Canobie Coaster

I always check but most parks are ok with you taking pictures on observation rides like observation towers, ferris wheels, trains, etc.

Even if it is just one train, at least it is open. Something that couldn't be said for a month stretch.

I had heard how great of a night ride Ravine Flyer II was and was looking forward to trying it then but the park closed early due to low crowds. I can't really complain though since I got something like 30 rides on it.

I'm glad a group of people worked together to catch her. However, I do wonder how she got in that position in the first place.

Prayers go out to the them. I stopped there for an hour and didn't see this. Only thing I saw was the Bobsled stuck on the lift but that isn't out of the ordinary. Edit- Comments say it was either the Sky Ride.

^ I had a Flash Pass but overall the operators seemed to be trying to push trains out quickly. I ran into a few employees (particularly the American Eagle and Justice League crews) that were going out of their way to interact with guests as well.

^ I watched a POV from a few years back and it looks similar speed. It doesn't seem like the empty trains were hurting the speed too much. Granted the rain maybe cancelled that out. I'd love to have Ravine Flyer II within an hour of me. That coaster was fantastic. I didn't find it rough at all and that included rides in the very back on the wheel seat. Some of the maneuvers are aggressive and throw you to the side a bit, but nothing I'd consider rough.

Definitely glad I stopped at Waldameer on the way home since Ride of Steel was closed. It's not as good as the Intamin I have here in Massachusetts but it's still fantastic.

As others have said, I don't get skip the line passes at my local parks. I know the days to avoid and even if it's crowded, I know I can ride things another day. However, if I only have one day at a park I rarely visit, I splurge for the skip the line pass. I did it at Carowinds last year. 90% of the rides were walk-ons, but the price alone was worth it since the ride I cared about (Fury) had a long line and I could ride it at will.

Waldameer is absolutely amazing. I love small family parks and Waldameer is one of the best I've been to. I had the chance to visit earliet today when I was in the area. The forecast called for a 100% chance of downpours and scattered thunderstorms. My original plan was to whore the kiddie credit at Fun Fore All, stop in at Conneaut, and then finish with Waldameer. Well I was off to a great start when a light drizzle kept the outdoor rides at Fun Fore All closed. I then saw Conneaut updated their Facebook page saying they were closed. I couldn't find the same messsage for Waldameer so I called them. I got an enthusiastic "Yes we are open" and would learn that their rain policy is amazing. Waldameer runs all of their rides in rain, no matter how hard it is coming down. At one point this afternoon, all the park's pathways became a shallow pool of water yet Ravine Flyer II was still running if people got in line. Major props to Waldameer since many smaller parks wouldn't have even opened and larger parks would have closed rides in those conditions. Crowds were extremely light which caused the park to close early at 8 but I had plenty of time to hit everything. Ravine Flyer II is amazing. That first drop gives crazy ejector air in the back and the first half has fantastic speed and airtime. The second half is noticeably less intense and it seemed to crawl over the final hills, but overall it was the perfect mix of intensity with reridablity. I got 27 rides in. I'm trying to decide where to rank it. It's definitely behind my big 4 woodies, but it's tough to pick between Cornball, Shivering Timbers, and Ravine Flyer.

I agree with your assessment of Great America. However, each of their coasters satisfy a different niche so in that sense the coaster collection is exceptionally strong.

