BitterOldHag

^ If you’re looking for thrills at Centreville you’ll be disappointed, but there are some highlights that I believe make it work visiting. - The ferry ride to the island offers beautiful views of downtown and is an attraction in its own right. - The park’s Sky Ride is a relaxing 10+ minute ride with nice views of the park and again, views of the Toronto skyline. - There is an enclosed Scrambler ride that isn’t very dark, but they kept me on For a good 5 minutes. - The Park has a small log flume, which is always a positive - And finally the park’s Haunted Barrel Works dark ride is a true classic. Loud noises, silly effects and a hilarious guillotine scene make this ride worth the trip. There’s several food stands, a gift shop and plenty of kids rides including a Miler kids coaster as well. My lone complaint was the “No Single Riders” rule on the Antique Cars. I asked the operator if it was simply for kids and he said no and that he didn’t know why it was a rule... it just is. So I guess In Summary, If you have the time and don’t mind battling downtown traffic and parking, I’d recommend a visit. I enjoyed my time there back in June before the Corey Hart concert (which was awesome!) and would definitely return.

I am a huge fan of https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/ There are some Dale Chihuly sculptures that are permanently installed there and it makes the experience even more aesthetically pleasing. And if you like visiting during the summer, you'll need to go back for their Christmas lights display in the winter. I'm not from Pittsburgh, so I don't have much else. We were just really impressed with Phipps.

Dollywood just this year? Holiday World a few years ago? I am sure there are others too. It’s not quite as unusual as you may think

This has nothing to do with Wonderland, but I thought I'd throw it out to Coasterbill. If you have time and are in the area for a bit (and of course the weather is okay), Centreville Amusement Park on the Toronto Islands features a chairlift-style Sky Ride that allegedly lasts 16 minutes and offers views of the park and the Toronto skyline. The park also has an indoor Scrambler, a small-ish flume, and a classic dark ride. http://www.centreisland.ca/centreville/rides-attraction.html I too am hoping the weather holds up for Saturday as I planned on going to Centreville that morning. If not, I think I'll go check out the Haunted Houses on Clifton Hill in Niagara...

Wow. The Tumble Bug looks fantastic. The colors really pop! The Ferris Wheel going up on the old Round Up site is a fantastic place for it. The views of the lake should be outstanding. I also follow The Devil's Den Facebook page and it looks like a lot of work went into that as well, including completely rebuilt and repainted cars. In 2014, I was ready to write Conneaut's obituary. 5 years later, I am very pleased to eat my words and watch as Conneaut continues to improve. It still has a LONG way to go, but seeing ANY improvements is a huge step up from what we were seeing before!

Fantasy Island had a Rotor called Devil's Hole back in the 80's (possibly early 90's?). The Devil's Hole ride there now is a Wisdom Gravitron with a custom name and design. A Gravitron is different from a Rotor in that riders slide up the slanted walls on a Gravitron, whereas on a Rotor, the walls are vertical and the floor falls away leaving riders stuck in place. Just an FYI.

Correct on the Waldameer one. Their Flying Coaster lasted until the end of the 1994 season. In 1995, the Wipeout took its place and remains there today. To add to the family-friendly ride names at Conneaut, there was a dark ride back in the 70's called the "Pit of Death". Ah, good times!

As far as I know, there are only three Rotor rides (permanent or mobile) left in the States. A Chance portable model at Sylvan Beach, a permanent Chance model called the Tumbleweed at Frontier City, and the rare SDC model called Turkish Twist at Canobie Lake. Overseas though it's a different story as it seems there are several traveling Rotor rides on the fair circuit, including a new SBF/Visa model called Gravity with translucent barrel walls, and the classic Pluschies Rotor that tours the German Fun Fairs. This Rotor features a walk-through fun house as the queue, and the main ride structure is surrounded by a three-tiered viewing area just like the good old days. I think I mentioned this before, but there are some really crazy pictures of old Rotor rides from the 50's where the entire viewing area is packed with people watching the brave riders. And back then, you had to pay the same amount to watch as you did to ride, so I assume the ROI was pretty good for a Rotor ride! That's one thing I never liked about Gravitrons. The ride was not designed for spectators. Heck, first time I saw one I had no idea what went on in there!

This 1000%. I rode Sheikra back in 2006 and that was my first Dive Coaster. I was blown away and ended up riding it 6 times that day. I came off each time smiling from ear to ear. In 2009 I rode Griffon for the first time. Again, blown away. Yes, the layout of the ride is a bit short, but I came off grinning like a little kid. When Cedar Point announced Valravn, I was ecstatic. Finally I get a Dive Machine nearby. And while most will argue with me, I actually enjoy Valravn more than Steel Vengeance. I can ride it numerous times without feeling sore, and like the previous two, I've got a huge smile plastered across my face after the train hits the brake run. These rides are smooth, thrilling, and just plain fun. Unfortunately this year has seen the end of my coaster riding... so I will be unable to try Yukon Striker. But I do know one thing- if I did have a chance to ride, I guarantee I'd be as happy as a little girl when I got off.

Thanks for the TR. The Antique Cars look fantastic. I also like the "Skylab Café" and "Zodiac Books" signs on that building near the Antique Cars. Little nods to the past are always appreciated! And while International Street's renovations look fantastic, I am really thrown by the Royal Fountain. I know I may be in the minority here, but I think it looks SO much different without the white and blue fountain structures. It doesn't look bad by any means, just much different after all these years! I need to get down there this summer. With the health issues I have been having, Antique Cars are right up my alley these days!

I don’t know, It must be some pretty good stuff if I am imagining a new ride at a Six Flags Park being open on time!

