The basement of an historic building in Cannery Row (Monterey, CA – U.S.A.) is the site of a new pirate adventure: Treasure Hunt: The Ride. The interactive dark ride that is being built by Daniels Wood Land and Sally Dark Rides will open in the upcoming spring. Sally Dark Rides has shared some new details on the progress of the attraction.
Treasure Hunt: The Ride was announced in November 2021 at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando. The ride was supposed to open in 2022, but building in the basement of a historic building proved to be more tricky than expected. The severe weather that hit California in January also caused delays. The attraction is now scheduled to open in the spring, presumably in May.
Visitors of Treasure Hunt are taken below the streets of Monterey, into the ‘Cannery Row Caverns’. In a 20-minute experience, they will learn the story of the notorious pirate Captain Hippolyte Bouchard. According to the legend, Bouchard and his crew plundered the town of Monterey and hid their treasure near the shore. The story will be told through an extensive pre-show with state-of-the-art animatronics.
Visitors will eventually board the ‘Cavern Cars’, equipped with special devices, called ‘Treasure Collectors’. The attraction features a ride system by Gosetto. The interactive systems are supplied by Alterface and media is produced by Pure Imagination.
“We are really excited to debut Treasure Hunt: The Ride later this spring,” says Rolf Paegert, CEO, Sally Dark Rides in a press-release. “This project unites Daniels Wood Land and Sally Dark Rides for the first time, bringing together our shared passion for storytelling and building immersive, interactive environments that entertain guests of all ages. Cannery Row provided the perfect opportunity to develop an original, world-class dark ride experience outside of a theme park. Treasure Hunt seamlessly fits in with it’s historic location beside Monterey Bay, while simultaneously bringing something altogether new to the area.”
“Cannery Row is an incredible destination with a rich pirate history that offers the perfect opportunity to create a spectacular adventure for guests of all ages. Treasure Hunt: The Ride transports guests to a place they’d never imagine could exist beneath the streets of Cannery Row- a place they’ll want to return to often” adds Ron Daniels, president, Daniels Wood Land.
Sally Dark Rides shared a new teaser video of the attraction, that shows the progress of the construction of the ride.
“Artisans have been working around the clock to craft the perfect environment for the experience,” says Ron Daniels about the finishing touches, “Wooden planks, cave walls, stalactites, skeleton bones, cannons, treasure chests and countless gold coins have been strategically placed. The track is completed, and the ride vehicles are exploring the twists and turns. Thematic lighting is complete, and we are well on our way to soon welcome our first guests!”
An exact opening date has yet to be revealed. Lauren Wood Weaver of Sally Dark Rides adds: “We’re having our Department of Safety and Health-inspection at the end of the month. Right now, all hands are on deck, doing finishing touches on the ride. Sally Dark Rides, Daniels Wood Land, Alterface, and Pure Imagination are on site fine-tuning the set, the show action, the media and gameplay. It is looking incredible, but this attraction is going underground, in a basement of a historic building in California, so we’re aware that commissioning might be a little different than our typical “in park” projects. We’re cognizant of not putting the ‘opening date’ out there until we know it’s the real deal.”
