shivtim

and another pic from SFoG's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150209776615239&set=pu.34284255238

Joust (Dutch Wonderland)

Two of the inversions are completed. So, trackwork is almost done!

Count me in. Decently priced tickets from Atlanta, and I've got a friend in Dallas I can crash with. I'm glad you're having this event, because I'm not able to join the Metro Atlanta Coaster Club's trip to Texas the last weekend in April!

Starting trackwork on the inversions/turns: (image copyright SFoG)

Yeah, I have had a few really good ones from 5 Seasons, it's just in my experience been more the exception than the rule. I still love the place though, especially the midtown west location. Twain's in Decatur is similar. Most of their stuff is just so-so, but every once in a while they come out with something fantastic. I still find it a bit odd that my small hometown in Michigan (70,000 people) has the same number of brewpubs than Atlanta (500,000 people). But the beer culture here does appear to be taking off, considering that just in the past few years we've seen the Porter, Leons, TAP, Cypress, Hop City, etc open plus a new brewery in Decatur. I recommend a trip to TAP. It's not exactly the most beer focused, but they usually have something interesting. I had some Ommegang Zuur there last week, and they usually carry quite a few local brews (Duck Rabbit, Highland, Wild Heaven, etc). I like the space too - there's a huge outdoor area right on peachtree. Definitely a lot more modern/trendy than some of the other places, but still laid back enough that I enjoy it. Also, if you haven't been to Trappeze in Athens, you should make the trip over there. Less than an hour from Atlanta, and it's like a mini Brick Store. Are you on BA? I'm also shivtim on there.

I visited Wild Adventures for the first time last Saturday (opening day). I was on a tight time frame, so it was mostly just a credit run, with a plan to visit later this season to explore the park a bit more. First, it was CROWDED. Just packed to the hilt. We arrived just before opening and luckily were able to hit most of the credits pretty quickly. I went on the first 4 coasters (Boomerang, Swamp Thing, Viking Voyage, and Fiesta Express) with at most a one train wait. Swamp Thing was surprisingly rough, even compared to the other Vekoma jr suspendeds I've been on. Viking Voyage was fun and unique, but I overheard people saying it felt "unsafe." It does have kind of a backyard coaster look. I think I prefer this over Screamin' Eagle at Dixieland. I had no problems credit whoring on Fiesta Express... they let adults ride with no questions asked. By this time Cheetah and Hangman still weren't open. Hangman eventually opened with one train and I was able to get the credit with a short wait. Standard SLC. Cheetah didn't look like it was going to run at all (the train had been stopped 1/3 up the lift the whole morning), so we headed back to the front of the park. By the time we got to Go Bananas (the wild mouse) the line took 40 minutes. We got the credit, and then decided to skip their roller skater because it had a huge line snaking out into the hot sun. It looked like almost an hour long line. I then went to guest services to upgrade my ticket to a season pass, which was about a 40 minute wait. I heard that the lines in the actual season pass processing area outside the gates was about an hour long. Cheetah never did open, I'm not sure what was going on with that. We left at 1PM and there was still a line of cars coming in, although the parking lot was nearly full already. Overall the park was OK. The employees were really nice and friendly, but they were not prepared to handle the crowds. You can see all of the young trees that have been added over the past few years. Most of the park looks "new" and updated. The big negative is a distinct lack of good rides. Sure there are a lot of coasters, but none of them are above average (with the possible exception of Cheetah, which I didn't get to ride). I look forward to coming back to Wild Adventures on a less crowded day to get a ride on Cheetah and check out some of the animal exhibits.

My faves in Atlanta are Brick Store and the Porter. I live closer to TAP and Cypress P&P, so I'm more often at one of those two. Some fantastic beer bars for sure, but there really isn't a good brewpub anywhere in Georgia (with the possible exception of 5 Seasons, but I'm not a big fan of their beers).

Looking at the webcam, the ride is now topped out. I've also noticed that SFoG's website says it opens "late spring," with no reference to memorial day. Their facebook page also says "we have not announced the exact date." Maybe it'll open sooner than memorial day weekend?

Here's mine! 1: Jr.Gemini at Cedar Point 50: Cyclone at William's Grove (SBNO) 100: Superman: Ultimate Escape at Six Flags Ohio (now Possessed at Dorneypark) 150: Titan at SFoT 200: Ghostrider at Knott's 250: Excalibur at Valleyfair 300: Thunderhead at Dollywood and, last weekend I rode my 350th: California Screamin' at DCA Hoping to hit 400 this year, but I've got a way to go.

This thing is going together faster than legos. From Six Flags' facebook page: (copyright SFoG)

Thanks for the extensive trip report! We must have been there at about the same time; I was there last Thursday.

