Review: Mine Blower at Fun Spot America
Overview Located at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, FL, Mine Blower is a hybrid wooden coaster. It’s hybrid to the extent that it has a steel support structure but the track is made of wood and it rides like a woodie so for all intents and purposes it’s a wooden coaster. Opened in 2017, it was designed by The Gravity Group (The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II) and built by sister company Gravitykraft. Lay...[Read More]
Review: Cobra’s Curse
Overview Located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Cobra’s Curse is a spinning family coaster manufactured by Germany’s Mack Rides. It’s one of two Mack coasters in the park; the other is Sand Serpent, a family wild mouse ride relocated from Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2004. Cobra’s Curse opened in 2016, in the Egypt section of the park across from Montu and not far from the entrance to Cheetah Hunt...[Read More]
Review: Talon at Dorney Park
Dorney Park is a smallish theme park located in Dorney, Pennsylvania. If you’re not from Eastern PA or New Jersey, you may not have heard of it. Part of the Cedar Fair chain of parks, it currently has a roster of 7 roller coasters with three real eye-catching standouts: a Morgan hyper coaster (Steel Force), a floorless B&M looper (Hydra: The Revenge), and a B&M inverted coaster (Talo...[Read More]
Review: The Raven at Holiday World
The Raven is a classic wooden roller coaster at Holiday World in little Santa Claus, Indiana. This is a park well known for its wooden coasters, and it was The Raven that kicked off this reputation! It was the very first woodie they added, built by Custom Coasters International back in 1995 (which actually makes the ride surprisingly young). And as Holiday World will be the first to tell you, The ...[Read More]
Review: Laff Trakk at Hersheypark
Laff Trakk at Hersheypark is an indoor roller coaster that debuted back in 2015 at Hersheypark. The 13th coaster at the park was a spinning coaster manufactured by Maurer Söhne, which has identical twins at Lagoon in Salt Lake City, Utah and Waldameer in Erie, PA. What sets Laff Trakk apart is its setting–an indoor, glow-in-the-dark environment to further add to the disorientation and fun of...[Read More]
Review: Goliath at Six Flags Great America
When I first heard that my hometown park was removing a roller coaster I’d grown up with – the venerable Iron Wolf, B&M’s 1st stand-up coaster – I said “they better replace it with something really good.” In 2014, they did just that, by debuting the world’s fastest, steepest wooden coaster**: Goliath. **Actually, both El Toro and T-Express are greater in height, however their drops are not as ...[Read More]
Review: Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Great Adventure
Overview Superman: Ultimate Flight is a B&M (Bolliger & Mabillard) flying coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Great America. The first installation was at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2002; installations at the other two parks followed in 2003. This was the second flying coaster model designed by B&M, preceded by Air (now known as Galactic...[Read More]
Review: Canyon Blaster at Adventuredome
On a business trip to Las Vegas a few years ago I was excited to try out the city’s roller coasters. After taking a rough ride on the Manhattan Express/Big Apple Coaster, and seeing that it pretty much was as bad as I’d heard I was eager to get to Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park attached to the Circus Circus casino. The experience of walking through an older casino with all of ...[Read More]
Review: Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland
Overview As of 2018 there are only six giga coasters (height between 300 and 399 feet) in operation: Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Steel Dragon at Nagashima Spa Land, Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland, Fury 325 at Carowinds and Red Force at PortAventura. (Red Force qualifies only because of its height; otherwise it’s divergent from the others in this group beca...[Read More]
Review: Big Dipper at Camden Park
Located in West Virginia’s only amusement park, Camden Park, the Big Dipper is a lesser-known but classic wooden roller coaster which can deliver a fun ride if you’re willing to trust it. Built back in 1958 by the National Amusement Devices Company, it is still standing as an ACE roller coaster landmark (while sporting some stylish trains as well). Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover...[Read More]
Review: The Joker at Six Flags Great America
One of the best things about living in the good ol’ USA is the abundance of roller coasters we have at our disposal. All across the west coast, eastern seaboard, and deep in the heart of the Midwest, there’s a theme park close to every major city. Every now and then, something truly unique and noteworthy gets built and captures the attention of every thrillseeker in the country. Many times, howeve...[Read More]
Review: Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas
Overview Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas celebrated its 40th birthday this year and is aging gracefully. Unlike many loopers of similar vintage, this double-looping coaster from Schwarzkopf hasn’t become brutally rough over the years. It’s to the park’s credit that they were willing to invest the time and money to keep it running smoothly. As a result it continues to be a popular attraction...[Read More]