Six Flags Great America I had heard Six Flags Great America was one of the best Six Flags parks and I wasn't disappointed. I had been in Chicago once before, but it was during December before the Holiday in the Park era so Six Flags was unfortunately closed. This time it was open and it was definitely packed. When I pulled into the lot 15 minutes before opening and saw the huge line to get in, I knew a Flash Pass would be needed. It probably took me about 45 minutes to get in the park, but after that I grabbed my Flash Pass and didn't have any waits the rest of the day. I could immediately see the parallels to California's Great America. The entry plaza was nearly identical minus the roar of Gold Striker and the park was very well maintained for a Six Flags park. There were also areas that felt unique to the park such as the Jetsons kiddie area. My plan was to hit Joker first since I was too cheap to buy a platinum Flash Pass. Well it was a windy day in the Windy City so Joker couldn't run. This seems like a match made in heaven. Hopefully I just went on an absurdly windy day since the two I've ridden are really fun coasters and I don't mind that they are being cloned. However, they seem to always be down when I visit the parks. Outside of the coasters (which I'll review below), the park seemed to have a nice flat collection though I skipped all of them. I wanted to try Giant Drop but that wasn't happening with the capacity hit from the VR. I did ride one of the park's two flumes (coasterbill take note, this park has two flumes). I rode the hydroflume one (Yankee Clipper). It was a great ride but boy did it get me wet. I thought I'd escape relatively dry until a jet of water at the bottom of the drop doused me from head to toe. I also tried Justice League which surpassed my expectations. The ride felt like a Universal attraction and did a great job mixing screens with practical sets. Goliath- This coaster lived up to everything that I had heard. The ride was fast, intense, and way too short. The first drop was as great as the drops on the other RMCs I've been on, but this time it was a tad longer. The highlight for sure was the crazy zero-G stall. I'm glad my pockets were empty since the hang-time in this element was ridiculous. If the ride had another bunny hill or two, it would have easily been a 10. 9 out of 10 Raging Bull- I rode Raging Bull first in the front seat. I came off underwhelmed. The layout was different, but I only had one or two pops of air thanks to that meddling trim brake. However, I gave Raging Bull a second chance in the back and was much more impressed. The first drop gave great air and absolutely yanked the train into the tunnel. The layout had 4-5 other hills that had good air as well. There is no place to ride Raging Bull other than the back after that ride. 9 out of 10 Superman- Ultimate Flight- I wish Great Adventure's Superman had a setting this nice. The pretzel loop is still one of the most insane elements on any coaster and the rest of the ride is smooth and graceful. I still prefer Georgia's Superman but this one is right behind it. 9 out of 10 Batman the Ride- The invert that started them all is still a great ride after all these years. My fifth Batman clone provided the usual forceful and smooth ride. I could definitely see how this was the original based on the trees around the coaster. 9 out of 10 X-Flight- This is probably the worst of the wing coasters I've been on, but it's still a really good ride. I love the inversions on this coaster. In particular the wing over drop and iconic twist through the control tower stand out. However, this wing coaster wasn't quite as intense as the others I've been on. 8 out of 10 American Eagle- Wow this coaster was a lot bigger than I expected. The queue line was also a lot bigger than I expected. While the Eagle didn't race, both sides were solid rides. The ride was reasonably smooth and had some decent air-time on the smaller hills. 7 out of 10 Whizzer- An ACE classic, Whizzer is the perfect family coaster and a relaxing coaster. The ride's layout is fantastic and it's just a ton of fun diving around. It's a shame more of these coasters aren't left standing since they're more exciting than mine trains and fill the same niche in a park's lineup. 7 out of 10 Viper- I had always heard good things about Viper but was a little underwhelmed. It was fun and surprisingly smooth, but I was expecting air on most of the hills. Instead I only got 3 or so weak pops of air. I only had one ride in the back though, so if it's a front seat ride I apologize but I wasn't waiting an extra half hour for that seat. 7 out of 10 Vertical Velocity- In this park, I kind of forgot about the impulse coaster, but it's still a fun ride. The launches are fast and have kick to them. Unfortunately the holding brake wasn't in use. 7 out of 10 Demon- A clone of the California namesake, Six Flag's Demon seemed smoother. The first drop gave good air in the back and the two vertical loops were pretty forceful. Most importantly, the corkscrews weren't total head-beaters. Oh and the Demon song is awesome (look it up if you don't know what I am talking about). 