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Please never stop taking photos. Awesome stuff as always. Your long exposure shots of Hulk are the stuff of legends. Also, bonus points for nabbing a tricolored heron in the park (wonder why it's not in breeding plumage?).

I can't speak for the one in Tampa, having not been there in seven years, but I can attest that the one in Williamsburg is pretty legit. Grabbing some brisket, dunking it in BBQ sauce, and then walking to a nearby spot to watch Griffon and Alpengeist is a fine way to kill a half hour.

Okay, so I made my first unexpected amusement park stop down here yesterday (I was on the verge of a mental breakdown and absolutely needed to get away for a day), and I have a small set of hot takes from the experience: - I'm convinced large swaths of the general population never bathe. Like, ever. - They really weren't that bad, actually. Of course, yesterday was neither sunny nor warm, save for the last few hours of sunlight. - As the self-proclaimed chairman of the local B&M Hyper Lover's Committee, and as much as it pains me to say this, I think Robb Alvey was on to something when he said how boring many B&M hypers are. I used to think Apollo's Chariot was an easy top 10 coaster for me, but now I'm beginning to question whether it even cracks my top 20. I found it to be very... pedestrian, and lacking in the punch department. HOWEVER, if it's near sunset and the sun's out, please do yourself a favor and get on this. From the shimmering reflections off of the dark bodies of water to the late day sun's rays shining through the trees, it's one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I've ever had at an amusement park. For real. - In a somewhat similar tone to my last take, if it's nighttime and there's a waxing half/gibbous moon (like there is now), get over to Griffon. Climbing that lift hill in the pitch black of night and staring directly at the moon is a haunting and almost otherworldly experience. By the way, while I know Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariots have their fans, I believe you vote for your favorites by how many times you ride. Well, I rode Griffon twelve times, so what's that tell you? It isn't the longest ride in the world, and I'm not even convinced it's better than Valravn (though I can see how you could go either way on that one), but those drops and airtime pops were so addicting, I just kept going back for more. I honestly think it's the best ride in the park now. - Invadr was alright. Not bad, not great. Just alright. I was impressed by the smoothness (I'm used to Wildcat shattering every bone in my body) and it kept up a good pace throughout the ride. I wish it were a bit longer and that it wound through the woods or something. I guess I was expecting something a little bit like Beast in regards to the latter, so perhaps my expectations weren't calibrated properly. - I'm always willing to pay a little extra for good amusement park food. The food here, while certainly not cheap, is WAY more reasonable than what you get from Cedar Fair parks for the same price. For the same price that I could get smoked brisket, chicken parmesan, and chocolate cake at Busch Gardens, Cedar Fair would take a paper bag, puke in it, put in the microwave, and serve it to me on a Styrofoam plate. Seriously, screw Cedar Fair's food and their ridiculous prices. - One last thing, if you're the type of person who walks around constantly breathing vape clouds and/or cutting eggy farts in long lines, you should be punished with island prison.

Wait a second, was I suddenly transported into some sort of Bizarro World over the weekend or something? How do you people think Grizzly at Kings Dominion is ANYTHING but absolutely dreadful? That ride is like every body and headache I've ever had condensed into two minutes. I'd rather be thrown off a helicopter into a garbage barge than ride Grizzly.

I personally fail to see what Busch Garden Tampa's Intamin Drop Tower has to do with Worlds of Fun, but if you want pictures,[attachment=0]DSCN0157.JPG[/attachment] In full operation, too! What the? Hmm... brain said "flight," fingers typed "fury." I'm an idiot and deserve to get dunked on for that.

Same here. As a long-time Huss Condor fan, I am truly shocked, appalled, and deeply crestfallen by the lack of, well... ANYTHING concerning Falcon's Fury. No test runs, no pictures of the gondolas, no pictures of the tower, no nothing.

I know I basically said this already on page one, but you're ridiculously talented as a photographer. I feel like deleting pretty much the entirety of my Flickr account because it's just that much worse by comparison. I thought about going down to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in the fall to take pictures, but I might not even bother now as you've set the bar too high. I also LOL'ed when I saw the great egret photobombing the trainer feeding shot as well. I don't think I've ever seen one quite so comfortable around people.

