Rocket Express

This is a small monorail type ride that was built by Zamperla and opened here in 2011. It is 18 ft tall and slowly traverses its course over Planet Snoopy with several small four person cars.

Snoopy’s Cosmic Coaster

This coaster is a Wacky Worm model from Preston & Barbieri and opened here on April 3, 1993. It is only 444 ft long and adults can only ride if accompanied by a child.

Woodstock Gliders

This is a Flying Scooters model from Larson International and has been operating here since 2016.

These type of rides have been popular at amusement and theme parks across the nation since the early 1920’s and I absolutely love riding them. This could be considered to be one of the first interactive rides as you can control how high you go by skillfully using the rudder in front of you.

Here is my off-ride video of the Woodstock Gliders.

There is even a Snoopy Boutique store where you can get all the Peanuts brand gear you can carry.

Wild West

This is the largest themed area in the park with lots of attractions, walk around characters, and a show.

The area is themed to a town called Possum Trott and you will see the town sheriff, a undertaker, and an inventor called Cyclone Sam. He claims to have invented a machine that produces cumulonimbus clouds but sometimes the machine doesn’t work right.

Cyclone Sams is a indoor attraction where he attempts to demonstrate how it works when something goes wrong, and you start spinning inside a tornado.

The Detonator

This attraction is a Space Shot ride from S&S Worldwide and opened here on April 13, 1996. It was the first of its kind in the US and the world’s first with two towers. 

The Detonator launches riders 210 ft into the sky at a top speed of about 45 mph and then slowly returns them to the ground using a cushion of air. This ride is intense and packs lots of airtime so it is not recommended for everyone. Here is a off-ride view from my YouTube channel.

Mustang Runner

This is a fun attraction and just about everyone can ride as it does spin but not very fast. It is a Troika model from HUSS and has been operating here since 2017. 

Possum Trott Election Day Reveal!

This is a pretty funny show that revolves around electing the mayor of Possum Trott which may or may not involve the use of Cyclone Sam’s new machine. It is well worth seeing the show if you are in the area.

Here is my video of the show but it is well worth seeing it in person.

Great American Train Adventure on the Worlds of Fun Railroad

This is a really fun ride for the entire family, and it only takes about ten minutes to experience.

Most trains are used as transportation to get you from one side of the park to the other, but this one only has one station with a show stop out in the woods where you get “robbed” so they can finish building their moonshine still. But of course, things go wrong, and comedy ensues.

The train was built by Crown Metal Products and opened with the park, on May 26, 1973. The train was originally going to be painted red and yellow and was going to be called “Chief” until the railroad company Burlington Northern picked up the sponsorship and named it after one of their famous engines that ran from Kansas City to Chicago. Here is my on-ride video of the train ride.

Timber Wolf

This is a really wild wooden roller coaster that opened here on April 1, 1989.

This coaster actually replaced a steel roller coaster called Screamroller which was a steel roller coaster with only two inversions called corkscrews. It was built by Arrow Dynamics and opened here on April 10, 1976. It was 70ft tall, 1,250ft long, and had a top speed of about 50 mph. It operated until 1982 when new stand-up trains were installed, making it the first looping stand-up coaster in North America. It was renamed Extremeroller, or EXT. It operated with stand-up trains for a few years until the sit-down trains were reinstalled until the ride was removed in 1988. The ride was bought by Formosa Fun Coast in New Taipei City in Taiwan, and operated as Spiral until 2015. Timber Wolf now uses EXT’s old station. They even kept the “Chicken Exit” as well. Here is a CGI on-ride video of what Screamroller was like.

Timber Wolf Was built by the Dinn Corporation and is 4,230ft long, 100ft tall, has a top speed of about 53 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes and thirteen seconds. It has gotten a bit rough over the years, so they had to remove the final 560-degree helix and replace it with an overbanked turn. It is smoothest in the front and extremely rough in the back. I found it to be a pretty fun ride though, just not worth re-riding a bunch of times. here is a on-ride video from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube channel.

Here is my off-ride video from my YouTube channel, Themeparkfanatic.

Europa

This land is a combination of France and Germany, and it lies between Africa and the Wild West. There are only three attractions here and one show in the Moulin Rouge Theatre. The first attraction is the afore mentioned Moulin Rouge which hosts the Moulin Rouge Revue which I didn’t get to see.

The next attraction is the Le Taxi Tour which is a car ride that everyone can ride.

This ride was built by Arrow Dynamics and opened with the park in 1973.

Flying Dutchman

This is a Flying Dutchman model that was built by Intamin and opened with the park in 1973. It was said to be Lamar Hunt’s favorite attraction.

Autobahn

This is your standard bumper cars ride that unfortunately forces the cars to travel in a clockwise direction. It was built by Reverchon and opened with the park in 1973.

