Attractiepark Slagharen park info, rides and attractions

Opened	1963
Season	April to October
Owner	Parques Reunidos
Attendance	1,400,000 (TEA 2011)
Website	www.slagharen.com
Nearby	Avonturenpark Hellendoorn (17 miles) De Waarbeek (28 miles) Movie Park Germany (71 miles) Amsterdam Dungeon (72 miles) Toverland (88 miles)

Slagharen's entrance

Attractiepark Slagharen is a theme park in the Netherlands near the border with Germany.

The park has a Wild West theme and is laid out in two main sections connected by a long Western themed main street which contains many of Slagharen's shops and numerous restaurants. A chairlift runs above the street, allowing visitors access between the northern and southern areas without needing to walk between them each time, although arguably that can be a lot quicker than waiting in the queue!

Slagharen's major rollercoaster is Gold Rush, a launched Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster which was opened at the park in 2017 to replace its Schwarzkopf Looping Star. The park's other rollercoaster is a Vekoma Junior Coaster which can be found at the opposite end to Gold Rush and is named simply "Mine Train".

Gold Rush and the Cable Car

Amongst several fairground type flat rides, other major attractions include Ripsaw Falls, a log flume; Big Wheel, a large Schwarzkopf observation wheel; and Free Fall, a drop tower. The theme park's most unusual ride is Wild West Adventure, a Wild West themed indoor dark ride featuring boats more commonly seen on white water rapids rides.

Slagharen has an unusual policy at closing time: all the shops shut their doors at exactly that time too, leading to a rush of visitors out of the exit without any chance to linger to browse souvenirs or even get a drink. Given the park's car park is not particularly well designed, it quickly becomes gridlocked with angry drivers trying to push their way into the massive queue battling its way towards the exit gates. Hardly a fantastic way to end a day at a theme park!

Slagharen is nice enough, but not an outstanding park. While its main street is nicely themed, aside from Gold Rush it lacks any real stand out rides or attractions. Unfortunately its relatively small size means the main areas feel quite packed and it quickly becomes rather laborious to either walk between them or wait for the cable car.