Canobie Coaster

The only cave tour I've ever done is the one at Silver Dollar City and I really enjoyed it. It's odd the brake run is the wildest part.

Indiana Caverns Corydon, Indiana sits halfway between Kentucky Kingdom and Holiday World. I've actually stayed in this town in the past, but I was completely unaware Indiana Caverns even existed. That was until they added the Bat Chaser zipline coaster. Now I personally consider this a roller coaster. While you ride in a harness similar to a traditional zipline, the downhill course has dips, turns, and helices like a roller coaster. The experience feels like a suspended coaster to me. I know not everyone will consider this a credit, but it feels like a roller coaster to me. It looks like a coaster. It smells like a coaster. And it rides like a coaster. I believe it cost me roughly $13 per ride. There's no pay-one-price option; you buy individual rides on the Bat Chaser. Unlike the zipline coaster in Gatlinburg where you ride up a lift hill, you have to climb a 50 foot tower to ride Bat Chaser much like you do for a water slide. I rode a few of these zipline coasters in Dubai, but Bat Chaser had a major disadvantage compared to those ones. While the ones in Dubai allowed you to get a running start, you are slowly pushed over the edge on Bat Chaser. So you really crawl until you hit that first helix. By the end of the helix, you start swinging around a bit. You then round this giant turn, but it's too gradual to produce any wild swinging. After this turn, you've gained some decent speed, but you then hit the brakes...which are ironically the wildest part of the ride by far. When you hit the brakes, you start swinging around uncontrollably. Ultimately, Bat Chaser is a unique experience, but it's not a particularly thrilling or exciting one due to the lack of speed. The only exciting part sadly enough is the brake run. 5 out of 1 Beyond Bat Chaser, Indiana Caverns has some escape rooms and as the name suggests, some cave tours. But I only stopped there for Bat Chaser on the way back to Kentucky Kingdom. I'd say Indiana Caverns is worth the pit stop if you've never been on a zipline coaster, but there are better versions out there in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. I can't believe Indiana Jones ripped the text off of this small place in Indiana. Or wait, maybe I have that backwards.

I don't want to judge the new area until they complete all the landscaping. While it may not have the charm of the old entrance, I think it looks grand with the Kisses Fountain, Candymonium, and the giant new buildings.

Canobie has announced they're cancelling Screeemfest, their Halloween event, but that they will stay open on weekends into October with the regular park experience which is really nice of them!

I can’t remember if I ever posted this or not, but I have had this exact same thought before. Honestly though, comfort collars on FT wouldn’t be a big issue IMO. Comfort collars become an issue on moments with extreme laterals (such as the high five on WCR, or the vertical twists on Sky Rocket II models). YOLOcoaster is mostly vertical forces and smooth transitions. I don’t think there is any moment on the ride where it would be uncomfortable. I wouldn’t mind it if it helps dispatches. I agree the comfort collars don't hurt the ride experience for me. They just make it a circus to get in and out of those trains. But I do understand how they'd possibly speed up dispatches since the seatbelt is no longer under the restraint.

Don't forget, imaginary friends and quiet kids stay free!

^ I've had park staff and people ask to sit with me over the past 2 months and my response is always the same; I'm ok with it as long as the rider wears a mask above their nose.

^ I'm glad the train made it onto the new one at least!

None of the pads above the water were free. The new ride was being built in front of the Ferris Wheel and the empty pad is by the drop tower. How much theming did the old dark ride have?

The location gives great views of the water since it's right on the edge. It's just annoying getting back there, so I am torn. Thanks! Lost Coaster is definitely special because of how wrong it is.

Gemini has always raced for me if I visit during peak season (between late May and early September) in normal years. But I have seen it only running one side if I visit outside that window and crowds are extremely light. I found only one side of Gemini running last year when I visited the week before Memorial Day.

I'm glad that lazy river is actually fast because it looked really boring. "I don't think that guy's from around here" Whatever works to help keep me safe! That sounds right--better-than-average amusement-park chow. Exactly! My pipe dream would be for RMC to get Hoosier, but I have my strong doubts that would ever happen. The Growler was the Wisdom Tornado that used to be there. Who knows if something new is actually in the works for that spot. Ah ok! So maybe it isn't a new ride then.

Hope surgery went well! I'm glad they added the social distance markers back, but it still sounds like it's among the most normal parks this year. I heard horror stories about Morgan and thank you for again confirming them. They have at least 2 new flats coming. They had the one from Coney Island being installed by the Ferris Wheel and a second one by Double Shot. No parts were present, but the sign says it'll be called Growler. Yes it is. But I skipped it since the slides seemed on the older side.

^ I agree Playland's Castaway Cove has a very underrated and unique lineup.

^ I finally tried the tacos. I wouldn't call them the world's best tacos, but they're very good for theme park food and reasonably priced.

^ Canobie also has the birch themed supports on their Sky Ride. I think they added that touch the year Untamed opened. I've never been to Duinrell, but that doesn't surprise me since that's a heavily wooded park from the photos I've seen.

