51-593: (Redirected from Beasties ) Beastie may refer to: Entertainment [ edit ] Beastie (Alton Towers) , a roller coaster previously located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England The Beastie (Kings Island) , a previous name for the Woodstock Express roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio The Beastie (Wonderland Sydney) ,
102-567: A Zamperla family coaster, opened on where Beastie once stood. The site of the coaster is now part of CBeebies Land. Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( UK : / ˈ ɒ l t ən / OL -tən ) (often shortened to Alton Towers ) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire , England , near the village of Alton . The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates
153-660: A theme park , water park , mini golf and hotel complex . Originally a private estate of the Earls of Shrewsbury , Alton Towers' grounds were opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds. In the 1970s, a few rides were added and some of the themed areas were developed. Inspired by Disneyland , it was transformed into a theme park in 1980 with the installation of its first roller coaster and several new rides. The park has many attractions such as Congo River Rapids , Runaway Mine Train , Nemesis Reborn , Oblivion , Galactica , The Smiler , Wicker Man , Rita and TH13TEEN . It operates
204-523: A 10-metre (33 ft) underwater tunnel. The World of David Walliams opened in May 2021 and is aimed at younger children aged 7–11. It is based on the children's books by David Walliams . Attractions include Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp (the former Frog Hopper) and Royal Carousel (previously Galloper's Carousel). The area has had various names over the years including "Cloud Cuckoo Land", "Cred Street" and "The Land of Make Believe", each had
255-494: A 2010 children's book by Jenny Nimmo The Beasties (novel) , a 1997 young-adult novel by William Sleator Beasties, a type of creature in the role-playing game Changeling: The Dreaming Beast Wars (Canadian title: Beasties ), a Transformers toy line and animated television series Beastie Girls , 2017 South Korean drama film directed by Sin Ji-woo Other uses [ edit ] Beastie (mascot) ,
306-434: A Phalanx facility. The ride originally operated from 2012 to 2015, however on 27 May 2023, it reopened. In May 2016, the ' Rollercoaster Restaurant ' opened, offering a dining experience where guests have their food delivered by looping rails. The restaurant is open daily from 10am – 9:30pm; available to guests without theme park admission after the park has closed, except during Scarefest and Fireworks events. Adventure Land
357-499: A deep tunnel. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster , which opened in May 2013, that holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster at 14. The area layout was partially altered in 2013 season to accommodate the opening of The Smiler. Previous rides in X-Sector include The Black Hole , which was a Jet Star 2 coaster enclosed in a tent, where The Smiler is located today. Energizer (later renamed Boneshaker)
408-492: A division of Pearson plc , after his development of the former Battersea Power Station encountered financial difficulties. The change of park ownership brought another era of development, involving the opening of new themed areas and attractions, such as Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992), Toyland Tours (1994), and Nemesis (1994). Tussauds' park development team from 1990 to 2002 included attraction producer John Wardley among others. The Tussauds Group
459-515: A lawn where seasonal events take place. The first SkyRide station is located nearby, which is a 1,048-metre (3,438 ft) long cable car transport that opened in 1987, and was refurbished 2009. The monorail moves guests from the five on-site hotels, the water park and the car parks to the theme park. In this area during the hour before the park's daily closure, departing guests are entertained by three people wearing police costumes, two of them riding Segway -like vehicles which play party music and
510-543: A river rapids ride that opened 1986, as The Grand Canyon Rapids, and was refurbished in 1992. A 735 m long wild river rapids ride down the Congo River that lasts six minutes. Runaway Mine Train is a steel sit down powered coaster that reaches a speed of 22 mph (36 km/h) on a 1000 ft long track (305 m) and height of 36 ft (11 m); height limit 90 cm. It was designed by John Wardley for Tussauds and manufactured by Mack Rides . Gloomy Wood serves
561-612: A roller coaster that previously existed at Wonderland Sydney in Australia The Beasties, a nickname for the hip hop musical group Beastie Boys Beastie, a female professional wrestler from the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling "Beastie", a song by Jethro Tull from Broadsword and the Beast Fiction [ edit ] Beasties (film) , a 1989 comedy horror film The Beasties (book) ,
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#1732773066124612-556: A short cut to the Gloomy Woods or the Forbidden Valley. 'Coaster Corner' The Retro Squad was a group of 3 temporary flat rides hired by Alton Towers from 2021 to 2023. In 2021 Mixtape, Roller Disco, and Funk'n'fly were all present, located in X-Sector, Dark Forest, and Forbidden Valley respectively. In 2022 Mixtape was replaced by Spinjam, with the other 2 staying. In 2023 Roller Disco was replaced by Twistatron, but
