What's Your Favorite Non-Roller Coaster Ride?
This might seem like an unusual topic for an edition of Coaster Questions, but I probably don’t give flat rides and other non-roller coasters enough attention. Let’s face it, a theme park that had nothing but roller coasters wouldn’t be complete. Every park needs a nice supporting cast of smaller thrill and family rides. For me, drop rides have always been a favorite. They can re...[Read More]
What’s Your First Ride of 2013 Going to Be?
There it is. You’ve been waiting all winter for this. An empty seat. Your seat. To kick off another year of theme park riding. For many of us, it’s been a long cold winter, but the beautiful sound of a chain lift is only weeks away. To kick off a new season of Coaster Questions, I thought it’d be good to ask, what your first ride of the year will be? For me, my first ride wonR...[Read More]
2013 Theme Park Trips – Where Are You Going?
The 2013 theme park season is almost here. I’m sure that many of you already have plans. Or you’re starting to draw red circles around theme parks on your huge wall map of the U.S. Or maybe that’s just me? Just as I did last year, I’d like to ask where you’re going this year. Which of the exciting 2013 roller coasters have sparked your interest enough to make a long d...[Read More]
Have You Ever Been Hit By Something on a Roller Coaster?
This might sound like a strange edition of Coaster Questions, but after some comments I read about evening rides on Millennium Force, it’s not as weird as you may think. Leave it to the Pros & Those with Permission I’m a long-standing objector of sneaking cameras on roller coasters. Other than the fact that there already plenty of other good coaster videos out there, you can creat...[Read More]
What Are Your Favorite Theme Park Websites?
For this addition of Coaster Questions, I thought I’d ask which theme park websites are your favorite. Below, I’ll list the sites that I frequent most often (in no particular order). There are a lot of good sites out there that I really like, but again, these are just the ones that I visit most often. Roller Coaster Database This one should be a no-brainer. But in case you’re new...[Read More]
What Are the Best & Worst Defunct Amusement Parks?
A while back I asked you about your worst defunct and best defunct coasters were. A reader suggested a similar post about defunct amusement parks. And after my last post about Freestyle Music Park appearing on Revolution I thought it’d be fun to hear from you on the topic. Thankfully, there haven’t been a lot of amusement parks go defunct in the last decade or so. Here are a few that c...[Read More]
Halloween-Themed Events: Gory Goodness or Gone Too Far
It’s October and amusement parks across the country have been transformed into spooky night time playgrounds. From the Center for Disease Control’s Zombie Preparedness 101 to zombies riding Six Flags America’s Apocalypse earlier this year, it’s clear that we are in the middle of the zombification era. Expect it to continue for a while with the popularity of TV series The Wa...[Read More]
What’s Your Most Memorable Night Ride on a Roller Coaster?
Riding roller coasters at night can make for a very different experience. If you typically leave amusement parks before it gets dark or just haven’t found yourself on a roller coaster at night then I suggest you make an effort to make sure you ride your park’s best coaster after dark. I had what I’d consider an all-time top two or three coaster experience during a night ride on t...[Read More]
What’s the Worst Defunct Coaster You’ve Ridden?
Last week, I asked you about the best defunct roller coasters you’ve ridden. This time let’s take a look at the other side. Good Riddance! Kings Dominion’s air-powered launch coaster, Hypersonic XLC wasn’t egregiously bad, but it was overhyped, way too short, and often out of commission. For those reasons I wasn’t sad at all to see it go. Hypersonic was crammed into t...[Read More]
What’s the Best Defunct Coaster You’ve Ridden?
Roller coasters like Wildcat, Disaster Transport, and Son of Beast will be or have already given their final rides this year. With all of these roller coasters retiring in 2012, it got me thinking about the best roller coasters that I’ve ridden that are now no longer with us. Let’s discuss our favorite defunct coaster this week and least favorite next week. It’s So Hard to Say Go...[Read More]
Do You Try to Ride Coasters as a Group?
The last month or so has been packed with theme park trips. I’ve ridden both of the new U.S. wing coasters visited a park for the first time (Six Flags St. Louis), and boosted my coaster count to the 240’s. I’m working on coaster reviews and trip reports that’ll cover my adventures. All of this traveling has reminded me of some of the more fun and annoying theme park experi...[Read More]
What Roller Coaster Would You Ride in a Coaster Marathon?
While I make it a goal to try to ride new roller coasters as much as possible, there are other enthusiasts that pride themselves in having 100 or even 1,000 rides on a single roller coaster. Last month, Kings Island celebrated a 70-year old man’s 7,000th ride on Diamondback. Could there be a better testament to B&M’s smooth rides? Roller Coaster Marathons – A Test of Coaster ...[Read More]