Perilous Chris

^ Jake, your a lot braver than I am. Years ago, I read a trip report from a guy who did a one day trip from Boston to SFMM.

Aside from your park time, you would have to: check in at the airport, fly, and deal with rental cars/public transportation all twice in one day. By putting yourself on such a tight schedule, you really do not have any wiggle room for ride break downs/poor weather. Once I stayed near Kings Island, visited Holiday World for the day, and returned at night. While Holiday World was great, the driving was exhausting.

Standard: KBF SFOT SFFT SFNE Lake Compounce Hershey Park (improved train) Carowinds (improved train) Inverted/Giant Inverted: KI SFMM

Wildcat is such a pretty looking coaster. I was amazed at how rough the ride experience was. It felt like my ribs were vibrating.

If I visit Six Flags St. Louis next summer, this will be the first time I will be honored to skip out on the brand new attraction. I rode Flashback a couple months ago, and I do not recall it being one of the smoother ones.

I only visited Knoebels once for about two hours on a Saturday evening. Even though I could have definitely used more time, it became one of my favorite parks as of now. It's difficult to describe, but there is something about the atmosphere that really sticks with you, long after you leave.

How about if they got Carolina-Cobra like trains? Having ridden both the Carolina Cobra and Sidewinder at Hershey Park, I found the experience to be significantly improved, but still on the rough side. Perilous Plunge is very unique, but it has been a major maintenance headache ever since it was built. I would not be surprised if they eventually gave it the ax.

I could definitely part with Perilous Plunge and Boomerang for something like Sky Rush.

I wonder how likely something like Sky Rush would be. If they do get a major coaster, I think that would be a better option than a giga.

I still have a relatively small count (approximately 205), and the more I think about it, there will most likely always be a list of about 10 - 20 that are favorites, but not necessarily in perfect order. I have made lists in order, and most tend to overlap a little. They all have there strengths and weaknesses. Whenever I visit a new park, I usually write down everything I rode at the end of the day. There are many (i.e. Arrow mine trains, Arrow loopers) that I remember very little of.

I generally have about ten at the top of my list. There are a couple factors that will put a coaster towards the top. A. It has to have good airtime and/or a good combination of forces. B. It has to be relatively comfortable, and something I do not want to get off of. It's hard to put an exact order, but I would say MF, Bizarro, Nitro, NTAG, El Toro, Boulder Dash, Phantom's Revenge, Phoenix and Ravine Flyer II are all on my list.

AJ, I just wanted to say that I visited Waldameer in 2010, and I really had a great time in the two hours I was there. The efficiency and customer service was great. I appreciate your posts keeping people updated.

Steel Eel at Sea World San Antonio.

^ I am actually visiting in early June. If you are flying into Dallas Fort Worth, many of the Arlington area hotels have shuttles to and from the airport. I am staying at the Baymont Inn and Suites. Along with the airport shuttle, there is also a free trolly that runs to and from the park. I do not believe that any of the hotels offer free shuttle service to Dallas Love Field, which I will be flying out of. This leaves a question on my part. Can anybody recommend anything in the way of shuttles from Arlington to Dallas Love Field?

^ How is SFOT the first week of June, say on a tues - thurs? Would two days be enough for SFOT and Hurricane Harbor?

Six Flags Over Georgia Dollywood Carowinds Six Flags Over Texas Maybe Lake Winnie Alabama Adventure Sea World San Antonio Six Flags Fiesta Texas

^ Hi, Just a couple suggestions: If I were you, I would try to fit Knoebel's in as well. It's a little over an hour from Hershey, and the Phoenix is one of the best coasters in the country. You may get bored with three days at Kings Island. I planned three days at that park in 2010, and I only used a day and a half. Don't get me wrong, it's a great park, but you may be able to fit another park in during that time like Holiday World.

^ No, Freefall was in a different section of the park. It was near Tidal Wave and the Riddler's Revenge. Thanks again for all your pictures Shane. I am really enjoying them. I wish I would have saved some of the brochures from when I was younger. I remember one SFMM brochure promoting Condor.