Just a FYI to anyone planning a trip to Cedar Point, but the park quietly removed Monday-Thursay days in the second half of August.

^ Sandy's never opened to the public before the shutdown.

Indiana Beach Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Indiana Beach reopened in 2020 as a rare brightspot for the amusement industry in a year marred by shutdowns and delayed ride openings. I had only visited Indiana Beach once in 2017 and I did not have the best experience. This was during Apex’s ownership and my visit was marred by ride closures. Half the rides never opened and those that did had countless issues. The lasting memory of that trip is 5 of the 6 roller coasters sitting closed by the end of the night. But I saw the park’s potential. It has a wonderful setting on Lake Shafer and the ride collection was extremely unique. It was just clear that the park needed some TLC. And my 2020 visit showed Indiana Beach's true potential. Thank you Gene Staples for saving the park (yes that's actually him on Lost Coaster)! Indiana Beach is proof that you can never run out of space. In 2017, I was only able to get two rides on Cornball Express since the ride had issues with the trains. But those two rides were enough to vault Cornball Express into my top 10. So I was excited to get double digit rides on Cornball Express. Cornball has the stats of a family coaster, but the buzz bar restraints help make Cornball Express an airtime machine. Cornball was running slower than it was in 2017, but most hills still delivered strong airtime. It just didn't hold its speed well in between those airtime hills. Cornball was still my favorite coaster in the park, but it's no longer in my top 10. 8.5 out of 10 Cornball wraps around rides, buildings, and pathways. One of the most underrated coaster drops out there. Great airtime and lateral combo! So many funky supports at this park! Compare that to Hoosier Hurricane. The coaster is taller and faster than Cornball Express. It also has buzz bars. So on paper it should be great. But it is not. Outside of the retracked first drop that gave a tiny bit of airtime in the back row, Hoosier Hurricane had zero airtime. And it's sort of perplexing. I can't think of another out-and-back coaster that holds its speed as well as Hoosier Hurricane, yet manages to deliver no airtime. The best part of the ride by far is the abrupt kink to the right atop the second hill on the return leg that gives some strong laterals. And the best aspect of the coaster are the fantastic views it provides of the park. Hoosier Hurricane was quite bumpy on the far turnaround, but outside of that, it was decently smooth. It just didn't offer the thrills I wanted. 4 out of 10 Such a pretty coaster. Thankfully CCI learned how to create airtime on their later designs. Yet another instance of size not mattering is Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. This ride feels like riding a shopping cart down a cobblestone road. I know that doesn't sound flattering, but I mean that in the best way possible. Lost Coaster is so wrong that it works. The ride tracks poorly. But the trains are your friend. Those claustrophobic cages are extremely well padded and you'll be thrown around the car uncontrollably. The turns are tighter than those on a wild mouse, producing violent laterals. The drops are sudden, especially if you're riding backwards. And you also have some theming elements in the mountain, but really this coaster is all about the bizarre trackwork. I found myself laughing uncontrollably on most rides how this coaster that travels no faster than 20 mph was having me hold on for dear life. 8.5 out of 10 Does that trackwork look normal? Not even RMC would try something that crazy. Having recently rewatched Temple of Doom, these trains definitely gave me vibes of that mine cart chase. The premier steel coaster is Steel Hawg, the prototype El Loco. And this ride was very temperamental. After the ride was evacuated on the mid-course brake run in my last visit, the coaster opened late due to brake issues. When it opened, I was treated to a fun, but slightly disappointing ride. That beyond-vertical first drop should be amazing, but the trim brake ruins the airtime. Instead, the strength of this coaster is the incredible hangtime on the two inversions. 6.5 out of 10 I also died laughing after cresting the lift. Someone had spray painted "Replace" with a giant arrow pointing to one of the bolts. Oh how I wish I could have whipped my camera out to capture that odd label. Steel Hawg had performance issues. This coaster is tucked off in the corner all by itself. If this coaster had the lap bars like the Adventuredome version, the hangtime would have been extra freaky. Speaking of odd signage, I want to point out the hypocritical Carp Feeding Station. You think you could feed carp at a carp feeding exhibit. But the sign says not to feed the carp. I'm so confused. The last coaster is Tig'rr, the Schwarzkopf Jet Star. This was actually a new credit for me since this was one of the many rides closed in my 2017 visit. And it was decent. The car slowly meandered about for a majority of the ride, but the two largest drops and subsequent low-to-the-ground, high speed turns were quite intense. 6 out of 10 How do you pronounce this? Tiger or Tigger? But Indiana Beach is so much more than just coasters. This park has a bizarre non-coaster lineup. Let's start with the Den of Lost Thieves, the park's shooting dark ride. First, it's only allowed to operate with one adult per car. That's not a social distancing requirement. That's a weight thing. Second, the clearances on this ride are extremely tight. I had to duck during the initial ascent to avoid hitting my head on the ceiling. And later in the ride, I accidentally banged my gun off the ceiling. The latter may explain why it seemed near impossible to hit any targets. 2 out of 10 The Den of Lost Points. Another bizarre attraction is the park's Double Shot. For one, it's located in the corner past the park's dated water park. Second, the launch was unlike any other S&S tower I've ridden. Usually the S&S launch towers raise slightly during the pre-lift and hold that position until you launch. On Double Shot, you raise to the familiar position. But then you slowly lower all the way back down to the ground. I though the ride was broken. But all of the sudden you launch. I had always heard this tower had incredibly strong airtime, but it was about on par with the other S&S double shots. This one did have a great view of Lake Shafer though. 6 out of 10 I love the lack of a topper. It gives me vibes of Roller Coaster Tycoon when I used to launch people to their fiery death. Speaking of that dated water park, check out the laziest lazy river I've ever seen. One of the sleeper hits for me was the Water Swings. These may look like your ordinary Chance Yo-Yo swings, but Indiana Beach runs their version like a bat out of hell. When the ride starts tilting, you come dangerously close to smacking the other swings. It sort of gave me the frightening feeling when you get a good snap on a flyer. 9 out of 10 Several of Indiana Beach's flats are built over the water. I approve. Another Chance flat I loved was the Falling Star. Usually this ride has a "No Single Rider" rule due to the ride's laterals. But the one at Indiana Beach allows single riders, so I had a great time sliding back and forth across my own seat. 7 out of 10 I had a much better experience on this one than the one at Adventureland. Let's just say I was paired with a child last year that made it a bit uncomfortable for me. I also love Dr. Frankenstein's Haunted Castle. This upcharge haunt reminds me of the ones you find all across Europe. There are no live scare actors, but there are a lot of triggered animationics. But there are two effects that I want to highlight. The first is the door room. You enter this circular room with roughly a dozen doors. And you need to figure out which door is the way out. Some lead to dead ends. Other circle back into the door room. It's downright evil and comical at the same time. The second effect I want to point out is the final room. Let's just say few rides have ever had me screaming louder. This effect is genuinely terrifying. Look down if you dare. 9 out of 10 Which door do I take? Look down if you dare. I promise it'll scare you. The last thing I want to touch on are the covid-19 measures (or lack there of) that Indiana Beach has implemented for the 2020 season. My visit occurred a week after they opened. My visit to Indiana Beach felt the most normal of any of my 2020 park visits thus far. Rides were loading every single row and I never saw a ride cleaned. That even included the guns on the shooting dark ride. The only enforced safety measures the park implemented were temperature screenings and reservations, although the later has since been eliminated. Yes it is true that few guests wore masks. And social distance markers were supposed to be present, but the ride operator at the Ferris Wheel informed me many of them washed away in a recent rainstorm. That explained why the only visible ones were in covered queue lines. I have no clue if these markers were re-added sometime after my visit. But I was able to stay spaced apart for the most part. To be socially distant, the same strategy I used in Myrtle Beach worked at Indiana Beach. If other guests saw me wearing a mask, they tended to respect my distance. That was especially helpful in the Lost Coaster queue which is just a series of tight switchbacks. To get more space, I chose to queue on the midway a few times and the other guests were completely understanding when they saw my mask. Can you find a mask in this photo? I have no idea if you can. I'm glad Indiana Beach was rescued from the dead so I could experience this park in full. This park has a really unique mix of coasters and non-coasters combined with a great setting and lovely boardwalk atmosphere. I really hope this park is able to grow in the future. And there already appear to be two new rides on the way! I'm guessing this came from Coney Island. Just a guess.