Dang, there's some pretty spiffy stuff here. Your composition, in particular, is really good. Also, I really like your last picture. In fact, when I take night shots, I often go for the long-exposure blurred train thing. Well, if you're on a budget, I might not be the best person for this, seeing as I've worked in the hotel industry before and usually willing to pay a little more for a place that's nice, but I stayed at two places down there last year and really liked both of them. The first was the Best Western Plus Sterling Hotel & Suites, and the second was the Hampton Inn just off of Arrowood Road. Not sure what the rates are, but if I had to go one way or the other, the Hampton Inn is closer and getting to and from the park is a bit easier, it was also a bit better furnished, and also had a better breakfast buffet. They both have waffle makers, though, which is the important thing. Nothing like trying to kill yourself with a cup or two of freshly ironed waffle batter smothered in syrup to kick off a day of walking in a miasma of oppressive heat and tourist BO. Seriously though, both are nice, quiet, well put-together places that you can't go wrong with.

My advice? Hard pass. Vortex is short, uncomfortable, makes you wait an eternity on the final brakes, and the only reason people scream on it is because their nether regions are being destroyed. Getting on Vortex takes away valuable time you could spend reriding Fury, Afterburn, Intimidator, or something good. I rode it once, loathed it, then never even set foot near it again. Thanks to my future Vortex shunning, I was able to set a new personal best of 14 rides on Fury in one day. I regret nothing*. *Well... okay, I suppose I regret riding that stupid, horrible thing in the first place.

That's rad. Also, for anyone in the know, can the tickets be used over multiple days? I'll be staying a few nights down in Cape May during the first weekend of June and I was going to intersperse my visits to the boardwalk among other things in the area (super-exciting bird photography!), so that idea holds some appeal to me.

This is a super impressive photo collection. Even your bird shots are really good. You've just made it that much more tempting for me to visit Tampa in the fall later this year.

It's all good. Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. Then again, there are people who dislike Fury 325, which is the smoking gun that they are terrible human beings and should be catapulted into space for the good of our planet. I appreciate the pointers and I'll put them into action the next time I take a spin on it. As a balding man rocking cargo shorts and occasionally slinging a low-end DSLR camera around his neck, it's difficult to fathom looking any more ridiculous than I already do.

I agree with both of these choices, although I'd put Beast WAY higher than Raptor. At least with Raptor, I can enjoy the first drop, loop, and the double helix, all of which are really great. Too bad the turn into the final brake run was so hastily designed, and those corkscrews... ugh. As big of a B&M fanboy as I am - and they don't come much bigger than me - the majority of the corkscrews on their coasters are head-bangers. The Beast has a really good layout, but beyond that, it's insanely vulgar. It's like taking a nice scenic sled ride through the woods, except instead of a sled, they strap you to a furiously spinning washing machine full of bricks that rearranges your spine into a jigsaw. Any ride that leaves me rubbing my back instead of smiling is generally not looking at a good write-up. My #1 choice, however, is probably Skyrush. I liken the ride experience to Dwayne Johnson dropping the barbell with weights he uses for bench presses across my legs. If that makes me a pussy... well then, I'm guilty as charged, I suppose. Not only that, but poor Comet is completely emasculated by it. Skyrush has all the visual appeal of something I hastily shoehorned into one of my RollerCoaster Tycoon parks during my teenage years. *sigh* Okay fine, the Stengel dive is cool... but that's NO EXCUSE. By the way Midgetman82, your Flickr page is all kinds of awesome and has earned you a follower. *EDIT: Didn't realize you can't say the A-word here. Duly noted.

Really surprised to hear that about the fresh cut fries because we have always enjoyed ours. May I ask which stand you got them at? Did you get them with cheese, chili cheese, plain or parm/garlic? It was the stand behind Dragster's tower if I'm not mistaken. I got them plain (well... salted) because I wanted to try them untainted. They were soggy and pretty tasteless (to be fair, ordering them plain might've been a goof on my part), plus I had to wait what felt like an eternity to get them. I managed to down maybe three quarters of them just because I was trying to get my money's worth out of them. By comparison, the hovel of a Taco Bell I hit up on 250 on my way back home later that day, where I got three burritos for about the same price as the fries, was like a fist full of roses. I agree. Chickie and Pete's crab fries are delicious with beer. Thirded. As a southeastern PA native who occasionally goes to visit our slightly more horrible neighbors in New Jersey, I've also been to Chickie and Pete's on several occasions. I'm in agreement with you both that they're usually quite good. Now that I recall, I did go to the Chickie and Pete's at Cedar Point last year as well. Unfortunately, I skipped on the fries and instead ordered the world's driest chicken parmesan sandwich. Unless it's one of the Philly area restaurants, I'll probably just stick to the fries since my diseased brain is now convinced that ordering anything else is a crapshoot. Anyway, Pink's, Famous Dave's, Melt, and Chickie and Pete's (fries); I'll remember that. Everything else can go to hell. Thanks, benevolent TPR people.