Just a few suggestions: With Washington DC, I would try to go on a weekend as traffic should be a little lighter. I certainly do not want to give advice on something I have not done, but I would be really careful with anything that involves driving in and out of New York. I have heard the traffic can be horrendous. I did a similar trip this summer that included all of those parks except Coney Island and NYC. During the first part of my trip, I drove from SFGAdv to SFNE. I actually took the longer route through New Jersey, to avoid the George Washington Bridge. During my trip, I encountered major traffic delays going from SFA - KD, Washington DC - Philly, and NY into Connecticut. When you rent a car, I would recommend getting an EZ Pass, which will automatically bill you for all the toll roads. It will be much easier than having to carry around a precise amount of cash. With Lake Compounce, I would suggest avoiding "education days" if possible.

Here is my ranking of the ones I have ridden: Dominator (KD) Hydra (Dorney) Scream (SFMM) Batman: The Dark Knight (SFNE) Bizarro: (SFGAdv)

I would actually consider a day and a half at Kennywood if you can pull it off. The park can get crowded, and you will probably want to ride certain attractions multiple times. I did Kennywood on a Thursday early in the season and it was pretty crowded. For hotels, you could probably find a less expensive option in the Monroeville area. I stayed at the Days Inn Monroeville which was about $70 a night. It was alright, but not great. If I was doing a trip similar to yours, here is what I would do. Day 1: Drive, arrive at hotel Day 2: Kennywood Day 3: Idlewild in the morning, Kennywood in the evening Day 4: Waldameer, possibly Conneaut Lake Day 5: Drive home If that is too much, I would do the above schedule minus day 3

^ If you like small parks, you will most likely enjoy Waldameer. Also, Waldameer is in a pretty accessible area with restaurants and shops near by. If you are just passing through Pittsburgh, you should be fine driving. However, if you are planning on doing anything in the city, make sure you have great directions! Choosing between Kennywood/Waldameer or Hershey/Knoebel's is a tough call. If I were you, I would consider doing two separate trips. You may consider doing Kennywood/Waldameer early in the season, and hitting up Hershey/Knoebel's later in the season. However, I would add more parks and extend your trip if you did Hershey/Knoebel's. If you are set on riding Flying Turns, I would actually wait a season before planning a trip. Not that I'm being a downer, but I would expect it to have at least some problems and periods of downtime during it's first season.

Waldameer is a little over two hours from Kennywood, and the park can be completed fairly quickly. When I did Waldameer, they were having school picnics, and I still got a lot of rides in the two hours I was there. I would strongly recommend it. Ravine Flyer II is both an outstanding and unique coaster. As of now, it's definitely in my top ten list. Aside from RFII, Waldameer also has a spinning Mauer Sohne mouse, and a historic junior woodie. The Wacky Shack is a classic dark ride that is not to be missed! Quick question: Is this your first time visiting the Pittsburgh area? Also, are you just doing Kennywood, or are you planning on stopping in downtown Pittsburgh? Maybe it's because I got caught in a storm, but I found downtown Pittsburgh to be an extremely challenging area to drive in.

^ I visited Quassy on a Saturday afternoon, and I stayed for about an hour. All I rode was the Wooden Warrior. I'm sad that the "death mouse" was removed before my first visit. Phoenix really is amazing at night! It's the type of coaster that you cannot just ride once for the credit, you need to ride it as much as possible! I'm sure this has been mentioned, but if you are planning to visit Lake Compounce early in the season (May/early June), your only options are education days (Thursday-Friday) and weekends. I went on an "education day" and it was packed with hyper school kids. If I visit LC again early in the season, I will consider a weekend to experience Boulder Dash at night, as the park closes late in the afternoon on education days. Chris "was able to get his freak on with Boulder Dash, but went all the way with Miss Phoenix"

This is actually the part of my trip that I regret the most. I was fortunate to be able to ride the Phoenix at night a few times, but I regret missing out on some of the flats and the sky ride. Also, I would have liked to try more of the food. The next time I do a trip like this, I'll plan for more time at this park. I personally would suggest separate days for Lake Compounce and SFNE. While it is certainly possible to do both parks in a day, it would be more relaxing to have two full days. Aside from Bizarro, SFNE has some unique flat rides, and it is was by far one of the prettiest parks of my trip. I only rode Boulder Dash three times at Lake Compounce, and I still left feeling partially deprived. It's an addictive ride, and by far one of the best I have ever experienced! If you are interested in visiting Quassy, I would go on the same day you visit Lake Compounce.