663-502: A shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic , operating on a limited capacity from 4 July to 5 November. The resort resumed normal operations on 12 April 2021. Alton Towers rented four temporary flat rides for the 2021 season to help with capacity. Three of these were part of the "Retro Squad", which remained at the park until 2023. The woodland path was laid in place of the former Park Railway route, which ran 1953–1996. It can be
714-464: A similar a cartoon-inspired look, mainly featuring Toyland Tours . The area was first built as "Talbot Street" in 1981, becoming the park's first themed area, home to the Around The World in 80 Days and Doom & Sons dark rides. The World of David Walliams also includes many of the author's hidden secrets such as one of the streets being called "Wallibums Way". In October 2019, it
765-520: A stately home until 1924 and largely designed by Augustus Pugin , also noted for his work on the Palace of Westminster . The Towers are now in a state of disrepair following decades of neglect. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season. However, some areas are closed off as part of a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the Towers. Key areas of The Towers include
816-527: A total of ten roller coasters and offers a range of accommodation and lodging options alongside the theme park. Facilities include Alton Towers Waterpark , Alton Towers Conference Centre and Extraordinary Golf. The theme park is open seasonally from mid-March to early November, whilst many of its hotels and amenities are open year-round. Special events are hosted throughout the year, including Alton Towers Scarefest (the park's Halloween event), Oktoberfest, Fireworks, and Christmas . Alton Towers first opened to
867-456: Is a small family area featuring Spinball Whizzer ; based on a pinball machine in which the car is the ball whizzing around the machine. The ride originally had this name, until 2010 when it was known as Sonic Spinball until the name change back in 2016 when a contract ended with SEGA after six years. The ride is a Maurer Söhne spinning roller coaster, in which riders sit in cars that can spin on their base whilst travelling at speed around
918-501: Is the area containing the dark ride The Curse at Alton Manor , which originally opened with the area as The Haunted House in 1992. In 2007, a themed footpath through the woods was added to the area, named Haunted Hollow . The pathway follows the route formerly used by the park's old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay. Haunted Hollow includes tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects. In July 2015, Nitrogenie opened and replaced
969-410: Is themed as an alien creature inhabiting the quarry where the coaster is situated. The Blade is a Huss Pirate Boat modified with a pendulum blade. It opened in 1980, and was relocated to the area in 1997 from Fantasy World. The Blade operated as the only flat ride in Forbidden Valley following the removal of Ripsaw . Galactica is a B&M flying coaster, originally opening as Air in 2002. Air
1020-599: The Corkscrew ; the park's first roller coaster, which opened in 1980. Rita is a hydraulically launched steel sit-down coaster that reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km) that is now themed around an abandoned drag racer that is used to escape the Dark Forest. The area was previously a cartoon prehistoric area named Ug Land, which opened in 1999, but was half-demolished to make way for Rita's construction in 2005. Rita used to be themed around drag racing but
1071-604: The 1970s included a boating lake and chairlift . Property developer John Broome purchased a majority stake in the park after marrying the daughter of majority shareholder Dennis Bagshaw in 1972. From there, he began the theme park by developing new areas and installing permanent rides, including the Corkscrew , The Flume , Around The World in 80 Days , The Black Hole and the Grand Canyon Rapids . In 1990, Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group , then
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#17327730661241122-512: The Alton Towers' oldest operating roller-coaster following the closure of the Corkscrew the previous year. In early 2011, it was revealed that Beastie would not be operating again. It was removed from the park just before the 2013 season and was eventually sold to an independent ride operator, who renamed the coaster as Dragon Challenge , which currently operates at Barry Island Pleasure Park . In 2015, Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure ,
1173-517: The BSD Daemon, mascot of the BSD operating system The Beasties, a collective name for the alcopop brand Wee Beastie See also [ edit ] Beast (disambiguation) Bestie (disambiguation) The Beast (disambiguation) The Beastmaster , a 1982 sword and sorcery film Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
1224-569: The Big Fun Show Time stage include: Teletubbies Big Band Show, Bing Live, and Hey Dugee Live. In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened, it is an underwater themed children's roller coaster; built on the former site of The Beastie rollercoaster. CBeebies Land was further expanded in 2017 with the opening of the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and The Furchester Hotel Live , and again in 2019 with
1275-456: The Nemesis and Thirteen rollercoasters were opened respectively. Previous themed area Current themed area Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed loosely as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers across the lake in the distance. Along the pathway are the park's jumping frog fountains and
