It's a local park with different demographics, but seeing the Camp Snoopy area at Carowinds really made me think about how these Florida parks treat their offerings for parents and younger kids. It has a whole ton of flats of all different kinds with great high-quality fabricated Peanuts theming to all of it, as well as a ton of shaded seating and tables nearby for parents to sit and watch their little ones from. It doesn't feel like a carnival or Six Flags either. It's got a really cozy woodland spot in the park. It's honestly pretty! Pictures online don't do it justice.
The only land in Central Florida that I've seen come even close is Seaworld's Sesame Street Land, which I will continue to root for as one of the better lands in the state in terms of theming, entertainment, and offerings for its' demographic.
I think an IP like Mario, DK, and especially Yoshi would be perfect for a set of themed flats for families and younger kids. It's a shame that they went for the specific angle that they did with SNW, where everything has to be just so compacted. I enjoy a number of things about it, and it certainly has made it easier to clone, but it also means there really is no room for simpler offerings that would fit the IP great imo.
Universal has already shown how they could make flat rides more unique and themed than a standard off-the-shelf. Once again enters Islands of Adventure.
One Fish, Two Fish is easily forgotten, but it's my favorite Dumbo-clone, above Dumbo itself. That's because they play audio during the ride singing rhymes similar to the original book that instruct riders on whether to swim up or down, and if you don't listen and follow the lyrics, you'll end up flying right into a water effect! You can choose whether to follow that song and stay dry, or take your own path and potentially find yourself soaked. What a fun twist on such a simple flat! They did a similar, if less interesting twist with Kang n' Kodos too. IMO there's no reason they couldn't make a family-oriented Mario flat ride interesting or even Power-Up Band compatible!
Wrote this for another thread, but it's probably better suited here haha.