tuxedomask5432

Hello all, This is really only my second, true trip report with photos on the forum. My friend and I went to the Georgia National State Fair in Perry, Georgia. This town is outside of Macon, GA and it was a true southern, people-watching crowd. This is one of the biggest fairs I've been to, outside of the Minnesota State Fair when I was a wee lad. It had AWESOME food, spectacular rides, and exhibits and shows that we did not even get to see. The best ride can be seen on the first photo below, on the left-hand side, as well as the first video. The Stinger was really freaky and extremely intense. I don't think it would have been a pleasant experience if the 4-seat chairs had been allowed to rotate at the highest point. I've posted a video of the Stinger, as well as some others, including one of the most insane Super Matterhorns ever! Anyway, onto the videos, followed by the photos . . . Ahhh . . . the fall . . . and the fair. My favorite time of year. Look at the spectacular rides they had to offer . . . Including Tango . . . Couldn't decide what to ride to catch before we left, and unfortunately I settled on Storm instead of this . . . The YO YO! Didn't get on this one either . . . but I've been on it elsewhere. The Tidal Wave! AKA suspended Matterhorn! One of four Matterhorn variations at the fair! The Fire Ball!!!! And the Sky Flyer (AKA the Star Flyer). Yes it was not as tall as others, but in proportion to the rest of the rides and buildings, it remained the tallest structure, and offered an extremely thrilling ride! This was my first Star Flyer! Here's a guy with his son (see his legs?) just chillin' . . . . . .and here's a couple enveloped in pure glee. The Georgia National State fair had some of the best carnival game options I have seen in a LONG while. Here's another example . . . . . . and this reminded me of an episode of America's Next Top Model. Of course the fair was not without its eclectic mix of carnival food. I loved the GIANT graphic signs all the stands had at this fair. This couple can't decide what to buy . . . . . .and understandably so. Oops! Missed Full Tilt. This was a superior version (in my opinion) of the regular Huss Rainbow's etc. . . due to the fact that you felt like you were mostly suspended the entire ride! This ride had one of the longest cycles at the fair and just shows how a simple motion, with a little variation can really be a showstopper. Oh yeah! Can't forget about . . . . FREAAAAK SHOOOOWS!!! What?!?! HUH?!?!?! People pay money for this?!?! Well . . . . my friend did anyway. Seriously though, this one was EXTREMELY annoying. It kept saying the same line over and over again, and we all know its a nutria rat! Here's one last look down the midway . . . . And here's another, with Flip 'n' Out. Didn't get to ride this one either. They were only seating one row the entire night and the line was INSANE. Did we mention there were two credits for me to obtain on this visit? SUPER FAST INDY 500!!! My friend and I rode together and really made the toboggan tear through the course. His knees were smashed to bits. And his knees smashed my sides to bits. Here's Credit #2 Fun. Kinda Mild, Wish we had only two people in our car, but they were loading em up. PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT!!! Nighttime at the fair. Here is a ride that I wasn't able to photograph in motion, looked painful though. Why go on this when you have full tilt??? Wild Claw. . . . had a very short and terrible ride cycle. My side was stuck on the lower side the entire time. Here it is!!! The ultra-uber-super-duper-himalaya. The "fastest ride on the midway" according to the ride-op. Also the shortest ride on the midway according to me. Five bucks for one, maybe two minutes?? This fair had two haunted mansions with cars. I didn't ride either. I'm partial to the spinning flat rides. This was one of the, like, five or six awesome fun houses here! Here's another. . . . . . do they really have the rights for this???? This was the most AWESOME looking one in my opinion. Fire Ball SUPER FAST FIRE BALL!!! Hope Everyone Enjoyed! And finally, here's a Zipper in SUPERB condition.

I kinda tend to lean more towards this view as well. Although I managed to keep my hands up the entire time. I mean, why not. They definitely weren't afraid to strap you down on any of their coasters. Wow, good thing I got Midnight Ride in, although I've been on its brother at Cedar Point. And looking forward to a Star Flyer that is within actual driving distance from my home. (Crossing my fingers that my home park SFOG is looking into some flat rides over the next couple of years.)

