[Coaster_Crazy09]

There's a new Theme park coming to North Carolina.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/16562210/

[pproteinc]

Where's the employment info. lol

[Coaster_Crazy09]

Unsure, but the land has been bought and is being cleared. They are shooting for an opening date of 2019.

[Axel]

He definitely has the design experience background!

his website:
http://bobbaranick.com/

the spelling is actually 'Whirligig Woods'

Cute location... reminds me of Santa Claus, Indiana

2012 NY Times article on Saxapahaw
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/travel/saxapahaw-nc-middle-of-somewhere-becomes-a-draw.html

[Coaster_Crazy09]

I grew up here. They have turned the old mill into housing with a bar and a ballroom.

[arby]

This will be interesting to follow, particularly to see if there is a market for these smaller parks. There was a boom of 'trolley parks' during the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Many of those parks are now defunct.

Time will tell as to whether or not he can make this, and his other parks, relevant to the 21st century and get people to come back.

[Jonathan]

I can't help but be highly skeptical of dream projects like this, but his resume and the fact that they apparently already have the land is intriguing. This would be an incredibly exciting development. I've been saying for years that the Triangle is one of the most untapped markets for an amusement park in the country.

[Coaster_Crazy09]

Jonathan, it's been in the planning stage for 5 years. Ive been hearing rumors for a while. My cousin is doing the land clearing. The fencing is up around the future park. I've also been told that it will start out small with 25 rides and grow in time. They are using 21 acres but have more for future development.

[swampfox43]

The location of Whirligig Woods is ideal being right between the Triangle and the Triad.

The video mentions two more NC parks he's planning after this one. One on the coast, that will have a pirate theme, and another with a candy theme. Make NC Great Again!

[FamousAmos]

Did any of you ever get to go to Lakeside Park in Roanoke? After the flood of 86' I think it never opened again. To my knowledge, it's a parking-lot now.

[RollerBee]

Did any of you ever get to go to Lakeside Park in Roanoke? After the flood of 86' I think it never opened again. To my knowledge, it's a parking-lot now.

http://salemmuseum.org/lakeside-park/
This park? If so, Shooting Star was brought by what is now Wet N Wild Emerald Pointe but never built. The train(s) were sent to Family Kingdom for Swamp Fox and the rest of what made it to Emerald Pointe was scrapped. Some parts of Shooting Star remained in Salem and found interesting uses.

[cwgator]

Well here come the people who don't want it:
http://www.wral.com/proposed-whirligig-woods-theme-park-brings-whirlwind-of-controversy-to-saxapahaw/16682562/

Saxapahaw residents are hoping they can stop plans to build a theme park in their small Alamance County town.

Theme park designer Bob Baranick, who has worked on projects including Disney parks around the world, bought 21 acres of land along N.C. Highway 87 with plans to build Whirligig Woods- a theme park that would include thrill rides, a haunted land and a tree house resort.

Residents are concerned about the impact the theme park would have on the Haw River and worry about an increase in traffic and noise.

"I often joke with people that as soon as a stoplight comes to Saxapahaw, I'm out of here. Well, that would bring stoplights," said Joe Jacob, who owns Haw River Canoe and Kayak. "I see it as something that will change the local character of this community."

Emily Sutton of the Haw River Assembly, a river advocacy group, fears the park would not be conducive to the community.

“I think that, as it stands right now, it doesn’t fit into the community but Saxapahaw has such a cool history and, I mean, it’s a river town and I think that there is an opportunity for that to be reflected in the Whirligig park,” Sutton said.

Baranick said Whirligig Woods would celebrate the natural landscape and cater to families with younger children. He said he is taking the concerns of local residents to heart, saying “they have a lot of good points.”

"It would have been wise to touch base with the community before he decided to do what he decided to do," Jacob said.