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The Great Canadian Midway Attraction Type: Family Entetainment Centre Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 2002-Present Designer(s): White Hutchinsin Leisure Learning Group, Art Attack FX, Integrative Design Services HOCO's Dazzleland Family Fun Center had completely changed Niagara Falls attractions (and more specifically the complexes they were located in) when it debuted in 1992. Being the first family entertainment centre (an arcade-like complex that includes small rides and other attractions as well) in the Falls, it would usher in the direction the area's amusement industry was headed, and several more would open in the area in the decades to follow. Dazzleland Family Fun Center, mid-90's. When the government of Ontario was selecting the location for Casino Niagara in the mid-90s, HOCO apparently put in a bid to get the casino on their land. Eventually the casino went to the Falls Ave. Company, replacing the Maple Leaf Village mall between the Sheraton Foxhead and Sheraton Brock Hotels. This ended up being a financial injection large enough to start a bit of an attraction arms race against HOCO. After the rebranding of all the hotels in the Falls Ave. complex, the opening of Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, and a massive 2002 expansion to the complex consisting of Rainforest Cafe, WWE Niagara Falls, and the 4D Motion Theatre, the Falls Ave. Company was well into a several-stage redevelopment plan. The plan also featured upcoming additions of more attractions to fill out the already built and soon-to-be-named MGM Studios Plaza that the 4D Motion Theatre sat in the basement of, as well as an indoor F.E.C. to replace the second-floor mall in the now-renamed Sheraton Fallsview. Dazzleland (top, 2001) and the Great Canadian Midway (bottom, 2002) built atop the old Dazzleland foundation. With Dazzleland already being a massive success, and wanting to stay ahead of the curve, HOCO didn't just expand but also refine it into an entirely new attraction. More games reasonably equals higher guest enjoyment, and therefore profit. With this taken into account, the outdoor courtyard style with it's room for walkways between the buildings was re-designed, and HOCO again called upon the White-Hutchinson Leisure Learning Group (WHLLG), the firm who had designed Dazzleland. WHLLG designed not only a remodel of Dazzleland, but an incredible 5-step plan that if seen through to completion would have changed Clifton Hill even more than it ended up doing, leading up to an outdoor amusement park and a waterpark hotel in the field between Clifton Hill and the Skylon Tower. However, only steps 1 to 3 would actually come to fruition. Step 1 was remodeling Dazzleland into The Great Canadian Midway, which opened in 2002 and cost roughly $10 Million. The level, concrete foundation Dazzleland was built on was kept as the foundation of the Midway, hence why it has a similar footprint. Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf was moved to a former parking lot in front of Comfort Inn, and Wendy's would remain above Circus World with the Midway built around it. Rather than have several different buildings, the Midway would all be one indoor space, allowing for more games and year round operation, a genius business move. The Midway, like Dazzleland before it however, was divided into different themed areas and attractions, with the interior themed to an old-school amusement park at nighttime to make it feel outdoors. This makes the Midway somewhat of a spiritual successor to Dazzleland, which builds on the theme and retains the same atmosphere. The central area of the new Midway housed the Games Zone, with miscellaneous redemption games, arcade games, and strings of carnival-style lights between poles above the arcade. Surrounding this area was originally a variety of fake facades utilizing forced perspectives to resemble the buildings and stalls of a carnival midway. Inside the Midway in 2002. Wendy's remained, complete with the former entrance on the Dazzleland side that now exited into the Midway. The only change would be the removal of the hallway near washrooms at the back of the restaurant leading to Dazzleland, as the washrooms had also served as the washrooms for the attraction. The Midway would have its own, much larger washrooms, rendering the connecting hallway redundant. Next to Wendy's, roughly in the place of the former video game/pinball building in the back corner of Dazzleland, was the Ride Theatre. It was originally themed to a funhouse, as it showed the SimEx ride film "Fun House Express", also sometimes simply referred to as "Fun Express." The facade was made to resemble red and white carnival banners flanking the theatre's main sign above the ticket/control booth, which read "Ride Theatre" in a vintage-style carnival font. Clockwise to that was a funnel cake stand, and next to that the prize counter. Along the wall adjacent to that one was a large neon design resembling the marquee of a carnival game stand. Underneath it was all the carnival-eqsue redemption games, including Skee-Ball, Boom Ball, Roll-a-Ball and a Hi-Striker hammer game in the center. Top Left: The main sign for the Ride Theatre as seen from Clifton Hill. Top Right: The funnel cake stand between the ride theatre and the prize counter. Bottom Left: The prize counter, with the Skee-Ball machines visible along the adjacent wall under the carnival marquee. Bottom Right: Shot of the Games Zone facing the carnival marquee. Entrance to the Game Factory. Continuing clockwise around the Midway's walls would bring you to the Game Factory, with a crooked, askew factory building acting as it's facade provided by an Edmonton company called Art Attack FX. When Dinosaur Park was moved, the Boston Pizza and Sports Zone was built in it's place. These were also accessible from the Midway via a staircase up immediately to the right when you walked in the doors. The Sports Zone used the same tokens as the Midway, housing most of the sports games for the arcade, including pool tables and a bowling alley, and you could walk through the restaurant to get to the area from the Midway. It was under this area that the Game Factory existed in the Midway below, with all the water, utility, and power hookups necessary for the restaurant and arcade above being cleverly incorporated into the factory theme of the lower-ceilinged area. This is where several pinball machines and other miscellaneous games originally resided, and a few originals still reside to this day. Boston Pizza and the Sports Zone, 2002. One of these includes an old western-themed shooting gallery that may have come out of Circus World, or a variety of other locations. The Falls have seen a variety of western-themed shooting galleries over the years, mostly "Bonanza" shooting galleries dating to the 70s. If the Midway's is in fact recycled from another attraction, it stands to reason it's most likely it came out of Circus World, who rented their space from HOCO and formerly operated a similar sized shooting gallery that was removed around this time. It's contents have mostly been updated over the years, but some of the animatronics and props it originally contained include a bear, a drunk bandit, a fox, a snake, a skunk, a coyote, and a cowboy in a covered wagon with a rifle. The Game Factory formerly housed another shooting gallery called Blasteroids, which was a one of a kind custom shooting gallery game by Lazer-Tron. The game was themed to a laser tag-esque practice range bunker, featuring blacklight targets with bright, flashing sensors that moved around on arms. The back corner of the Game Factory is also where you can find the washrooms. Wild West Shooting Gallery, mid-2000's. Blasteroid in the Game Factory, early 2010's. Original Ghostblasters facade as it still appeared in the late 2010's. Located next to the Game Factory underneath the rest of Boston Pizza and the Sports Zone is Ghostblasters, a backlight, interactive laser shooting dark ride by the Sally Corporation of Florida. The ride was a package offered by Sally Corp., and was already installed in four other locations. The Midway's however would be the grandest. Rather than being themed to a regular mansion as was the pre-packaged story of the ride, the Midway's version was themed to a haunted hotel to match the history of the local area. In addition to all the props that came with the ride, several custom ones were made by Sally Corp. for HOCO to match the custom theme. Despite being one story underneath Boston Pizza, it originally had an impressive two story facade with crooked roof peaks, also provided by Art Attack FX. The Midway's logo has genius design, with the individual letter fonts making up the word "Midway" referencing all the areas and attractions originally in the complex, which flies right over most people's heads now that many of said elements have been changed or removed. The "M" is patterned with a design similar to that of the arcade's original carpet, the bowling pin "I" is a reference to the Sports Zone, the old-school lightbulbs on the "D" reference the lights that made up the word "Snacks" above the funnel cake stand, the art-deco font of the "W" is similar to the font of the original Ride Theater's logo, the spooky and slime-covered "A" is a reference to Ghostblasters, and the industrial typeface of the "Y" is a reference to the Game Factory area. The Great Canadian Midway's creative logo. The exterior of the attraction features this logo proudly on a double-sided sign which can be seen from either up or down the Hill. The sign is perched on a large overhang that offers a large covered area to the sidewalk below, calling tourists in through the attraction's massive, slide-up bay doors. On the wall of the building flanking the overhang was originally a sign on each side, each promoting a different ride within. Signs remain in these spots today, however the originals were very different. The one on the downhill side of the main sign was a poster for the Ride Theater, and on the uphill side of the main sign was the exterior signage for Ghostblasters, which included gargoyles, lanterns, and a tall sign showing a photo of the ride and it's logo surrounded by a three-dimensional gothic border. Under this sign was the set of double-doors, and on either side of them the thematic signage continued. On each side was a lenticular poster in a faux-stone box showing images of the attraction that changed as you walked past. These double doors are always unlocked while the Midway is open, but are mainly used when the large bay doors must remain shut in the winter. Left: Ride Theatre's original exterior signage, 2002. Right: Original outdoor Ghostblasters sign, late 2000's. To say the Midway did well (and continues to do well) is an understatement. It became an instant icon of Clifton Hill, it's giant sign becoming synonymous with the street itself. In total it originally provided 60,000 square feet of games, rides, entertainment, and dining across two floors, and was home to over 250 games in total, many of which were kept from the Dazzleland days. These included the ever-popular Wheel Em' In (which had been Dazzleland's most profitable game), the aforementioned Skee Ball machines, Roll-a-Ball and Boom Ball machines, several video games and pinball machines, and the giant Sega Super GT 4-player racing game that was placed in front of the Ride Theatre. There would also be several then-new games however, including large-screen Sega simulator titles like Top Skater, Water Ski, and Prop Cycle, several new coin pushers joining those held over from Dazzleland, Konami's Mocap Boxing, a TsuMo Multi-Game Motion System machine, "The Maze of Kings" Egyptian-themed light gun video game, dancing games, and much more. Large-screen Sega games along the Wendy's wall, 2002. The Sports Zone upstairs even featured 3 linked large-screen Harley Davidson motorcycle simulator games, a 4-player Daytona USA with TV monitors atop it so gameplay could be watched by Boston Pizza bar patrons, a Real Sports virtual sports simulator cage, and several more redemption, video, and pinball games. There was also a second, smaller redemption counter upstairs in the Sports Zone, as well as the aforementioned Cosmic Bowling glow-in-the-dark bowling alley featuring six Brunswick Bowlingo lanes. The alley featured a large, three-dimensional blacklight mural beside it matching the Cosmic Bowling theme. Rare light gun video games Brave Firefighters and Maze of Kings, 2002. Daytona USA simulators, 2002. Above: Sports Zone, early 2000's. Right: Pool tables and Cosmic Bowling, early 2000's. All this safely squashed any chance of the Falls Ave. Complex overshadowing the attractions further up the Hill, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Marvel Superheroes Adventure City would end up being the F.E.C. that replaced the Sheraton's Colonial Shops in 2004. It's unclear exactly when certain elements were planned for the Falls Ave. Complex, and if the attraction's details were planned before or after the Midway opened, but the Midway's influence on Adventure City in at least some form is clear. Shortly after this, the Midway itself would see it's first wave of updates. The first of these would come in the form of a renaming of the Ride Theatre to the "FX Thrill Ride Theatre", which received updated signage outside the Midway. The new signage featured a fiberglass ride vehicle protruding from the wall as if it had crashed through it. The ride vehicle resembled the one you're supposedly sitting in during the events of the ride film, and featured a clown sitting in the car. The theatre would see a massive overhaul in 2005. It would now show "Robots of Mars", a film that itself is now shrouded in a bit of mystery. It was a privately created film licensed to Simex ride systems, available in both a standard 21 minute version and a cut-down, ride theatre version. It's possible a portion of the film which took place before the events of the ride version (and were therefore cut from it) were used as the pre-show on the screen in the attraction's waiting room. This is of significance as both the ride version and the full, unedited standard version of the film with the 21 minute run time are currently considered lost media. It's estimated the film was likely only shown at an extremely small handful of ride theatres the world over, leading to it's obscurity. The Lost Media Wiki doesn't even have it listed on the website despite a limited search existing in YouTube comment sections. Updated theatre signage, early 2010's. Theatre re-themed to"Robots of Mars", mid-2000's. The exterior of the theatre would now be themed to the film, complete with the ride's sign atop a massive flying saucer protruding out of the wall, adorned with flashing lights. The wall itself would now feature a massive mural themed to the film that stretched from the wall Wendy's is along, over the ride's entrance, over the Sega Super GT game, and all the way to the Funnel Cake stand. The mural made several references to the film, the most prominent being the giant painting of one of the sand creatures you escape from in the film over the Sega Super GT Game. Under the flying saucer sat the ticket/control desk, flanked by the attraction's entrance and exit. Fiberglass statues portraying characters from the film, namely an Marty the Martian and "Doc" the robot, stood next to the entrance and exit which were located under giant, glowing tower structures. Art Attack FX was once again called upon to provide the theming for the updated theatre. The impressive theming of theatre during its FX Thrill Ride Theatre days, 2005. Ghostblasters would receive updates as well, with the ending of the ride being changed a few years after it opened. The final battle against "Boocifer" (the attraction's antagonist) in the scene after the "Boo Bomb" is detonated, being removed in favour of a much more elaborate graveyard scene. All the props from the original ending were relocated elsewhere in the ride. The new figures for the scene (as well as additions to the lobby) were produced by an Ohio company called Scarefactory at this time, and the lobby was given new, more hotel-theme-fitting wallpaper featuring a ghost pattern instead of the gothic brick design it opened with. Original Ghostblasters lobby (Top) versus how it has appeared since the update (Bottom). Robots of Mars would be replaced by the "Cosmic Coaster" film in 2007, but the thematic elements would remain as they matched the space theme of the new film, save for Marty the Martian who was moved to the lobby of Galaxy Golf. The Cosmic Coaster film would later outlive the thematic elements outside the theatre (more on that later) but the film would begin a hiatus in 2008 with the theatre showing the "Time Riders" film, hosted by John Cleese. It too would be short-lived, and end up being the last film shown fitting the sci-fi theme of theatre. It ended up being replaced sometime around 