Water Balloon Fights, Reinforced Roller Coasters: How Theme Parks Battle Extreme Heat

livemint.com:

The scorching summer heat has theme-park operators scrambling to make visitors more comfortable as the industry seeks to draw back crowds coming out of the pandemic. Park operators across the U.S. are extending hours into the evening and rolling out more misters, known in the industry as “scare-conditioning" because it looks like spooky fog.

Others are directing visitors toward so-called splash zones, where they can get showered by a nearby ride. Silver Dollar City, a park with an 1880s theme in the Missouri Ozarks, is holding daily water balloon fights for visitors to combat heat forecast to hit triple digits this week. The park, located in Branson, Mo., has also rolled out new drinks such as frozen lemonade, and since mid-July has extended park hours until 10 p.m., three hours later than usual, spokesman Dalton Fischer said.

The park has increased the number of staffers available to guide guests on hourlong tours of the giant limestone cave—where it stays about 68 degrees all year—that the park was built around. Gary Jackson, who visited SeaWorld in Orlando earlier this month with his wife and three grandchildren, appreciated the shade and cover provided by trees throughout the park. Still, the 55-year-old math teacher from Greenville, S.C., said: “It was hot as all get out." A SeaWorld season-pass holder, Jackson said he mapped a course for the day ahead of time, mixing waiting in the sun for rides with sitting in the shade watching animal shows.

His plan also accounted for drink-refill stations and included stops at the air-conditioned season-pass lounge. He used the SeaWorld app to order meals from the comfort of the lounge so that his family wouldn’t be stuck waiting in the heat for food. “We had to be very