I can attempt to make some observations about the American Heartland Theme Park that was recently announced. I have studied the concept art and preview videos, the interviews that were provided with the press release, and the 3D model that a camera flies through, so let me comment about what I see.
| When guests enter through the "turnstiles", they enter underneath a car track that must be themed to Route 66. The track seems to go around the circumference of most of the park, but does travel over and under certain attractions. In most parks, this would be a train track. I'm not sure how the system will work in this case. |  |
 | Will these be self-driving vehicles? I see that riders (drivers?) will enjoy roadside attractions along the way - such things as a Greyhound Bus station and a UFO. On the other side of the gates, guests enter Liberty Village, a perfectly idealized version of a town square. |
| Looking like a combination of Mayberry, and River City, Iowa, the town square will likely serve in a similar fashion as Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. There should be stores along the square, and I can only hope for citizens (roving characters) to entertain guests. There probably aren't any rides or shows here, but who knows.. |  |
There is a statue in the square, as well as a Liberty Bell and one building looks suspiciously like the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Old cars look to be parked along the street to add to the ambience, but they are probably going to remain stationary. I wonder how they will keep people from defacing them and climbing on them.
There is a drug store, a post office, and perhaps a fire station and police station. Some of the buildings appear to have extended areas on the back side, which could indicate warehouses and staging places. Then again, they could be parts of another land on the other side. There could be a small theater in the area for displaying short films or host special speakers or presenters.
I could see myself sitting in the square on a mild day and just relaxing. It would be a nice place to rest with a Diet Dr. Pepper and a laptop computer, writing the next great American novel.
Past the Liberty Village sign at the other end of town, and the view opens up to a large lake area that displays some interesting profile attractions in lands on the opposite shore. This large lakefront area could be the right size for the evening show that appears in one of the video fly-throughs. That show may have projections on buildings and structures that are situated in strategic areas. We may also expect lasers and fireworks, all choreographed to patriotic music celebrating the USA.
The word Americana has been tossed around regarding the overall theme of American Heartland, and Liberty Village is probably the greatest fulfillment of that theme. One can only hope to see a big-wheeled bicycle rolling along the street when the crowds are at certain levels. While one of the pictures has a newsboy hocking papers, I wouldn't expect to see a child filling that roll. Let's hope for quality merchandise and not a bunch of junk souvenirs.
There is a drug store, a post office, and perhaps a fire station and police station. Some of the buildings appear to have extended areas on the back side, which could indicate warehouses and staging places. Then again, they could be parts of another land on the other side. There could be a small theater in the area for displaying short films or host special speakers or presenters.
I could see myself sitting in the square on a mild day and just relaxing. It would be a nice place to rest with a Diet Dr. Pepper and a laptop computer, writing the next great American novel.
Past the Liberty Village sign at the other end of town, and the view opens up to a large lake area that displays some interesting profile attractions in lands on the opposite shore. This large lakefront area could be the right size for the evening show that appears in one of the video fly-throughs. That show may have projections on buildings and structures that are situated in strategic areas. We may also expect lasers and fireworks, all choreographed to patriotic music celebrating the USA.
The word Americana has been tossed around regarding the overall theme of American Heartland, and Liberty Village is probably the greatest fulfillment of that theme. One can only hope to see a big-wheeled bicycle rolling along the street when the crowds are at certain levels. While one of the pictures has a newsboy hocking papers, I wouldn't expect to see a child filling that roll. Let's hope for quality merchandise and not a bunch of junk souvenirs.
