Worlds of Fun

Aerial view of the Worlds of Fun andOceans of Fun parks (Worlds of Fun is the upper one)
Interactive map of Worlds of Fun
Location	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Coordinates	39°10′38.4″N94°29′20.5″W / 39.177333°N 94.489028°W /39.177333; -94.489028
Status	Operating
Owner	Six Flags
General manager	Rick Fiedler
Theme	Jules Verne's novel "Around the World in Eighty Days"
Slogan	It's Amazing in Here
Operating season	May through November
Area	More than 235 acres (0.95 km2)(~0.90 km2)
Attractions
Total	43
Roller coasters	8
Water rides	11
Website	www.sixflags.com/worldsoffun
Opened	May 26, 1973 (1973-05-26)

Worlds of Fun is a 235-acre (95 ha)theme park located inKansas City, Missouri, United States. Owned and operated bySix Flags, it was founded by American businessmenLamar Hunt andJack Steadman under the ownership of Hunt's company, Mid-America Enterprises in 1973.Oceans of Fun is a water park that opened in 1982 and is next to the amusement park. Admission to Oceans of Fun is included with the price of admission to Worlds of Fun. Mid-America Enterprises sold both parks toCedar Fair (now Six Flags) in 1995 for $40 million.

Texas and Arkansas nativeLamar Hunt brought the Dallas TexansAFL team, which he owned, toKansas City, Missouri, in 1963, renaming the franchise theKansas City Chiefs.^[1] He founded an operating company in the region called Mid-America Enterprises, which focused on real estate, mining, and entertainment.^[2] Worlds of Fun was conceptualized and developed by Hunt, his business partnerJack Steadman, and theme park designerRandall Duell. Construction on the park began in November 1971 and was completed over 17 months at an estimated cost of $20 million. The park opened on May 26, 1973.^[3][4] It is located at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex in the bluffs above theMissouri River inClay County, Missouri. At the time it opened, numerous projects across Kansas City were being built, includingKansas City International Airport,Kemper Arena (now called Hy-Vee Arena), and theTruman Sports Complex. The park was originally planned to complement a 500-acre (2.0 km²) hotel and entertainment complex, but a lagging economy during the park's early years derailed the idea.

In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4,000-seat Forum Amphitheater, which opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened in honor of theUnited States Bicentennial – the 200th anniversary of the signing of theDeclaration of Independence–and was named Bicentennial Square. The new section included the debut ofScreamroller fromArrow Dynamics, which was a replica of the first modern looping roller coaster,Corkscrew, that opened a year earlier atKnott's Berry Farm.

In 1982, Oceans of Fun opened next door as the largest water park in the world. In the same year, a sub-world named "River City" was opened in Americana, adjacent to the East Asia section (then referred to as the Orient section). Screamroller was transformed into Extremeroller the following year, which featured stand-up trains instead of the original sit-down models, making it the first looping, stand-up roller coaster in North America.^[5] Several years later, in 1989, Worlds of Fun ended the decade with the addition ofTimber Wolf, awooden roller coaster that initially ranked high in several national polls.^[6][7]

Cedar Fair LP purchased Worlds of Fun in 1995 for $40 million.^[8] The new owners invested $10 million with the addition ofMamba, aD.H. Morgan Manufacturing steelhypercoaster, to the park's attraction lineup in 1998.^[9]

On July 1, 2024, amerger of equals betweenCedar Fair andSix Flags was completed, creating Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.^[10]

• 2006:Patriot opens as the longest, tallest, and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region. It was the park's largest capital investment on a single attraction at $14 million.
• 2008: For their 35th anniversary, Worlds of Fun added a festival called Oktoberfest.
• 2009: A new wooden coaster,Prowler, is added to the Africa section of the park. It receives theGolden Ticket Award for "Best New Ride of 2009" byAmusement Today magazine.
• 2010:Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights, a $1 million immersive light and sound experience, opens in the Europa and Africa sections of the park.Subway opens at Oceans of Fun.
• 2011:Planet Snoopy, an $8-million children's themed area, is added to Worlds of Fun, featuring over 20 rides and attractions. AnIllionscarousel called The Grand Carrousel was added to the Scandinavia section of the park.
• 2012: A premium line queue system called "Fast Lane" is introduced.
• 2013: Oceans of Fun receives full integration with Worlds of Fun, allowing visitors to access both parks with a single admission ticket.
• 2014: WindSeeker – a 301-foot (92 m)Mondial swing ride atKnott's Berry Farm – was renamed SteelHawk and relocated to Worlds of Fun for the 2014 season.
• 2016: Planet Snoopy receives upgrades, including five new rides added to the children's area, with the removal of two former attractions.
• 2017: Mustang Runner (HUSSTroika) and Falcon's Flight (HUSSCondor) are added to the Americana section of the park. A newly remodeled entrance is introduced, and Winterfest is introduced in November.
• 2018: Nordic Chaser (Mack SeaStorm) is added to the Scandinavia section of the park.Timber Wolf replaced their helix with a new seventy-degree banked turn.Great Coasters International constructed the new element.
• 2019: Worlds of Fun added a new flagship restaurant, Cotton Blossom BBQ. It is 9,000 square feet and seats more than 300 guests.
• 2020: Riptide Raceway, the world's longest mat racing slide,^[11] was to have opened to the public, but deferred to 2021 on grounds ofCOVID-19 pandemic.
• 2023:Zambezi Zinger, located in the African section of the park, is added as the world's first ground-up GCI Titan Track wooden coaster. It is named after aformer coaster that once operated there.

