Theme & Amusement Parks in Hendersonville
Recommended Theme & Amusement Parks by Groupon Customers
Ripley’s has enthralled audiences for more than nine decades with its dedication to revealing odd and unexplainable rarities from around the globe. But it all began with one man: Robert Ripley, a wildly successful and eccentric character who rose to fame during the first half of the 20th century. After selling his first cartoon to Life magazine at age 14, he set out on a quick-paced career of drawing sports cartoons for the New York Globe. During a slow day at the office, he sketched nine unusual sporting events and finished his work with a title: “Believe It or Not!” It became immensely popular, allowing Ripley to travel the world in search of more bizarre stories to put into his comic strips. While visiting relatively unknown areas in locales such as India, China, and the inside of his neighbor’s chimney, he picked up a slew of unbelievable souvenirs that later became fixtures in several of Ripley’s museums, or as they’re affectionately called today, Odditoriums. Ripley’s now encompasses publications, attractions, a television show, and a blog, all of which carry Ripley’s tradition of reporting on the world’s curiosities.
The days of dragons, princesses, and magic wands are revived at MagiQuest, an interactive medieval quest experience for all ages. The course takes visitors through a live-action game that creeps through dungeons, a village, and a fairy forest as players encounter myriad characters, sneak through secret doors, defeat a goblin king, and return jewels to the princess. The fun doesn’t stop when the game ends, as MagiQuest also has an on-site black light mini golf course, a laser spy challenge, and a mirror maze.
Monkey Joe's immerses kids aged 2–12 in a cushy world filled with bright yellows, reds, and greens. Amid the air-filled structures, kids enliven imaginations and burn off pent-up energy by scaling walls, cascading down slides, and drafting the blueprints for their parent's new inflatable summer home. During breaks in the action, they can also hit the arcade to try their hand at air hockey and other prize-redemption games.
Parents can head to the lounge to sip a rich cup of coffee, surf the 'net, and watch TV, confident that their little ones are under staff supervision. The friendly Monkey Joe's crew can also entertain groups in a private suite.
With guidance from the friendly staff at Lazer Port Fun Center, spontaneous family adventures can begin with laps around the three-story go-kart track. Visiting racers and thrill-seeking spools of twine wind around corners, maneuver along helixes, and plunge down a 40-foot hill, before seeking out indoor adventures. 14,000 square feet of laser-tag landscape invite photon-fighting visitors to participate in 30-minute skirmishes, speeding across black-lit terrain and taking refuge behind alien figures while cosmic landscapes flicker in the background. After an engaging battle, visitors can settle into a 30-minute groove through the outer-space-themed mini-golf course. Cratered asteroids throw neon-yellow light on green fairways as they navigate between crashed spacecrafts, maintaining focus despite the heckling of gravity. The mesmerizing haze of LEDs and bells beckons visitors onward toward the arcade for ticket-churning rounds of prize games.
When the sun sets over the Pisgah National Forest, the gourds lining Stingy’s Illuminated Pumpkin Trails begin to glow. Its more than 1,000 craft pumpkins—hand carved by local artists—display scenes such as rainforests, pirates, and mythical creatures. Before nightfall, however, Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Patch entices guests with myriad other autumnal attractions. The forest beckons guests to explore its spooky trail on foot or via hayride, a hay-bale maze challenges them twists and turns, and a human hamster wheel welcomes sprint sessions, all of which are carefully monitored by a staff of giant scientists.
Throughout the day, Mountain Dan regales crowds with stories and shows off his chainsaw art as local bluegrass bands, cloggers, and dance groups command the stage. Local vendors hawk their wares and munchies, and Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Patch personnel sell pumpkins grown by local farmers. Along with pumpkins for purchase, Stingy’s Ultimate Pumpkin Chunker hurtles them into the woods in a grand spectacle all night once the pumpkin trail lights up.
Icy coats clothe the hills at Snowy Joe's Winter Park from December to February as riders cut through winds atop inflated rings. At the top of the massive mound, bodies are postmarked express and delivered to the end of 350-foot alleys. Younger racers hike to the top of a shorter hill to shoot down smooth, 60-foot chutes. The venue welcomes large groups or birthday parties, providing pizza or special rates for family gatherings. Riders can also gather around a crackling open fire and sip on free hot chocolate.
