When they put their minds to it Kings Dominion can really come up with a nice attraction. In 1994 Scooby Doo! and the Haunted Mansion was the latest addition to the park's lineup. Nestled in the back corner of the kiddie section of the park, KD removed a kids parachute ride and relocated a space ship ride to make way for this nicely themed ride. I first experienced this neat ride on my recent trip and was really impressed with the way they paid attention to detail. The entrance area to the ride sets the mood with the theme song to several different versions of the Scooby Doo cartoon playing. There is also a gift shop, photo booth and a large statue of "our hero" Scooby perfect for picture takin'.
The line for the ride takes you out of the park and into a small swampy area with a handful of gags to keep you entertained while you wait for your ride.
>>>Before you enter the Haunted Mansion to begin your journey, you'll notice a small graveyard. Not only does this remind me of the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World, the tombstones have bad jokes and puns on them just like their Florida counterparts. Still a nice touch, and you can never blame anyone for copying Disney.
>>>Here's the loading station where you can get a glimpse of the ride vehicles. They are also designed to look like the Mystery Machine van owned by Scooby and the gang. The vehicles take you on a rather lengthy dark ride through Ghastey Manor. Each seat in the Mystery Machine is equipped with a "fright light" which you can use to point at different targets throughout the ride and collect points. This is very similar to another Disney World attraction, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. But instead of just collecting points, like the Buzz Lightyear ride, the targets on the Scooby Doo ride also become animated when you shoot them. This makes it all like a ride through shooting gallery. It's a very fun and unique ride. Here's some more pictures I snapped of the interior of the ride:
We've still got the former Yogi's Cave to explore plus more lost Hanna-Barbera of Kings Dominion and more old buildings.
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