Canobie Coaster

Haha true. I go with throw balls in as fast as possible and pray. Not sure if people can actually aim them. If Indiana Beach improved their operations, I think they could be a smaller version of Knoebels in terms of their wooden coasters, weird rides, and long flat cycles.

I too am shocked that you didn't like Batman. It was smooth and forceful when I rode it last year. I've never gotten a bad ride on any of those clones. Good report on the park. Glad the park tried to smoothen up Apocalypse a bit. That ride was outstanding in 2014 so it was very painful to see what the ride had become in my visit last year.

I absolutely love the lead car for this coaster. I can't wait to try it some day since Gravity Group has knocked it out of the park with Wooden Warrior and Roar-o-saurus.

I didn't have any issue with the restraints, but the park was only running one train so I wasn't sitting on the brake run. The worst brake run is still Wild Eagle with how tight those vest restraints are on my collar. Thankfully Dollywood has fast dispatches so I don't have to feel it for that long.

It was replaced with a very small bunny hop. Because of the speed the train flies over the hill, it provides outstanding air.

I could very well see Michigan's Adventure getting some kind of drop tower since they're one of the largest parks in the country without one. That would give the park one thrill ride. A good steel coasters seems further out unfortunately based on the rate that Cedar Fair has been adding rides to the park.

This ride looks great and these rides are a ton of fun. This also makes me miss Canobie's ill-fated Tango.

^ Back on my visits in the mid-2000s, they would often start the day with 2 trains. But more recently that seems to be the gauge when they add the second train. That line really flies by comparison when they have the second train but I haven't seen it needed in my past visits except on a clear night during the Haunted Graveyard.

