Now Hiring for Hype
Theme Park Hype – Social Link & News Sharing Site I could use some help running Theme Park Hype. It’s a social link and news sharing site that I launched last year. At Hype, people can submit theme park-related news, links to sites, videos, and pretty much anything that they think other fans would be interested in. While it takes just a little work to manage I still underestimated...[Read More]
Coaster Crew’s Haunt Event Weekend
I’ll be attending a Coaster Crew event this weekend. This Friday, October 17th through Sunday, October 19th Coaster Crew will be having their Haunt Event Weekend of Fright. Events differ by park, but they include: first access to roller coasters, behind-the-scenes ride tours, lights on tours of haunt mazes, a meal, discounts for fast lane fright lane passes, behind-the-scenes make-up tours, ...[Read More]
Joining The Season Pass Podcast at Dollywood
My last trip to Dollywood was back in 2006. I enjoyed GCI twister Thunderhead, terrain Arrow looper Tennesee Tornado, and the amphibious indoor coaster Blazing Fury. Since then, the park has added Gerstlauer looper Mystery Mine and America’s first wing coaster Wild Eagle. I’ll be returning to Dollywood tomorrow where I’ll be joining a taping of The Season Pass Podcast with host D...[Read More]
Six Flags Great America & St. Louis Trip
Countdown to Chi-Town & St. Louis Next week, I’ll be riding my most anticipated new ride of 2012 in Six Flags Great America’s X-Flight. Early reviews have been very positive. The ride appears to take advantage of the very exposed wing coaster riding position with a number of thrilling near-misses. Aside from X-Flight, I’m looking forward to fully experiencing Six Flags Great ...[Read More]
Busch Gardens Trip & A Google Street View Tour
Next week I’ll be returning to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for my first rides on Verbolten. I’ve been able to keep from reading too much about the event building, so I’m really looking forward to the effects and overall look of the interior. I know that there’s a drop section, but other than that, I’m in the dark. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. So, look out for m...[Read More]
Two New Projects Coming in June
I’ve been posting a little less often in the past couple of weeks because I’ve been working feverishly in the lab on a few new projects. I’m excited to say that they’re both nearing completion. I won’t give exact announcement dates or break out the good old countdown timer, but I may be announcing one of them within the next week or so. If you’re a long-time rea...[Read More]
Insane Coaster Wars Coming to the Travel Channel
Insane Coaster Wars to Debut this Summer on the Travel Channel Summer is almost here, so we can expect to see more theme parks on cable TV again. This year, the Travel Channel is debuting Insane Coaster Wars. The show will pit the country’s best roller coasters against each other in 6 different categories. Insane Coaster Wars will add an interactive twist as fans can visit their site and vot...[Read More]
Talking Wing Coasters with Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics wrote an article about the wing rider revolution that’s reaching our shores this summer. Okay, so two roller coasters doesn’t really count as a revolution, but it’s definitely a trend. The article also covers Hersheypark’s Skyrush. Not to be left out, the Intamin hyper coaster has wing-ish trains. Well, they’re really more like Apollo’s Chariot...[Read More]
The Coaster Critic’s Blog Turns 6
6th Anniversary of The Coaster Critic’s Blog The Coaster Critic’s Blog turned 6 this week. It’s been fun covering my adventures at theme parks and writing coaster reviews all these years. To date, I’ve published 885 posts (including dozens of reviews) and the blog has received over 10,000 comments. There was a time that I wondered if there was enough theme park-related cont...[Read More]
Legoland Florida & SeaWorld Orlando Trip
Soon, I’ll be headed down to the Sunshine State for a family theme park trip. My daughters are 2 and (soon to be) 5 so we’re targeting SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida. We’re saving the Disney parks for a later trip when our youngest is a bit older. I doubt she’d remember a trip from when she was only 2. I visited SeaWorld Orlando for the first time back in 2009 for Ma...[Read More]
Theme Park Geekly Issue 5 – Top Dark Rides, New Coaster Game, & More
Theme Park Geekly’s 5th Issue | Geekly-Ness Reaches New Levels Have you read Issue 5 of Theme Park Geekly? If you haven’t here’s a recap of this issue’s articles: Fun with Roller Coaster Data Nick (Coaster101) wrote an article comparing the key stats of roller coasters he’s ridden. He uncovered a neat take-away by analyzing the height, length, and speed of different t...[Read More]
2012 Theme Park Trips – Where Are You Going?
Going for the Giga – 2012 Theme Park Travel Plans I thought that it might be a bit early to write this post, but I’m sure many of the hardcore enthusiasts out there already have some kind of idea of which theme parks they’re targeting for 2012. And, believe it or not, theme parks will start to open for the season in about a month. In my neck of the woods, Dollywood opens March 24...[Read More]