Voyage to the Moon Ride (Story Land)

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This is the legendary Voyage to the Moon Ride at Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire. Unfortunately, the ride closed its doors in 2008 and was transformed into a different attraction. There are videos of this ride available on YouTube that are absolutely worth watching. The history of this ride unfolds as follows: After a year of meticulous study and preparation, Story Land announced in 1981 that it would introduce a brand-new, original, state-of-the-art dark ride. The ride would be housed within a cutting-edge fabric-covered dome measuring 50 feet tall and 124 feet wide. Bob Morrell had spotted a similar structure in a Florida cow field and was determined to bring one to the park. The interior of the white fabric roof was painted black, and two of the creative collaborators on Heritage New Hampshire, artisans Peter Stone and David Norton, were hired to craft the storyline and scenes inside. The dome began taking shape in 1981. The skeletal steel framework of the massive cannon was ready by winter 1982. "Space Fantasy", later renamed "Voyage to the Moon", officially opened its doors in June 1983 after nearly three years of engineering and construction. Governor John Sununu shared the first five-minute voyage with Bob Morrell, riding in one of the bullet-shaped cars built by Bradley and Kaye of California. Each car was equipped with speakers broadcasting sound effects triggered by an antenna underneath, computer-synchronized with lighting effects. The cars moved slowly through the cannon on a chain-driven conveyance into the darkened dome, slowly winding back down through a series of fantasy scenes such as a candy land and a polka dot sea, each inhabited by friendly, animated, imaginary creatures.