The park takes its theme from theJules Verne novelAround the World in Eighty Days. Worlds of Fun is divided into eight major sections (Gateway Gardens, East Asia, Americana, Wild West, Europa, Africa, Scandinavia, and Planet Snoopy). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. In 1997, the Americana "main entrance" was closed for the creation of Grand Prix, so the "back gate" has been the "main gate" ever since. The park is laid out in aDuell loop; guests first enter Gateway Gardens, previously known as International Plaza, and can travel clockwise to Scandinavia, Africa, Wild West, Planet Snoopy (the entrance to which is located in the Wild West section), Americana, and East Asia. Europa transverses the circle between Africa and Wild West. Africa is divided into three sub-sections: Serengeti, Morocco, and Egypt. Past sub-sections have also included Bicentennial Square, River City, and Beat Street, which have all been absorbed back into Americana. The Wild West section was also previously part of Americana before being split into its own area.

Behind the Wild West section lies the section ofPlanet Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children). Originally added in 1978 as an expansion of Americana, over the years the grounds have changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978–86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987–97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997–2000), and "Camp Snoopy" (2001–2010), and is currently "Planet Snoopy", new to the 2011 season.

Although there is no Australian/Oceanic section in the park, there is an Australian-themedBoomerang roller coaster in the Africa section.

Ride name	Picture	Year opened	Manufacturer	Current location	Description
Boomerang		2000	Vekoma	Africa	It opened in the vacancy left by the originalZambezi Zinger's departure in 1997 and used Zambezi's line queue. Since 2005, the line queue and signage has moved.
Cosmic Coaster		1993	Preston & Barbieri	Planet Snoopy	A junior wacky worm styleroller coaster that is looselySnoopy-themed. It operated under the name Wacky Worm until 2012.
Mamba		1998	Morgan	Africa	The tallest, fastest, and longest coaster in the park. It is classified as ahypercoaster, which is any coaster that exceeds 200 feet (61 m) in height or drop length.
Patriot		2006	Bolliger & Mabillard	Americana	Aninverted roller coaster that features four inversions, a height of 149 feet (45 m), and a track length of 3,081 feet (939 m).
Prowler		2009	Great Coasters International	Africa	A twister wooden coaster. Prowler was votedBest New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park inAmusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.
Spinning Dragons		2004	Gerstlauer	East Asia	Aspinning roller coaster, it was the second ride of its kind in the world afterFairly Odd Coaster atMall of America (whichCedar Fair still had partial ownership of at the time). The ride was built in the East Asia area of the park in 2004 following the retirement of theOrient Express
Timber Wolf		1989	Dinn Corporation	Wild West	A classic twister wooden coaster. Timber Wolf was voted the world's top roller coaster in the 1991 Inside Track readers survey, and was rated the number one favorite wooden coaster in the 1992NAPHA survey.
Zambezi Zinger		2023	Great Coasters International andSkyline Attractions	Africa	Named after a former coaster that operated at Worlds of Fun under thesame name, it was the first ground-up GCI Titan Track hybrid coaster.

• + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.

• Schussboomer, (1973–1984), aSchwarzkopf ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.
• Silly Serpent/Funicular, (1973–1987) AnAllan Herschell Company Little Dipper. The children's coaster was originally located in the Europa section of the park as "Funicular" and moved to the Africa section where it operated as "Silly Serpent" until it was removed in 1987.
• Screamroller/Extremeroller, (1976–1988), anArrow Dynamics coaster which was the firststand-up roller coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted to the original sit-down style.
• Zambezi Zinger, (1973–1997), a steelSchwarzkopf Speedracer model roller coaster with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Moved toParque del Café inColombia, reopening asMontaña Rusa in 1999 until its closure in 2025.^[14]
• Orient Express, (1980–2003), manufactured byArrow Dynamics, it was the first roller coaster in the world to feature abatwing (then known as a "Kamikaze Curve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops, afterLoch Ness Monster atBusch Gardens Williamsburg.

