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| 3766 Old Clyattville Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, USA (Valdosta, Georgia)
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Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park
This theme park in Valdosta, Georgia, began in 1996 as a petting zoo. It rapidly grew in size and currently features more than 100 rides and attractions, including nine different roller coasters. The park holds two Halloween-themed events in October, Phobia and Kid-o-ween (see below). Wild Adventures was also used as a filming location for the 2009 horror comedy, Zombieland.
Zombieland (2009)
Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park was used as a filming location for the ending of the film, Zombieland (2009), starring Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers, 2012), Jesse Eisenberg (The Village, Cursed, Adventureland), Emma Stone (The Rocker, Superbad), and Abigail Breslin (Signs, Little Miss Sunshine). Filming at the park took place in February and March of 2009. Wild Adventures was not the only location in Valdosta, Georgia that was used in the production of Zombieland. At least one other location, the former Crackin Good Bakers bakery, was used as a filming site. More than a hundred of the local Valdosta residents served as zombie extras in the movie as well.
The writers of Zombieland, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, were the creators of the prank reality shows Invasion Iowa and The Joe Shmo Show. Invasion Iowa had tricked a community into believing that they were involved in the production of a science fiction movie starring Star Trek's William Shatner. This background led to rumors circulating that the production of Zombieland was actually another reality show prank, only with zombies and Woody Harrelson instead of aliens and William Shatner.
Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park was used as the fictional "Pacific Playland" amusement park in Zombieland. The parking lot and the park in general are the surroundings for almost the entire finale of the movie, however specific rides and features of the park play significant parts in the ending. The following three paragraphs deal with the specific use of aspects of the park in the film Zombieland (2009). The paragraphs contain spoilers. If you have not seen the film, you may wish to skip ahead to the Phobia and Kid-o-ween section.
The first thrill ride that the characters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) ride is the Pharoah's Fury. They are in this ride when the zombies take notice of them. During the zombie attack, the girls drive their hummer right into the lagoon in the middle of the park. In desperation, the sisters try to escape the zombies by riding the Wild Adventures' Double Shot thrill ride. Wichita and Little Rock find themselves trapped in a perilous situation on that ride. It is at the Double Shot that the character of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has to confront his greatest fear and possibly break one of his rules.
When Columbus and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) come to the rescue, the Aviator ride is the attraction that Tallahassee grabs a hold of and spins around on while shooting zombies with a submachine gun. The roller coaster that he then rides on while fighting zombies is the park's Bugout "wild-mouse"-style roller coaster. The Rattler is the last of Wild Adventures' rides to play a specific role in the film. Columbus runs past the ride just moments before it sweeps forward, violently smashing the zombies who are pursuing him. The Haunted House attraction shown in the film is not a real part of the actual park. The exterior was a facade created specifically for the film. The interior was actually filmed inside of the Netherworld haunted attraction in Norcross, Georgia (see Netherworld).
Some of Zombieland can still be experienced at Wild Adventures's Phobia Halloween event. The facade for the fake "Pacific Playland Haunted House" used during filming was left behind by the production. Wild Adventures Theme Park put the facade to use as the exterior of the Lakeside Phobatorium haunted attraction in 2009. A number of zombie extras from the film were also hired on by the park to menace customers of the Phobia event.
Phobia and Kid-o-ween
During the month of October, the Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park hosts Halloween-themed events during the weekends. Kid-o-ween is a daytime Halloween event for families with children twelve-years-old and younger, while Phobia is a scarier nighttime event for those thirteen-years-old or older looking for scary thrills.
The Kid-o-ween event features costume parades and trick-or-treating, with vendors giving out candy to trick-or-treaters at the various retail locations throughout the park. Families can participate in the "Monster Mash Dance Party" or build Halloween keepsakes at one of the craft stations. For further fall fun, kids and their parents can wander through a hay bale maze. Depending when the event is attended normal park rides may or may not be in operation.
After dark, Wild Adventures Theme Park is transformed into the Phobia haunted attraction. During the hours that Phobia is in operation, park attendees can ride the thrill rides (children's rides are shutdown for the event), but may find themselves confronted by ghoulish creatures if they wander through one of the park's Scare Zones, such as the PsychoPath or Corn Stalker Alley. The Phobia event features multiple haunted houses with names and themes that vary from year to year. Past haunted houses have included the Carnival of the Macabre, Dominion of the Dead, Mummy House, The Hatterville Hotel, Canterbury's Crazed Clown Circus (Columbus from Zombieland would not approve), Lakeside Phobatorium, Cattle Call!, and Dead Dredge. In the past the Phobia Halloween event has had live shows, though apparently not always. Past shows have included the Globe of Terror motorcycle stunt show and the Creepy Critters show, which featured various animals that give some people the willies.
To find out the hours of operation, what rides are available at various times and other details about the Kid-o-ween and Phobia events, visit the Web sites for either Wild Adventures or Phobia (see Related Sites below).
Visiting Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park
Wild Adventures began as a petting zoo and has continued its association with animals. An assortment of animals from different continents can be seen throughout the park's various themed sections and its petting zoo. Besides the thrill, family and kids rides, the park also features water rides and slides as well as sprayground play areas. Eateries, midway games and gift shops can be found throughout the park. Wild Adventures also has an arcade, miniature golf and go-kart tracks. |
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| Related Sites |
Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park
The official Web site for the theme park used in the film Zombieland (2009) located in Valdosta, Georgia. |
Phobia Halloween Attraction
The official Web site for the Phobia Halloween haunted attraction at the Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| Clifton Haunted Trail, Clifton, VA |
| ScreamWorld |
| The Farmstead Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: Own Bill Murray's Mansion! (02/08/10) |
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