I just went this last weekend on the 24th, Saturday I believe. First time to the park, and it was definitely raining a lot. But this kinda made me excited, considering the possibility of short lines, as well as the intensity of the coasters coasters all completely saturated. My brother and I, and he's a member of the GP, were both convinced that the coasters were best, right off the bat in the morning, during the brunt of the heavy rain. Raven was running great, and Legend surprised me because i was expecting a terrible ride. It seemed to be tracking well and the front had some good airtime. As the day went on, Legend and Voyage got rougher and resulted in a few headaches for my Brother, with just a few minor disturbances of my own. As for The Voyage, this coaster is definitely in my top ten now. I must admit that my coaster count is only in the lower 100s with predominately steel makeup. So this probably explains my lack of similar opinion to everyone before me. The first two rides of the day, in the early morning were the best. As the coaster got warmed up, it got much rougher. It's true that it suffers from jack-hammering around lots of the curves, and during the lower portion of the first, second, and third drop. It also seems to have constant vibration through out the remainder of the course after the break-run. There was one really bad "pot hole" traveling up the 2nd hill as well. But the layout is impressive and completely out of control. The terrain and woods makes its course even better. I hope to go back next year, and I am praying for the timberliners to be on track for the 2012 season. A coaster like this should be preserved.

I agree. My ride on The Georgia Cyclone that morning felt pretty brisk. It definitely was tracking better and moving faster around 6:30-ish that afternoon. The airtime is, and has always been crazy ejector on that ride. I'm praying for Fright Fest to have the second set of trims turned off. They weren't really running that much on the first set last Saturday it seems. The park had no trims during Spring Break Week and the second half was really moving fast, so there was airtime on every last hill to the end. However, this really makes the shuffling quite worse and more violent around the last two turnarounds. I can see why they keep them on.

Thanks to Robb, Elisa, and Brad with Six Flags for setting everything up for us today! This was my first TPR event, and it did not disappoint. I loved the water cup challenge, even though not a drop remained in my cup. I loved night ERT on Goliath, and GASM was running better than ever this evening! I'm so happy to meet new friends including Rebecca, Jonathan, and David. Can't wait for more fun next time.

So I had my ticket ready a while ago. Then, I just saw this huge list of every great ride at Six Flags Over Georgia. And now I'm dying to find out what rides we'll be riding at night. Seems like something I never get to do even though I go to the park on a regular basis. Countdown begins . . .

I just rode it today, and I agree that it's like a wild mouse on steroids! The layout was Definitely more extreme than Dollywood's Mystery Mine. The restraints made the ride exciting and free! I loved all of the inversions. Can't wait to go back and ride again. I hope more parks catch on to this technology of restraints.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight for the Season Pass Holder preview coming up this Friday on the 27th. Does it start right away when the park opens? Or will it more than likely be later in the afternoon. Please advise!

I concur, I rode Ninja in the blue train today, and it's great in that magical row. Instead of headbanging it feels more like the train is shimmying beneath you. I was almost tempted to ride it again. Is the other black train still crappy?

I'll never forget watching "3,2,1 Contact" on PBS as a child. One one particular episode, they featured an old school "free-fall" drop tower ride (park unknown). Of course no one can forget an episode of "NOVA" with Drachen Fire and Grizzly. Some television show in the 1990's (some today show type program) featured professional WWF wrestlers marathoning rides on Batman: The Ride at SFMM. And I remember how the reporters on the show mentioned that the G forces were so strong that they distorted their video camera's image. Finally, here is one that many not know of: "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" (1968) This movie filmed a few scenes at Dorney Park and featured rides on the Thunderhawk, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Scrambler, and The Pirates Cove. Apparently, a "Kid's Bop" video featuring "Move Along" by The All American Rejects was filmed at Dorney Park as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorney_Park_&_Wildwater_Kingdom

Yay!!! 17/20 and no cheating!!! Somehow, I got the Japanese spelling question correct, and that North Korean park question tripped me up too.

Thankfully, I got that credit back in like '93 when it was still called The Red Devil Roller Coaster. Granted, it poured down rain the entire time, but I got a few solo rides in. My friend here in Charlotte went out there before that coaster went SBNO. She said that she was also the only one riding the coaster. Upon approaching the station, she realized she wasn't slowing down. The ops informed her she would be riding again. Apparently the station breaks were not working and she said like 15 guys had to physically stop the train from moving. INSANE.

Wow, that was lots of fun to read and see. I've only been to the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. However, the last time i was at EPCOT it was 1989 during its "golden years" I don't think that I can imagine what it must be like without Journey Into Imagination. My family spent HOURS in that attraction, due to the very unique interactive exhibits. I can't say that Horizons was all that interesting, so I don't believe I would miss that attraction. Overall, I think that EPCOT is not very interesting for children. It seemed like we were walking through an overgrown museum exhibit. But I'm glad you had a good time.