2010 by an edited version of Fun House Express with additional shots and footage, now dubbed "Coaster Chaos". This would be the last film shown using the original ride system and theatre layout, somewhat poetically as the original Fun Express, had been the first. The original theatre would drop the word "Thrill" from most of it's branding and usually be referred to as simply the "FX Ride Theatre" in it's final days, it's carnival-themed movie somewhat juxtaposed to the heavy space theming outfront. The Midway would see rapid changes throughout the 2010's. By this point the final stages of HOCO's aforementioned 5 stage plan that began with the Midway had been scrapped in favor of a new redevelopment plan in the wake of massive changes to the entertainment industry. With a different design company (Integrative Design Solutions) doing the groundwork and no amusement park to lead up to anymore, many of the thematic elements the Midway opened with would be removed and replaced in the next decade. The first to go in this less-structured era of direction for the Midway was the funnel cake stand beside the FX Theatre, being replaced with an expanded area of ticket counting machines in the very early 2010s. The expanded area of ticket counter machines can be seen on the lefthand side of this image (2011) in the former location of the funnel cake stand. Strike Rock n' Bowl in it's early days shortly after the remodel, early 2010's. Strike! Rock 'N Bowl opened in 2011 as an expansion/rebranding of the Sports Zone connected to Boston Pizza upstairs. The new 7-lane bowling alley replaced the Bowlingo alley that had previously been upstairs, and the Real Sports simulator was removed (along with the Cosmic Bowling mural) due to the wall it was along being the one knocked out for the expansion. The large-screen racing games that patrons could view from Boston Pizza's dining area were moved to the Game Factory around this time, and the space along the wall filled in with various other games. The FX Thrill Ride Theatre was gutted, the theming removed, and reopened as the "XD Theatre". The new ride was built by motion ride system company Triotech, with the new ride system utilizing individually moving seats rather than the entire seating section being on one moving platform. This allows for a higher rider capacity, more comfortable seating, and guests to be able to switch the motion on or off individually. The ride reopened with the new moniker in 2012, the first film it showed being none other than the Cosmic Coaster. A new, flat, printed sign for the theatre replaced the themed signage outside the Midway, a the giant 4-player Sega GT game previously along the wall outside the theatre was moved into the Game Factory. Left: The XD Theater in the mid-2010's. Right: XD Theater signage which replaced the FX Ride Theatre vehicle sign. The gradual phasing out of many of the games the Midway opened with ramped up around 2014, with the older pinball and video games being the first to go. Other updates came in 2016 when the Blasteroid shooting gallery was removed from the Game Factory, the carpeting for the entire arcade was replaced, and the Safari Adventure film (which briefly replaced the Cosmic Coaster) was replaced by the Wild West Coaster film in the XD Theatre, the entire theatre now taking the name of the latter. Two of the Daytona USA and two of the Sega Super GT machines were also removed, and the giant "Sega Super GT" header would follow suit shortly after. By this point, the integration of the Sports Zone (now Strike! Rock 'N Bowl) as part of the actual Midway had begun to fall away, and the area became steadily less sports-themed and more akin to a second, separate arcade. This was furthered even more by a sign reading "Sports Zone" in the main Midway's Games Zone below located on the wall next to the XD Theatre after the old theatre's theming was removed, however this area always seemed to have a revolving door of randomly themed games save for a couple basketball toss machines. Updated carpeting in the arcade. The "Sports Zone" sign added next to the XD Theatre. In 2018 Boston Pizza was heavily remodeled and much of it's custom location-oriented theming removed as part of an initiative to match HOCO'S franchised restaurants with the standard styles of them found elsewhere in the country. This included the removal of the games against the wall along the walkway through Boston Pizza from Strike! Rock 'N Bowl to the staircase to the Midway. The staircase itself would finally be sealed off entirely when the pandemic hit in 2020. This was likely because you had to walk through the restaurant to get to the bowling alley, and during the pandemic an employee would have had to man the stairwell at all times, carding people for proof of vaccine. It was most likely not the only contributing factor to the decision however, as long before the pandemic, carding people for ID when the upstairs area became 19+ after a certain time had required someone staffing the stairwell during the evening hours anyway since it opened, and was likely a costly endeavor. The same year, Ghostblasters had the large haunted house facade (and gothic signage for it outside the Midway) removed and would be replaced with flat cutout signage. The Game Factory followed suit the following year. The Wild West Coaster was updated as well, now reverting to the name XD Theatre and welcoming back a revolving turnstile of films, starting with the Cosmic Coaster's second return to the Midway in 2022. Several older games from the Dazzleland era continued to be phased out including the original Skee-Ball machines, Roll-a-Ball, the Water Gun game, Boom Ball, Knock Down, Bromley's Rock n' Bowl, Namco's incredibly rare (and now highly valuable) Godzilla Wars Jr., Treasure Falls, Hungry Dragon, Wacky Gator, the last remnants of Sega Super GT and Daytona USA, as well as several more. Former staircase up to Boston Pizza while walled off, 2022. The biggest change in the Midway's history however came in February of 2024, when the entire arcade switched from a traditional token and tickets operation to running on a play card system. This had various impacts on the Midway, the most obvious being it leading to the removal of all of the token action games, many of which were the last remnants of Dazzleland by this point. This included Wheel Em' In, Smokin' Token, Goin' Rollin', Wonder Wheel, Deep Freeze, Simpson's Kooky Carnival, Big Shot, Lite Em' Up, Big Haul, and all the coin pushers save for the more modern "rapid fire" ones that use recycling tokens which never leave the machine. Various new games filled in the space created, including a large number of e-claw electronically-fixed claw machines. It also led to the removal of the ticket counter machines next to the prize counter. One positive to seemingly come out of it however was the re-opening of the staircase from the Midway up to Boston Pizza/Strike! Rock 'N Bowl (now named Strike! Games Zone), perhaps due to the cross-compatible play cards proudly displaying the logos of both the Midway and the bowling alley. Updated Ghostblasters and Game Factory facades after the removal of their 3-dimensional theming. When the Midway debuted the play card system, Bone Blaster Shooting Gallery (which had briefly occupied the front half of the former Fun Factory store space next to Movieland) was moved into the arcade along the Wendy's wall. The gallery was built by Daniel's Wood Land, the benchmark name in shooting galleries, and for good reason. It's incredibly well designed, witty, and worth the money, despite taking up a huge amount of former arcade floor space. The impressive "Bone Blaster! Shootin' Gallery" The Midway has now been entertaining guests for over two decades, three if you include it's past incarnation as Dazzleland. It may be very different than it was when it opened both in contents and concept, but the Midway still offers a wide variety of games for various styles of arcade-goers. The future for the attraction remains unclear, as it has always seemed to and always will be a reflection of larger industry trends, but while the glory days of it's thematic elements and storytelling are gone, several elements such as Ghostblasters, the wild west shooting gallery, the string carnival lights and marquee in the main Games Zone, and an increasingly smaller handful of older games remain. Between Adventure City's even more lackluster attempts at removing it's theming, some of the totally themeless F.E.C.s that have recently opened in the area, and the lack of maintenance at the Skylon Tower's Skyquest (despite its impressive collection of rare and vintage games), the Midway continues to be a stand out location that still rises above the rest.

Dazzleland Family Fun Center Attraction Type: Family Entertainment Centre Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 1992-2001 Designer(s): White Hutchinson Leisure Learning Group Overview of Dazzleland as seen from the Pilgrim Motel, mid 90's. In 1992, the final piece of the puzzle for Clifton Hill's present day atmosphere would click into place. Welland Securities changed their name to HOCO (Harry Oakes Company) and beginning in the late 80's, took ownership of attractions that were formerly just tenants of theirs including Movieland , The Niagara Marketplace, The Space Spiral Tower, Golf-a-Rama atop Circus World, and the Cliffside Motel (which had its pool removed and was integrated into a wing of the adjacent Quality Inn.) The only attractions that would continue being leased were Ripley's and Circus World, meaning HOCO not only owned all the land on the South-West side of the hill, they now ran everything between Circus World and Ripley's, as well as the Harry's Burgers space and the ice cream stand immediately down the hill from Circus World. With the driveway in to the former Cliffside wing no longer needed, as it could now be accessed by the Quality Inn lot, it would become the last section of land to be developed along Clifton Hill. In the driveway's place was now a large empty space between Circus World and Movieland, with the Space Spiral Tower (with a relatively small footprint) stuck in the middle. HOCO called upon attraction design and layout firm White Hutchison Leisure Learning Group (WHLLG) to design an attraction around the Space Spiral that would use the final undeveloped land on Clifton Hill. And so WHLLG designed Dazzleland Family Fun Center, a courtyard of buildings arranged in roughly the same layout as the Great Canadian Midway (for reasons we'll get to later) that sits on the land now. The space surrounding the Spiral Tower that Dazzleland would later occupy, as it looked when it was occupied by Golf-a-Rama and the driveway in to the Cliffside, 1980's. The buildings around the outside of the courtyard were long and narrow, picture a courtyard of carnival game trailers but permanent, appealing buildings in the architecture style of a European village. Carnival lights adorned much of the signage, and the complex featured an abundance of neon on the attraction's large sign, on many of the buildings' exteriors, and signage featuring the word "DazzleLand" on the wall in many of the buildings. Bird's eye view of Dazzleland's courtyard taken from the Spiral Tower, late 90's. At the front of the attraction facing the street, on either side of the large open entrance to the courtyard, were two fast food restaurants. On the downhill-most side, the Wendy's was built on top of Circus World, replacing the Golf-a-Rama mini golf that had formerly been on the attraction's roof. It featured an outdoor patio in the back corner of the dining area overlooking Clifton Hill, but this would be enclosed in later years. At the back of the dining area next to the washrooms was also a hallway that led into Dazzleland, as the washrooms also served as the washrooms for the attraction itself. Across the entrance to the courtyard from Wendy's was a Domino's Pizza, roughly where stairwell just to your right is when entering the Great Canadian Midway now. Unlike Wendy's however who had the option to dine-in, the Domino's was only a take-away counter. Above: Wendy's in 1993 above Circus World. Right: Domino's Pizza seen along with the Spiral Tower and camera store, mid 90's. Clockwise when entering the actual courtyard of Dazzleland, the first building, built into the side of Wendy's, was the Whac-a-Mole building. This section housed several Bob's Space Racers (the co-inventors of Whac-a-Mole) late-80's "Version B" Whac-a-Mole machines. In the same building along the same wall was a handful of various redemption games. The next building, running alongside the forested hill down to Queen Victoria Park, was a larger walk-in building that served as the main redemption arcade area, housing all the miscellaneous ticket redemption games. This area was also home to one of the strangest arcade games in the Falls, a shooting gallery utilizing water guns rather than infrared light guns. It was called "Fire Department 911" and appeared to be a custom build, with the targets consisting of cut-out flames. The manufacturer remains unknown. Above: The main redemption game building, 1993. Right: The Fire Department 911 water gun shooting gallery. Whac-a-Mole machines, 1993, Miscellaneous games occupying the back half of the Whac-a-Mole building, 1993. In the back corner, roughly where the XD Theatre now sits in The Midway, was the largest building in Dazzleland, the main Arcade. This is where the large collection of video games and pinball machines were located, as well as the Cyclone redemption game. This section could also be accessed via a doorway in the back corner of the redemption game building. The building next to the Arcade was also connected via a doorway on the other side as well, and ran along the back of Dazzleland. This building housed various carnival style coin operated games such as the Skee Ball, Boom Ball, and Roll-a-Ball style games. A couple smaller redemption games were also located against the pillars along the front of this building. The final building along the outside (between the Skee-Ball building and Domino's) was the Sports Games building, which included racing, basketball toss, football toss, and pitching games. A section of this building with a checkered floor contained racing-themed games, like 4 linked Sega Super GT racing simulators that would be added in the late 90's, and later go on to also be a staple of the Midway, as would nearly all of Dazzleland's games. Above top: Entrance to the main arcade. Above bottom: Inside the main video and pinball arcade, mid 90's. Left: Interior of the Skee Ball building and it's side entrance to the main arcade, as seen in a 2001 brochure. Right: Boom Ball style, Roll-a-Ball, water gun race, and Skee Ball machines, mid 90's. The racing-themed section of the sports games building with the checkered floor, 2000. In the middle of the courtyard was a small carousel, a small pond that contained an RC boat game, and a building housing the carousel's control booth which had miscellaneous games wrapping around it on the other three sides. A smaller building in the back half of the courtyard outfront the Arcade building was the ticket Redemption Centre and prize counter. The courtyard was also full of claw machines and coin operated rides. The Space Spiral and camera store next door were incorporated into Dazzleland, still being accessible directly off the Hill. