Arizona's Backyard (formerly known as TechEruo's Blazing Acres from 1995-1999) and Blazing Acres (2000) is an amusement and water park & casino complex in Flagstaff, Arizona owned by Carwardine Parks.
History[]
Construction[]
The park was first announced in early 1993, with an initial proposed opening date of 1995.
Construction started in August of 1993.
Opening[]
The park opened in May of 1995.
In 1997, Desert Splash Waterpark was added to the park.
Changes[]
Early 2000s[]
In 2000, Carwardine Parks bought the park. As a result, the park was renamed Blazing Acres. However, just a year later the name was changed yet again to Arizona's Backyard.
In 2001, The Mario Kart Experience Express opened. It replaced Blazing Pavilions, a picnic pavilion area that saw very little popularity since it's opening in 1995.
Nick Central replaced Crash Canyon and PBS Kids Neighborhood replaced Blazing Funland in 2003.
Cancelled Proposal: Rugrats Thrills from the Crib[]
Crash Canyon was originally planned to be rethemed to Rugrats as "Rugrats: Thrills from the Crib" entirely in 2003, with Wooden Warrior becoming Angelicoaster and being repainted pink and the area now occupied by LazyTown SkyChasers would be used as a full-scale replica of the Pickles' house. The retheme was cancelled due to the declining popularity of the show and the idea was replaced with Nick Central. Some 2002 maps advertised the cancelled new land with a logo saying "Coming Soon" above it being placed above Wooden Warrior/Bikini Bottom Raceway on the map.
Mid-2000s onward[]
The post-9/11 tourism crash seemed to only helped the park more than it hurt, as there are less guests, it'd make it easier for construction workers to secretly work on projects and the park would have a proper reasoning to get steady investments.
In 2004, two new rides were added; All Grown Up: Tommy's Grand Prix, a Zamperla Speedway ride reminiscent of the old fairground "Whip" rides and Double Dash Dueler, a dueling launched coaster by Premier Rides.
In 2005, for the 10th anniversary, three new rides were added. The waterpark got Tornado, the first funnel slide in the state of Arizona. The theme park got Jimmy Neutron's Blast Tower, a miniature version of the Intamin Giant Drop (only standing 99.5 feet tall), and LazyTown SkyChasers, an Intamin motorbike coaster. In addition, several celebrations were held the whole season around the park.
In 2006, Catapult and Fort Nick were added to the waterpark.
In 2007, Wubbzy's Kooky Train was added.
In 2008, PBS Kids Neighborhood became Kids Kountry. Originally, there were plans to retheme the entire land to Bratz as "Bratz Thrillz 'n Fun Zone", with Redwall: Escape from Malkariss being annexed into Thrillzopolis, Bratz Cool Carz being moved to the land from Route 65½ and Zoom Machine being renamed to Stylesville Comet. The retheme was cancelled due to MGA's legal battle with Mattel over the rights to Bratz, along with concerns over demographic issues, and the idea was replaced with the introduction of Kids Kountry to the park. Some maps late in the 2007 season advertised the cancelled land with the Bratz logo and the words "Coming Soon - Bratz Thrillz 'n Fun Zone, An All New Experience" being placed over the PBS Kids Neighborhood logo on the map.
In 2009, FlowRider was added to the waterpark.
In 2010, Big Wave Canyon was added to the waterpark.
In 2011, LazyTown SkyChasers was annexed into the Thrillzopolis section of the park.
In 2012, Trapdoor Twisters were added to the waterpark.
In 2013, King Cobra was added to the waterpark.
In 2014, Skyway opened and Chaos closed.
In 2015, Wubbzy's Kooky Train became the Nick Express and Drop da Bass was added.
In 2016, WarioWare Kart was added.
In 2017, Rainbow Brite's Star Chase was repainted.
In 2018, Redwall: Slagar's Challenge was repainted.
In 2019, Dongwa's Alley Run was added while SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Raceway was retracked.
In 2020, Barney's Stu-Pendous Coaster was repainted.
In 2021, Detective Pikachu: Mystery in Lavender Town was added while Dragon Wagon was removed.
In 2022, Maggie Simpson's Adventure was added, and a Sesame Street mini-land in Kids Kountry was added.
In 2023, Klondike Log Rush was added.
