Belmont Park (San Diego) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Belmont Park is a historic oceanfront amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

located in the Mission Bay

Mission Bay, California

Mission Bay is a saltwater bay or lagoon located south of the Pacific Beach community of San Diego, California. The bay is part of the recreational Mission Bay Park, which is the largest man-made aquatic park in the country, consisting of , approximately 46% land and 54% water...

area of San Diego, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The park was developed by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels

John D. Spreckels

John Diedrich Spreckels , the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...

and opened on July 4, 1925 as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. In addition to providing recreation and amusement it also was intended as a way to help Spreckels sell land in Mission Beach. Located on the beach, it attracts millions of people each year.

The attractions and rides that remain from the original 1925 park include the Giant Dipper
Mission Beach Roller Coaster
The Giant Dipper, also known as the Mission Beach Roller Coaster, is a wooden roller coaster, built in 1925. The Giant Dipper is in Belmont Park, right on Mission Beach in San Diego...

, a wooden roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Another historic facility is The Plunge, an indoor swimming pool.. The Plunge was originally a salt water pool; it now contains fresh water and features a "Whaling Wall" painting by artist Wyland

Wyland

Robert Wyland , known simply as Wyland, is an artist best known for painting large, outdoor murals of whales and other ocean life.-Personal life:...

titled Orcas off Point Loma.

Other amusements include a Tilt-A-Whirl

Tilt-A-Whirl

Tilt-A-Whirl is one of the best-known flat rides, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs and carnivals in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing of Faribault, Minnesota...

, a three-story drop tower (the "Vertical Plunge"), the Liberty Carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...

, and the Wave House Athletic Club. The Wave House Bar and Grill overlooks the ocean and features two artificial wave

Artificial wave

Artificial waves are man-made waves usually created on a specially designed surface or in a pool.Artificial waves are created in one or two ways. First, if the wave is created on a designed surface, water is shot over the surface at a high speed to create a wave...

s. The larger wave is a FlowBarrel called "Bruticus Maximus" (or "bmax") and features an 8-foot barreling wave. The other wave is a smaller sheet wave known as a FlowRider. Newer attractions for 2010 include a SkyRopes obstacle course, a Moser Gyro Loop dubbed "Control Freak" and a Chance Unicoaster dubbed "Octotron." The park's rides including the Giant Dipper, are operated by the San Diego Coaster Company.

In 2002, businessman/surfer Tom Lochtefeld bought the master lease for the property and started development of the Wave House. In Spring 2006, the Wave House hosted MTV's

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...

.

Current Attractions

Giant Dipper
Vertical Plunge
Control Freak
Liberty Carousel
Tilt-A-Whirl
Crazy Submarine
Speedway Bumper Cars
Beach Blaster
Thunder Boats
Krazy Kars
Octotron
Sky Ropes
The Wavehouse
Pirates Of Belmont

Former Attractions

Sea Serpent - Relocated to Belmont's sister park, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 2003 to make room for Chaos.
Baja Buggies - Traded in 2004 for the Beach Blaster.
Chaos - Traded in October 2010 to Chance Rides for Octotron.
Pirates Cove - Closed down in 2004.
Fat Boyz Family Fun Arcade - Converted into Pirates Of Belmont Mini Golf and Arcade.

Controversy

On November 3, 2010 Wave House Belmont Park LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in US Bankruptcy Court

United States bankruptcy court

United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. They function as units of the district courts and have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising...

(Bankruptcy Petition #: 10-19663-11) citing a 700% increase in rent owed to the City of San Diego as the reason. Tom Lochtefeld, Belmont Park Manager Member, alleges the city has breached its lease agreement.

External links

32°46′17"N 117°15′8"W

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