7 out of 10 Dark Knight- Did Six Flags overhype the ride? Yes. But if you look past it, Dark Knight is arguably the best steel wild mouse out there. The ride does have some theming and has minimal braking. 7 out of 10 Spacely's Sprocket Rockets- I openly admit to being a credit whore. As far as roller skaters go, this was probably the worst of them but it's still good by junior coaster standards.3 out of 10 Little Dipper- What a cute little wooden coaster. As a coaster enthusiast, I was pretty bored by the layout. However, it seemed to be really popular among families and I'm glad the park was able to preserve it.2 out of 10 American Eagle was looking great. The coaster wasn't racing that often, but it was reasonably smooth with some decent air at points. B&M's first invert is still arguably their most intense. Viper was better than this woodie. Thank goodness I rode this first thing since it had a full queue later in the day. I could definitely see how this one was the original based on the area the ride occupied. I could immediately see the parallels with California's Great America. This sight wasn't so beautiful. It took me almost an hour to get in the park. The Flash Pass was a lifesaver once I got in. Ah bad Batman. While over-marketed, Dark Knight is the best wild mouse coaster. Minimal braking and I mean there is some theming...even if it inexplicably doesn't include Batman. Same layout, same name, but one major difference... This one had the awesome Demon theme song! Also I am very jealous that the height requirement for this was only 42". I would have loved to have a looper with a height requirement that low growing up. It still baffles me why drop towers need VR. I'd think a view from 200 ft up is scarier than a phone screen 2 inches from your face. Goliath was short in length, but the ride was relentless from start to finish. Goliath is one sexy looking coaster. Lightning Rod should have been my first RMC woodie. Due to the reliability of that ride being worse than the Joker, looks like Goliath was my first. Hope these riders have empty pockets. Actually they should thanks to the $25 parking fee. The zero-G stall was the best part of the ride. So weird to be suspended upside down for a sustained period of time like that. Joker was closed due to high winds. Seems like a perfect fit for a park in the Windy City. Justice League didn't feel like a ride at Six Flags, which is a compliment. I'm happy they're cloning this dark ride since the mix of screens and practical sets is very well done. Great America has not one, but two flumes. I rode the other one and I would have been dry if it weren't for that jet of water at the bottom of the drop. Hello Six Flags Great America. What a beautiful sight! Raging Bull's twister layout was refreshing but as an air-time junkie, I still prefer the standard hyper layout. Country does not rock, but Raging Bull sure does. Hands up. Raging Bull highlights the park's impressive B&M selection. Raging Bull is 100% unequivocally a back seat ride. Front seat had maybe 1-2 pops of air. The back had good air on 5-6 drops. If only if only there wasn't that trim brake. Maybe then front seat rides would be great. The park looked to have a nice flat collection but I skipped them all due to time constraints. Nope I'm not boarding that boat. I didn't get a chance to ride the observation tower, but I imagine it would give some great views of the park. Six Flags Great America may be the best looking Six Flags park I've been to. Where are the Looney Tunes and why do I see the Jetsons? Georgia's Superman is still the best, but this one's setting was almost as good. Meanwhile Great Adventure's is in a big grassy field. Call newer B&Ms forceless all you want, but you'd be hard pressed to name a more intense element out there. That holding brake would have prevented this train from crashing into the Wave Swinger. Take note Six Flags. I saw the holding brake, but it wasn't being used. Dorney's still is the best for that reason. For a Six Flags wooden coaster, Viper was remarkably smooth. It was a decent ride, but not as good as the park's two other major woodies. I'm glad the park has kept Whizzer (still an awesome name) around. The ride has a great setting and is a perfect family coaster. Ok maybe not world's cleanest park good. Seriously who on earth gave them this award? Keyhole! Definitely a crowd pleaser. Enthusiast pleaser? Nothing is unless it's an Intamin, RMC, or at Knoebels. I love wing over drops. X-Flight was the worst B&M at the park, but it's still a really fun ride.