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, the tower was exactly where the Fudge Factory now is, as the circular store was once the loading area for the tower. Along Clifton Hill, between the camera store and the Dominos was a fortune teller machine built right into the wall: "Ask the Brain". The brain still lives on inside Movieland, except now he wants a loonie instead of a quarter. Left: The RC boat pond with the sports building in the background, 1993. Right: "Ask The Brain" in 2000. To fill the consumer need left after the mini golf atop Circus World was replaced with the Wendy's, a new, much more challenging course would be constructed just up the Hill from the Spiral Tower. It's entrance was right on the Hill, but the course wrapped around the tower and ran back behind Dazzleland, between the back of Dazzleland and the parking lot of the Quality Inn. It would have no real theme for its first two years of operation, and feature generic statues like a comical man teeing off from the course's main waterfall, dolphins jumping out of the fountains, and a replica of the Skylon Tower at the back. It's debatable if this attraction could technically be considered part of Dazzleland. While built at the same time and wrapping around Dazzleland proper, it wasn't technically inside it. It's unknown if this course had its own name or was originally considered part of the complex. It would also outlive Dazzleland in its later form as Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf (see below), moving around the area and eventually evolving into the present-day Dinosaur Adventure Golf. Dazzleland under construction in 1991, showing the full layout of the mini golf. Above: The miniature golf course as seen from the driveway into Quality Inn, 1992. Left: A fiberglass statue of a down-on-his-luck golfer tees off from the waterfall at the entrance to the course on Clifton Hill, 1993. This early version of the Dazzleland complex would be very short lived, with changes coming just two years later in 1994. The Whac-a-Mole and prize buildings would be switched around, and the water gun shooting gallery would also switch places with the miscellaneous games next to the Whac-a-Mole machines. The biggest change however would come in the form of a retheme of the mini golf. Riding off the success of the film Jurassic Park, the course would now become "Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf." Unique fiberglass dinosaurs now populated the course, and a dragon/sea serpent was added to the RC boat pond. It's unknown who sculpted these figures (possibly someone from within WHLLG). Left: Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf in a 2001 brochure. Right: The dragon in the RC boat pond, 1998. The sign for the Redemption Centre after it switched places with the Whac-a-Mole building. Dazzleland was an instant success, being one of the crucial moments in the development of the Niagara Falls tourism industry that forever changed the area. It was the first Family Entertainment Centre in the Falls, combining arcade machines with other rides and attractions all in one arcade-like complex, more accessible than an amusement park yet more captivating than an arcade. Almost every arcade to open in the Falls since Dazzleland has also been an F.E.C., a clear indication of it's influence. The complex had a unique but distinct atmosphere, having no exact theme other than a whimsical, fantasy-like environment as represented by the stars and moons on the attraction's signage. The carnival-like atmosphere and variety in the attraction made it stand out from the other arcades in the area at the time, and it became a go to-hang out for both tourists and locals alike. It's variety also made it popular with all demographics, featuring pinball and video games popular with teenagers and adults, redemption games and rides largely popular with children and families, and an open, appealing atmosphere even drawing in those who wouldn't usually be arcade-goers. It's popularity however would also be it's demise, and it would be relatively short-lived, only lasting a decade. The success of the attraction led HOCO to expand the concept further, and more games = higher guest enjoyment, and therefore profit. The outdoor courtyard style with it's room for walkways between the buildings was re-designed, and HOCO again called upon WHLLG. WHLLG designed not only a remodel of Dazzleland, but an incredible 5-step plan that would have changed Clifton Hill, however only steps 1 to 3 would come to fruition... Step 1 was remodeling Dazzleland into the Great Canadian Midway , which opened in 2002. The level, concrete foundation Dazzleland was built on was kept as the foundation of the Midway, hence why it has a similar footprint. Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf was moved to a former parking lot in front of the Comfort Inn. Rather than have several different buildings, the Midway would all be one indoor space, allowing for more games and year round operation, a genius business move. After it's closure, Dazzleland would fall into obscurity. In the early days of research that would eventually evolve into this website, Dazzleland only existed as one-line mentions in old HOCO Attractions brochures and the vauge memories of the author, becoming somewhat of my "white whale". HOCO themselves eventually uploaded some limited photos of the attraction on their Clifton Hill Fun Facebook page, and as time went on and my original historical postings on Reddit began to receive attention, more people began to comment that they remembered Dazzleland fondly. Many details of the attraction came out along with it, and eventually, after years of scouring old tourist vacation videos on YouTube, the full layout and story of the attraction's changes over the years came to light. Arials of Dazzleland (2000) and the Great Canadian Midway (2024), showing how the Midway was built upon Dazzleland's pre-established layout. The gorgeous double-sided neon sign at the entrance to the complex, which acted as a beacon of Clifton Hill, 2000. While Dazzleland may be gone, the Midway took the carnival-like atmosphere that Dazzleland offered and turned it into the entire theme of the Midway, which is actually themed to an outdoor carnival midway complete with strings of lights between the pillars. It also features several attractions around the outside walls surrounding the main arcade space, creating somewhat of an indoor courtyard. This makes the Midway somewhat of a spiritual successor to Dazzleland that builds on the theme and retains the same atmosphere. Dazzleland continues to live on in the memories of those who visited, frequented, and worked there as well as the millions of visitors who have since visited the Midway, whether they realize it's hidden influence or not.

Lost Media This section attempts to list, archive and track down pieces of media related to the Canadian amusement industry. "Lost Media" is any type of media confirmed to once exist, but is no longer available to the general public on the internet, in accessible archives, public libraries, or any other openly accessible resource. This section lists our most wanted pieces of media for our archives, most of which are extremely obscure and not discussed anywhere in other amusement and lost media communities on the internet. Castle Dracula Radio Spot - Castle Dracula (Lost radio commercials for U.S. l ocations, mid-late 1970s) Castle Dracula T.V. Commercial(s) - Castle Dracula (Lost television commercials for U.S. locations, mid-late 1970s) Coaster Chaos - FX Ride Theater (Lost edit of "Funhouse Express" ride film with additional footage, 2010) Country Hound Jamboree - Magic Harbour (Lost showtapes/footage of Waxattract-built animatronic show for U.S. park) Crystal Ball Projection Video - Castle Dracula (Lost film used to create special effect, 1974) Dracula Face Projection Video - Castle Dracula (Lost film used as projected face for figure in U.S. location, 1975) Captain Andy's Rivertown Revue - Boblo Island Amusement Park (Partially lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show) Captain Carnival Commercial - Captain Carnival Pizza Theatre (Lost commercial for family entertainment centre, 1983) Captain Carnival Show - Captain Carnival Pizza Theatre (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show) PARTIALLY FOUND "Cat in the Hat" Ride Film (Existence Unconfirmed) - Extreme Movie Ride 4D, MGM Studios Plaza (Lost motion ride film, 2002) "Country Jamboree" - Crystal Beach Amusement Park (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show) Ghostblasters Attraction Trailer - Ghostblasters, Great Canadian Midway (Partially lost advertisement for ride) Good Times Jamboree - Pyramid Place (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show, 1979) Good Times Jamboree Cartoon - Pyramid Place (Lost animated preshow film, 1979) Harry Houdini "Talking Head" Projection Video - Houdini Hall of Fame (Partially lost film used to create special effect) Hillbilly Bear Jamboree - Maple Leaf Village (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show, 1982) The Hot Air Fantasy - Marineland (Partially lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show, mid-late 1980's) "Ice Cave" Projection Video - Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum (Partially lost film used to create special effect) John Bradshaw Show Ripley's Episode - Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum (Lost television showcase of the attraction, 1964) Marineland Promotional "Sailor Seal" Video - Various locations (Partially lost advertisement used in promotional stands) Marineland "Sailor Seal" Show - Various locations (Partially lost showtapes/footage of animatronic used in promotional stands) Meet Mr. Lincoln - Maple Leaf Village (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show, 1984) Monster Mash - Castle Dracula (Lost showtapes/footage of animatronic show, 1974) Monster Mash Projection Film - Castle Dracula (Lost film used as projection effect in U.S. location, 1975) MGM Multi-Media Films - MGM Great Movie Journey, MGM Studios Plaza (Lost presentation films from attraction, 2003) Robots of Mars 3D Adventure - FX Ride Theatre, Great Canadian Midway (Partially lost motion ride film, 2005)

Dark Attractions, Wax Museums, and Exhibits Dark attractions consist of Dark Rides, Walkthrough Haunted Attractions, Fun Houses and Mirror Mazes. Also included here are Wax Museums, as the line between them and Dark Attractions can be a little hazy due to the latter sometimes utilizing wax figures. Many early haunted attractions in Canada even began with the "Wax Museum" moniker due to the term "haunted attraction" not being coined yet. Exhibit type-attractions such as the "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" chain, or specialty aquariums such as the National Marine Aquarium of Canada or West Edmonton Mall's "Sea Life Caverns" can also be found on this page. Niagara Region Adventure Into the Unknown - Skylon Indoor Amusement Park, Niagara Falls Alien Encounter - Niagara Falls Antique Auto Museum/Cars of the Greats - Niagara Falls Battle of the Titans - Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls Biblical Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Big Top Amazing Mirror & Laser Maze - Niagara Falls Boris Karloff Wax Museum/"Haunted House" - Niagara Falls Brick City - Niagara Falls Burning Springs Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Canadian Wildlife Exhibit - Niagara Falls Carnival Chaos Hyper Ride - Niagara Falls Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum - Niagara Falls Castle Dracula/Dracula's Haunted Castle - Niagara Falls Circus World (Clifton Hill location) - Niagara Falls Creatures of the Night - Niagara Falls Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Crystal Beach Wax Museum/Chambers of Horror - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Crystal Caves - Niagara Falls Dare Devil Gallery - Niagara Falls Elvis Presley Museum - Maple Leaf Village (moved to Pyramid Place) , Niagara Falls Evel Knievel Museum - Maple Leaf Village (moved to Victoria Ave.) - Niagara Falls Fantasy Land - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach The Fun House - Niagara Falls Ghostblasters - Great Canadian Midway, Niagara Falls Guinness World of Records Museum - Niagara Falls Haunted Graveyard of Niagara - (Pyramid Place?), Niagara Falls Haunted Hallways and Screaming Tunnels Torture Chamber - Fun Zone (Fallsview Blvd. location), Niagara Falls Haunted House - Prudhomme's Landing, Lincoln The Haunted House (Clifton Hill) - Niagara Falls Horror Manor Chambers of Terror - Niagara Falls Houdini Magical Hall of Fame - Niagara Falls The House of Frankenstein - Niagara Falls The Incredible Hulk Encounter - Marvel Superheroes Adventure City, Niagara Falls Jolly Roger (same as Pirate's Voyage?)- Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Laff in the Dark - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Lazer Maze - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls Life Museum - Niagara Falls Locomoland - Niagara Falls Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Magic Carpet/Magic Palace - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach MGM Great Movie Journey - MGM Studios Plaza, Niagara Falls Movieland Wax Museum (Hollywood Wax Museum) - Niagara Falls National Marine Aquarium of Canada - Niagara Falls Niagara Gun Museum - Niagara Falls Nightmares (and Nightmares II) - Maple Leaf Village (moved to Victoria Ave.), Niagara Falls Nightmares III The Black Journey - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls "Ocean World" (same as National Aquarium?) - Exact location unknown Old Mill/Jungleland - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Pirate's Cove Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Pirate's Voyage (same as Jolly Roger?) - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Playmate Exhibits - Niagara Falls Potvin Miniatures Museum - Niagara Falls Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum - Niagara Falls Rock Legends Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Royal London Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Screamers (top level location)/Haunted Asylum/Screaming Tunnels - Maple Leaf Village (moved to Victoria Ave.), Niagara Falls Showboat/(Creep Show?)/Mysterious Mansion/Screamers (ground level location) - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls Spacearium/Spaceland/Space Museum - Niagara Falls Spider-Man: The Ultimate Ride/Superheroes Lazer Ride - Marvel Superheroes Adventure City/Adventure City, Niagara Falls Spidey and Friends Funhouse - Marvel Superheroes Adventure City, Niagara Falls Sports Hall of Fame - Niagara Falls That's Incredible! Museum - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls Tower of London Wax Museum - Niagara Falls Wonderful World of Fantasy - Niagara Falls World a Million Years Ago - Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls Greater Toronto Area The Haunted Barrel Works - Centreville Amusement Park, Toronto Laff in the Dark - Canadian National Exhibition Grounds (Permanent structure) - Toronto Ontario North Now/Mirror Maze - Ontario Place, Toronto Ripley's Aquarium of Canada - Bremmer Blvd., Toronto Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion/Boo Blasters on Boo Hill - Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn Spook Castle - Sunnyside Amusement Park, Toronto 13 Rooms of Terror - Warden/Steeles, Markham Toronto Wax Museum - Yonge/Gerrard, Toronto Wonder Mountain Walkway - Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn Wilderness Adventure Ride - Ontario Place, Toronto Yogi's Cave/Smurf Cave/Treasure Cave - Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn Lake Huron and Georgian Bay Chomps Shark Museum - Wasaga Beach Dracula's Dungeon/Escape the Dungeon - Castle Village Enchanted Kingdom, Balm Beach/Midland Phantom Express (Geister Express) Ghost Train - Playland Park, Wasaga Beach Scares 'n Dares/Nightmares - Wasaga Beach Ontario - Other Areas Flight to Mars - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg Phantom Express - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg Thousand Islands Haunted House - Thousand Islands Alberta Canadian Wax Gallery - Banff Crystal Labyrinth - Dragon's Tale, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Fantasyland/Galaxyland Express/Monopoly Railroad - Fantasyland/Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Fort Edmonton Park Funhouse - 1920's Midway & Exhibition, Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton Haunted Hotel - Calaway Park, Calgary Lazer Maze - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Merlin's Haunted Laboratory - Fantasyland/Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Museum of Fear and Wonder - Bergen Quirks in the Works - Fantasyland/Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Sea Life Caverns - Marine Life, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton British Columbia (and Northern Canada) Gastown Wax Museum - Vancouver Glass House - Playland at the PNE, Vancouver Haunted House - Playland at the PNE, Vancouver Haunted Mansion - Playland at the PNE, Vancouver Jurassic Exhibit - Bedrock City/Dinotown, Chilliwack Royal London Wax Museum - Victoria Quebec Flight to Mars - La Ronde, Montreal Grand Orient (Salem Aleikum) - La Ronde, Montreal Haunted House - Belmont Park, Montreal Laff-in-the-Dark - Belmont Park, Montreal Lost River - Belmont Park, Montreal Magic Carpet - Belmont Park, Montreal Le Moulin de le Sorcerier (Witch's Mill) - La Ronde, Montreal Musee de Cire (Wax Museum) - Quebec City Musée Grévin - Montreal Eaton Centre, Montreal Atlantic Canada (East of Quebec) Enchanted Castle - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Haunted Castle - Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure, Lucasville, NS The Haunted House - Upper Clements Park(s), Upper Clements, NS Pioneer Museum (Name Unconfirmed, Location Unknown), P.E.I. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Route 6 Haunted Motel - Cavendish Beach Adventure Zone, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Royal Atlantic Wax Museum - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Rum Runners - Rainbow Valley, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Wax World of the Stars - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Witch's Cave - Rainbow Valley (Later moved to Shining Waters Family Fun Park), Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Woodleigh Replicas - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I.

Atlantic Canada (East of Quebec) Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. While these provinces are smaller in size they've contained a wide variety of attractions over the years due to population centers like St. John's, Moncton, Halifax and the tourist hotspot of Cavendish Beach. Amusement and Theme Parks Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure - Lucasville, NS Axtion - St. John's, NL Crystal Palace - Champlain Place, Dieppe (Moncton), NB Magic Mountain - Magnetic Hill (Moncton), NB Magic Valley Fun Park - Greenhill, NS Rainbow Valley - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Sandspit Cavendish Beach - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Shining Waters Family Fun Park - Hunter River (Cavendish Beach), P.E.I. Upper Clements Park(s) - Upper Clements, NS Arcades, Mini Golf and F.E.C.s AJ's Bar & Billiards - Corner Brook, NL Backstreet Amusements - Prince St., Halifax, NS Breakers Sports Lounge - Torbay Rd., St. John's, NL Burlington Go Karts - Kensington (Burlington), P.E.I. The Boardwalk - Magnetic Hill (Moncton), NB Buccaneer's Cove Mini Golf - Gage Golf and Curling Club, Oromocto, NB Carmen Creek Mini Putt - Carmen Creek Golf Course, Fredericton, NB Cavendish Beach Adventure Zone - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Classic Cue - Grand Falls-Windsor, NL Corner Pocket - Airport Blvd., Gander, NL Cybermind V.R. Centre - Halifax, NS Cybermind V.R. Centre - Moncton, NB Darnley Greens & The Red Zone - Darnley, P.E.I. Doolys - Amherst, NS Doolys - Antigonish, NS Doolys - Caraquet, NS Doolys - Causeway Shopping Centre, Port Hawkesbury, NS Doolys (Elmwood Dr. location) - Moncton, NB Dooly's - Greenwood, NS Doolys (Main St. location) - Fredericton, NB Doolys (McDonald St. location) - Saint John, NB Doolys - Mirimachi, NB Doolys - (Mountain Rd. location) - Moncton, NB Doolys - North Sydney, NS Doolys - Oromocto, NB Doolys - Parkway Mall, Saint John, NB Doolys - Prince Edward Square, Saint John, NB Doolys (Prospect St. location) - Fredericton, NB Doolys - Riverview (Moncton), NB Doolys - St. Stephen, NB Doolys - Summerside, P.E.I. Doolys - Sydney, NS Doolys - Truro, NS Doolys (Wilmot Alley location) - Fredericton, NB Drive-U-Crazy Mini Golf - New Glasgow, P.E.I. East Coast Karting - Greater Lakeburn (Moncton), NB Eastside Billiards & Lounge - Chain Lake Dr., Halifax, NS Electric Avenue - Sobeys Square, St. John's, NL Electric Avenue - Village Square Shopping Centre (later moved to Hamlyn Rd.), St. John's, NL Exit 88 Go-Kart Racing - Grand Falls, NB Fantasy 2000 - Dartmouth, NS Fire Fly Recreation - Hampton, NB GeForce Funderdome - Mt. Pearl, NL Go-Karts - Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure, Lucasville, NS The Golden Cue - Corner Brook, NL Good Guys Golf - Fredericton, NB Goodwood family Golf Centre - Goodwood, NS Gypsy Mini Golf - Centre (Lunenburg), NS Hartt Island Mini Golf - Springhill (Fredericton), NB Hi-Ball Bar & Billiards - Stephenville, NL Ironwood Pitch & Putt - St. John's, NL JJ's Billiards & Lounge - Main St., Burin, NL Kartbahn Racing - Halifax, NS King's Billiards - Yarmouth, NS Kingswood Entertainment Centre - Hanwell (Fredericton), NB Locas Billiards - George St., Halifax, NS Magic Mountain GolfZone - Magic Mountain, Magnetic Hill (Moncton), NB Mariner's Cove Miniature Golf - Mariner's Cove Boardwalk, P.E.I. Maurie's Mini-Putt & Ice Cream - Morrison Cove (Miramichi), NB McNally's Billiards - Commonwealth Ave., Mount Pearls, NL McNally's Billiards - Powell Dr., Carbonear, NL Mini Golf - Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure, Lucasville, NS Miss Cue - Mountain Rd., Moncton, NB Musgrave Harbour Amusements - Musgrave Harbour Municipal Park, Musgrave Harbour, NL Pit Stop Karting - Sandspit Cavendish Beach, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. PonyBoat Social Club - Kent St., Charlottetown, P.E.I. Putting Edge - Halifax, NS Quinpool Amusement - Quinpool Rd., Dartmouth, NS Quinpool Billiards - Quinpool Rd., Dartmouth, NS The Rack Bar and Billiards - Stewart St., New Glasgow, NS Riverdale Fun Centre - Conception Bay South, NL Rockhouse Pub - St. John's, NL Sandpit Miniature Golf - Sandspit Cavendish Beach, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Shooter's Bar and Billiards - Main St., Burin, NL Sir Admiral John's Adventure Golf - St. John's, NL Snow Queen Leisure World - Antigonish, NS Splash "n" Putt Resort - Traytown, NL Starcade - Avalon Mall, St. John's, NL Super Cue Billiards - Sackville Dr., Lower Sackville, NS Sussex Adventure Mini Golf - Sussex, NB Tables Billiard Lounge - Bay Roberts, NL 21st Century Billiards - Carten St., Liverpool, NS Union Bar & Billiards - Corner Brook, NL Vegas Family Entertainment Centre - Saint John, NB West Side Charlie's - Bay Roberts, NL West Side Charlie's - Carbonear, NL West Side Charlie's - Clarenville, NL West Side Charlie's - Conception Bay South, NL West Side Charlie's - Mount Pearl, NL West Side Charlie's - New Minas, NS West Side Charlie's - Paradise, NL West Side Charlie's (Torbay Road location) - St John's, NL West Side Charlie's (Kenmount Rd) - St John's, NL West Side Charlie's (Topsail Road location) - St John's, NL Dark Attractions, Wax Museums and Exhibits Enchanted Castle - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Haunted Castle - Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure, Lucasville, NS The Haunted House - Upper Clements Park(s), Upper Clements, NS Pioneer Museum (Name Unconfirmed, Location Unknown), P.E.I. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Route 6 Haunted Motel - Cavendish Beach Adventure Zone, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Royal Atlantic Wax Museum - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Rum Runners - Rainbow Valley, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Wax World of the Stars - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Witch's Cave - Rainbow Valley (Later moved to Shining Waters Family Fun Park), Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Woodleigh Replicas - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Specialty Hotels and Gift Shops Best Western/Ramada Plaza Dieppe/Moncton Crystal Palace - Crystal Palace, Champlain Place, Dieppe (Moncton), NB Theatres, Bowling Alleys and Miscellaneous Acadian Bowling Lanes & 9th Lane Lounge - Little Brook, NS Alley 4 Bowling Alley - Belliveaus Cove, NS The Alley Restaurant and Bowling Alley - Charlottetown, P.E.I. Avon Valley Lanes - Windsor, NS Bowlacade - Bible Hill, NS Bowlacade - Woodstock, NB Bowlarama - Dartmouth, NS Bowlarama - Dieppe (Moncton), NB Bowlarama - Halifax, NS Bowlarama - Spryfield (Halifax), NS Bowl-More Lanes - Bridgewater, NS Brackley Drive-In - Brackley Beach, P.E.I. Brunswick Lanes - Yarmouth, NS Cape Breton Drive-In Theatre - Grand Lake Road (Sydney), NS Castle Bowling Centre - Miramichi, NB Cine-Parc Satellite Ltee - Bois-Blanc, NB Clarenville Twin Cinemas/Caribou Lanes Bowling Alley - Clarenville, NL Corner Brook Centre Bowl - Corner Brook, NL The Drome by Trailway - Fredericton, NB Exploits Lanes - Grand Falls-Windsor, NL Fairlanes Bowling Centre - Moncton, NB Fairview Lanes - Saint John, NB Greenwood Bowling Centre - Greenwood, NS The Hangar Laser Tag Arena - Cavendish Beach Adventure Zone, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Heather Bowling Lanes - New Glasgow, NS Holiday Lanes - St. John's. NL Holy Bowly - Riverview (Moncton), NB King Pin Bowling - Amherst, NS Lanes at Membertou - Membertou (Sydney), NS Liverpool Bowling Centre - Liverpool, NS Old Mill Fun Centre - Bay Roberts, NL Pajo's Bowling Alley - Lunenburg, NS Paradise Bowl - Paradise, NL Peyton's Pins/Andy's Alleys - Gander, NL Pins Bowling Centre - Antigonish, NS Plaza Bowl - St. John's, NL Riverdale Fun Centre - Conception Bay South, NL Seaside Bowling Centre - Shediac, NB Shoebox Drive-In - Westville, NS St. Pat's Bowling Lanes and Lounge - St. John's, NL Strand Bowling Alley - Sydney Mines (Sydney), NS Super Bowl - Lower Sackville (Halifax), NS Supernova XD Theatre - Splash " n" Putt Resort, Traytown, NL Sussex Drive-In - Sussex, NB Swansburg's Bowling Alley - Shelburne, NS Town Center Lanes - Glace Bay, NS UnBOWLievable Lanes - Musquodoboit Harbour, NS Valley Drive-In Theatre - Cambridge Station, NS Wilson's Bowling Centre - Digby, NS Winter Games Lanes - Lewisporte, NL Maze (Name Unknown) - Mariner's Cove Boardwalk, Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Water Parks and Attractions Atlantic Splash Adventure - Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure, Lucasville, NS Shining Waters Water Park - Shining Waters Family Fun Park, Hunter River (Cavendish Beach), P.E.I. SplashZone - Magic Mountain, Magnetic Hill (Moncton), NB "360ft Water Slide"/Pools - Splash " n" Putt Resort, Traytown, NL Thunderland Amusement Park - Badger, NL

Royal London Wax Museum (Niagara) Attraction Type: Wax Museum Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 1971?-1975 Designer(s): Waxattract , Universal Android Robert Dunham's Waxattract constructed the Royal London Wax Museum in the early 1970's. It replaced the Antique Auto Museum on Falls Ave. (located in the parking garage building attached to the Sheraton Foxhead hotel) when it moved to Clifton Hill and became the Cars of the Greats Museum. The Royal London was themed after the royal family and was a Waxattract built and owned attraction, but was a co-project of sorts, with some of the scenes and figures being created by Bruce Randall's Universal Android. The attraction was also co-owned, likely being Waxattract's first partnership with the Iannuzelli family who Waxattract would go on to build both House of Frankenstein locations for, as well as co-own with them for several years. Details on it's exact opening year a little hazy however. The Dunhams themselves recount that it opened in 1971 just before the first House of Frankenstein on Clifton Hill, which makes sense considering Waxattract shifted their focus to haunted attractions after the House of Frankenstein's massive success and began to move away from the more traditional historical wax museums. 1971 also lines up with the year the Antique Auto Museum closed, adding validity to that being the opening year as there's no record of anything occupying the space in between. That being said, newspaper articles discuss it as a soon-to-open attraction in 1973, however it could be that the publication is referring to a "new" updated version of the attraction or simply it's grand opening for that tourist season, if seasonal. The only style of brochure that has surfaced for the attraction. Due to it's short lifespan, it's quite possible it was the only kind produced. The building was adorned with regal neon signage, and in the front window sat a beautiful recreation of the Queen's royal stagecoach. The Dunham family allegedly had the coach sitting in their home's driveway when it was awaiting it's transfer to the attraction. Despite its gorgeous displays, it faced one problem: at the time, the Western world had no interest in the royal family. The museum was very well received by those lucky enough to experience it, but it simply was not a topic most people were willing to tour an entire museum on. Dunham's Boris Karloff Wax Museum he built and managed was performing much better simply due to its theme, despite being in a much less trafficked area of The Falls, whereas the underperforming Royal London was in perhaps one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the whole country. Dunham took note of this as well, and an attraction was on its way that would change Niagara Falls, and the amusement industry, forever. The lesson of the importance of a horror theme, as well as establishing Waxattract's product quality with the Iannuzellis, would have made the Royal London an important step in the eventual creation of the House of Frankenstein(s), if the attraction did infact debut first. (Left): The Royal London Wax Museum seen in this digitally-enhanced shot from a blurry 1973 8mm film reel. (Right): The Queen's ornate stagecoach that sat in the window. The small building that would eventually become home to the Tower of London Wax Museum as it looked many, many years prior in the 1930's. In 1975, with the Iannuzellis now seeing high returns from the House of Frankenstein(s), as well as Dunham finding success with Castle Dracula and shifting his focus to building attractions in the U.S., the decision was made to close the Royal London Wax Museum. It's collection was sold to the upcoming but ill-fated Tower of London Wax Museum on Clifton Hill, which opened in 1976. It's unknown how much of the collection was purchased by the Tower of London, but if the Royal London Wax Museum had occupied the entirety of the former Antique Auto Museum space, the entire collection likely wouldn't have fit into the small, 1925 building at the front of the Darling Motel property which the Tower of London was built in. The building was two floors and a basement, however the gift shop that had previously existed in the basement remained, meaning the museum only occupied two small floors at the maximum, or one if the motel offices remained upstairs and weren't relocated. Regardless, the less that ended up there the better, as it would suffer a suspicious fire just a few months after it opened, destroying the entire museum. The once glorious stagecoach can be seen charred in the window in photos taken after the blaze, a far cry from how it would have looked rolling out of the Dunhams' driveway. The sad, charred end of the collection and the royal stagecoach in the window of the (former) Tower of London Wax Museum, 1976.

