Opened: 1974
Ride Capacity: 2 adults or 3 kids per car Height Requirement: Riders under 36" must be accompanied by a responsible person.
RIDE EXPERIENCE
RIDE HISTORY & INFO
This ride was built into the southwest corner of what is now Game Time (which, at the time, was most likely the Roller Skating Rink). When it opened, it was originally advertised to "scare the yell out of you". The spinning tunnel near the end of the ride has not operated for some time. Some say it broke, most say it was turned off because it made some riders very sick. According to an email I received, it "was turned off due to insurance reasons in case someone got out of the car or if the ride stopped moving (some people would like to get out of [their] seat instead of waiting for us to come get them)."
And how about that crazy old owl that everyone loves to hate? Sure, I think it's great Lagoon thought of this audio-animatronic-like creature to entertain guests waiting in line. But if you're in line very long, it can get annoying.
Dracula's Castle is one of many haunted attractions that have been built in Lagoon and is one of two that still exists in the park.
MEMORIES
Steve from Moreno Valley, CA remembers the following features in this ride:
"I visited Lagoon several times over the summer of 1977 when the attraction was three years old. I recall it was one of the first rides I ever enjoyed that used strobe lights, and I seem to recall there were two rooms with strobe lights flashing. One room was brightly colored with striped wallpaper, the strobe lights made the room almost seem to be alive itself. The second room with strobes was filled with mirrors. The strobes made it difficult to focus on your own reflection but the effect was entrancing nonetheless. I also remember that at that time there were live characters standing in those rooms that would make a move towards your car as it passed through the room. I don't know how long the live individuals were used but I remember being startled at the sight of a real person moving towards me in those rooms. They were not there every time I visited Lagoon."
"I seem to recall that they were dressed in outfits that blended in with the striped wallpaper. That made them hard to recognize until they made a move. In the mirror pattern room it seems like they were dressed in black and there were black spaces between the mirror panels in the room. They would stand in between the mirrors and then as the car approached the exit (into the next room) they would step out. They never really did anything other than make a movement. I cannot imagine how any poor minimum-wage employee could bear to remain in those strobe light rooms for more than a few minutes without suffering migraine headaches or seizures."
Here's what Robert Johnson remembers:
"When Dracula’s Castle first opened there were THREE rooms with strobes. The first room was a jail scene that consisted of mirrors painted to look like jail bars. When the attraction first opened this room was fairly lengthy, it had about three to four switchbacks. A couple years later it was cut down to a simple pass through (I haven’t been to Lagoon for 15 years, so I don’t know if it is even still part of the attraction). The thing that I remember that was cool about this room is when you were about to leave it, you could see the next car coming in and you could wave at your friends. When they cut it back you couldn’t do this any longer.
This first room occurred after going down the entrance hall and the hall after the first right turn.
The second room was a green striped small room. The strobes made you feel that the wall was approaching and distorted your perception.
The third strobe room was kinda similar but the effects were not as good. It was a room covered with aluminum foil…it had a little dip that was cool."
PHOTOS
Photo: © 2005 Braden Miskin Dracula's Castle at night.
Photo: © 2005 Braden Miskin A strange creature peeks through bare tree branches.
Dracula.
Dracula's Castle has had owl problems for years, thanks to this guy. Actually, he's probably the only moving thing that still works in the ride. Image is from a video courtesy FS Member, goldbadger.
Photo: LagoonDracula lives! This picture was featured in a Lagoon brochure from around 1976.
Thanks to Stephen Anderson for additional information about this ride.
Photo: © 2001-2005