Designing a theme park is about developing a setting for your guests to choose their own adventure. The overarching theme trickles down into distinct sectors of the park that trickle down even more into individual rides. The idea is to help your guests journey from attraction to attraction as seamlessly as possible, and it includes a lot more than the buildings and pathways. Even your landscaping, outdoor seating options and accessibility to trash receptacles should factor into your design! Here are some tips and tricks for crafting an excellent park layout.
Building Locations
The process of designing your park’s layout starts, once again, with your theme park ideas. Used as a baseline, it will inform five to seven distinct areas within your park that will host your individual attractions. The identities of these unique areas should be supported by the surrounding architecture, landscaping, and rides you choose to build there.
There are two popular options for configuring these areas in your park. The first is the loop layout, where these places circle around a center point, such as a lake. Guests walk around the circle to experience each site and then gather around the center point to enjoy an evening show. Another layout is the hub and spoke layout, sometimes referred to as the icon design philosophy. This configuration became popular due to its effectiveness at Disneyland. There is an icon at the center (such as Sleeping Beauty’s castle) with offshoots branching out to the themed areas.
Big attractions should be built on the outer edges of either configuration in order to entice guests to all parts of the park, while shops can be conveniently placed at the exit. Neither one of these options is better than the other, though a circular approach can ensure fluid movement around the park and prevent bottleneck problems. These aren’t the only two configurations out there. The building layout you choose will depend on your available space, type of theme park, and vision for your visitors.
Landscaping
Landscaping is an important visual component of your theme park. It can guide the eyes, hide less favorable portions of buildings, highlight pathways and keep people on course. It can also be used to reinforce your theme when you layer story elements, props and little flourishes into the landscape, enhancing the unforgettable and immersive experience afforded by your park. Not only does quality landscaping enhance the park’s brand and guest reception, a well-planned setup offers practical benefits too. It offers expedient resolutions for natural risks, such as obstructions on walkways, loose tree branches or storm debris.
Seating
Exploring a theme park requires a lot of walking. That makes accessible seating and theme park benches an incredibly important component for a great experience. There are two types of seating you’ll want to incorporate into your layout — casual seating and outdoor dining. As they journey through your park, you’ll want to offer comfortable amusement park benches for guests to rest and relax, wait while others ride, tie their shoes and so on. Place benches around other amenities such as restrooms, water fountains, shade and trash receptacles, as well as in front of scenic views and outside of rides.
For outdoor dining, opt for tables that can withstand the elements and can accommodate large parties of people. Locate these close to eateries, as well as in more secluded parts of the park where guests can get away from the bustle of the crowd and enjoy a meal in the shade. If neither of these places offers natural cover, choose tables that can incorporate durable outdoor umbrellas.
Trash
Guests accumulate a lot of trash throughout their day, especially around dining areas. Trash cleanup is crucial to cultivating a clean and comfortable atmosphere for visitors. People can be negligent about their trash, so the best strategy is to choose the right trash receptacle and make using it as convenient as possible. There are several ways to do this. First, make sure trash receptacles are accessible all over the park, especially in areas prone to trash, such as bathrooms, stores and restaurants. The longer a guest needs to look for one, the less likely it is that their trash will end up in a trash receptacle. Secondly, empty your trashcans frequently. This prevents unpleasant smells from building up and avoids any overflow that may prevents guests from disposing of trash properly. Lastly, select a durable receptacle and receptacle lids that can withstand pedestrian, weather and pest damage and blends in nicely with the themed area where it is located.
Outfit Your Park With the Best Outdoor Amusement Rides:
En Carnee Amusement Rides, we offer complete solutions for amusement parks that add a special touch of excellence to your theme park design. Designed with materials and finishes specifically chosen for their durability, our products are long-lasting and require minimal maintenance. Choose from a robust variety of colors and configurations, capable of matching many potential themes and meeting your desired specifications. Furnishing your park is accessible and expedient with Carnee Amusement Rides.
To outfit your theme park with outdoor park rides, reach out to our sales manger to learn more about our products!
Spanish 
English 
French 
Arabic 
Portuguese 
Indonesian 
Russian