Adventureland

Adventureland Resort (often referred to as Adventureland for short) is a theme park in Altoona, Iowa (just northeast of Des Moines). It is marketed as the Home of Iowa's Best Thrills. History Construction of Adventureland Park began in 1973 on a site formerly occupied by a small airport in Des Moines, active in the 1920s until a larger municipal airport was built in 1933 at a different location. The area was later used for farming until Adventureland's construction broke ground. Its grand opening was scheduled for July 1974, but the park suffered light damage from a tornado, delaying the opening until late August. The first full season began in 1975, and several rides were added that year. A wooden roller coaster called Tornado was added in 1978, named after the tornado that delayed the park's grand opening. In 2002, Adventureland undertook an 8 million dollar project that nearly doubled the size of the hotel, adding a second courtyard, new pools with interactive water features and new poolside rooms and suites. It also added a new water ride in the park, a spinning white water adventure, called Saw Mill Splash. The ride is themed around an old saw mill and fits into the western motif of Adventureland's Outlaw Gulch area.