1326-604: The Night Garden... and Postman Pat . Attractions in the area are: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride , Postman Pat's Parcel Post , Get Set Go Treetop Adventure , Something Special Sensory Garden , Bugbie Go Round, Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory , Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, Jojo & Gran Gran at Home, Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure, and The Furchester Hotel Live . Shows at
1377-578: The Towers and takes in views of the gardens. The park's maximum capacity at any one time is set at 28,000 guests. According to the TEA attendance report, the park was estimated to have attracted 2,130,000 people in 2019, a 1.4% increase on 2018's figure of 2,100,000. This made Alton Towers Britain's 2nd most visited theme park, after Legoland Windsor , and the 13th most visited theme park in Europe. Annual admissions surpassed 3 million in both 1994 and 2010, when
1428-460: The addition of Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop and Teletubbies Big Band Live Show . 2022 saw 3 new attractions arrive, being Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, and JoJo and Gran Gran at Home . A new Bluey themed attraction opened on 23 March 2024. The Towers are the ruins of Alton Towers stately home and are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as
1479-415: The area had a ' post-apocalyptic ' theme with scrapyard structures populating the area. A SkyRide station also serves this area of the park. The area's principal attraction is Nemesis Reborn , previously Nemesis which opened in 1994. Nemesis Reborn is a steel inverted coaster that reaches a speed of 50 mph (81 km) with four inversions, set in a rocky quarry over waterfalls. The attraction
1530-417: The area is the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho . The park's original teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem , with the tea cup cars being redesigned as gunpowder barrels. The Flume was a Mack log flume ride that opened in 1981 and was rethemed in 2004 with a sponsorship from Imperial Leather alongside Bubbleworks at Chessington World of Adventures. Upon opening, it was the longest flume ride in
1581-448: The areas theme was broadened and any references of marmalisation and correction was removed. The area contains two thrill rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion ' although the drop is only 87.5 degrees the ride opened in 1998 as "the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster",designed by Tussauds and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard . The cars are held over the edge of the drop for between one and three seconds, before diving into
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1632-418: The banqueting hall, the chapel, conservatories, and Her Ladyship's Gardens. Hex – The Legend of the Towers , a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a Vekoma Madhouse located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on a local legend about the chained oak tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of
1683-485: The history of the Towers. It draws its theme from the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was said to be cursed by a beggar woman to suffer death every time a branch falls from an old oak tree. The Alton Towers Dungeon was added to the area in 2019. Since the openings of CBeebies Land and The World of David Walliams; Spinball Whizzer and Cloud Cuckoo Land have been part of the area. Cuckoo Cars Driving School allows children to drive miniature electric cars around
1734-513: The old Waffles and Ices, a shop producing ice cream using liquid nitrogen . However, this is now closed. Gloomy Wood was suggested by the 2017 park map to be home to the new Wicker Man wooden coaster, opening in 2018. However, the park later stated that the ride was in Mutiny Bay. Forbidden Valley is set in a 'research facility' run by the Phalanx organisation. Prior to a redesign for 2024,
1785-418: The public on a regular basis following the opening of Alton Towers railway station . Money raised from railway excursions was paid to the earl and helped to maintain the upkeep of the grounds. In 1924, a group of local estate agents formed Alton Towers Ltd to take ownership of the estate and began to restore the gardens as a tourist attraction. In the 1950s, this included the operation of a fairground, and by
1836-498: The retro squad (a series shortly lived themed flat rides), "mixtape" (ride type: smashing jump), "spinjam" (ride type: extreme) and "twistatron" (ride type: trabant). They remained from 2021–2023. Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed family area, which opened in 2008. The area was a re-theme for Merrie England. Attractions in Mutiny Bay include: Battle Galleons , an interactive "Splash Battle" boat ride, where guests sit in tracked boats while soaking other riders with water cannons. Also in
1887-399: The third standing with an old-fashioned megaphone that is unused, and a man riding a miniature ship while dressed as a sea captain. Themed as an African village; created in 1992 and incorporated existing rapids ride. Rides include the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train and Congo River Rapids . Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. Congo River Rapids is
1938-578: The thrill of a roller coaster. It was renamed in 1987 to just the "Dragon". In 1993 it was then moved to the Thunder Valley section of the park where it assumed the name "Beastie" after a larger roller coaster in the area, called The Beast. It stayed here for several years, up to the 1998 season when it was moved to the Adventure Land section of the park. The ride was very compact and contained several head chopper effects. In 2009, it became
