Doswell, VA - In 2012, King's Dominion is scheduled to open two new attractions, both of which are replicas of new attractions at other Cedar Fair parks.

The first new attraction is the 301' tall Windseeker. Found at sister parks Cedar Point, King's Island, Knott's Berry Farm, and Canada's Wonderland, Windseeker is the second such ride that Cedar Fair has announced for 2012, the first located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ride is the park’s original Wave Swinger ride on steroids, with heights of 301' (which is four feet shorter than Intimidator 305 across the park), a maximum lateral angle of 45 degrees, and a speed of 30 MPH. The original Wave Swinger, which opened in 1975, is 31 feet tall and reaches speeds of 9 MPH.

The coming of this attraction means the departure of another, El Dorado. El Dorado is a 1001 Nights model from Weber, first built at Geauga Lake in 1991. It was relocated to King's Dominion when Geauga Lake closed and opened in 2009 at King's Dominion, a year after the park received Dominator, a B&M Floorless coaster from Geauga Lake.

The other attraction to open next year is Dinosaurs Alive! This walkthrough attraction features 36 life-size dinosaur animatronics. Species included in the mix are the Stegosaurus, the Pteranodon, the Triceratops, and, of course, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Visitors can learn more about these beasts, like their diet, their habitat, and what time period they were alive.

This is not the only attraction of its type, since Cedar Fair has built one at King's Island that opened this year. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio will also receive Dinosaurs Alive! in 2012.

These new additions are the first since the Intimidator 305 giga coaster by Intamin in 2010. Named after the nickname of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, this coaster reaches heights of 305’ and speeds exceeding 90 MPH. The ride has had many technical issues since it opened, namely the first turn. Riders complained of “graying out” on the first turn due to the extreme forces. During the season, trims were placed on the first drop to lower the forces of the ensuing turn. In the 2010-2011 offseason, the trims were removed and the first turn was retracked to eliminate the high forces.