Opening Day Report

The castle gates opened yesterday to kick off Dutch Wonderland's 49th season. Cloudy skies and less than favorable temperatures kept away the large crowds, but a small, enthusiastic group turned out to be among the first to visit Duke and Co. this year.

The park looked great. Everything was in working order, the Sky Ride was the only ride that was down. In areas where flowers have not yet bloomed, large planters were temporarily placed.

Inside the castle entrance, construction is moving along nicely on Merlin's, Dutch Wonderland's first full service restaurant:

Outside and behind the castle, the space most recently known as The Castle Cafe has been fully enclosed and work continues on Three Amigos Mexican Grill:

Another big change is over at the Shooting Gallery building in the center of the park. The Shooting Gallery itself has been reduced to about 1/4 the size of it's former self and a new retail space has been added. The merchandise in this unnamed space is comprised mostly of clearance items and stuff from the now retired "other side" of the Castle Gift Shop. There also appears to be an attempt to piggy back off the Western theme of the Shooting Gallery with a few cowboy toys as well.

It's kind of sad to see their classic Shooting Gallery reduced in size, but it was a lot of prime real estate dedicated to an add-on attraction that probably doesn't bring in a great amount of money.

Bookmark Us! And check back later in the week - we'll show you some more changes around the park, plus the skinny on beverages and some updates to the Entertainment Venues.

Castle Construction Update

There's plenty of activity inside Brooke's Castle before the park opens in a few weeks. On a recent visit to the Season Pass Office, we snapped a few pictures of some of the progress just beyond the castle drawbridge...

There will be a whole new view when guests enter the castle this year. On the right hand side of the picture, covered by the tarp, is the gift shop. Just beyond the retail area is a new room. On the other side, what once housed more retail space is now taking shape to become Merlin's - Dutch Wonderland's first full service restaurant.

You can see at the far end of the hallway, a new yellow room is making it's debut where just a wall stood before...

...Not sure exactly what this room will be yet. It looks like cubby holes, which is a doubtful addition. Perhaps these are display units for merchandise?

On the other side of the hallway, construction is still moving forward on Merlin's. The restaurant is scheduled to open at the beginning of the Summer and it looks like they've still got quite a way to go. The new restaurant will give guests the opportunity to dine inside the castle in what promises to be a themed dining experience.

It certain looks like there will be plenty of new surprises just inside the castle alone when the park opens for the 2012 season. It make you wonder what other surprises Duke has planned inside the park...