Main Street America Inc. is only 2 steps away from beginning development on an 1,800-acre piece of state owned land right off the I-75 Interstate near Grayling, Michigan. First, Main Street America Inc. is planning to request zoning changes on July 31. After completion of that hurdle, the company will need a second appraisal on the land before arranging for purchase. This proposal has been in the making for over 5 years. The city and state have already given conceptual approval.
The theme park will have rollercoasters, multiplayer video games, an extreme sports exhibit, a farm, a children’s play area, resort hotel, toboggan ride, and train station. All of this will be open year-round, even in the “subfreezing temperatures.” A great deal of tourism and increased traffic is expected. This will be a great opportunity for Michigan.
The article stated that this amusement park is expected to bring in many tourists from out of state also. Though I think it will attract a great deal of Michiganders, I don’t know if many out of state tourists will travel to Grayling for this entertainment venue. I feel this way for several reasons. Due to the location of Grayling inside the state and the fact that Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes, you can’t easily or quickly access Grayling from any other state. Also, unlike Cedar Point, this theme park will be open year round, but it will be much smaller. Cedar Point has been slowly taking out all carnival rides to replace with new world famous roller coasters. Competing with Cedar Point, could be a dangerous road to take.
In addition, who wants to get off a roller coaster with frost bite? Cedar Point’s sales decrease dramatically by October, so I can imagine how few people would go to an outdoor theme park in January in a county that gets twice the amount of snow than a southern Michigan county. And why would people travel north in the subfreezing temperatures as appose to traveling south to the larger, more established parks including Six Flags and Disney World in the warm and sunny weather?
I think this theme park will be an incredible addition to the state of Michigan, however, I don’t feel that it will attract many customers nationwide.
