Bay Beach is a tiny amusement park located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Being a native Wisconsinite, I feel like I should’ve visited the park more. Since I lived in Southeastern Wisconsin though, it was much easier to make trips to Six Flags Great America. The two parks aren’t really comparable in size and scope, but you’re definitely getting a more family-friendly, less corporate experience at Bay Beach. However, that does mean that the park doesn’t get new rides that often.
However, in 2023, things are different. Back in 2022, Bay Beach announced that it was looking to purchase a used Zamperla NebulaZ ride from an undisclosed location. The purchase was around $800,000, and since Bay Beach is a government-owned park, they were able to use money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The city of Green Bay was given $23,695,516 in two payments, and are allocating that money towards all sorts of things, including improvements at Bay Beach.
The park had to remove two rides this season in order to save money and make room for NebulaZ. The Sea Dragon was closed due to repairs being too costly, and the Chairplane was replaced by NebulaZ. There is still a chance that the Chairplane could return at a later date if space became available, as there is nothing major wrong with the attraction.
As for NebulaZ, the thrill ride officially opened on Labor Day weekend. It’s a bit of a late opening, especially since the park will only be open til the end of September, but it’s better than waiting til 2024. This video from Zamperla provides a better look at the attraction, in case you’ve never seen a Zamperla NebulaZ before.
NebulaZ is a family thrill attraction that rotates riders on four giant arms. The arms interlock and weave around each other in a mesmerizing way that is just as tantalizing to watch as it is to ride. In addition to rotating forwards, NebulaZ can also change directions to spin riders backwards and offer a more dizzying experience. While it’s a somewhat intense experience, one must only be 42 inches to ride with an adult, making it a great experience for all ages.
Perhaps best of all, NebulaZ only costs three tickets to ride. This may sound like a decent amount at first, until you learn that one ticket only costs $0.25. That’s right, the attraction only costs $0.75 total to ride. Bay Beach is best known for it’s inexpensive prices, and NebulaZ follows suit. It joins the ranks of stellar, quality attractions such as the Zippin Pippin, a terrific wooden roller coaster that only costs $1 to ride.
I want to close this out with a comparison to Six Flags Great America, since I mentioned it before. I know I said that these parks aren’t on the same level, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t choosing how to spend your time and money at each park. With no entrance fee, Bay Beach only charges guests per ride. Zippin Pippin is the most expensive attraction at $1, meaning that everything else is even less expensive. Meanwhile, a ticket to Six Flags Great America starts at $45, according to their website. The park has 49 different attractions, but not all of them are winners. I’d say the best roller coaster there is Goliath, and while it’s just my opinion, I think Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach is just as good if not better. At $45 and 49 attractions, that’s $0.91 per attraction. That’s not a bad deal, except with Six Flags Great America’s notoriously long wait times, you’d be lucky if you rode more than half that. Meanwhile, Bay Beach consistently has short wait times. I’m not saying you should ride Zippin Pippin 45 times in one day. However, you probably could if you wanted to, and it would cost just as much as a Six Flags Great America ticket. Of course, you could supplement some of those Zippin Pippin rides with a spin on their new NebulaZ too.
I’m not saying Bay Beach is better than Six Flags Great America. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m just saying driving north for Bay Beach might be just as worth it, especially with NebulaZ being added to their roster.
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