Middle Earth Theme Park Called "The Shire" Announced
It's about time someone decided to make a Middle Earth theme park! Harry Potter fans have theme park attractions at Universal, DC Comics fans have the Six Flags theme parks, and Marvel and Star Wars fans can find the things they love at Disney theme parks. It's Middle Earth's turn to get a little theme park love. I'm surprised that something like this didn't happen years ago.
The news broke at Euro Weekly News (via The One Ring), and according to the report, the attraction will be coming to Rincon de la Victoria, Spain. The theme park will be called “La Comarca,” which basically translates to "The Shire."
The site reports that eight hectares and €1.7 million are being allocated for the park. That’s about 20 acres at the cost of $2 million. It won't be a very big park, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun. The mayor of the town, Francisco Salado, said in a statement,
"The Shire will become one of the major tourism attractions of our town. The material will have a very low environmental impact, to create an integrated image in nature. It will be a place in which family leisure, sports and nature will go hand-in-hand in a unique space of great beauty set in a time of fairy tales and the magic of the elves. Without a doubt, Rincon de la Victoria will have a top-rated tourist attraction, which will also add to the variety of attractions of Malaga."
Sounds like it could be a fun experience, but even as big as a fan of I am of The Lord of the Rings and the rest of the books and movies, I don't think I would go all the way to Spain to visit it. It basically will be just The Shire with no roller coaster attractions, but the park will be divided into different areas and include “climbing walls, hobbit homes, swings and slides.”
It's definitely a cool attraction for anyone who lives near it. Hopefully this paves the way for someone to build lager scale Middle Earth theme park in the future.