Wizard's Castle Arcades (and Affiliate Chains) Attraction Type: Arcade Location: Various (See list below) Years Operational: Late 70's-2006 Designer(s): Various, Unknown Wizard's Castle was Canada's largest chain of amusement arcades, active from the mid-late 70's until 2006. The chain was exclusive to Canada and owned by Janda Products/New Way Sales of Rexdale, a west-end suburb of Toronto. Janda Products was a rental company which rented out vending, video game, pinball, redemption, and change machines in addition to pool tables, jukeboxes, air hockey tables and coin-operated kiddie rides. New Way Sales was their sales division. Wizard's Castle fell somewhere between the two, being more owned by the company in general. The Wizard's brand was extremely popular, with at least over 60 locations, being as common in Canadian malls in the 80's and 90's as other mall chains like Foot Locker, Orange Julius, Music World, and Kernels Popcorn. It wasn't limited to malls however, and did also have a small handful of locations in downtown cores and suburban strip plazas. The classic logo that appeared on most arcade cabinet stickers and merchandise. With none of the American mall arcade chains like Time Out, Aladdin's Castle, Tilt, Fun-N-Games, Space Port, or Jolly Roger ever being franchised to Canada, Janda/New Way had near domination over the mall arcade market with Wizard's, and an even further slice of the general arcade pie with their rental and sales divisions providing games to several other arcades. The chain dwarfed the other Canadian arcade chains at the time such as Fun & Games (unrelated to American chain Fun-N-Games), Circuit Circus, Little Joe's, and Laser Illusions, being the only one to go cross-country. Wizard's Castle token. This bold bubble-font logo could also be found on the red, light up coin slots of many of the games. The first location opened in the back corner of the Scarborough Town Centre food court some time in the mid-late 70's and began as a mostly pinball arcade, however whether it opened with name Wizard's Castle or gained it later is unknown, with the copyright for the name not being filed until 1979. It expanded in 1979 from 16 games to 32, and would expand further in the early-80's as the arcade market hit it's peak. It featured a large orange neon sign reading "Wizard's Castle" outside, casting it's neon spell over the food court. The interior was decked out in fantasy theming, as well as wall murals and plenty more neon. The chain expanded quickly, with 24 locations by June of 1982. The chain would survive the video game crash of 1983, which in the end proved to more harshly damage the up-and-coming home console market, and reset the industry back in favor of the technologically superior arcade machines once the dust settled. Most of the chain's locations would follow the same design as the Scarborough original, which remained the chain's flagship location. Many rare and prototype games that were never mass-produced were tested at the STC arcade (which was one of the best performing arcades in the country) through Janda/New Way's industry contacts, and it was also the first place in the city for many new game releases. Most of the chain's locations would open in the mid-late 80's, when the chain was at its peak. In 1992 the flagship location was converted to the ancient Greek-themed Games Maximus along with a handful of other locations. It was adorned with pillars and fake marble, with a general "arena" feel. This made thematic sense based on the games in arcades at the time, as games had shifted away from single-player quests and pinball, and moved more in the direction of competitive fighting, racing, sports, and head-to-head vehicle combat games. While the STC location would remain Games Maximus until the end of it's life, the rebranding never really took off company-wide as the Wizard's brand remained more recognizable, being a borderline household name in Canada at that time. Left: The STC Games Maximus seen in the corner of the food court in this blurry 1992 VHS recording of the mall. Right: One of "The Wizard Commands" rule signs that could be found hanging in the game rooms, now owned by a private collector. There were several other arcade chains owned by Janda/New Way such as Sky Games (which had an airplane hangar theme), The Games, World Cup, and Video Gym, with some of these theorized to be rebrandings of former Wizard's locations. It's also unlcear if any of these were pre-existing brands absorbed by Janda/New Way. Around the turn of the millennium, several of the company's older games from the late 70's/early 80's were phased out along with many of the pinball machines both new and old, also leaving the company's rental/sales inventory. The early-mid 2000's would be the last hurrah for arcades until the retro/nostalgia trend would begin nearly 20 years later. Games like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Big Buck Hunter, Initial D, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Arctic Thunder, Soul Calibur III, Out Run 2, Dance Dance Revolution, and Tekken 5 would be the last wave of popular money-makers until the industry would be faced with the option to either become entirely redemption arcades or go the wayside by the time the 2010's hit. Frank Pavlovic (left) and John Paul Wright (right) play Midway's "Mortal Kombat 2" at the Conestoga Mall Wizard's Castle in March 1994. This photograph was taken for a now somewhat-comical Waterloo newspaper article on rising violence in video games. The Fairview Mall (North York) Sky Games in Februrary of 1998. Underperforming locations began closing around the early-2000's, with most of the Wizard's Castle/Games Maximus/Sky Games/other locations being shuttered by the time Janda/New Way went out of business in 2006, save for a small handful. The few remaining locations at the time the company disappeared included the flagship STC Games Maximus, the West Edmonton Mall and Kingsway Garden Mall Wizard's Castles, and the Sky Games locations in North York's Fairview Mall and Rexdale's Woodbine Centre. The reason the Woodbine Sky Games lasted so long despite there being another arcade and an amusement park in the mall, may purely have been due to its proximity to Janda/New Way's offices, which were located just behind the mall (one of the roads into the mall even being named Janda Way.) After the final locations were shuttered, Janda/New Way was sold to rival machine rental company and F.E.C. chain Playdium, with the Janda family leaving the company behind and New Way becoming a division of Playdium, which itself was later sold to Cineplex. Upon the Cineplex acquisition the final assets and records of Janda/New Way (and Wizard's Castle with it) were absorbed into the mega-corporate fog, and lost to time. You can still find games all over Canada in arcades, private collections, and even being rented out by Playdium/Cineplex that have a Wizard's Castle sticker, or more commonly the logo printed on the coin slots. The chain is remembered by it's dedicated fanbase of former patrons and staff, however it lies largely in obscurity in terms of documentation with the only known photographs of bonafide Wizard's Castle locations being one of the Barrie location in the Kozlov Centre (albeit after the arcade was cut down to half the size and it's original signage was removed), and one of the STC food court where the original Wizard's can be seen in the background, glowing in all it's neon glory. Above: The Kozlov Centre (Barrie) Wizard's Castle around 2004 after it was significantly downsized. This space was quite deep, and the white temporary wall with merchandising slats seen here previously didn't exist, with the location originally occupying the adjacent unit as well. Many of these games would be shuffled around the food court by the mall in later years, with the lack of branding seen here hinting that the mall likely bought out the location from Janda back when it downsized around 2002. Confirmed Locations Above: The iconic Wizard's Castle neon can be seen in the back-right corner of this photo of the STC food court, 1983. Wizard's locations either had this sign or a similar, smaller neon with script font. This space became a variety of takeout restaurants over the years following the closure of Games Maximus in 2006, and is currently the large Jollibee location with it's own dining area. Toronto Wizard's Castle (later Games Maximus) Scarborough Town Centre, Scarborough (1977? - 2006, became various fast food places over the years, now Jollibee) Wizard's Enchanted Castle Yorkdale Mall, North York (1979? - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Dufferin Mall (early 80's - early 2000's, now a McDonald's) Wizard's Castle Cloverdale Mall (early 80's - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Agincourt Mall (? - early 2000's) The Wizard Centerpoint Mall (? - mid 2000's, affiliation unconfirmed. May have been GTA test for separate Ottawa chain "The Wizard") Wizard's Castle Fairview Mall (1983? - late 90's) Sky Games Fairview Mall (separate location from Wizard's Castle elsewhere in the mall?) (? - 2006) Sky Games Woodbine Centre (1986 - 2006) World Cup North York Sheridan Mall (? - mid 2000's) Greater Ontario Wizard's Castle Meadowvale Town Centre, Mississauga (1981 - ?) Wizard's Castle Kozlov Shopping Centre, Barrie (August 1986 - early 2000's, became increasingly downsized mall-run arcade lasting to 2012) Wizard's Castle Heritage Place Mall, Owen Sound (1987 - early 2000's) Wizard's Castle Conestoga Mall, Waterloo (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Seawway Mall, Welland (? - early 2000's) Wizard's Castle Bramalea City Centre, Brampton (early 80's - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Westdale Mall, Brampton (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Centre Mall, Hamilton (? - mid 2000's) Wizard's 184 Dundas St., London (early 80's - 2006) Wizard's Castle Downtown London (separate location which operated simultaneously to Dundas St.), location unknown (early 80's - ?) Fx5 (formerly Wizard's Castle) Pickering Town Centre, Pickering (? - 2006?) The Wiz (affiliation unconfirmed) White Oakes Mall, London (? - ?) Skygames Markville Shopping Centre, Markham (? - 2006) The Games Lime Ridge Mall, Hamilton (1981 - mid 2000's) The Games Eastgate Square Shopping Centre, Hamilton (early 80's - mid 2000's) The Games Erin Mills Town Centre, Mississauga (1989 - mid 2000's) Admirals Cup Masonville Place, London (January 2, 1985 - mid 2000's) Saskatchewan Wizard's Castle Circle Park Mall/The Centre, Saskatoon (?-?) Wizard's Castle Lawson Heights Mall, Saskatoon (? - ?) Alberta Wizard's Castle West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton (1985 - 2006, now Newplay) Wizard's Castle Millwoods Town Centre, Edmonton (1988 - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Heritage Place Mall, Edmonton (June 1988 - mid 2000s) Wizard's Castle Northgate Mall. Edmonton (? - early 2000's) Wizard's Castle Londonderry Mall. Edmonton (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Capilano Mall, Edmonton (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Deer Valley Centre, Calgary (1981 - early 2000's?) Wizard's Castle Park Place Mall, Lethbridge (1988 - ?) Wizard's Castle St. Albert Centre, St. Albert (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Bower Mall, Red Deer (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Downtown Red Deer, location unknown (early 80's - ?) Wizard's Castle Lloyd Mall, Lloydminster (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Southcentre Mall, Calgary (? - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Kingswood Garden Mall, Edmonton (? - 2006) Wizard's Castle University of Alberta Hub International Marketplace, Edmonton (? - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Marlborough Mall, Calgary (? - mid 2000's) Wizard's Castle Chinook Centre, Calgary (? - early 2000's) Wizard's Castle Circle Park Mall, Calgary (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Market Mall, Calgary (? - ?) Wizard's Castle Sunridge Mall, Calgary (? - ?) Video Gym Southgate Shopping Centre, Edmonton (? - 2006?) British Columbia Wizard's Castle Richmond Square Mall, Vancouver (? -?) Wizard's Castle Rutherford Village, Nanaimo (1980 - ?) Neon sign, roughly four feet in diameter, theorized to be from a Wizard's Castle. This sign appeared briefly in the background of an arcade collection in an episode of "Canadian Pickers". This art style and neon aligns with the murals and lighting that could be found in the locations.