Yes... yes it can be built quickly. There really isn't much to it. And when you consider that fairs in the US and overseas have various types of these "Vertical Swing" rides that can be built in a matter of hours, I'd think that Darien Lake could probably get this ride done pretty quickly since the foundation is more than likely poured and if it is using the old Twister site, there's probably already a queue. Just my two cents, but I would not be surprised if the ride is completed on time... even if this is Six Flags we're talking about!

Since we're discussing "Big Anniversaries" at Cedar Point, here's a quick reminder going back to 1995 when the park celebrated "125 Summers"... the big new attraction was the Cedar Point Summer Spectacular laser show. So as others have stated, just because it's a "Big Anniversary" doesn't mean that the park is adding a 500-foot wooden looping stand-up inverted AquaTrax.

https://www.majesticrides.com/catch-n-air.html It’s similar to a Flying Coaster but not completely identical as this ride can run in reverse. Bates Amusements has one and I think there may be another floating around the carnival circuit. I don’t think it ever caught on as much as Majestic had hoped.

The same thing that's different between the 4 Wisdom Gravi's that Wade Shows owns? Or maybe the two Wisdom Sizzley's they own?

That Caterpillar ride doesn't seem to have ANY restraints. Is that the case? Perhaps that's why it doesn't spin too fast? Regardless, that looks really weird not seeing any kind of lapbar or anything on a ride with Himalaya-style seats. Also, that roller coaster looks awesome. There's just something about the almost homemade appearance that I would love to see in person someday. Maybe I should start saving as I'm certainly not getting any younger! Thanks for sharing your trip reports. I have enjoyed the thus far and look forward to the rest.

Perhaps discuss the brilliant genius of Von Roll Conveyances across the globe? Or share a laugh about how incredibly awful the Darien Lake thread is on TPR?

Actually, Mine Ride is open again this year. Last year they added a Mystic Timbers-like theme of #WhatsInTheShed (and what an incredible surprise that was ). It's listed on the Friday Night Rides page, but the Mystic theme is not mentioned. The Blue Streak apparently has a Halloween theme this year according to the website, as does the Sky Ride... hmmm.....

And whatever you do, don't forget to visit the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge and Earthquake The Ride in Gatlinburg for two of the most memorable attractions you will ever experience. Both attractions are "Now Open!" and always have a crowd of rather still onlookers outside each establishment (you've probably seen one of the spectators with his creepy toothy grin many times on this site). Both offer visitors state-of-the-art special effects that you have to see to truly believe. Both feature a cohesive storyline and historically accurate scenes, such as wall-leaping werewolves inside the Jurassic Jungle and a giant ape during the Earthquake. And both consistently rank at the bottom of Trip Advisor's "Things To Do" list in their respective cities. Seriously, if you enjoy a good train wreck and don't mind flushing $15 down the drain for each of the above rides, then do yourself a favor and check them out. They are so bad that they are actually... well... I guess they are just plain bad!

Other rides that have been removed that I can think of: Tumble Bug (no chance of returning, I know!) Intamin Der Spinnen Keggers Chance Rotor (no chance of returning unless they are moving Finnish Fling to KI!) Intamin Flying Dutchman (now at Kentucky Kingdom) Huss Skylab (nope) Intamin Zodiac (Double Ferris Wheel, no chance) Giant Slide (possible...) Arrow Shuttle Loop (nope!) Arrow Hydroflume (nope!) Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel (possible) and the one ride that would get me to dance down the aisles of my office if it made a return although it has 0% chance of happening- a Bayern Kurve. I'd be totally fine with the Antique Cars returning. I'd be even more fine with the return of the Sky Ride!

Like coasterbill, I too wish that this was an actual Chance Chaos. But alas, it is not to be! At least the park still has a Sky Ride though. And CanobieCoaster, yes, this is the only ride at the park that turns passengers upside-down. I do recall reading something here (or perhaps in a video) that the park is going to see how well the upside-down option goes over with visitors. If they feel it would be better off as a non-inverting frisbee ride, they can set the ride cycle that way. Of course, I could just be hallucinating with all of the medication I have been on recently!

Even though it's been known for a while, Waldameer has officially announced their new-for-2019 "Chaos", a Zamperla looping pendulum ride. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Waldameer/posts/ I have been visiting Waldameer since 1991 and it has been a blast watching the park grow and expand. Mr. Nelson has made terrific choices in their additions over the years and the result of that has been a small park that has thrived rather than faded away like so many others have. While Chaos is definitely too intense for these old bones, it will be fun to watch others go head-over-heels for the first time at Waldameer since a Loop-O-Plane was there way before my time!

If this has already been posted, my apologies, but the HalloWeekends site for CP is now available. The only "new" attractions are "Hexed: Lights Out", which will offer guests a flashlight to find their way through the maze (although having this and Deprivation sounds mildly redundant) and the Frontier Trail becomes "Trail of the Forsaken". No more Screamworks, which is probably a good thing! I believe Midnight Syndicate's show is "new" this year as well as it has a subtitle of "Conspiracy of Shadows". Other than that, it's business as usual. While I feel some of the longer-running mazes could afford to be swapped out (Zombie High and Cornstalkers come to mind), if business is crazy as always, then why bother making any changes at all?

Ditto. As a lifelong Clevelander, it is going to pain me to ride a coaster themed after the team we were told to hate in our household. Regardless, the ride does look very cool and I am definitely looking forward to the first drop/inversion as I was a big fan of Drachen Fire back in the day (sorry... I really did like it!). Thumbs up to Kennywood for such a large addition/expansion. I do hope that the park is able to get the ride open earlier in the season rather than later. On the plus side for me, I won't have to worry about purchasing any Steel Curtain merchandise...

Who needs an announcement? We all know it's a B&M Giga Dive coaster called Ziz. Am I right?