Areas[]
- Arizona's Highway (entrance plaza area)
- Route 65½
- Thrillzopolis
- Kids Kountry (formerly known as "Blazing Funland" [1995-2002] and "PBS Kids Neighborhood" [2003-2007])
- Nick Central (formerly known as "Crash Canyon" [1995-2003])
Current rides & attractions[]
Roller coasters[]
| Name | Opening Year | Manufacturer | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Eagle | 2003 | Intamin | Kids Kountry | An Intamin Prefabricated Wooden Coaster; partial clone of Balder at Liseburg; formerly known as "Zoom Machine" (2003-2007). |
| Barney's Stu-Pendous Coaster | 2003 | Zamperla | Kids Kountry | A Zamperla Spinning Wild Mouse, repainted in 2020. |
| Dongwa's Alley Run | 2019 | Golden Horse/Vekoma Asia | Kids Kountry | A ZXC-4D Super Spinning Coaster model. |
| Double Dash Dueler | 2004 | Premier Rides | Thrillzopolis | A launched coaster based on Mario Kart: Double Dash!! |
| LazyTown SkyChasers | 2005 | Intamin | Thrillzopolis | An Intamin MotorBike Coaster and one of two prototypes for the model (the other being a "clone" under the same name at Mississippi's Backyard; previously part of Nick Central before being annexed into Thrillzopolis in 2011 due to Nick no longer holding the broadcasting rights to the show. |
| Maggie Simpson's Adventure | 2022 | Zierer | Kids Kountry | A Zierer Force Zero. |
| Rainbow Brite's Star Chase | 2003 | Vekoma | Thrillzopolis | A Vekoma Junior Flying Dutchman, repainted in 2017. |
| Redwall: Slagar's Challenge | 2003 | Intamin | Kids Kountry | An Intamin Mega Coaster, repainted in 2018. |
| Rugrats: Runaway Reptar | 2003 | Vekoma | Nick Central | A Vekoma SFC, near-exact clone of the Dreamworld version of the attraction which is now known as Escape from Madagascar, but with a transfer track. |
| Sagwa's Rickshaw Run | 1995 | Schwarzkopf | Kids Kountry | A Schwarzkopf Silver Arrow Coaster; formerly known as "Blazing Arrow" (1995-2003), previously toured on the German fair circuit as "Zapper" between 1988 and 1994. |
| Skyway | 2014 | Vekoma | Thrillzopolis | A Vekoma Stingray. |
| SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom Raceway | 1995 | RCCA | Nick Central | A RCCA Wooden Coaster; formerly known as "Wooden Warrior" (1995-2002), retracked by GCI in 2019. |
| WarioWare Kart | 2016 | S&S | Route 65½ | An S&S High-Thrill, formerly Ring Racer at the Nürburgring. |
| Watership Down: But First, They Must Catch You! | 1995 | Galdón | Thrillzopolis | A Galdón Looping Coaster; formerly known as "Human Bullet" (1995-2001). |
Flat rides[]
- Aero Wings (1995; a Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooters ride, relocated from Marquette Woods Park) [Nick Central]
- Arizona Carousel (1995; a carousel manufactured by Huss-TechEruo)
- Danny Phantom's Ecto Blaster (2005; a HUSS Enterprise and the second-to-last built by the original HUSS, features "Specter Blasting" technology [essentially laser tag on a flat ride], which makes use of laser guns that riders can shoot to get points) [Nick Central]
- Detective Pikachu: Mystery in Lavender Town (2021; A Sally Corporation interactive dark ride) [Kids Kountry]
- Dragon (1995; Huss Pirate Ship ride) [Route 65½]
- Drop da Bass (2015; a Intamin Giant Drop Tower, formerly Hellevator/Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and Le Tomber du Ciel at La Cité Incroyable, has on-ride speakers with dubstep and techno tracks playing and features "PowerZap" technology [essentially laser tag on a drop tower]) [Route 65½]
- Disco Spinner (2003; A Zamperla Disk'O Coaster, formerly known as "DragonflyTV Halfpipe Simulator" [2003-2007]) [Kids Kountry]
- Jimmy Neutron's Blast Tower (2005; a Intamin Giant Drop Tower, one of two Intamin drop towers in the park) [Nick Central]
- Klondike Log Rush (2023; An Intamin Log Flume ride) [Route 65½]
- Nick Express (2007; a MSC Incorporated Train Circuit, formerly known as "Wubbzy's Kooky Train" [2007-2014]) [Nick Central]
- Ren & Stimpy: Swinging Eediots (2003; a Zierer Wave Swinger) [Nick Central]
- Rocko's Road Roundup (1995; a MSC bumper cars/dodgems ride, formerly "Bump Around" [1995-2003]) [Nick Central]
Kiddie rides[]
- All Grown Up!: Tommy's Grand Prix (2004; a Zamperla Speedway ride) [Nick Central]
- City Trollies (2003; a MSC Vintage Car Circuit with trollies; formerly known as "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Trollies" from 2003-2007) [Kids Kountry]
- Cookie Monster's Tower of Cookie (1995; a Zamperla Jumpin' Star ride, formerly known as "Treehouse Tower" [1995-2021]) [Kids Kountry]
- Dora's Balloon Race (2003; a Zamperla Balloon Race) [Nick Central]
- Fire Chief (2003; a Zamperla Crazy Bus, formerly known as "Barney's Fire Department" [2003-2007]) [Kids Kountry]
- Rintoo’s Tiger Pounce (2008; A Zamperla Mini Jet ride with tiger vehicles) [Nick Central]
- Zak and Wheezie's Dragon Flyers (2003; a Zamperla Flying Tigers with dragons) [Kids Kountry]
Up-charge rides[]
- Bratz Cool Carz (2005; a slot car ride) [Route 65½]
- The Mario Kart Experience Express (2001; A Go-Kart track) [Thrillzopolis]
Other attractions[]
- Dora's Treehouse (2022; a RCI Adventure Trail) [Nick Central]
- Loud House Maze (2022; An RCI Amaze'n Maze) [Nick Central]
- Marshank Cliffs (2022; An RCI Clip 'n Climb) [Kids Kountry]
Desert Splash Waterpark[]
Opened in 1997.