I was in San Diego last weekend and was able to hit up Pizza Port Oceanside (right after a trip to Belmont Park, of course). Fantastic west coast IPAs on tap (and cask!). Nice change of pace from Atlanta.

^It's where strippers go to die.

This plan worked out really well. Knott's opened early, maybe because it turned out to be "physics day." So the park was packed right away with obnoxious teenagers, but they were mostly not riding yet. We got a quick spin on Silver Bullet and then Seirra Sidewinder, then had to wait for about 15 minutes until Xcelerator opened. We got the front row of the second train of the day, then hopped over to Pony Express which had a one train wait. By the time we left at about 10:40, Silver Bullet had a line snaking out of the station with only one train running. A part of the park (including Montezuma's Revenge and Jaguar) wasn't opening until 11, but luckily I already had those credits. We drove to Disney, bought our tickets, and headed in to DCA. Mullholland (Goofy's Sky School) was still closed, but we got a ride on California Screamin' with only about a 10 minute wait. Quick ride on Soarin' over California (15 minute wait; the longest of the day), then off to Disneyland. There were essentially no lines... for most attractions just walking through the queues was the only wait. I got on all of the coasters (including both sides of Matterhorn), Indiana Jones, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pinocchio, Haunted Mansion, Innoventions, and Buzz Lightyear. We then stopped by DCA again to hit TOT, Monsters Inc, and Muppetvision 3-D. Finished everything by 6:30PM and met a friend for dinner at Shabu Shabu.

My thoughts exactly. Phoenix is my number one, but I have El Toro, Voyage, and Boulder Dash in my top 6. All fantastic coasters.

I love Hopslam - one of my favorite IPAs, and it's from my home town (Kalamazoo). Breckenridge 471, Pliny the Elder, Green Flash Imperial, Hop Whore, and Avery Maharaja are some of my other favorite IPAs.

It was my #4, though I haven't ridden it since opening year.

SFoG posted some new pictures on their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=336145&id=34284255238 Still no trackwork, but the structure for the station is up. (Photo courtesy SFog)

Some other pricing: Michigan's Adventure: $8 Alabama Adventure: $8 Indiana Beach: Free Both parks in Oregon have free parking (Oaks Park and Enchanted Forest).

^Yep. Unfortunately it's usually not that easy to take transit to most parks in the US. Obviously Coney Island is pretty well connected. Several large parks have some sort of shuttle operated by local transit agencies (For example here in Atlanta MARTA operates a bus from the nearest rail stop to SFoG, and I've taken the METRO bus to SFA). I've also taken a bus to SFGadv from the Port Authority bus terminal in NYC. That worked really well and I recommend it. I usually just suck it up and pay the parking, but it is annoying when you're the only person in the car. Dixeland Fun Park has $5 parking.

Thanks for the advice! I'll plan on following that itinerary. Hopefully the spring break crowds won't be in full effect yet. I'm sure I'll have fun but I'm not planning on having to rearrange my top ten, since Xcelerator is the only one ranked somewhat high (#38) on Mitch's poll, and California Screamin' is the only other one ranked in the top 100 (#78).

I'm travelling to San Diego from March 9-14th, 2011, flying in and out of LA (with rental car), and I'll have just one day to visit parks (Thursday, March 10th). Is it possible to do Knott's, Disneyland, and California Adventure in one day? I went to Knott's in early 2002, so I'd just be interested in getting the 4 new credits (Xcelerator, Silver Bullet, Sierra Sidewinder, Pony Express) and then leaving the park, which I imagine wouldn't take long. Knott's is open 10AM to 6PM. I've never been to Disneyland or California Adventure. Disneyland opens at 9AM and closes at 8PM, and CAAdv opens at 10AM and closes at 8PM. I'm mostly interested in the coasters, but I'd probably also want to hit a few of the non-coaster rides (Tower of Terror) and maybe see the World of Color fountain show if there is time. Any thoughts on this plan? Is it feasible? Any "can't miss" non-coaster attractions at the Disney parks? Is it worth the $100 for a one-day park hopper pass? I'm thinking of starting at Knott's and quickly hitting the coasters, then going directly to Disneyland and finishing the day at CAAdv. I'm thinking of staying at the Knott's Hotel. Thanks for any input!

A few construction shots from 2/19. Still no vertical construction, but it looks like all of the footers are done. Site overview: Mindbender peaking out over the construction: Structure for the tunnel is up:

I did a Holland America cruise and it was great. A much smaller ship, and the crowd was mostly older (as expected), but it was a great experience that focused more on the natural beauty of the landscape rather than the ship itself. Of course there was still a pool, shows, casino, etc. Unfortunately Alaska is one of the few states without a coaster!