Ole South USA - A Family Entertainment Resort

I know that is a pretty silly title for a post, but that is how I feel much of the time in this process of pulling this project together. The crowdfunding campaign continues to pick up steam and I am hopeful things in the background and behind the scenes will push it forward even faster. 

But let's get back to that silly title of today's blog. In an endeavor like this sometimes you are racing from one meeting to the next, sometimes you are just cruising along and sometimes you just have to be patient and wait. It is a balancing act between doing much research, networking with the right people, keeping the vision in focus and staying on target. It is not always easy to do when you are running, walking and sitting, but is a requirement in most any entrepreneurial endeavor. Know that I am running really hard, sometimes I'm walking and sometimes I'm just sitting, but all is good with Ole South USA. 

I want to thank the Ole South team and everyone that has become a Pioneer Club member over the past few weeks. Below is a recent comment I received regarding the project I wanted to share with you. Thank you for your support and have a great weekend. 

David Webb

comment:

"Heard about this development from the CoasterRadio podcast. Although I'm not an avid CR listener, when I heard about Ole South USA, I immediately wanted to pitch in and help. I was born and raised in San Diego, California. My experiences with theme parks consisted of the big names in Universal Studios Hollywood, Sea World, Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, and Legoland to name a few, but I've also frequented the local family-owned parks. I have been living abroad in Finland for the past four years and am severely limited in my theme park fix. I've managed to make it out back state-side at least once or twice a year. I've made it a point to visit theme parks with my family every time I'm out there. Although I won't be around the Ole South location in the foreseeable future, I pitched in anyway. Whatever perks Pioneer members receive, I will be sure to donate it to a deserving visitor. Wishing you the best in your future successes!"

Listen To Rob Corley Disney Animator discuss his career and his company Funny Pages Productions

If you are in the real estate business I'm sure you hear the phrase location, location, location, over and over and over. Well, to a large degree building a theme park is being in the real estate business. It's sometimes a fine line though between having the right location combined with the right idea. It's my feeling the idea always, even if just barely, supersedes the location. You can have a great location and if the idea is bad then the location really does not matter. On the other hand, if you have a great idea, and it is not very accessible, you are taking a chance with the venture.

The goal with any business should be to find the optimum location giving it the greatest chance for success. As far as choosing a location for a themed attraction such as Ole South, travel time is the critical factor. For a major attraction, 1.5 to two hours in a one-way driving time is generally recognized as the maximum extent of the resident market given the four to seven hour stay time typical at the destination itself. The goal for Ole South is to find a location that provides enough land for future growth, but also is centralized to the overnight and resident market for an adequate capture rate. Capture rate is the percentage of overnight and resident market that would visit the attraction.

We have a few sites in mind...stay tuned.  Have a great day!

David Webb

Over the past few years I have dissected the book, "Walt's Revolution, by the Numbers" by Harrison "Buzz" Price. Mr. Price is the gentleman that helped Walt Disney decide on the location for Disneyland. Harrison went on to become the leading attraction's economist in the world. Sadly he past away not too long ago, but left years of research and study for future attractions to use and make calculated, wise decisions on how to move forward with a development. 

One of my favorite quotes in the book is from a gentleman by the name of Terry Van Gorder. He says, "An entertainment park is a medium designed and created for the escape of man from his ordinary everyday life experience. Properly conceived and executed the entertainment park captures and encapsulates each guest within a variety of richly rewarding encounters, both visceral and cerebral. The successful park will culturally enrich and uplift the experience of each guest by encouraging physical, intellectual and emotional participation in the entertainment recreation. Such is the purpose of the roller coaster, the legitimate theater and the flowers."

That's the target we are shooting for with Ole South USA. Hope you have a great day....

David Webb

This explanation may not be necessary because it has not really come up much at all over the years of development of Ole South USA, but just in case you are wondering why I chose the name "Ole South USA":

Well, in the early stages of researching the future of theme parks, I kept coming across information that discussed the fact new theme parks will want to encompass the culture of the local region. I felt our immediate region of Middle Tennessee did not offer enough variety of themes for a full day's visit, so I decided the next best thing would be to theme the park after probably the most distinguishable region of the United States, the South. If I did base it on the South, I could encompass many different lands all under one theme.

As you can see, there are four distinct lands in the park:  Countryside based on farmland of the South, Southern Shores based on the coastal area, Appalachia themed after the mountains, and New South which will be the land based on the cities of the South. This structure opened up many possibilities for a variety of music, food, landscaping, architecture, and allows for a multitude of story lines for rides and shows. It really became a no-brainer after several attempts at thinking of other possible themes and names.

The goal is to create not only a theme park that has great rides, shows and food, but to also create a park that has charm, class and longevity for generations to come. The name "Ole South USA" fit the criteria I was looking for in a brand. It will open up other possibilities beyond just the theme park in the future. I really feel once people visit Ole South USA they will take away with them everything that is great and special about the South.

Listen to Coaster Radio as David Webb shares his vision of Ole South USA.....

CoasterRadio.com #616 - The Birth of a Theme Park

Imagine if you had a chance to sit down and talk with Walt Disney when he started to brainstorm about an idea called "Mickey Mouse Park." What if you could go back to 1959 and have lunch with Angus Wynne Jr. to hear his ideas about a park that would eventually become "Six Flags Over Texas."

Building a theme park from scratch is no easy accomplishment.  It takes hard work, a solid business plan and most importantly... a vision.

On this week's show, we welcome a man with a unique vision of his own. He wants to see a theme park built in his home town of Nashville, Tennessee.

This week, David Webb joins us to talk about his plans for "Ole South USA". It would be a theme park celebrating everything that is vibrant and special about the southern region of the United States.

David gives us a "virtual tour" of the different themed lands, including descriptions of some of their innovative rides and attractions.  He also talks about the steps being taken to make this dream a reality.

Most importantly, he fills us in on the Pioneer Club, which gives 3,500 people a chance to take part in the birth of this theme park.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

The following is an online interview of Gary Armstrong, one of the team members of Ole South USA.