1989-464: The title Beastie . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beastie&oldid=1223842483 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Beastie (Alton Towers) Beastie
2040-484: The track. Spinball Whizzer is now part of The Towers, alongside Cuckoo Cars Driving School, Hex and the Alton Towers Dungeon. It has a sister rollercoaster located at Chessington World of Adventures . Adventure Land is named after the adventure play ground which previously sat on the site. The former play area was one of the attractions of a larger area called Kiddies Kingdom. In 1996, Kiddies Kingdom
2091-485: The world at 886 metres (2,907 ft). Late in the 2015 season, the ride and the neighboring tavern closed and were removed in 2016 to make way for the Wicker Man roller coaster and the "Welcome Inn" bar which shares the coaster's theme. In 2009, a Sea Life Centre named Sharkbait Reef opened in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema. This includes "touch pools" for interacting with underwater species and
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2142-529: Was a steel family roller coaster made by Pinfari of Italy . The coaster was located in the Adventure Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire , England . The ride featured a tunnel and performed two laps of the circuit each run. Originally opening in the Festival Park (now Dark Forest) area of the park under the name Mini-Dragon, it allowed younger visitors of the park to experience
2193-401: Was a swinging gondola flat ride. It was replaced by Submission in 2001, a "Chance Double Inverter" flat ride, which was itself removed in 2014. Enterprise was a standard HUSS Enterprise model which opened in 1984, spinning riders 360 degrees and giving the illusion of defying gravity. It was permanently removed from the resort in 2023 after being SBNO in 2022. It also featured 3 members of
2244-462: Was announced that Cloud Cuckoo Land will be replaced by "The World of David Walliams " for the 2020 season, which will feature attractions based around Walliams' series of children's books . On 29 May 2020, it was announced that the opening of "The World of David Walliams" would be delayed from 2020 to the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another attraction, Flavio's Fabulous Fandango,
2295-562: Was changed with the opening of Th13teen and the Dark Forest. With the opening of Th13teen , the area was renamed as Dark Forest and further altered with a new colour scheme and entrance feature. Rita was also given a repainted control cabin and trains, shortening its name from "Rita – Queen of Speed". CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies and opened on 24 May 2014. The area includes rides, shows and interactive experiences based on programmes from CBeebies, including In
2346-552: Was located next to Spinjam on the former Enterprise site, instead of the Dark Forest. On 5 November 2023 the Retro Squad departed the resort permanently after 3 years. The Alton Towers Theme Park is divided into 11 areas: Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, The Towers & Gardens, The World of David Walliams, X-Sector, Adventure Land and CBeebies Land. The SkyRide cable car system travels between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and
2397-449: Was loosely themed as a peaceful landscape, distanced from the 'apocalyptic' look of Nemesis. Air was redesigned as Galactica in 2016, adopting virtual reality headsets and a space travel theme. The VR headsets have since been removed due to feedback from customers. Nemesis Sub-Terra is a walkthrough / ABC Rides drop tower combination. The experience is themed around the story of Nemesis , and how some eggs have been found underground in
2448-454: Was sold to private investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement. Merlin continues to operate the site under a renewable 35-year lease. As of 2023, the property is owned by LXi REIT plc. As of early 2008, the resort changed its name to Alton Towers Resort to better reflect its status as a multi-day destination. Most other Merlin-owned theme parks with onsite hotels would follow soon afterwards. In 2020, Alton Towers operated on
2499-686: Was sold to venture capital firm Charterhouse in 1998. The opening of Oblivion that same year and Air (now Galactica ) in 2002 saw the park sustain new major roller coasters, both marketed as 'World First' rides. In 2005, Dubai International Capital (DIC) acquired Tussauds for £800 million. In May 2007, The Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group for US$ 1.9 billion and merged it with its then-subsidiary Merlin Entertainments . Dubai International Capital also gained 20% of Merlin Entertainment. On 17 July 2007, Alton Towers
2550-473: Was split into Adventure Land and Storybook Land. X-Sector is themed as a secretive government facility, suggested to be subjecting park guests to experimental testing. In 2013 the areas theme was tweaked to include the Ministry of Joy, making guests test subjects for their machines, including The Smiler , which was meant to 'marmalise' and 'correct' riders into forcing a smile. In 2015 after The Smiler Crash,
2601-443: Was temporarily added to the land for opening. The land also features Raj's Shop and various outdoor entertainment. The Dark Forest is themed as a supernatural woodland area; to coincide with the opening of TH13TEEN , a steel family coaster themed as a haunted crypt , that opened on 20 March 2010. Th13teen, features the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" – an indoor, vertically dropping track element. The ride replaced
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