Coasting with Culture Video Library:

​Cultural Connections

A look at how different Amusement and Theme Parks are connected to history and local or popular culture, as well as how they exhibit or have influenced the theme park industry.

This episode of Cultural Connections looks at how Cedar Point's peninsula was utilized for guarding prisoners of war, how a well-known guest speaker changed the focus of an international service organization when the park hosted its convention, and how a pair of lifeguards used its beach to work on a new style of play in the sport of football.

This Cultural Connections video looks at South Africa's Gold Reef City, and how it sits on the site of a former gold mine, while offering a look back in time and a coaster that used to operate in North Carolina!

In this episode of Cultural Connections, we take a look at Japan's oldest amusement park, Hanayashiki, and share how the park serves as an example of Japan's density, is connected to several popular shows and video games, and offers a unique cultural experience for its guests.

In this episode of Cultural Connections, we take a look at Minnesota's Nickelodeon Universe, which is located at one of the world's largest shopping centers, Mall of America. We'll find out how this park was once themed to a beloved comic strip by a local artist, how it has a ride that still maintains the original theme that is connected to Minnesota, and how it was the location of the start of a television war.​

In this episode of Cultural Connections, we take a look at Parque Diversiones in Costa Rica. We'll find out how this park Was built to help fund a charitable cause, who it gives a look into the past of Costa Rica, and how it is home to a movie star.

In this episode of Cultural Connections, we'll find out about how Silverwood pays homage to the park's aviation past, how it once defeated a major theme park company for one of it's attractions, and how running the park is a family affair.

This episode of Cultural Connections takes a look at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup and it's role in the rise of one of its popular treats from a prominent local citizen, a place of one of the darkest times in American History, and was a small detail in a hit movie.