Indiana Beach Indiana Beach has been a park on my bucket list for a long time. I love visiting these smaller parks as a change of pace from larger, corporate-feeling parks and this one was noteworthy for an awesome setting, a big collection of wooden roller coasters highlighted by Cornball Express, and some interesting non-coaster rides such as the haunted house. The park is really an American Grona Land with how well it utilizes space by building rides over the water or on top of each other. Ultimately Indiana Beach was a very mixed bag. On one hand, the park has the potential to be one of the best parks in the country with its great ride lineup and location right on Lake Shafer. On the other hand, the park's operations were among the worst I have seen at any park. I had been warned that rides were prone to opening late or not at all. But the park completely blew away my already dampened expectations. By the end of the night, 5 of the park's 6 coasters were closed. Tig'rr and the kiddie coaster were closed for my entire visit. Steel Hawg stalled on the mid-course brake run and riders were evacuated with a cherry picker, closing the ride for the night. Lost Coaster went down in the last half hour. And Cornball probably ran for a total of 30 minutes in the 3.5 hours. Hoosier Hurricane was the only coaster without any downtime and that crew was doing a really good job sending out trains. The closures weren't limited to the coasters either, as the Den of Lost Thieves dark ride, Double Shot, and Air Crow were all down as well. Cornball Express- Wow! I heard this woodie was really intense despite its small size, but even knowing that, Cornball completely shattered my expectations. The layout is very unique how it intertwines with other attractions and dives over Lake Shafer. With only a seat-belt and buzz-bars, Cornball gave extreme ejector air on 6 different hills, highlighted by the third and fifth hills. This coaster is among the best I've ridden for airtime. Along with air, Cornball has some really strong laterals on that devilishly twisted first drop and helix. The track length is pretty short, but Cornball felt like it gave a really complete ride. The coaster is also pretty smooth as well. I was only able to get two rides, one in the front and one in the back. 10 out of 10 Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain- I present to you WTF- the Ride. Lost Coaster is the most random coaster I have ever ridden with the caged cars, elevator lift, and impossibly tight turns. I got one ride facing backwards at night. I didn't notice any theming in the mountain, but I loved the coaster's interaction with it and the surprise elements hidden within. The ride was incredibly aggressive and intense despite only having a top speed of 20 MPH. Thankfully the trains were well padded since the coaster really throws you around (in a good way). The most memorable element was a crazy double down with scary air-time that I couldn't see coming. Only downside with this coaster was the capacity. While everything else in the park was a 5 minute wait tops, Lost Coaster was an hour due to a single 8 car train. 9 out of 10 Steel Hawg- I now present WTF- the Ride, the Sequel. Steel Hawg was my first El Loco and delivered a funky and fun ride experience. The drop was different than I expected. I was expecting major air-time like on every other beyond vertical drop I've experienced. Instead this one gave some hang-time because of the brake at the start of the drop and really packs on the positive Gs at the bottom of the drop. The ride's air-time came on the steep climbs before the two mid-course brake runs. The outward banked turns were an odd experience and both inversions provided excellent hang-time. I'd love to see more El Locos pop up since this was a smooth and unique coaster. 8 out of 10 Hoosier Hurricane- Indiana Beach's original wood coaster is probably the worst at the park, but it's still a fun coaster. The ride's layout gives an excellent tour of the park and has some good drops over Lake Shafer. While an out-and-back layout, Hoosier Hurricane has 3 or so spots with strong laterals. The front had good air on the return leg while two of the drops on the outward leg provided good air in the back, particularly the drop that dives under the suspension bridge. The coaster shuffles a bit, but it definitely isn't rough. Because of the operational issues of the other coasters, I ended up riding the Hurricane the most of any ride in the park. 7 out of 10 I also experienced Dr. Frankenstein's Castle, the haunted walkthrough upcharge, and absolutely loved it. There are no live actors, but this house uses every single gag and cheesy effect in the book that will leave you smiling until the end. The second-to-last gag nearly caused me to poop my pants and that's something most haunted houses cannot do, so I applaud the park there. I heard the park was in a much rougher state during the Morgan days and improved quite a bit last year, but the amount of ride closures on a Saturday night during my visit was definitely disappointing. I'd love to make a return visit to give this park another chance since it has a picturesque setting and I was deprived re-rides on several coasters due to the noted closures. Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you. Sorry folks... that was almost true for Cornball. Thank goodness I was able to get 2 rides in the half hour it was open since this was a top 5 wooden coaster for me. The steep drops gave major ejector air, which was augmented by the buzz bars. Cornball Express kept closing for issues with the trains. The maintenance guys were there most of the night. Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you. Indiana Beach has about 44 rides, a quarter of which were closed for my entire visit. Somehow the wood coaster with an elevator lift had the second highest uptime of the park's coasters. Don't let the small size and 20 mph max speed fool you, this is an aggressive and awesome coaster. The layout seems like something someone would make while drunk in Roller Coaster Tycoon. But it totally works here! Lost Coaster should really be named WTF the Ride. Greetings from Indiana Beach. The sign captured the overall feel of the park quite well. I love how the park had a custom layout for the flume despite being pressed for space. You can also get up close and personal with many of the park's rides. Several rides are also built over the water. Ironically the one that'd be most perfect over the water is smack-dab in the middle of the park. Of course the upcharge attractions were running all night. If Hoosier Hurricane's high speed tour is too fast, the park also has a Sky Ride. There also is a train, but it was (you guessed it) closed. I really liked the coaster. It was smooth, had some great hang-time, and featured several unique elements. I would have loved to ride it more than once but... I mean just look at that track. Steel Hawg, aka WTF- the Ride the Sequel. The coaster stalled about 10-15 minutes after my ride and never reopened. The ride's placement in the corner was really odd though. Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you. Ok this is getting old... If I had more time I would have loved to try the swings over the water. Look at that blur. I promise you the park runs it that fast and it's not just my camera struggling with night lighting. I was expecting to see more stars in rural Indiana, but this was the only star I saw. Is that Fascination I see? Yes it is! This TPR favorite is in really good condition. I love this game even though I'm pretty awful at it. I made sure to try this upcharge. This is an amazing walkthrough with every gag you can possibly think of. The second to last one almost scared me as much as this nation's president. I didn't go on firework night, but I was able to admire their wheel's fantastic lighting package. Hoosier Hurricane was the one coaster that ran all night. I really liked how the layout spanned the length of the park. Indiana Beach really is an American Grona Land. Rides are effortlessly woven around and over each other.

It's Phoenix in layout only. As long as you don't go in expecting the same kind of ride, you'll probably come off satisfied like me. The park seems to take really good care of their woodies which is refreshing from a larger corporate park.

They only were running one train in my visit last year during the Graveyard and mid-May this year. Though the park was pretty light on crowds those days.

Whoa that is a really cool looking flat ride! Seabreeze looked really nice in my visit 7 years back so I'm glad they've been keeping the park looking that great.

If my visit was any indication, you may be better arriving just after opening otherwise coasters could take a bit to open. But as a pit stop the park is perfect.

I think it gets reinvested into the other parks. I think it's about as far as Cedar Point as Kings Island is so I really don't see why they can't add more flats. Shivering Timbers makes the park worth visiting but the lineup is so thin after that. Yes but who knows if they'll ever operate it with 2 trains True they barely run 2 trains on Boulder Dash. It is off the beaten path but the drive through Michigan is really nice at least. Unlike Indiana where it's driving through cornfields, there are lakes, forests, and a random Dutch Village park/fun center on the way there.

The past 2 years those flyers have been snappable. I think the park may be running the ride a little faster now since it hasn't been a one time thing. Those flyers used to be the worst ones anywhere but now they beat any of the modern installations.