Yea, I rode Hurler on friday as well. The ride seemed plenty exciting to me. Looking back, I had no idea that a trim brake was installed on that ride. Knowing this information, the ride did seem less aggressive on the banks before the turns. The first bunny hop certainly gave a ton of airtime, and squashed my full bladder. I had a feeling that Intimidator would have "check" brakes installed at some point. I don't think it will detract terribly from the ride. Goliath's (SFOG) did not during its first season, and Diamondback's was not bad either. The mid-course was the biggest detraction on Kings Island's installment, hopefully it will not be one on Intimidator.

So yea, the coaster is coming along great. And this still is the Carowinds discussion thread, not just the Intimidator discussion thread. So I want to know if anyone went to Scarowinds last weekend, and if it was stupid busy like I heard it was. Also, i'm going this friday . . . .EEEEEK. And i'm worried its going to be REALLY busy. I've never been before, can anyone enlighten me? And what should we do if there are alot of people? Are there any attractions that crowds tend to stay away from, or that the lines move quickly? Thanks for your help!!

Oops, well I took those down. Enjoy the rest of my photos.

Hi all, Please bear with me as this is my first photo TR and I took all the pictures with my Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone. I went to Cincinnati to visit my sister and her husband, but mostly to go to Kings Island for the first time ever. It was General Electric Day and the park was completely DEAD. I wasn't complaining about coaster marathoning, but my mom and sister sure got sick from it. I rode Diamondback 5 times that day in 5 different seats. I felt like the middle gave the highest percentage of airtime overall, while the front had some really decent ejector. The back had an out of control feeling on the first drop and some floater air for the remainder. As I've been anticipating riding The Beast since my childhood, my high hopes were somewhat dashed by the excessive use of trim breaks throughout the entire ride. Gone was that out of control feeling I saw on old videos, gone was any iota of airtime. The final helices were definitely the highlight of that ride. Anyway, onto the photos. Marquee! As you can see, the park was "sold out." Thanks for reading! Further conformation that Kings Island is preparing for the Christmas crowds. Goodbye park, and one of the two smoothest Vekomas I've been on. The other one is also at this park. Geez, you think that Kinzel would get a bigger head stone, seeing as he's finally landed a world class coaster at Carowinds. I saw the Carowinds version of this car pulling into the "Arowinds Tire and Lube" place the other day. Confirmation that Kings Island will be open for Christmas this year. Yup, Ohio residents hate Michigan this much. Plastic Junk Dora Crap Uh oh, King's Island is having a sale! I wonder what's inside. Darn, I just missed the sun. YAY, fountains at sunset. This ain't your mother's nursery. Freaky clowns and stuffed animals. Its the Eiffel Tower, sponsored by General Electric. Uh, watch out for this Bone Collector I like this Diamondback logo the most. Yup this was the entire wait for Diamondback. What on earth is that girl up front doing with her mouth?!? I guess that wont be necessary. This was my wait for Diamondback. This is reserved for Son of Beast next year. Oh no! Diamondback is exploding! YAY ARROW! The first drop on this ride was insane. Its Vortex, THROUGH THE BEAST! Yup, there's the ride op coming to talk to us. So The Beast had a safety cut out, and I was forced to sit on it for 10 minutes. Here's a lift chain nerd shot. YES, FINALLY. I've been waiting my whole life for this. What is this place, a used car dealership? Due to no lines, there were multiple re-rides without leaving the station. The gents behind me rode this 10 times in a row. Two times in a row was enough for me. YAY for Arrow! Shouldn't this thing be lit up? Further confirmation that Kings Island is Area 51. As if you were allowed to smoke before this point. This is where they are holding the engineers from RCCA. I love these signs. It just goes to show you how the American general public will try anything, if there is no sign telling you not to. YAY for indoor LIM launched coasters! This was my first one. How can they denote this area as its own "land" and not have it labeled as such on the park map. LONG lit tunnel, these ride ops were the slowest all day. The extensive menu from LT. Dan's Bar, where they served Beer, Wine, and LIQUOR?????? As you can see, Kings Island really cares about the decor for their beer drinking, cigarette smoking patrons. YAY for BEER! For GE day, they were running this special. The funny part is, the price was only $5 during the morning. Apparently, Area 51 is now a ride called Delirium. I love drop towers, and this one was insanely tall! Yea, the Action Zone is full of it today. Just looking at this jumbled mess of twigs was thrilling enough for me. Cedar Fair has decided to rename Son of Beast, Club Blood, in honor of its unparalleled safety record. This is the "scenery" from the Railroad Diamondback from the K.I. Railroad

X's queue was alot of switch backs, and pink walls with lots of yellow slogans. At least before they changed the themeing. The line was painfully long (3 hours) and seemed to be such a short ride. The whole time I was waiting, I kept seeing Viper's trains cycling wishing i was on that instead. I was a big fan of Mind Bender's queue at SFOG before they changed it to Riddler theming. There was an awesome sign of this man comming out of an iron lung type device with multiple holes. The man was like all elastic, and his head was coming out where is legs should be, etc. The line itself was ALL underneath huge trees and shaded. You couldn't see the ride from any point in the line, making it seem a lot more exciting once you got on. Also, There were big wooden posts that made up the barriers that were useful as stools. Now the queue is all wobbly metal railing that snakes through a somewhat shaded area which reveals the first drop and the first loop. LAME.