Americana

This area was where the original park entrance was until it was closed in 1997 to make way for the Grand Prix go-cart track. That lasted until 2013 when it was removed and replaced by Steel Hawk.

The bell at the top of the building in the photo below actually does the hourly chime.

There are four attractions in this area the oldest of which is the Skyliner.

This Ferris Wheel is 59ft tall and was built by the Eli Bridge Company and has been operating here since 1991. This ride does have a 36-inch minimum height requirement for accompanied kids and a 54-inch minimum for unaccompanied people and there are no single riders allowed at all.

RipCord

This is a Skycoaster model that was built by Sky Fun 1 Inc. that opened here on May 10, 1996, and is an upcharge attraction which means you must pay extra for this thrill ride. It is a pendulum type ride where riders don special flying suits and are hooked up to two high strength cables before being pulled up to the top of the rear spike that is 189ft tall. Riders then can pull the ripcord where they swing back and forth at speeds reaching up to 80 mph, until a ring is raised for the riders to grab onto to bring them to a stop. 

Steel Hawk

This is a Windseeker model from Mondial and was originally located at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It opened there in 2011, but Cedar Fair had to remove it in 2014 due to multiple noise complaints. So they moved it to this park in 2014 where it has been running ever since. 

Steel Hawk is 301 ft tall and opened in the area where the original entrance was. It is a really fun and exhilarating ride so long as you aren’t afraid of heights. Here is my off-ride video from my YouTube channel.

Patriot

The Patriot is a really intense Inverted steel roller coaster from B&M that opened on April 8, 2006.

The Patriot is an Inverted coaster which means the coaster trains sit below the track but are unable to swing back and forth like a suspended coaster would. That allows for inverted coasters to go through inversions, and Patriot has four of them which are a 89 ft tall loop, a zero-g roll, a Immelmann which is a half loop that is entered at the bottom and exited up top, and a corkscrew. Two of which you can see in the photos below with the loop and Immelmann.

The Patriot is 149 ft tall, 3,081 ft long which includes the inversions mentioned above, has a top speed of about 60 mph and a ride time of about two minutes and eighteen seconds.

This is a really, really fun, but intense coaster and very smooth. I recommend riding in the front row simply because of the views. Here is the on-ride video from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube channel and you’ll see why I recommend the front row.

Here is my off-ride video from my YouTube channel Themeparkfanatic.

East Asia

This area of the park is the last one we visit before returning to the main entrance and this area also has a few attractions including a well-known roller coaster that used to call this area home. 

Bamboozler

This attraction is a spinning ride that you stand up on while riding. Riders are basically standing up against a wall facing inward while the ride spins and then elevates. The ride spins so fast that riders are pinned against the wall so you can barely move the entire time.

The Bamboozler is a Round-Up model from the Hrubetz company and was installed here in 1977.

Spinning Dragons

Spinning Dragons is a spinning coaster that almost everyone can ride and is really fun as riders face each other as the coaster goes through its course. Each ride is different as the coasters spin is based on the weight distribution of the riders in the car. One ride you may get a good amount of spinning going and the next may not spin very much at all. This coaster opened here on April 17, 2004 and it replaced the Aquatic Arena where the Fins and Flippers show ran from 1973-1996. The show featured two Dolphins named Skipper and Dolly, then later Clovis and Sandy. The original pool is now being used as a small pond with a fountain and can be seen from the queue just after the entrance sign.

This coaster was built by Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH and is a Spinning Coaster / 420/4 model. It is 1,345ft long, 54ft tall, has a top speed of 31 mph, and a ride time of about a minute and a half. 

This coaster has a fairly low hourly capacity, so I recommend making this your first ride of the day as the queue can get to an hour or two long very quick. It is a fun ride but not worth waiting over two hours for unless you really want to ride it.

Here is an on-ride video from Worlds of Fun’s YouTube channel.

Here is an off-ride video from my YouTube channel Themeparkfanatic.

Orient Express

This coaster was once right behind the Spinning Dragons and was world famous for its interlocking loops. 

The photo above is of the station house where the Orient Express once loaded and unloaded its passengers. It was built by Arrow Dynamics and operated here from April 4, 1980, to October 26, 2003, and was the first coaster to feature a dual inversion element called a Kamikaze Curve, which would later be known as a Batwing, or Boomerang. It was also one of three coasters to have interlocking loops with the other two being the Loch Ness Monster that is currently operating at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the Lightning Loops, that operated at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. The Orient Express was 3,470ft long, 117ft tall, had four inversions with two loops and the Kamikaze Curve, a top speed of about 50 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes.

Here is an on-ride video from Psyclone Steve’s YouTube channel.

Now, sadly, we have reached the main gate, and it is time to head towards the car to go back home or the hotel. I really enjoyed this park as I planned to spend three days here but had so much fun here that I spent an extra day here. I will be back in the future, and I hope this helped convince you to make a trip to Worlds of Fun also.