• Barnstormer, (1978–1983), a 100-foot tall spinning airplane ride manufactured by Bradley & Kaye. Added with the opening of the Aerodrome area. Retired in part due to frequent shutdowns due to high winds.^[15][16][17]
• Ski Heis/Sky Hi, (1973–1987) aVon Roll Skyride
• Wobble Wheel, (1977–1993) a Chance RidesTrabant. The Wobble Wheel, an outdoor ride, was replaced by the indoor Cyclone Sam's in 1995, which is an upgraded version of the Trabant called Wipeout.
• Incred-O-Dome, (1981–1997), anOMNIMAX-style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, theOrient Express coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards (180 m) away from the actual ride.
• Python Plunge/The Plunge, (1988–1999) a water-slide type ride where the riders would carry the raft up to the top themselves. There were two types of slides: one slide was open aired and went straight down; the other was a twisting tube. The ride originally opened as Python Plunge, but its name was changed to The Plunge in 1992.^[18]
• Omegatron, (1986–2001), a six-storyVekoma Sky Flyer ride, replaced by Thunderhawk.
• Rockin' Reeler, (1991–2005), aReverchon Industries Superbob/Music Express, removed during the construction of Patriot Landing.
• Grand Prix Raceway, (1997–2014),go-kart racing, replaced bySteelHawk.
• Octopus, (1973–2014) anEyerly Monsteroctopus, replaced by the Scandi Scrambler.
• Thunderhawk, (2002–2015) aHUSSTop Spin ride that flipped riders several times and took riders to a height of 60 feet.
• Krazy Kars, (1973–2015) a children's bumper car ride removed for Mustang Runner.
• Le Carousel, (1979–2016) 3 across horse merry-go-round replaced by Falcon's Flight.
• Finnish Fling, (1973–2017) aChance RidesRotor, believed to have been one of fewer than six operating Rotors in North America.^[19][15] It was replaced by Nordic Chaser.
• Falcon's Flight, (2017–2022) aHUSSCondor.
• Monsoon, (1992–2022) a 55 ftShoot-the-Chute water ride. Monsoon was the only ride accessible to both Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun guests when the parks had separate admission.

Oceans of Fun is Worlds of Fun's water park. It opened in 1982 as the world's largest water park. It is included with admission to Worlds of Fun, beginning in the 2013 season.

Fast Lane is Worlds of Fun's "two line" system introduced in 2012. For an increased cost (in addition to normal admission charges), visitors receive a wrist band that enables them to bypass the standby line and enter the "Fast Lane" line to significantly reduce their wait time. Fast Lane Plus gets access to select rides not included in basic Fast Lane.

During Halloween Haunt, a similar system named "Fright Lane" is sold. Serving the same purpose as Fast Lane, it significantly reduces the wait times at select haunted attractions. "Fright Lane+" includes a "Skeleton Key", a key that grants holders special access to secret, intense rooms in six of the eight haunted houses. In addition, holders receive special seating for Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. "Fright Lane Max" is a VIP system that allows holders seating at Overlord's Awakening, a meal, and limited edition Haunt T-shirts, in addition to all the perks listed above.

In 2005, Worlds of Fun opened the first on-site resort. The campground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins, 20 cottages, and 82 RV sites, complete with electric and TV cable hookups. Each cabin or cottage can fit 6–8 people.

"Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights", which debuted in 2010, was an immersive light and sound experience starring thePeanuts characters. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights features over 2 millionLED lights and a variety of audio soundtracks through the Africa and Europa sections of the park. Along the walkway there were replicas ofSnoopy and other characters for guests to view. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights was a one million dollar investment that used special effects and sound design, custom designed for Worlds of Fun byEmmy Award-Winning RWS and Associates. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights opened for its original run on June 4 and ran through September 5, 2010.^[20]

Worlds of Fun's history of fall seasonal events began with theOktoberfest-themed festival, a staple of the park since its opening in 1973.Halloween-themed events were introduced in 1992 with the debut of the family-oriented Boo! Bash, held over the final two weekends that coincided with the Oktoberfest period. Over the following years, the Halloween program expanded in both scope and duration.^[21]

By 1998, the event had developed into two separate components: Boo! Blast, designed for younger visitors, and Halloween Haunt, aimed at older guests. In 1999, the combined events were officially titled Halloweekends, a name retained until the 2007 rebranding as Halloween Haunt.^[21][22][23] The park's first haunted maze, "Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns," opened in 2003.^[22]

In 2025, Worlds of Fun announced that guests would have to pay an additional fee to enter the haunted mazes during Halloween Haunt, which had previously been included as part of regular admission.^[24]