I'd love to see the park add a family coaster like a Mack spinner or one of those junior Gravity Group woodies that ride better than 90% of the large coasters out there.

I prefer the large drop but that tiny drop in the first half is more forceful.

I got one photo of Great America's Joker during my visit on Memorial Day. Unfortunately the coaster was down per my luck with the free fly coasters so I wasn't able to get any action shots.

Michigan's Adventure I knew I wanted to take a Memorial Day weekend coaster trip to visit Six Flags Great America and Holiday World. The question was what park to hit on the third day. Originally I was planning on hitting Six Flags St. Louis, but that park lacked a true destination coaster for me. It had several good coasters, but nothing with the allure of Shivering Timbers. I openly admit that I made the side-trip entirely for Shivering Timbers so if it were closed (which could have very well happened based on their other coasters as I'll get into), I would have cried enough tears to fill Lake Michigan. This isn't like Dollywood where the park has other great coasters to compensate for the top attraction being down. Was Shivering Timbers worth the drive? Yes. Michigan's Adventure is unanimously considered the red-headed stepchild of the Cedar Fair chain. While every other Cedar Fair park seemingly gets a new ride every year, Michigan's Adventure goes years without new attractions and those attractions added aren't exactly things you'd save up for. The last 3 additions were the flyers in 2013, bumper boats in 2010, and a used SLC in 2008. Michigan's Adventure is probably due for the Knott's Boomerang next knowing their luck. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy a few of their rides installed before Cedar Fair purchased the park. Despite the lack of attention this park gets, it's very clean like the other Cedar Fair parks. I also like how the lake is the centerpiece of the park. However, operations were notably worse at Michigan's Adventure. Stacking was common-place on the two coasters with multiple trains (Shivering Timbers and Thunderhawk). Then the other major coasters all ran just one train which led to painfully slow moving lines. Thankfully being Michigan's Adventure, even on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend the park wasn't that crowded. Everything was a walk-on except Corkscrew which was a 2 train wait and Wolverine Wildcat which was a 30 minute wait. The water park looked like the big draw for the park, but I skipped it due to time. Several coasters were down for part or all of my visit which made getting the credits tricky. Upon arrival about an hour after opening, I was greeted with Corkscrew, Mad Mouse, and Zach's Zoomer all being down. Thank the heavens Shivering Timbers wasn't one of them. Corkscrew opened around 1; Zach's Zoomer opened around 3:30; Mad Mouse was cycling test trains with water dummies when I left around 4. Earlier in the day the workers were pulling a train through the Mad Mouse's course. Ultimately I got on all of the coasters but Mad Mouse. Shivering Timbers- This is easily one of the most imposing coasters around because of how it towers over the empty parking lot with wooden hill after hill. The layout looked tantalizing in photos over the years and seeing it in person did not disappoint. My first ride was in the back and it was a very good 9/10 ride. The drops alternated between mild floater air and strong floater air. The turnaround had pretty good laterals and the final helix had absolutely bonkers laterals. The ride was relatively smooth too. Then I rode in the front seat and that was the money seat. The airtime over each hill was relentless and the ride maintains its speed like my favorite woody in Boulder Dash. I just wish the PTC lap bars didn't staple me down quite as much, which is the one thing keeping it out of my top 5 woodies. If I ever return to Michigan's Adventure, this will likely be the reason and the ride is as good as its reputation suggests. 10 out of 10 Wolverine Wildcat- Having not heard much about Shivering Timbers's little brother, I went in expecting a dull and possibly rough ride. I rode in the 2nd to back row and was pleasantly surprised by the Phoenix wannabe (complete with everything including the tunnel at the start). In no way was the airtime comparable to Phoenix, but the coaster was smooth and about 4 or so hills had nice pops of air, highlighted by the double down. I would have ridden it a second time, but I couldn't justify waiting for it again when I could get 3 rides on Timbers in the same time frame. 7 out of 10 Zach's Zoomer- The drop-off from Wildcat to the park's third best coaster is immense. Because of its smooth ride, Zach's Zoomer was my third favorite coaster in the park, which is a testament to how poor the steel coasters are at this park. It's a smooth junior woodie, but really nothing special. I think one of the hills gave a pop of air, but that was about it. 4 out of 10 Thunderhawk- I had heard on the park forum that Thunderhawk was the smoothest SLC. Having ridden it, I can agree that it tracks the best. What that equates to is a 3/10 ride instead of a 1/10 ride While the head-banging isn't as brutal as other SLCs, it still isn't an enjoyable coaster for me. I really need the vest-restraints on a SLC in order to enjoy these coasters. If Michigan's Adventure got those style trains, this would be my favorite SLC. Without them, it's a pretty looking invert that bashes you in the head with a rattle instead of a hammer like other SLCs. 3 out of 10 Corkscrew- I went in expecting a ride similar to Canobie's Corkscrew. In some ways, it was true. The first drop had a nice pop of air and the corkscrews weren't overly brutal. So why the low score? The trains. Canobie's trains have plenty of leg room for me. These trains were extremely tight and even though I'm a skinny guy, I could barely get the restraint down since my knees were pointing upwards. 