Ontario - Other Areas This page contains all Ontario attractions not located in the Niagara Region, G.T.A., or on the shores of Lake Huron. Among the many towns and cities' attractions found on this page are those in Ottawa, London, Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, Windsor, Newmarket and many more. Amusement and Theme Parks Boblo Island Amusement Park - Amherstburg Santa's Village - Bracebridge Storybook Gardens - London Storyland - Renfrew Wild Zone - Wheels Inn, Chatham Arcades, Mini Golf and F.E.C.s Ace Arcade - Clarence St., London Admirals Cup - Masonville Place, London Adventure Village - Hamilton Arcade Room - Coronet Motor Hotel, Kitchener/Waterloo Bad's Amusements - Oro Medonte Balacade - Bala Barrie Billiards - Barrie Bayfield Mall Games (Mall run game area)- Bayfield Mall, Barrie Bernie's Arcade - Charles St., Kitchener/Waterloo Big Wigs Billiards - Newmarket Bingemans Funworx Kitchener/Waterloo Blackbird Falls Putting Course - The Marshes Golf Club, Ottawa Bopper's - Windsor Broken Cue - Bank St., Ottawa Caddy Shack - Bloomfield Captain Carnival's - London Captain Carnival's - Windsor The Casino - King St./Hughson St. N., Hamilton Chuck E. Cheese's - Newmarket Coboconk Go-Karts & Mini-Putt - Coboconk Coco Club - Dunlop St., Barrie The Cove - University Shops Plaza, Kitchener/Waterloo Crystal Palace - King William/Walnut, Hamilton Crystal Palace - Wyndham/Quebec, Guelph Dooly's - Gladwin Crescent, Ottawa Downtown - St. Paul St., Thunder Bay Duffer's by the Bay - Barrie Duffer's Mini Golf - Duffer's Golf Centre, Barrie Dunlop/Alliance Billiards - Dunlop/Ferndale, Barrie East Park - London Electric Flipper - West St., Orillia Elmvale Flea Market Arcade - Elmvale Flea Market, Elmvale Evergreen Golf - Washago Fast Eddy's - Windsor Fat Lee's Scoop and Putt - Bonville Fire Button Arcade - Richmond/Woodroffe, Ottawa Fire Button Arcade - St. Joseph's Blvd., Orleans (Ottawa) Flynn's Arcade - King St., Kitchener/Waterloo Flynn's Arcade - University Shops Plaza, Kitchener/Waterloo Front Row McGinnis - Kitchener/Waterloo 4 Wheelies Roller Skating Center - Ottawa Fun & Games - Eastgate Square Shopping Centre, Stoney Creek (Hamilton) Fun & Games - Norfolk Mall, Tilsonburg Fun & Games - Tilsonburg Gateway Centre, Tilsonburg Fun & Games - Tilsonburg Town Centre, Tilsonburg Fun Land - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg The Games - Eastgate Square Shopping Centre, Hamilton The Games - Lime Ridge Mall, Hamilton The Gamesroom - Rideau/Vanier, Ottawa Gateway Billiards - Second Ave. West, North Bay Golden Castle Games - Thunder Bay Happy Man Arcade - Dunlop St., Barrie Happy Man Arcade - Main St., North Bay Imperial Arcade/The Gamesroom - Bank St./Gloucester, Ottawa In Play - Newmarket It's a Small World - Midhurst JD's Billiards - Bell Farm Rd., Barrie The Junction - Windsor Jungle Mini Golf - Wild Zone, Chatham Jungle Quest Mini Golf - Nottawasaga Inn and Resort, Alliston King Arthur's Court - Merivale Rd., Ottawa King Arthur's Court - Rideau/Dalhousie, Ottawa Kozlov Shopping Centre Games (Mall run game area) - Kozlov Shopping Centre, Barrie Little Critters/In Play - Barrie Little Joe's/Bayfield Family Amusements/Cybercity/Technogames/Playquest - Bayfield Mall, Barrie Little Joe's - Market Mall, Sault St. Marie Little Joe's - New Sudbury Shopping Centre, Sudbury Little Joe's - Northgate Shopping Centre, North Bay Little Joe's - Stanley Park Mall, Kitchener/Waterloo Little Joe's/EJ's - Station Mall, Sault St. Marie Mer Bleue Miniputt & Batting Cages - Orleans Microplay - Towers/Food City Plaza, Barrie Mini Golf Gardens - Ottawa Mini Putt Hawkesbury - Hawkesbury Mister Arcade - Bank/Alta Vista, Ottawa Muskoka Store Mini Golf - Muskoka Store, Muskoka Northern Adventure Mini Putt - Cardinal Golf Club, Newmarket 1Up Games - King St., Hamilton The Palace - King St., Hamilton Pappa's Billiards - George St., Peterborough Park Play Micro Golf - Belleville Pop's Place Mini Golf and Arcade - Turkey Point Putting Edge - Barrie Putting Edge - Nepean (Ottawa) Putt N' Blast - Kingston Quarry Links Championship - Kingston Expert Tees, Kingston Retro Planet - Mapleview/Veteran's, Barrie Rideau Arcade - George/Dalhousie, Ottawa Rideau Arcade - Rideau St., Ottawa Rideau Arcade - Rideau/Ottawa Regional Rd., Ottawa Roller Skating Place - Orillia R.O.N.'s Virtual World - Thunder Bay Sandbaggerz Driving Range & Mini Putt - Port Perry Smuggler's Alley - Dundas St., London South Baymouth Ferry Terminal Games (Terminal run game area) - South Baymouth Space World - Lansdown Place Mall, Peterborough Splitsville - Guelph Splitsville - Hamilton Sports & Leisure Dome - Nottawasaga Inn Resort, Alliston Tee Burg Golf Academy - Tilsonburg 1000 Island Mini Golf - Thousand Islands Timber Creek Mini Golf & Fun Centre - Whitchurch-Stouffville Tommy's Arcade - Tommy's Variety, Kitchener/Waterloo Tommy's Arcade (Unrelated to above) - Mississauga St., Orillia Top Hat Billiards - Orillia Top Hat - Wellington Plaza, Barrie Tour D'Orleans - Place d'Orleans, Orleans (Ottawa) Towne Billiards - Mary/Dunlop, Barrie Tropical Mini Golf and Games - Hamilton Video Odyssey/VG's Arcade - Mary/Dunlop, Barrie Wally World - London Western World - George St., Peterborough Wild Zone Arcade - Wild Zone, Chatham The Wiz - White Oakes Mall, London The Wizard - Bank/Slater, Ottawa The Wizard - Bayshore Shopping Centre, Ottawa The Wizard - Blair St., Ottawa The Wizard - Shopper's City East, Gloucester (Ottawa) The Wizard - Shopper's City West, Ottawa Wizard's - Dundas St., London Wizard's Castle - Center Mall, Hamilton Wizard's Castle - Conestoga Mall, Kitchener/Waterloo Wizard's Castle - Dundas St., London Wizard's Castle - Kozlov Shopping Centre, Barrie Zapper's - King St., Kitchener/Waterloo Zapper's 2 - King St., Kitchener/Waterloo Arcade (Name Unknown) - Adelaide Rd, Mount Brydges Arcade (Name Unknown) - Argyle Mall, London Arcade (Name Unknown) - Bank/Heron, Ottawa Arcade (Name Unknown) - Bayview/Little Plaza, Barrie Arcade (Name Unknown) - Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, Ottawa Arcade (Name Unknown) - Carleton University Centre, Ottawa Arcade (Name Unknown) - Gloucester Centre, Gloucester (Ottawa) Arcade (Name Unknown) - Hamilton Rd., Dorchester Arcade (Name Unknown) - Jackson Square, Hamilton Arcade (Name Unknown) - York Town Square, Newmarket Arcade (Name Unknown) - Orillia Square Mall, Orillia Arcade (Name Unknown) - Place Centrum, Orleans (Ottawa) Arcade (Name Unknown) - Rideau/Dalhousie (Above Rideau Theatre), Ottawa Arcade (Name Unknown) - St. Laurent/Pleasant Park, Ottawa Arcade (Name Unknown) - Waterloo Town Square, Kitchener/Waterloo Arcade (Name Unknown, Existence Unconfirmed) - 320 Bayfield St. Plaza, Barrie Mini Golf (Name Unknown) - Bayfield St., Barrie Dark Attractions, Wax Museums and Exhibits Flight to Mars - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg Phantom Express - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg Thousand Islands Haunted House - Thousand Islands Specialty Hotels and Gift Shops Lamplighter Inn - London French River Trading Post - French River Muskoka Store - Muskoka Nottawasaga Inn Resort - Alliston Wheels Inn - Chatham Theatres, Bowling Alleys and Miscellaneous AMF Frederick Lanes - Kitchener/Waterloo Ajax 5 Pin Bowling Centre - Ajax Bowlerama - Brookfield Plaza, Peterborough Bowlerama - Chatham Bowlerama - Guelph Bowlerama - Stoney Creek (Hamilton) Bowlerama - Wellington Plaza (later moved to Bayfield Mall), Barrie Bowlerama/C&D Lanes - Woodstock Bowlerama/Echo Bowl - Brantford Bowling on Broadway - Orangeville Captain Andy's River Towne Revue - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amhurstberg Coldwater Bowling Centre - Coldwater Fleetway - London Hanover Drive-In - Hanover Haunted Theatre - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amhurstberg Huntsville Bowl - Huntsville Kempview Bowl - Barrie Kingpin Bowlounge - Bingemans Funworx, Kitchener/Waterloo Lakeview Bowl - Market Plaza, Peterborough Leisure Bowling Lanes - Oshawa Lindsay Twin Drive-In - Lindsay Mario's Bowl - Thunder Bay Merivale Bowling Centre - Nepean (Ottawa) Mountain Lanes - Hamilton Muskoka Bowl - Muskoka Muskoka Drive-In - Muskoka Mustang Drive-In - Guelph Mustang Drive-In - London North Crest Lanes - Sault St. Marie Orillia Bowl/Rock n Bowl - Orillia Orleans Bowling Centre (and Striker's Billiards) - Orleans (Ottawa) Oxford Drive-In - Woodstock Partners Billiards and Bowling - North Bay Plaza Bowl - Sudbury Port Elmsey Drive-In - Perth Riverbowl & Billiards - Burk's Falls Skylight Drive-In - Pembroke Skyway Bowl - Hamilton Springwater Lanes - Elmvale Stardust Drive-In - Newmarket Starlight Drive-In - Hamilton Stellar Lanes - Newmarket Strike Point Bowling Centre - Lindsay Sunset Drive-In - Oro Medonte Tri-Town Bowling Lanes - Haileybury Underground Bowl - Bradford University Lanes - Dundas (Hamilton) UxBowl/Parish Lanes - Uxbridge West Park Bowling - Ottawa Themed Restaurants, Bars and Stores The Disney Store - Georgian Mall, Barrie The Disney Store - Lime Ridge Mall, Hamilton The Disney Store - Masonville Place, London The Disney Store - Rideau Centre, Ottawa The Disney Store - Upper Canada Mall, Newmarket Hard Rock Cafe - Ottawa La Casa de Madre - Wheels Inn, Chatham Water Parks and Attractions Bingemans Big Splash - Bingemans Funworx, Kitchener/Waterloo Calypso Theme Waterpark - Gagnon East Park Water Park/Wally World at East Park - East Park, London Loose Moose/Splash Canyon - Midhurst Wally World Water Park - London Wild Waterworks - Hamilton

Putt Putt Golf & Games/Jungle Putt Attraction Type: Miniature Golf Course Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: Late 1980's-1994 (as Putt Putt), 1994-mid 2010's (as Jungle Putt) Designer(s): Putt Putt, Amusement Products Canada's first officially franchised Putt Putt (the American chain of miniature golf courses responsible for popularizing the game in the 1950s) was located at 7280 Lundy's Ln., next to the Days Inn hotel (now Falls Inn.) It was located where the gravel lot is now on the East side of the building. It opened as a licensed franchise of the Putt Putt chain sometime in the late 1980s, with a Dairy Queen, large children's playground, and an arcade. Putt Putt actually differs from traditional miniature golf due to its unique ruleset, such as all greens being par 2, and players completing a hole before the next member of their group takes their first putt. The attraction actually featured two 18-hole courses, for a combined total of 36-holes. Jungleland's elephant in the winter 1985. Could this be the same one that ended up at Putt Putt? 1993 newspaper advertisement for the attraction. It remained a standard Putt Putt course until 1994, when the jungle animal statues were added. The animals were part of the "Jungle Kingdom" line by Amusement Products out of Tennessee, who also did the figures for Waxattract 's original Jungleland Golf location on Victoria Ave. where it becomes Ferry. While the fiberglass statues were available as optional franchisee additions for Putt Putt locations in the 80s and 90s, it's quite possible the figures came from Jungleland after it's closure the same year. It's also possible that Niagara Go-Karts located off the QEW received the Jungleland statues, as they have the same figures albeit painted in different colors, which seem sort of out of place in their mini golf. The year the Victoria Ave. Jungleland closed, the Tivoli Miniature World, an outdoor miniatures garden, moved to the Jungleland plot from Prudhomme's Landing, and a large sign reading "Miniature World" was built. Ironically, in 1995 the garden was returned to being a miniature golf course, now titled Tivoli Miniature Golf, and the giant sign changed to "Miniature Golf". It would later close in 1996, with the giant sign being sold to Putt Putt, which ironically may have got the statues which were once part of Jungleland that also formerly occupied the site the sign came from. Putt Putt/Jungle Putt's elephant on top of a rock cave built when the course gained the jungle theme. This faced the road and became the course's centerpiece. The course was on life support by the late 2000s, operating very sporadically. It was around this time that it was renamed Jungle Putt, likely ending the official Putt Putt franchising. The DQ closed around that time and was replaced with a string of several take out and ice cream places over the years, each with varying degrees of success. The arcade was also severely decreased in size, with only a small room containing a handful of machines remaining. Sometime around 2014 or 2015 the course saw its last player, and became abandoned shortly after. In 2016, a fire deemed arson broke out in the arcade, resulting in damages that required the entire ice cream/arcade building to be demolished. It was at this time that the property owner decided to demolish the whole course. The animal statues were auctioned off to various buyers, none of which have since resurfaced. Evolution of the Miniature World/Miniature Golf sign. The sign at Tivoli Miniature World (top left), Tivoli Miniature Golf (top right), and Putt Putt/Jungle Putt (bottom left.) (Above): The course layout seen from a satellite image taken shortly after the fire. (Left): The arcade in the back half of the building during the final minutes of the blaze.

