Q&A for How to Start an Amusement Park

It's a long process. A wooden roller coaster takes about nine months to build where as steel roller coasters take up to one and a half years. However, the park itself will take a lot longer for paths, stores, and decorations etc. So probably about 2-3 years, but if you have a heavily themed roller coaster it could take almost 3 years to build.

Back in the day, Disneyland finished at around 17 million US dollars. But that was also back at a time when the park wasn't as big as it is now. Today's prices would be considerably more. But it's not just the build -- also account for maintenance, which is high for such a park, along with the need to continue adding new content to keep the place fresh, vibrant and interesting.

Universal's Island of Adventure construction cost was around 1 billion dollars in 1999. The cost of Disney's California Adventure was around 1.4 billion dollars in 2001. That was just to build the place, and doesn't count maintenance, marketing, merchandise, property taxes, training of the workers, insurance, and many other expenses. Today, you would probably need a minimum of 2 billion dollars to build a competitive park.

Look for an area that is open with firm ground and few trees.

Three-hundred or more acres.

Yes, if you meet the requirements of that country for establishing a business as an alien.

As seen above, 250 or more acres of land. A popular amusement park, Cedar Point, is about 360 acres. However, it really differs by what type of park you're going for. A small family park can only be 150 acres, but a large chain park can be 500 acres.

No. You must be able to purchase land, which requires you to be at least 18.

Anywhere in the U.S., as long as you get proper permission/permits from both the city and state of where you plan to build.

You’d be best off sticking to a small family entertainment center (FEC) with that amount of space. FECs often contain multiple go-kart tracks, an expansive arcade, and several kids rides and attractions. They are prevalent in malls, but can go outside or inside. Eventually, if your park does well, you can start installing larger rides to attract teenagers and young adults--small but peppy wooden roller coasters built by the Gravity Group have been popular at small- to mid-sized parks lately, and can cost just a few million. They thrill both the coaster enthusiasts and general public, and offer a ride that everyone can enjoy together.

It depends on the theme. If the theme of your park was adventure, then maybe you could have a ride that takes you through a mysterious jungle. If your theme was western, then maybe you could have a ride or roller coaster through an old mine shaft. You should defiantly decide on themes before designing the rides themselves.

That would be pretty difficult because Nintendo and all of it's games and characters are copyrighted.

It depends how well you delegate the work. If you hire managers to run the staff, that will alleviate some of your involvement.

To conduct a feasibility study, the median cost would be around 100k.

If you wanted to open a Six Flags, your first step would be to contact the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and discuss franchising opportunities with them.

You would want to start with many of the same processes stated above. However, you would likely need different permits for an indoor park.

It depends on what type of park, where you plan to build it, and how big you plan on making your park etc.

The average cost of construction per expected first-year guest is $109.61, meaning that if you hope to attract a million guests in year one, you will need to raise approximately $109,610,000.

Of course! Amusement parks are always changing and growing, adding new attractions, etc. Start off with whatever you can afford to do now, and then gradually expand.

A lot, although your coasters are going to be the big-ticket investments. A small wooden coaster, like White Lightning at Fun Spot Orlando, will cost around $3.5 million. A B&M giga like Fury 325 can cost as much as ten times that. You might have to put down seven or eight digits for your Ferris wheel, especially if it's a particularly big one. Flats like your swinging ship and drop tower tend to be in the tens to hundreds of thousands a pop.

Think about what your theme is and go with that. For example, if it is thrills, then your park would be filled with roller coasters and haunted mansions. A water park would have water slides and pools. If your theme park generally has no theme then you can mix all theme park theme song and their stereotypical rides, together. But keep your budget in mind.

Back in the day, Disneyland finished at around 17 million US dollars. But that was also back at a time when the park wasn't as big as it is now. Today's prices would be considerably more. But it's not just the build -- also account for maintenance, which is high for such a park, along with the need to continue adding new content to keep the place fresh, vibrant and interesting. Plus, you need to hire staff, lawyers, accountants, get supplies, organize food franchises, etc. Pull together a business plan to account for everything needed.