- Big Wave Canyon (2010; A wave pool)
- Bumpety Bump! (1997; A ProSlide MultiBump)
- Cactus Splash (1997; A zero-entry kiddie play era)
- Carwardine's River Rapids Ride (2000; Hafema River Rapids)
- Catapult (2006; A ProSlide Rocket "Carwardine Model", last of the three original Carwardine Models to use conveyor belts instead of LIM launches, although the last hill used an LIM launch instead of a conveyor to test it's reliability in comparison)
- Dark Voyage (1998; A ProSlide Dark Mammoth)
- Desert Mammoth (1997; A ProSlide Mammoth)
- FlowRider (2009; A WhiteWater West FlowRider)
- Fort Nick (2006; An SCS Interactive play structure with ProSlide slides themed to Nickelodeon, a clone of the one at Discovery Waterpark and a mirrored version of the ones at Six Flags Great America East and Six Flags Over Georgia)
- Freefall! (1997; A ProSlide FreeFall)
- King Cobra (2013; a Polin King Cobra slide)
- Nintendo River (2000; A lazy river; formerly known as "Blazing River" [2000-2003], in 2004 the inner tubes were redesigned to feature Nintendo characters on them from game series like Mario, Kirby and Pokémon)
- Oil Pipelines (1997; Three enclosed ProSlide PipeLines themed to an oil mine.)
- Tornado (2005; A ProSlide Tornado, custom layout)
- Trapdoor Twister (2012; A set of two ProSlide SuperLoops)
- Waluigi's Sewer Slides (2024; A set of three Klarer tube slides with illusion effects)
Arizona's Desert Sky Casino[]
A Casino located in a building inside the park near Arizona Eagle, you must be 21 or older to enter, this is one of the three smoking zones of the park. The casino, while on the park's property, is actually owned by the Navajo Nation and operated by Desert Sky Gaming Inc., a joint venture of the Navajo Nation and Carwardine Parks.
The casino opened in 2002.
The casino was featured in several media, including a Super Mario 64 DS ad from 2004, where Luigi is shown playing Poker inside the casino and the queue-tape "Pokémon Red & Blue In Real Life", substituting the casinos found in the games.
Food & Drinks[]
- Backyard Ice Cream Shop
- Dairy Queen Grill & Chill
- Insomnia Cookies
- Krispy Kreme
- The Krusty Krab (Nick Central)
- Subway
Former rides & attractions[]
Roller coasters[]
- Dragon Wagon (1995-2021; a Wisdom Rides "Dragon Wagon" coaster, sold off to a traveling fair, replaced with Maggie Simpson's Adventure) [Kids Kountry]
Flat Rides[]
- Afterburn (2002-2015; A KMG Afterburner, scrapped, replaced with WarioWare Kart) [Route 65½]
- Chaos (1996-2014; a Chance Chaos ride, scrapped, replaced with Drop da Bass) [Route 65½]
Incidents[]
- On August 1, 2006, four people received minor injuries and 15-year old girl Lilah Jayden from Tucson, Arizona had her left leg severed when a train of Double Dash Dueler collided into a backup train that had accidentally been positioned into the station. After the incident, all Double Dash Dueler rides across the chain received heavy modifications to avoid this incident from happening again.
- On August 2, 2008, Sagwa's Rickshaw Run partially derailed during a test run, due to it being a test run, no one was injured. It was thought to have been a translation issue in the manual during it's conversion from German to English and the poor translation used literally by the maintenance crew. The ride reopened on August 31st, and switched to new rickshaw-inspired trains from Sunkid GmbH (the same company who built Teststrecke's new trains) the next year.
Map[]
https://www.scribblemaps.com/create/#/id=Gp3nLbLh_Y&lat=35.17731864&lng=-111.72396323&z=16&t=hybrid