History View All Attractions by Region View Artists and Developers Amusement and Theme Parks Amusement and Theme Parks Canadian amusement and theme parks from the mid 20th-century onward. The histories and uncovered details of the forgotten, famous, abandoned and still operational. GO > GO > Arcades, Mini Golf and Family Entertainment Centres Here you'll find every kind of arcade imaginable, as well as miniatu re golf courses and Family Entertainment Centres. These are grouped together for convenience, since many mini golf courses also had large arcades, and many F.E.C.s contained both. Arcades, Mini Golf and Family Entertainment Centres Dark Attractions, Wax Museums and Exhibits Dark Attractions, Wax Museums and Exhibits Haunted Attractions, Wax Museums, Dark Rides, Fun Houses, and Walk-Through Exhibits. Wax monsters, celebrities, and oddities. GO > GO > Water Parks and Attractions Dedicated water parks as well as stand-alone water slides and attractions. Water Parks and Attractions Themed Restaurants, Bars and Stores Themed Restaurants, Bars and Stores Immersive dining and shopping experiences now largely seen as a nostalgic product of their time. The ones that are gone are sorely missed, and those that remain are beloved. GO > GO > Theatres, Bowling Alleys and Miscellaneous Various forms of theatre shows including ride theatres, animatronic show theatres, lightshows and movie theatres with special theming or significance. In this section you'll also find all other miscellaneous attractions such as bowling alleys, roller rinks, laser-tag arenas and more. Theatres, Bowling Alleys and Miscellaneous Specialty Hotels and Gift Shops Hotels and Gift Shops with some sort of unique theming, attraction, or relevance. Significant hotels, motels and souvenir stores in amusement districts will also be included in this section. GO > Specialty Hotels and Gift Shops

Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum Attraction Type: Wax Museum Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Year(s) Operational: 1959-2001 (Clifton Hill location), 2005-Present (Victoria Ave. location) Designer(s): Stubergh-Keller/Ripley's Wax Studios, Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, Deroy & Associates, Waxattract By the 1950s, it had become clear that using Clifton Hill as a series of budget, away from The Falls tourist camps wasn't nearly as lucrative as the land could potentially be. Welland Securities had opened the Quality Inn Fallsway where Dinosaur Adventure Golf now sits in 1955, and the Park Motor Inn where Niagara Speedway now is in 1956. The Clifton Inn had also torn down it's old structure and built anew as the Pilgrim Hotel. Darling Cabins had torn down most of their cabins to make way for a low-rise motel building and rebranded as the Darling Motel. Change was afoot in the wake of Marilyn Monroe's breakthrough film "Niagara" in 1953, both cementing The Falls as a honeymoon destination and creating further general interest in visiting the city. Architects McPhit & Kelly's original 1925 sketch of the Clifton Hill side of the Foxhead Hotel, 1925. Tussaud's in the former section of the Foxhead, opening year. In 1959, Clifton Hill's first amusement attraction came onto the scene, Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum, located in a former section of the Foxhead Hotel that was just up Clifton Hill from the main building. The first floor, second floor and basement would become the museum with the third floor remaining the accounting offices for the neighboring hotel. The story behind the museum's early ownership and licensing is a bit hazy. It was an officially licensed franchise of the original Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum in Blackpool Beach, England, who also had their own art department dating back to the titular member of the Tussaud family in the late 19th century. That being said, the story goes that most of the Niagara museum's detailed figures were designed by Stubergh-Keller Wax Models, of Niagara Falls, NY who also owned the attraction. There's evidence to support both Louis Tussaud's and Stubergh-Keller studios contributing to the museum since day one, suggesting that perhaps Stubergh-Keller owned the museum but licensed the Tussaud's name, with Stubergh-Keller producing more work for the attraction simply due to it being much closer to home. The background and set design however was originally provided by Deroy & Associates of Toronto. The Foxhead and the museum in 1960. Guests were greeted with impressive displays before even entering the lobby. The attraction's sign would be a 22ft tall rotating Louis Tussaud himself, adorned in vibrant, colourful neon. There was also massive billboard-esque neon signage on the roof reading "Louis Tussaud Wax Museum." The signs were created and leased to the attraction by Pattison Signs, a large corporation who specializes in signs and billboards to this day. A figure of daredevil Charles Blondin was also suspended across Clifton Hill from the attraction to a pole across the street, actually appearing to be crossing over the road as if it were the Niagara Gorge. Though the figure was static and didn't move or cross the wire, this was still incredibly impressive for the time, and remains an incredibly unique feature today. Looking up Clifton Hill towards Blondin and the iconic sign, mid 1960's. 1960's advertisement showing only a handful of the royalty on display. Originally upon entering the museum, guests would see a depiction of Robert Cavalier De La Salle and Louis Hennepin overlooking The Falls, as their record of it is one of the earliest found. Next was a figure of Madame Marie Tussaud herself, the famed 17th and 18th century wax artist. Marie Tussaud is who the popular global chain of historic Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum attractions is based off, Louis Tussaud was her great grandson and the two chains share zero relation. One could argue the Louis Tussaud's chain may have been trying to get a slice of that pie, as "Stubergh-Keller Wax Museum" (as the Niagara location perhaps more accurately should have been called) doesn't have quite the same ring to it, despite the studio's artwork being gorgeous all the same. Other original scenes included Beethoven, Gandhi, Nikita Khrushchev (then premier of the U.S.S.R.), Joan of Arc, Mark Antony, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, Winston Churchill, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, Niagara daredevil Red Hill Jr., and the assassination of Lincoln. The "Hall of Kings" was popular, featuring Henry VII, George III, Charles I (and VII), Edward VII, William III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth I (and II) among others. Lincoln assassination, 1960's. Red Hill Jr., 1960's. Construction of the Robin Hood scene in June 1959. In this image from left to right, architect William Cartmel Jr., manager of Louis Tussaud's England William Cartmel Sr., and set designer Derek Deroy. Completed Robin Hood scene, 1960's The finale of the museum was the dim, dark Chambers of Horror in the basement. It included depictions of fictional monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster, and things loosely based on history like the "Streetsville Ghouls" or the "Compte De Lorge." The real show however were the real torture and execution methods showcased in the museum. These included the "Algerian Hook", a scalping scene, the "Cell of Little Ease", the "Woman in the Iron Cage", and burning of the eyes. While there was no motion featured in the figures and the gore wasn't as intense as it would be in later years (more on that later), it was still unlike anything most people had seen at the time, especially at that level of realism. Early scenes from the original Chamber of Horrors. From left to right: Entrance to the area, an incredible Count Dracula figure sculpted by Ron Booker of Stubergh Wax Models, and Frankenstein's Monster courtesy of Timothy Randall of Waxipedia. Tussaud's next to the rebuilt Foxhead, early 70s. The attraction was a smash hit, and kicked off the future of Clifton Hill, becoming Niagara's must visit location second only to The Falls itself. It opened the tourism floodgates further, and by 1960, all the cabin courts in the area had been demolished to make way for new motels, hotels, restaurants, and souvenir stores. In 1964 the Foxhead Hotel officially rebranded as the Sheraton Foxhead, demolishing the original structure and building a high-rise hotel in its place, but leaving the part of the building housing Tussaud's the same as the English Tudor style matched the theme of the museum. When the second wax museum in The Falls, the Burning Springs Wax Museum opened in the Fallsview district in 1963, Tussaud's attempted to sue the attraction for the giant words "Wax Museum" painted on the side of the building overlooking the busy Queen Victoria Park below, arguing it was knowingly causing confusion over which wax museum was Niagara's original. The case was obviously thrown out, as Tussaud's didn't have monopoly over the term Wax Museum (and the chain had even somewhat stolen their own Tussaud family name themselves.) Tussaud's losing the case (unknowingly then) forever changed the path of the Niagara Falls tourism industry. By the end of the 60s, there were six other wax museums/oddity museums with wax figures in the Clifton Hill area, with two more over in the Fallsview district. To stay above this new competition, change was necessary. Things would be shuffled around often to remain relevant and keep up to date. In 1964, the local Niagara Falls Women's Institute petitioned to get a figure of local hero Laura Secord placed in the museum. The museum accepted whole-heartedly, and the figure was one of the ones confirmed to have been sculpted by Louis Tussaud's wax studios back in England by 45 different artists. The figure was sent to Tussaud's in Niagara, and unveiled first to members of the Women's Institute who made the figure possible. The death of Lee Harvey Oswald was added as one of the museum's first scenes, and a "Hall of Assinated Leaders" later in the attraction. Marie Tussaud was eventually made the museum's first figure upon entering, and Charles VII the second. Whoever the current Canadian Prime Minister or U.S. President was also got a figure in the attraction during their time in office. Waxattract , Robert Dunham's company which was still in its infancy at the time, was also commissioned to create certain figures and displays for the attraction between the late 60s and early 70s after the success of his impressive Boris Karloff Wax Museum. Museum guide Phyllis Reese presenting the Laura Secord figure to reporter A. E. Huggens, and Wilfred Stewart of the Women's Institute who made it possible. Sidewalk advertisements outfront the museum, 1964. A fire broke out in the attraction the morning of February 16th, 1967 which destroyed the Streetsville Ghouls scene in the Chamber of Horrors. The flames were extinguished by the attraction's sprinkler system which also automatically notified fire crews, and limited the damage to the one scene. The attraction was extremely lucky, sprinkler systems wouldn't be mandatory in commercial businesses for nearly another 50 years, and their foresight paid off. If it were not for the sprinkler system, the attraction would have likely been lost, and clicking around on this site you'll find several other wax museums and attractions both in Niagara Falls (and abroad) weren't so lucky. The damage capped out at a relatively low $4,000, and was theorized by fire crews to have been started by a lit cigarette butt tossed into the scene (a usual culprit), however the fire alarm was tripped at 4:53 A.M. while the building was empty, so if that was the case it must have certainly been a slow, smoldering start. Many different displays would grace Tussaud's front window over the years, however perhaps it's most memorable would be added at this time to keep the attraction eye-catching. In 1970, local artist and engineer Derek Costello created a moving riser platform for the front window, which was decorated using Stubergh-Keller figures depicting the moon landing and set to music. This scene was later moved inside. A booth offering horoscope readings was constructed along the sidewalk and attached to the front of the building in the late-70s. It eventually became a discount photo developer in the late-80s and expanded in the early-90s, but was eventually later removed when Tussaud's got a new facade coinciding with the Sheraton next door remodeling in 1997. The discount photo booth and building facade in the late 80s. Ripley's International had bought out Stubergh-Keller Wax Studios back in 1970, and therefore the museum with it. This provides further evidence that the original Tussaud's in England had no stake in the attraction at all and simply licensed the name/provided some of the early figures. Ripley's eventually moved the Stubergh-Keller studios to the former Sheraton Foxhead accounting offices on the third floor of the attraction's building later in the decade. The 80s would understandably be a turbulent time for the attraction, with figures being shuffled around, refreshed and switched out constantly partially due to the ease of the studios being located in the same building. A 1982 Niagara Falls Review article talks about Ron Booker, one of the wax artists employed on the third floor, being interviewed for an episode of an unnamed U.S. morning show hosted by film critic Steve Reid. At the time Booker was working on a figure of Princess Diana destined for the Ripley's-owned Louis Tussaud's location in Copenhagen. Footage of this T.V. episode has yet to surface and remains lost media, but would be a fantastic glimpse into both the original Tussaud's and the legendary waxworks above it. The attraction underwent a massive overhaul in 1991 which debuted in June of that year, adding more pop culture figures in exchange for many of the remaining historical figures. Other historical scenes were updated such as a new Hall of Presidents, or new higher-tech ones added such as a projection effect in an ice cave showcasing indigenous peoples' story of Niagara Falls. The real update however, came to the Chamber of Horrors. The Ice Cave projection, 1991. Gone were the tamer fiction displays like Frankenstein's Monster and the Streetsville Ghouls, and in their place was a bloody, gory, pulls-no-puches torture chamber, completely historically accurate as well just in case guests wanted to try and brush it off as fiction. Several of the more brutal scenes that already existed were retained and updated to be more detailed, turning the basement into an extremely gruesome torture chamber that still haunts the minds of those who experienced it. While still featuring no animation other than a switch-activated electric chair and a shaking wooden trunk with screams emanating from it, the eerie atmosphere of the basement coupled with the Gregorian chanting that echoed through the halls added to the area's creep factor. The scenes were also particularly brutal, including updated eyeball torture and Algerian Hook scenes, the rack, flaying alive, starving prisoners, and a variety of severed heads that had met brutal ends, all in stunning realism. Local artist Bruce Randall, who had been employed by Stubergh-Keller in the 60's and rejoined them when they moved the studio to the Canadian side, was an integral part of the remodel. Above: Torture scenes seen in photos courtesy of Timothy Randall (son of artist Bruce Randall) of Waxipedia, who grew up running freely in the halls of the museum below his father's office. Top left: the original eyeball torture before the remodel. Bottom left: the much more graphic updated eyeball torture after the remodel. Above: The gruesome Algerian Hook. Another part of the remodel would be updates to the exterior, as the lease with Pattinson Signs ended. Local sign shop Signatures Signs would be asked by Tussaud's to rebuild the signage from scratch using only photographs of the old sign for reference. They did a fantastic job on making it identical to the original, and the giant neon Tussaud remains at Tussaud's current location. The rooftop billboard signage however would not be remade identical and would now be updated. While still reading "Louis Tussaud's Waxworks", the sign now had an updated font resembling the attraction's logo, and was on a black background to stand out more over the steel grid