It's without a doubt Coaster Express for me. This ride looks like a smaller version of Son of Beast minus the loop. It's just one painful helix after another. You have RCCA's crappy trackwork, 3 bench Intamin trains (ride in a wheel seat at your risk), and t-bar restraints. Usually I love the latter, but not on a woodie as rough as this. I got the usual shuffling of a rough woodie, plus my calves kept smacking off the center pole of the t-bar. The only reason I do not advocate for the park to burn that wretched thing to the ground is because Alan Schilke could have a field day with that structure. Keep in mind, I have a high tolerance for rough woodies. For example, I found Bandit to be no problem and had a genuine smile during the ride. Meanwhile the person next to me was crying from the pain the coaster was inflicting.

I'm interested to see Intamin's take on some of the concepts we've seen from other manufacturers. I'm most intrigued by Hot Racer since I loved the interaction of West Coast Racers and I want to see what craziness Intamin can do with the single rail track. I thought it looked like a brontosaurus to be honest, not the future.

The best way to ride a floorless coaster comfortably is to sit down in your seat and ride it however you want. But seriously yeah I sort of do that too and it makes them less bad but I still don't really like them. Whoops that was meant to refer to stand-ups. I've never had an issue with the floorless coasters.

I much prefer the average B&M stand-up to the average B&M floorless. The only B&M stand-up I've hated is Apocalypse (haven't ridden it since the conversion). I found a way to ride them comfortably by jamming the OSTR against my shoulders which gets my head above the OSTR, eliminating headbanging.

Rougarou is great in that it's a high-capacity, super reliable attraction you can pretty much walk onto no matter how busy the park is.