UPDATE: Valleyfair Announces New Flooding Impacts, Changes
Earlier this week, Twin Cities attraction Valleyfair announced that it had closed a few rides and some parking areas due to flooding from the nearby Minnesota River.
Since this initial announcement, there have been some changes that include a cancellation of an upcoming event, adjustments to operating hours, and more changes for parking while visiting the Shakopee amusement park.
Here's the latest from the park about flooding impacts
What rides are closed?
As was initially reported, three rides remain closed. Those rides are the water-based ride Thunder Canyon and the rollercoasters Excalibur and Renegade, all located on the western edge of the park.
Valleyfair says all remaining rides and attractions remain open and says current river crest forecasts shouldn't see water levels get high enough to close additional rides. This is, of course, very weather-dependent.
While the list of rides closed hasn't changed, there have been updates to the park's hours and parking situation and an upcoming event has been canceled.
Park officials say they will not offer refunds but will allow guests to change their visit date for already-purchased tickets via the Valleyfair guest portal if they'd rather come a different time.
How are parking and Valleyfair hours being impacted?
In an update on Thursday, park officials shared a couple of changes that will impact visitors until floodwaters begin to recede.
The first is a change to Valleyfair hours, which are now from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm for the amusement park and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm for the Soak City water park until further notice due to the flooding.
The second change is for parking during your visit. While there was initially some limited parking on the premises at Valleyfair earlier this week, there is now no guest parking available at the park for guests. Instead, there are a series of off-site parking options with a free shuttle to and from the park.
Those options are at the Canterbury Park overflow lot and at three nearby Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) parking lots. You can see the locations of these lots on the map below, and learn more from the MVTA about their lots in a post they have available on their website.
Valleyfair cancels 4th of July event
Along with the new parking changes and visitor hours, Valleyfair has announced they are canceling their 4th of July Fireworks show. Park officials say they will still be open on July 4 during their new, temporary hours, but the scheduled fireworks show will not be happening this year.
How long is flooding going to impact Valleyfair?
Officials with the attraction say the Minnesota River is still expected to crest this weekend (on June 29), though it is unknown how long it will take for floodwaters to recede enough to allow the closed areas of the park to reopen.
This is, of course, very weather-dependent. They are monitoring the situation with experts and will provide further updates as they become available.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker