Airtime&Gravity

Zippin Pippin is only 70ft tall, and it is an incredible ride. The first half, while rough, has some great drops, and the out-and-back section is filled with airtime. The last hill is very violent, and it is probably one of, if not the most extreme airtime moment on a coaster I've ridden. The rest of the ride isn't tame by any stretch, but the ride is still amazing. While it isn't my favorite coaster, it is in my top 10, and a definite OMFG ride.

I was sure Santa's Village wasn't purchasing X-Coaster, it was just at a park closer than those in New Jersey. I'm going with Zyklon due to the fact that Santa's Village has already purchased several rides from Funspot. I haven't been to Santa's Village since 2004, but I will probably visit next year to ride the "new" coaster and see how much has changed from the days it was known as Satan's Village. Are there still plans to reopen Racing Rapids at some point?

Time to search RCDB for recently closed rides from parks closer than New Jersey. We have: Wildcat - Cedar Point Dragon Coaster - Noah's Ark X-Coaster - Magic Springs Mild Thing - Valleyfair Galaxi, Mouse Coaster, and Orient Express from Riverview Zyklon or Afterburner - Funspot ...and more, but I'm lazy. Plus, "a lot closer" is a relative. For instance, due to traffic, Central Pennsylvania is a lot closer than New Jersey. No matter what, I'm sure it will be a great addition to the park. There are a lot of options available, and almost all of them would do well in a park like Santa's Village. It has been great to see the park come pack, and attract decent crowds. I remember going by the park in the early 2000s and seeing only a handful of cars in the parking lot. Although, there can't be much space left, unless you use the Racing Rapids site or parking lot, or if you start expanding out into the forested area in the back of the park.(or is that all part of McGraw's?)

I guess all we can hope for is that Zamperla has redesigned the Volare since the last one was built. As for the Star Flyer, there was a Zamperla model at the last Wisconsin State Fair, and it was pretty terrifying. I haven't ridden any of the Funtime ones, so I can't compare them, but Zamperla's were quite thrilling. The shaking chairs(due to how taut the cables holding the chair were) and tower made it seem like the thing was going to collapse.

Pleasant Surprises: Little Amerricka: I went to the park expecting a rundown park that I'd want to leave as soon as getting the credits. What I found was a pleasant park, with a friendly staff, and an amazing and unique train ride. Sure the coasters were pretty craptacular and tried to kill me(although Comet was fun), but it was a nice little local park. Bay Beach: I had no expectations going into the park, an in the end, it was a great park. Zippin Pippin was great, and it is a shame there are not more parks like this across the country. Waldameer: Just like Bay Beach, I had no expectations with the exception of Ravine Flyer. Ravine Flyer kicked ass, and I was surprised at how nice and how much fun the park was. Just like Bay Beach, it's a shame more parks like this don't exist across the country. T2*: This was my first SLC, and I wa surprised how smooth and how much fun it was the first time I rode it. When I went back a few years later though, this ride lived up to its reputation and gave me a really bad headache. Shivering Timbers: Again, I had no expectations going before I rode, and ended up with a new #1 coaster. Wolverine Wildcat: I was expecting a horrible ride, especially after riding Predator two years before. What I got was a smooth fairly fun ride, although after riding Shivering Timbers, it seemed pretty tame by comparison. Unpleasant Surprise: All the wooden coasters at Holiday World: I can see the potential of the rides, but they ran rough and sluggish when I went in 2010. Granted it was like 95* with a heat index well over 100 when I went, so that also probably played a role, but I did not enjoy my time on the coasters. I still want to go again though, but I'll make sure to do it on a cooler day (and also once the Timberliners are added). Thunderhead: See issues with Holiday World coasters(I rode Thunderhead on same trip as Holiday World visit). Although, unlike the Holiday World coasters, I still had fun on Thunderhead, it just wasn't the OMG ride I was expecting.

My list: 1. Shivering Timbers 2. El Toro 3. Phantom's Revenge 4.Diamondback 5. Ravine Flyer II 6. Nitro 7. Zippin Pippin 8. Sky Rocket 9. Mr. Freeze 10. Viper

Would it be possible for Knightmare to be sold to a fair operator as it has a grid structure for a support base? I'm actually surprised that the park lasted as long as it did, as I remember reading a few years ago(I think the year Knightmare opened), that they were struggling and were considering shutting down then.

Make a Move - Icon for Hire

Has anyone heard anything about the giant star flyer they had planned as part of an expansion a few years go? I haven't heard anything of the expansion in a long time, so if it was cancelled, Grona Lund might have decided to add some of the proposed rides elsewhere in the park. Whatever it ends up being, given that it is at Grona Lund, it will probably be amazing.

My list so far: Six Flags Great America - 5 visits, with 2-3 more by the end of the season Little Amerricka Bay Beach Wisconsin State Fair Six Flags St. Louis(possibly later this season) So it was an off year for me park wise, but I was still able to visit two new parks as well as finally visit the Wisconsin State Fair.

I don't even think GCI could fix Beast. Due it being a terrain coaster, a whole new layout would need to be created to make the experience exciting as opposed to fun but with little to remember.

There used to be a joke about calling Santa's Village Satan's Village due to how bad the park was/ a typo on a DVD box. I'm assuming the original poster confused the now closed Kiddieland with Santa's Village.

Mine was the Wild & Wooly Toboggan at Little-A-Merrick-A on July 2. It was...um...interesting to say the least.

^^I was at the park Saturday afternoon-night, and I was surprised at how well the park was running. Even with Six Flags Great America's awesome operations, it usually isn't enough on a Saturday during peak season. The park was crowded, luckily the water park was also full due to it being in the 90s, and the wait times were surprisingly short. Also, the chicken restaurant in Hometown Square has really gone down hill. The chicken itself seems to be hit or miss, but it was a big miss yesterday. Also, they replaced all the side options with fries and corn. Also, maybe I just haven't noticed it before, but did the cliental wear as many narcissistic or sexist t-shirts to the park before? I know your bound to see a few when you go anywhere with a large number of people, but they seemed really prevalent Saturday. Some asshole even wore a shirt that said "I have a dick, so I make the rules".

The last coaster I rode was X-Flight yesterday, although, it was probably my worst ride on it due to it being in the mid 90s. The ride itself is still a lot of fun, but I was feeling pretty sick when I got off.

Great America is probably going to be awful being a Saturday in the summer. You might want to buy a Flash Pass. As for the order, hit up X-Flight first, followed by Superman, Ragin Cajun, and V2. Other than that, there is no real trick as to what to ride next and avoid crowds. Kennywood has a lot of good food options, but make sure you visit the Potato Patch. Great America on the other hand is for the most part your standard Six Flags fare. However, the chicken and sit-down Italian restaurants are the best options in the park. There are also a lot of food options down the road by the Gurnee Mills mall. As for Kennywood, ride Sky Rocket and Exterminator first. Other than those rides, the queues seemed to move quickly. Another option is that depending on what way you go, you might be able to hit up Waldameer on the Friday you are traveling to Chicago. The state park by Waldameer is nice, and there is also the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland if you have time.

That far turn-around looks amazing, and despite being a small-ish ride, the ride itself looks far better than most wooden coasters out there. This ride seems to push the smaller isn't always better to its limits, and the only other coaster that I think will be able to match this coaster is Timber Fall's Hellcat. Those of you in the Orlando area sure look like you'll be lucky to get this ride.

According to the BBC, the fire occurred at a nursery in the mall. Link Tragic event indeed.

The restraints have been hit-or-miss with me. They usually only hurt on the brake run, but other times they don't hurt at all. I think it depends on how tight the restraint is, since they seem to hurt more when I've been stapled in compared to when there's been a little slack in them. I also agree with Viper running well this season, and while I still don't think it is running as well as it can, it is still running really well, especially compared to the past few craptacular seasons for it.

Sixty-five people were injured when six school buses crashed on the way to Six Flags over Georgia today. Link

These will make more great additions to Waldameer. I'd guess the Music Express will go by Steel Dragon or over by Comet/the picnic area. One thing I like about Waldameer is that even though there is a lot to do, the park doesn't seem hectic like other small parks. It is a very relaxing park, and it is great to see the park grow as much as it has the past few seasons. I have no idea where the restaurant will go though. Is the old ballroom used for anything, or could it be demolished for park expansion?

Finish What You Started - Every Avenue

I rode X-Flight earlier today, and it greatly exceeded my expectations. The forces are strong, although very tolerable, and the ride is flat out fun. Everything about this ride is great for its own reason, with the inverted drop and key hole being my favorite parts. The barrel roll takes a seemingly long time to maneuver, and is one of my favorite inversions. The ride is also one of the smoothest I've ridden. Overall, I'd say that this is my 2-4 favorite coaster at the park.

^That is disgusting, no park should be left to rot like that, especially if it still open. If you aren't going to maintain the theming, just remove it, and also, it might be beneficial to purchase some paint every now and then. Judging by the photos, I'm guessing the owners are the type who go "It's still functional, so we're not do anything about it damn it."

^I am a fan of this type of marketing, and it's nice to see they still do more than the "there will be a psychiatrist on duty to help those who have been traumatized" type of things they have been doing lately. I usually love Merlin for their marketing, after all, it would probably be a PR nightmare if a U.S. park did some of the marketing Thorpe or Alton Towers does.