board used formerly. The same updated logo was also placed below the giant neon Tussaud. Ripley's International art department on the third floor would eventually be moved down to Florida in the 90's. While some materials were saved, many of the department's archives dating back to the Stubergh-Keller days were destroyed. The attraction meanwhile would remain popular until 2001, when the lease would be up with the Sheraton Foxhead Left: Jeff Wallis of Signature Signs installing neon on the new iconic cavalier, 1991. Right: The original Clifton Hill location in it's final days in the early 2000's. Sheraton didn't give Ripley's the option to renew the lease, as they had plans to completely revitalize the area around the Sheraton Foxhead and Sheraton Brock into the Falls Ave. entertainment complex in order to stay relevant with other major developments in the area. The original Tussaud's closed after nearly 42 years on The Hill, and the almost century old building originally part of the first Foxhead Hotel was essentially completely demolished. Very little of the structure was saved, and the building later home to the Extreme Movie Ride 4D and the MGM Great Movie Journey was built in it's place. Today the building is home to Niagara Distillery and BBQ (while the 4D Ride remains in the basement.) Niagara Distillery in place of the former location of the museum, late 2010s. The museum would rise again however after a four year hiatus in 2005, now reopening on Victoria Ave. in a former restaurant. It wasn't the first attraction in the space however, as the building was briefly home to the Wonderful World of Fantasy from 1974-1981. The old signage would be retained from the Clifton Hill location, as well as Blondin now crossing over Victoria Ave. The new location would be two floors rather than three, but in a much larger building. The new attraction would retain very little of the original collection, and while some figures would make a re-appearance, the majority would replaced with new scenes comprised of the computer-created figures (wax content debatable) that Ripley's uses in present day. Very few of the original figures from Stubergh-Keller and Louis Tussaud's studios remain, being mostly relegated to the historical figures on the balcony above the lobby. The museum, Blondin, and neon Tussaud relocated to Victoria Ave,, early 2010's. The Chamber of Horrors would now be more inspired by pop culture and fiction, and feature an animatronic zombie in a chair created by Lifeformations at the entrance to the area. The new building originally resembled the original style of the old Foxhead Hotel section the original museum occupied, but it was repainted in the mid-2010's to be more eye catching and given new lighting. It remains Canada's largest wax museum to this day, and while quite different than it's original form, Niagara's first amusement attraction is now entertaining it's sixth decade of visitors. The historic museum as it appears today.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum Attraction Type: Exhibit Location: Park Motor/Venture/Comfort Inn, Niagara Falls, Ontario Year(s) Operational: 1963-Present Designer(s): Ripley's Studios, Costello Productions Postcard from opening year in 1963 In 1963, an edition was put on to Welland Securities' Park Motor Inn bringing the structure right to Clifton Hill. This included more rooms, a gift shop and cafe (where Kelsey's has been since the 90s), The Yard pub (became the Rathskeller Pub in the late 60s, then Rumors Nightclub in the 80s, now divided up into multiple things like the relocated Kelsey's bathrooms and Zombie Attack) and the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum downstairs. Ripley's leased the space from Welland Securities (present day HOCO), making it Welland Securities' first attraction technically, even if they didn't run or own it. It was the second attraction in the Ripley company's popular chain of "Odditoriums", predated only by the original St. Augustine, Florida location. The museum would be a mixture of a sideshow, wax museum, and science exhibit showcasing strange, unique, or exotic "believe it or not" facts. It's wax figures and elaborate displays were created by the art department at Ripley's International, who provided fantastic theming and environments to accompany the oddities on display. There was a wide variety featured within including strange artifacts (and replicas of them), unique works of art, interactive scientific dioramas, and illusions. The building was packed, touting over 550 exhibits. Some of these included a replica of the Lincoln Memorial built out of 10,000 Lincoln pennies, Japanese swords amongst other items in an Oriental Room, the burial of a fly, the world's smallest violin, a shrunken head, the tree that spouted water, and recreations of various headstones in an elaborate graveyard scene. There was also a guitar, fiddle, and bicycle made out of matchsticks, as well as a replica of the fictional medieval torture device the "Iron Maiden" which guests could stand in (although it didn't do any impaling.) Some of the wax exhibits included Liu Ch'ung The Double-Eyed Man, Robert Ripley himself in a Ripley Room, The Woman Who Flew, The Man With a Hole in His Head, and the tomb of Chang T'ung the Human Candlestick who's mummified body served as a candle holder for 261 years. Re-creation of the Tomb of Chang T'ung as seen on this mid-60's brochure cover. 1963 postcard of the Lincoln Memorial model built entirely out of Lincoln pennies. The attraction was instantly successful and was one of the first in the area, drastically contributing to not only the growth of Clifton Hill and it's character, but also to the growth of the Ripley company who would go on to turn the museums into a global chain after the Niagara location's success. It wasn't the first attraction on The Hill however with that title going to Tussaud's in 1959, and the Antique Auto Museum had opened around the corner on Falls Ave. in 1962. That being said, it did wonders for building Clifton Hill's unique charm, and was the second attraction on The Hill and the first considerably up it, with Tussaud's being located at the bottom and Ripley's at the very top. This greatly improved traffic up The Hill, as tourists who wanted to experience the museum were now traversing the entire street to see the attraction even if they weren't guests in any of the motels along it. A 1964 T.V. episode of the John Bradshaw Show on Hamilton's CHCH-TV showcased many of the scenes and displays in the museum, but like many of the television episodes, specials and commercials related to most attractions discussed on this site, the episode remains lost media. Due to the age of the episode it will likely never be found, as that was long before home off-air recordings existed and many TV stations (especially small local ones) erased and re-used their tapes at that time, as it was before historical preservation was thought about. The Graveyard, 1963. The Oriental Room (Left) and Robert Ripley himself (Right) in 1963. Exhibits were constantly updated, but major changes came in the early-70s to keep up with more attention-grabbing attractions that had popped up like The House of Frankenstein and Castle Dracula. These updates included a disorienting walk-through vortex tunnel, builder of the Great Wall of China Chin Shih Huang Ti, an ancestor skull from New Guinea, a "Catacombs" section, the animated candy machine used in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and several more detailed wax displays like Little Jack Homer and the "babes in the woods". A "floating tap" illusion fountain was also constructed in the attraction's lobby at this time and designed by local artist Derek Costello, who may have done more work for the attraction as well including some of the wax figures listed above. A large billboard-style neon sign was also placed on the building's roof in 1974. Little Jack Homer, mid 70's. A somewhat embarrassing incident for the Ripley company occurred in 1980 when a visitor to the Niagara museum successfully solved a block puzzle he had seen at the museum after two years and four months. The museum had touted that it would take "all the people on the Earth working day and night for a million years" for the blocks to be arranged in every possible combination, however the guest in question, who was a math teacher, proved otherwise. After his calculations were confirmed by computer, the display, which was featured in every Ripley's location at the time, had to be promptly removed from all of them. The 80's would see further updates as the Ripley's brand became more known for their attractions than the source books and T.V. show that inspired them. The building was remodeled in 1985 when Rumors Nightclub replaced the Rathskeller pub upstairs and the upstairs windows were removed. The new sign for the attraction, which would be added in addition to the pre-existing rooftop billboard, would appear to be running through the corner of the building. These unique facades would become a staple of the Ripley's Odditoriums all over the world. The lobby would also now feature an animatronic robot at a "broken pipe" fountain. The fountain reused elements of the floating tap, and the robot may have ironically been another piece by Costello, although this isn't confirmed. One large shred of evidence in that direction however is it's resemblance to the fully programmable T-100 Terminator he later built in his garage for Halloween, but that's another story for another time. Lady Elizabeth Raleigh presents her (ex)husband's head in the Catacombs, 1977. Top Left: The "Floating Tap" before the addition of the junkyard robot. Above: The re-themed fountain with the towering robot. Bottom Left: The remodeled attraction with Rumours Nightclub above. Moving in a more "world record" direction, the museum did away with some of the cultural artifacts and replicas as the world became more connected, and certain items no longer held the exotic allure they once did. While still containing several of those elements to this day, the museum began to move more in the direction of "world's smallest", "world's largest", "world's only" sort of displays. Strange taxidermy also became a staple of the attraction such as the legendary "Fiji Mermaids" the chain became known for, and the "Two Headed Calf" which became somewhat of a mascot for the Niagara location. A shooting gallery was also added inside the actual attraction, and a large arcade replaced most of the gift shop. Owner of the Ripley's company Jim Pattison along with the mayor attended the official ribbon cutting for the remodeled attraction on June 10th, 1987. The 1987 ribbon cutting for the updated attraction. The mysterious "Fiji Mermaid" in the early 2000's. Ripley's, who owned Tussaud's by that time and had moved the Ripley's International art department to above that attraction, even got up to some cross-promotion when a figure of O.J. Simpson (promoted as "The Greatest Running-Back of All Time!") was placed in Ripley's next to a plaque discussing his sports records. This was of course complete with a large sign reading "Wax figure courtesy of Louis Tussaud's English Wax Museum. Before leaving Niagara Falls be sure to visit this... WORLD FAMOUS ATTRACTION." And then, in somehow even larger text: "DOWN THE HILL." This scene probably aged about as well as milk, and was (understandably) removed in the early-90s for obvious reasons. Perhaps it would have been better suited for a "Believe Him or Not" museum. The horribly aged O.J. exhibit in 1977. Above and beside: Shots of the arcade in 1999. The attraction was extensively remodeled again in November/December of 2003 and into spring 2004, debuting in time for the tourist season that same year. The billboard sign on the roof installed in 1974 was removed, as was the sign through the building's corner. The facade would now be a massive replica of the Empire State Building turned on its side, with the antenna atop the building extending out over the street. A giant fiberglass King Kong was now standing on the structure, and a sideways helicopter with spinning blades was sitting on a landing pad. A sign resembling the original billboard formerly upright on the building's roof was placed sideways at the top of the toppled Empire State Building. The remodel also saw the edition of an animatronic worker climbing a rope up and down the side of the building. Also added were many comically destressed fiberglass characters hanging off, and even upturned cars and soil at the far side of the building where the toppled skyscraper's uprooted foundation would be. One of the pillars in the lobby's entrance was even disguised as a crushed phone booth the building had fallen on. With the new update also came the removal of the arcade in favor of the "Wax Zone" counter selling wax casts of customer's hands. Above: Removal of the iconic sign in 2003. Top right: The attraction 2002 before the remodel. Bottom right: The totally changed building following the extensive the remodel as seen in the early 2010's The animatronic lobby band, 2010. The impressive new facade was accompanied by a completely overhauled interior focusing more on interactivity and education. Many of the wax displays and darker areas (both thematically and literally) were removed at this time. The lobby robot would eventually be removed in 2010 while the fountain would remain. Instead of the robot, the lobby would now feature an animatronic show of sideshow performers singing current pop songs, located at the front facing the road into Comfort Inn (formerly Park Motor Hotel.) This new show (of admittedly debatable tastefulness) would feature the Three-Legged Man (loosely based on Francesco Lentini) on banjo, The World's Smallest Man (based on world's then-smallest man Chandra Bahadur Dangi) playing the bars of his cage, and a depiction of a woman of the Myanmar Padaung Tribe playing her neck extension bracket like a xylophone. The museum would close at the end of the 2015 season (after the attached Comfort Inn/former Park Motor Hotel had been torn down), and reopened on May 20th, 2016. The new version of the attraction would be modernized even further inside and out, and gone was the questionably-ethical animatronic band in the lobby (which had seen better days in recent years anyway) in favor of a much more Ripley's-esque display. The new animatronics, located in the front window facing Clifton Hill, are an elderly man in a replica of a vintage coin-operated car ride name the (self-aware) "Sonic Animatronic Flyer", with a large snail on the hood. His friend, an equally-elderly turtle standing on a nearby crate, holds a fan and blows wind in the man's face, as if to give him the sensation of speed. The random, sarcastic, zany nature of the display perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Ripley's brand. The Sonic Animatronic Flyer that inhabits the lobby today. The facade was also repainted at the time, and the side facing Clifton Hill extensively remolded since Rumors Nightclub had been removed in 2015. The former stairs up to it were now gone, and the space formerly home to the bar was now home to Kelsey's new bathrooms and Zombie Attack, both of which are accessed from elsewhere. This allowed for the first floor of the building to expand to where the stairs had previously sat, this being the front window the new animatronics are displayed in. The fountain in the lobby was removed, however. The remodel also saw the removal of the wax hand casting counter in exchange for a re-expanded gift shop. The attraction as it's appeared since the removal of Rumours upstairs in 2015. An attraction like Ripley's is bound to change constantly as world records are set and broken, what's shocking or entertaining changes, and what's considered taboo becomes no longer (or becomes too taboo to continue to display.) Despite all the changes, updates, and remodels over the years, Ripley's continues to be one of Clifton Hill's most popular attractions. It paved the way for Clifton Hill's wacky personality, and other than Tussaud's (which Ripley's also owns) is currently the only other member of Niagara's sixth decade club of attractions who have been entertaining guests for over 60 years. It's also still in it's original location whereas Tussaud's has since moved to Victoria Ave., making it the oldest Niagara attraction in its original location and the oldest on Clifton Hill, Believe It... or Not.