As of 2025^[update], it features ten Extreme Haunts, including five mazes and five scare zones, along with five live shows.^[25]

• 
  Finnish Fling and Octopus rides.
• 
  Le Taxi Tour's line queue in Europa.
• 
  Le Taxi Tour in action.
• 
  The Sea Dragon in Scandinavia
• 
  The Flying Dutchman is reported to be founder Lamar Hunt's favorite ride.
• 
  Zulu at night
• 
  Thunderhawk
• 
  The Skyliner Ferris wheel at Worlds of Fun.
• 
  Nighttime at Worlds of Fun.
• 
  Boomerang's full profile
• 
  Prowler's main drop.
• 
  Prowler's queue line.
• 
  Mamba and Timber Wolf.
• 
  Coaster's Diner near Mamba.
• 
  Prowler's train ascending the lift hill.
• 
  Fury of the Nile in action.
• 
  Fury of the Nile's signatureturnstile dock.

• In July 1978, during the ride's first season of operation, a malfunction of the 100-foot-tall Barnstormer caused the spinning planes carrying riders to descend rapidly, hitting each other on the way down. Some riders were also sprayed withhydraulic fluid. In total, 20 riders suffered minor injuries.^[17]

• On September 13, 2025, the park was evacuated on the opening night of its annual Halloween Haunt event following a report of gunshots. Police responded to the scene and later determined the sound was caused by fireworks, finding no evidence of a shooting or any injuries.^[26][27]

• On August 24, 2019, Trey Wallace, a 14-year-old boy, drowned in the wave pool.^[28] The boy died in the hospital after being taken off life support due to loss of brain function.^[29]

• On June 14, 1987, a train that was pulling into the loading station malfunctioned and slammed into the rear of the other train inside of the roller coaster station. A total of 56 passengers were involved in the accident, but only 8 were taken to the hospital for injuries.^[30]
• On July 17, 1999, two cars of a seven-car train derailed due to severe internal metal fatigue in a support post, stranding 18 people. Two were immediately taken to a hospital, and six went later. None of the injuries were life-threatening.^[31]

• On May 18, 1976, Robbie M. Meyers, an 8-year-old boy, was struck and seriously injured by the Screamroller after entering a restricted area.^[32] In 1977, Meyers was awarded $1.39 million (equivalent to $7.21 million in 2024^[33]) in a lawsuit finding Mid-America Enterprises responsible for his injuries.^[34][35] Worlds of Fun did not appeal the decision.^[35]

• On March 31, 1990, two trains collided just short of the loading platform, injuring 35 people.^[36] The control system had malfunctioned and was unable to control two trains at once. The ride reopened with a single train until the control system was fixed to handle two.^[37]
• On June 30, 1995, Ryan Bielby, a 14-year-old girl, fell from her seat on the roller coaster and died.^[38] The park owner at the time, Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc., and the ride manufacturer,Dinn Corporation, claimed that she was switching seats when the accident occurred. A riding companion and Biebly's family claimed that safety restraints (a lap bar and seat belt) had come undone on a sharp turn at the top of one of the ride's hills. In contrast, officials from Worlds of Fun claimed that witnesses had seen her removing her restraints and attempting to switch seats, and that there had been no malfunction. The ride was temporarily closed for an investigation of its safety features, which led to the installation of new lap bars. Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc. and Dinn Corporation settled with the family for $200,000.^[39] This makes the Timber Wolf the only ride so far at Worlds of Fun with a fatality.

Cole Lindbergh, former manager of the park's games department, was featured in a 2011 episode ofPublic Radio International'sThis American Life, "Amusement Park."^[40] In the nine-minute prologue,^[41] hostIra Glass interviews Lindbergh about his management philosophy and plays segments from severalYouTube videos he made to promote the park's games.^[40]

Worlds of Fun was used as the setting for a skit in a 2021 episode ofSaturday Night Live. The skit opens with a still photo of the park's iconic hot-air balloon sign and then cuts to the cast getting ready to ride Viking Voyager. The park's logo can be seen in the sketch and other rides such as Mamba and Zulu are referenced as well.^[42]

The park also appears in theHBO seriesThe Last of Us in which Mamba was featured.^[43]

• Closed rides and attractions at Worlds of Fun
• Incidents at Worlds of Fun

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWorlds of Fun.

• Official website
• Worlds of Fun at theRoller Coaster DataBase

• Operating amusement parks
• Worlds of Fun
• Amusement parks in Missouri
• Six Flags amusement parks
• 1973 establishments in Missouri
• Tourist attractions in Kansas City, Missouri
• Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri
• Lamar Hunt
• Amusement parks opened in 1973

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