The 10 Oldest Roller Coasters in America

For all of the modern thrill rides we’re spoiled with this days, there’s still something really enjoyable about riding the few classic, nearly century old roller coasters. They paved the way for our favorite rides today and give you a glimpse of what the biggest and baddest coasters were many, many years ago. Some still have traditional lap bars and are stopped with huge a game-show like braking lever.

Here is the list of the 10 oldest roller coasters in America that are currently in operation:

Rank	Name	Age	Theme Park	Location	Year Opened
1st	Jack Rabbit	97 Years	Kennywood	West Mifflin, PA	1920
2nd	Jack Rabbit	97 Years	Seabreeze	Rochester, NY	1920
2nd	Roller Coaster	96 Years	Lagoon	Farmington, UT	1920
3rd	Thunderbolt	96 Years	Kennywood	West Mifflin, PA	1921
4th	Giant Dipper	93 Years	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	Santa Cruz, CA	1924
5th	Thunderhawk	93 Years	Dorney Park	Allentown, PA	1924
6th	Giant Dipper	93 Years	Belmont Park	San Diego, CA	1924
7th	Racer	90 Years	Kennywood	West Mifflin, PA	1927
8th	Wildcat	90 Years	Lake Compounce	Bristol, CT	1927
10th	Cyclone	90 Years	Luna Park	Brooklyn, NY	1927

Honorable Mentions

There a few roller coasters that need to be mentioned in a discussion about the older roller coasters in America.

First there’s The Wild One which has operated at Six Flags America (Maryland) since 1986. Before then, it was located at Paragon Park (MA) where it opened all the way back in 1917 as Giant Coaster. Since it has been relocated, I’m considering it an honorable mention, but it’s definitely a noteworthy classic roller coaster.

Then, there’s Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA. This early side friction roller coaster has been operating on and off since 1902. It’s currently not in operation, so it doesn’t make the list. Hopefully, this landmark roller coaster will be running again someday soon. I’ve never ridden it and always thought it’d be neat to ride a piece of history like Leap the Dips. More on Leap the Dips.

Have You Ridden One of the Oldest Roller Coasters in the America?

I’ve ridden 6 of these 10 classic roller coasters. My favorite is Thunderbolt (originally Pippin) at Kennywood. It’s quite a unique coaster that meets one of my requirements of great coaster; use of a park’s terrain. The largest drop on the ride is not the first like on most coasters and the ride dives down a natural ravine a number of times.

Check out this high-tech, 4K 360-degree POV video of a old-fashioned classic roller coaster, Thunderbolt at Kennywood:

What’s Your Take?
How many of these roller coasters have you ridden? Find anything incorrect? Let us know.