3 out of 10 Big Dipper- The looks I got from the other kids riding this was priceless, but it's all part of being a coaster whore. As far as kiddie coasters, this one was reasonably smooth and a bit taller, but let's not get excited. It's not a kiddie coaster at Knoebels. 2 out of 10 The only non-coaster I rode was the wet/dry water slide HydroBlaster. The slide was reasonably fast and managed to not drench me which is what I was looking for. The flume had a full queue when I passed it, so I unfortunately had to skip it. Grand Rapids looked like a very well themed river rapids ride and the name is perfect for the park, but I didn't want to get bombarded with waterfalls considering I had a long drive after leaving to Indiana Beach. Michigan's Adventure is an easy park to pick on, but it is a decent park buoyed entirely by the awesomeness known as Shivering Timbers. If it were a local park, I'd definitely visit it at least once a year. However, as a park really out of the way from enthusiasts, I can't see myself returning until the park adds a great second coaster to compliment Shivering Timbers. Speaking of a one train operation. Corkscrew was as smooth as an Arrow corkscrew could be, but the trains were way too cramped for the ride to be comfortable. The water park looked to be the park's main draw even on a not-so-warm day. A great way to see the park and the empty fields that exist around the park. I don't think that guy wants to get drenched on a 65 degree day. The park's water ride selection was pretty good. Grand Rapids is the most perfect name for a river rapids attraction. HydroBlaster was the only non-coaster I rode and it was the perfect amount of wetness and a decently fast slide too. When I left, they graduated to water dummy testing, but I wasn't going to wait for this mouse credit. SLCs may suck but they are photogenic rides. The flume (along with Wolvering Wildcat) was the only ride with any sort of wait. I prefer low-to-the-ground layouts on flumes, but I still wish I had time to try it. Probably would have been the park's 3rd best ride. Honestly this would have been the park's best steel coaster. Sadly it didn't open since the employees were dragging a train through the top turns. Shivering Timbers was worth the side-trip. It was a 10/10 ride in the front, a 9/10 ride in the back. I loved how well the ride kept its speed and the coaster is an airtime buffet mixing mild floater air with strong floater air. And that final helix really piles on the laterals. The sole reason I entered the state of Michigan. This woody gives enthusiasts woodies, me included. Goodbye Shivering Timbers. Hell may freeze over before this park gets another great coaster, so it may be a while until I see you again. It wouldn't be a Cedar Fair park without everyone's favorite beagle who doesn't look like a beagle. Hmmm what else is here? Well it's Michigan so of course there's a lake/pond. SFNE's Mind Eraser and Kentucky Kingdom's T3 restraints showed me SLCs need vest restraints or it's going to be a bad time. Though for just $13 you can forever remember the contorted faces and screams of pain from your Thunderhawk ride. I had heard this was the smoothest SLC. I can agree with that. It's a mediocre 3/10 ride instead of a painful dumpster fire 1/10 kind of ride. The flats don't get much better. This looked to be the park's best and most thrilling flat. Wolverine Wildcat is a Phoenix knockoff. It's almost as smooth as Phoenix, but the air-time is no where close. It's a decent coaster with 4 or so pops of air and the setting is great, but a one train operation made it a one and done for me. The coaster even has the same tunnel to start the ride. Finally a smooth but subpar coaster. It's a junior woody but it's better than any of the park's steel coasters.

Great trip report from Media Day! I agree the green side is better though the one flip I got on the purple side was superior since it occurred during the large raven turn.

At this rate Six Flags should start looking into their own version of a Disney Quest for all their VR attractions. It's definitely not impossible considering Six Flags opened that random barber shop a few years back.

I almost rode it during my visit solely for that beautiful fountain.

The vest restraints parks are going to more and more are godsends.

^^ Funnel of Fear's queue line looks more like a ride park's queue than a water park's queue.

I've gotten some good rides on Goliath with the new trains, but I've some really random spine-rattling rides scattered in. It's like Russian roulette for me when I decide to ride it. For food, I skip eating at the park and go to the amazing Nicky's Pizza down the street. There you can get a slice of pizza for $3 that can't even fit in a small pizza box since it's so large.