How many children have ADHD and are NOT taking medication??? This past weekend, I was at the beach and my two cousins were so doped out they didn't eat, nor were they bouncing off the walls either. Although I disagree with these solutions, won't most of these kids be on meds in order to cope with such a "BORING" situation? Standing in line is not always boring. The games you play to keep yourself distracted, the sights and the sounds of the rides in motion, and the anticipation right before getting on surely makes standing in line at a theme park different from standing in line at the bank. The only thing that irks me about lines is when people cut in front of me, or its a line that never seems to move. Although flash and disability pass requires those people to wait the same amount of time, the general public just sees those people taking the spot they were about to get in. What will people say when a child who appears perfectly normal on the outside, just waltzes into their seat?

So here's an interesting article through the BBC about children with ADHD that are allowed to go to the front of the line at theme parks, because they cannot "wait." What does everyone else think about this? Here's the article and the original post http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8232633.stm

When I went to Cedar Point in 2007, there was definitely NO shortage of children playing and riding rides in planet snoopy. As a child, Hanna Barbara land at Carowinds was great, but wasn't really much more than a few signs with the ride slogan and a character portrait. Peanuts is timeless, and even if kids don't know who they are right away, their parents will tell them all about it. Nickelodeon is a Viacom label as is Paramount Parks, so they never had to purchase the rights to utilize the the Nick characters. But now, when I go to Carowinds, half of the characters they feature don't even have airtime on regular Nickelodeon (maybe Nicktoon Channel). Truthfully, after Cedar Fair purchased the parks, I could see them ditching the Nick label as a cost cutting measure.

YAY! I only live ten minutes away. It will be like having my own hyper coaster in my backyard. After a 7-mile driveway, of course. I love the 2nd twisting drop, the wicked Panoramic U-Turn, and the inclined helix finale. Trims don't really ruin Goliath for me that much, and after September 13th, I'll know what to expect more after riding Diamondback. I think that hearing this discussion is interesting, as some people are criticizing a concept that used to be a rare thing. Its funny to think that we live in a time now where people are actually bashing hyper and GIGA coasters, because they're so common. During the late 80s and early 90s, the only hypers in America were Magnum XL-200, Desperado, Steel Force, and I guess Steel Eel (not over 200 ft.) These coasters, very expensive, were not built that often. I mean the world has been getting a new hyper-coaster practically every year since 2000. A LOT of the general public still fears going up high, and the pure sensation of speed will serve to bring tons of people to Carowinds. Way to go!!!

I really enjoyed riding Maverick at Cedar Point, and Stealth at Thorpe Park. The sensation of airtime, even with the OTSR, was especially prominent on Maverick. Some people have noted a "Karate-Chopping" effect with these devices. I never hurt my neck, like people have said, but received a few bruises when not holding onto the restraint's hand-holds. Maverick's twisted horseshoe roll (one of the more extreme transitions) could have caused most of it. Despite all that, I felt safe, relatively free, and open during the ride. I think the restraints will work fine for the new coaster, which I think looks awesome. The pacing is relentlessly fast, and barely slows down, especially in comparison to MF's huge overbanked turns. Although there's only 5 or 6 ( I can't remember) moments of airtime, the rides speed and abundance of positive g forces should make up and provide for an exciting ride. I guess I'll have to make a Virginia trip next year.

I guess this is what happens when you try to design a wooden coaster like a steel hyper coaster. IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Man, I'm kinda upset about not being able to ride Son of Beast during my first trip to Kings Island. But, from what my sister has said about the ride, waiting in line to ride an earthquake coupled with a headache is just not worth it. Seems to be leading a similar path as the Rattler did at Fiesta Texas. Of course, would Cedar Fair be willing to completely alter the track's profile in order to save the mess that Paramount left behind? Like others have said, it would be beneficial and financially sound to replace it with something else. Maybe they could utilize the wood to create a whole new coaster. I guess that's left to be determined.