Phantom's Revenge.

I was impressed with the Claw's fresh paint job in my visit on Sunday. I didn't end up riding it though.

^ As someone who marathons Comet in any visit to Great Escape, I selfishly hope it remains dead. Their next ride should either go in or replace the Nightmare building.

For any locals, does Black Widow typically have a lot of downtime? I was looking forward to trying it today, but it hasn't opened. I saw it testing earlier and they almost reopened it before having us clear out of the line. A few others behind me in line were grumbling Pitt Fall was open more and I remember hearing how unreliable that ride was in its final days.

Dollywood was loading and dispatching it really quickly while I was there. Also the queue house is relatively short for Drop Line, so if it were to fill up it may keep people from riding it until later and prevent the line from getting any longer.

That's a shame Blizzard was down since it's one of the park's best rides. They run that scrambler absurdly fast. The park really needs another good coaster to compliment the Comet. Sad part is that if they ever get a new coaster, I feel like it will finally cause the removal of the eternally-on-the-chopping block Alpine Bobsled, which is easily the park's second best coaster.

Splashin' Safari Holiday World's water park, Splashin' Safari, is considered one of the best in the world. Typically I skip water parks if I'm at a renowned park like Holiday World; however, the allure of two highly regarded water slides was enough for me to break out my bathing suit and show off my amazing sock tan. Having visited Holiday World on a day with storms in the forecast, the water park was amazingly deserted which is something I probably shouldn't expect on a return visit. The longest wait I had was probably 5-10 minutes for the bowl slide. Wildebeast- The ride's awesomeness began with the lift hill. I always wondered why parks didn't use the conveyor belt as a lift hill, but finally Holiday World catered to the lazy. The first 2 drops had small pops of air, which was good for a water slide, but I had gotten better air on the other water coasters I had been on. Was the air on Wildebeast overrated? Well that thought was quickly erased when the raft flew over the massive third drop in the shed. I floated the entire way down which was unbelievably awesome to experience on a water slide. Most coasters don't give air that great. The rest of the layout continued with the smaller pops of air with the exception of a second shorter drop in a shed that gave air comparable to the first. Wildebeast is considerably longer than all the other water coasters (except its big brother next door) and that's the ride's main strength along with the two insane shed drops. 10 out of 10 Mammoth- Speaking of that big brother, Mammoth was another great water slide. Also sporting a conveyor belt lift, Mammoth felt longer than Wildebeast. The air wasn't quite as strong, but Mammoth compensated for it with the seating arrangements. The larger rafts would spin during the ride so some drops were experienced backwards which was certainly unique on a ride like this. Of Mammoth and Wildebeast, I preferred the older Wildebeast. I preferred the rafts on Wildebeast and the air on the aforementioned shed drops stood out while Mammoth didn't have any one standout moment. I only rode this one once since the water felt a good 10 degrees cooler than every other slide. 9 out of 10 The rest of the slides unfortunately didn't have conveyor belt lifts so I had to get some exercise Don't worry, I made up for it by having a feast at the food stands afterwards. Anyway the rest of the slide lineup was interesting as it lacked a single body slide. I am guessing that is by design. Zinga and Bakuli were two fun slides. The drops on both were great, particularly if you were going in reverse. But the surprise slide for me was Otorongo. That center slide with the massive, pitch-black plunge was fantastic. Zoombabwe was another standout because of the slide's length. The weirdest part of my day was seeing a random cat walking around the water park. I have no idea if it was a stray or not, but it was trotting down the midway like any other guest. If Holiday World has any Chinese food stands, let me know if the meat tasted extra fresh recently. Onto the photos! Down the toilet you guys go. Of course there are other slides. Though interestingly none of them are body slides. It may have been the day of the Indianapolis 500, but this is the real race to be seen in Indiana. Sorry to all racecar fans I may have offended, but I don't consider that a real sport. I will note that Mammoth was absolutely frigid on the cooler day. Every other slide seemed to have warmer water. Mammoth was also quite good. It was weird and awesome to be able to experience backwards drops on a water coaster. I will end with the water park's star attraction (for young kids). No clue what an Otorongo is, but that center slide sure had a great drop. Usually I skip water parks unless they have a water coaster. Splashin' Safari happened to have two, so I was lured over to the wet side. I preferred Wildebeast. Pops of air on most drops with the two drops in the shred giving scary floater air the whole way down. Most coasters wish they had air like that. Before Wildebeast was the world's best water slide, the Golden Ticket Awards once gave Zinga that crown. For whatever reason, the same slide at other parks didn't seem to crack the top 5. Not saying the awards may be a little biased or anything... This slide just wouldn't end. I also found it unique how they had the clover tubes instead of the standard circle rafts. The most WTF moment of my visit to Holiday World was seeing this random cat walking around the water park. Wait a minute, that must be who votes for the Golden Ticket Awards.

^ I agree Phoenix and Boulder Dash are both far superior rides. I did really like the Raven though since it provided a little of everything. Did you only ride it earlier in the day? My later ride was definitely quite a bit faster than my first.

Glad you had a great trip! I feel spoiled having Boulder Dash, Superman, and Wicked Cyclone all within a 2 hour drive of me. I made the same mistake the first time I drove to Lake Compounce. The GPS brings you to the employee lot, which is the lesser of the two evils. There's another entry on the gps that tries bringing you to the other side of the lake. Now I go enough that I have the route memorized.

Every single one of these smaller Gravity Group woodies seems to be a major win. The two I've ridden in New England (Roar-o-saurus and Wooden Warrior) have better airtime than most woodies out there despite only being 30-40 ft tall.

I would strongly recommend Nicky's Pizza if you have the option to eat outside the park. Absolutely massive and delicious slices of pizza.

Great report as always! Glad to hear Mystic Timbers is a nice addition. I just hope it ages well. Your thoughts on the flume are pretty similar to mine. I saved that unsuspecting little flume until the end of the day and couldn't believe how soaked it got me. The icing on the cake is how Snoopy blows that stream of water at you in the end. At that point, I was just in disbelief how wet I was. I have to disagree on Diamondback as it's the worst of the B&M hypers I've been on (and that includes Raging Bull). The first three hills give great air and I love the ride's setting but that trim brake sapped all of the speed and air from the ride. I've only made one visit to Kings Island so I hope I just caught it on a bad day since it seems to universally be considered one of the best B&Ms.

That's great if they do this more regularly. I love when parks stay open that late since it maximizes night rides.