If I can help it, I usually avoid eating at parks due to the fact that the prices are absurd and the food is abysmal. When I went to the Point in spring last year, I got Subway and a grilled chicken combo (somewhere at the far end of the park), then for kicks, I tried the fresh cut fries when I came back in the fall. What did they all have in common? They SUCKED. Between that and the gristle-ridden brisket I got down in Carowinds, part of me never wants to give any park so much as a thin dime for their food again. The lone exception might be Famous Dave's at the Point. Sure, I ended up dropping over thirty bucks on myself by the time I was done, but I DINED LIKE ROYALTY. Beef tips, barbecue chicken, ribs, a corn muffin, baked beans; I sat at the bar feeling like a king from olden times. Then I immediately walked on to Gatekeeper and miraculously didn't barf all over myself. Truly one of my proudest achievements. Based on a few things I've read in this thread, though, it sounds like I did it wrong. I probably won't make it back to Sandusky for at least three years, but in the meantime, I'm starting to compile a list of places I need to hit while I'm in the park. Here's all I've got so far: - Pink's - Melt Any other must-visits?

Jesus, when was that proposed? My guess would've been around 1999 since that was when I started building deathtraps in Roller Coaster Tycoon that looked eerily similar to this.

This. Whether or not Dragster is good seems like a fairly divisive topic among coaster enthusiasts, but I'm firmly in the "Top Thrill Dragster is awesome!" camp and that's why. Sure, it's pretty brief, but godDAMN if it ain't one hell of a shot of adrenaline. Also, being on a coaster where you look DOWN on Millennium Force borders on transcending reality. I agree with your sister. The over-the-shoulder restraints on KDK with the big fat unergonomic (I know that's not a word, but it ought to be) tube resting against your legs is both uncomfortable and superfluous. Also, KDK feels a bit more rough than Dragster. I rode in the back once and I'm not sure I can have children anymore. Still, it's definitely worth checking out sometime if only so you can say you've been on the world's tallest coaster.

Wait, so... someone was killed/sterilized by the broken beer bottle?

Noice. Also, it looks like they've pretty much wrapped up their business with Nor'easter. As someone who's planning to visit Wildwood for the first time in over twenty years this spring and never got a chance to ride it, I'm eager to see if the track replacements will put an end to all of the horror stories I've heard.

Unless it's a Saturday, probably not. Meh... I first stopped down to scratch my Fury 325 itch nice and early on April 9th last year and pretty much everything was a walk-on. Granted, it was bloody damned cold and windy that weekend. I leave Pennsylvania and drive down to Charlotte to escape the clutches of the cold only to have it follow me. Go figure. Anyway, I think Intimidator actually had the longest waits, which were around 10 minutes or so, though I can't really remember why. Now that I think of it, though, there were several occasions where the ride attendant assigning seats was too slow to fill the train - which is sort of understandable considering the unusual seating configuration - and only half the cars would be full, but then don't get me started on how much I think the assigned seating at Carowinds can go drown in a tub of its own vomit (a lot).

I'm inclined to agree with what most people are saying here, but one of the other reasons Millennium Force remains one of my favorites is just how gorgeous it is. That support work, especially at night, never fails to make my jaw drop. Between its lakeside location facing Sandusky, the first hill, and that huge overbank, I'm struggling to think of any coaster that's as picturesque. Have you been on Intimidator 305? Sounds like that coaster might be right up your alley. Personally, that one's a bit too savage to place higher in my rankings, but it's still very, very good all things considered.

A few thoughts: - 39 degrees? In Florida? Oof. I've been thinking of moving there for years in hopes of escaping the freezing cold forever. Now you're telling me I've been living a lie? - "Food was way overpriced and not that good." As someone who binge-visited amusement parks for the first time in a long time last year, I'm struggling to think of any amusement parks beyond maybe Busch Gardens Williamsburg where that line doesn't apply. From now on when I visit a Cedar Fair or Six Flags park, I'm going to start breaking off chunks of the walkway and suck on them for nourishment. - Wait, people here have been bad-mouthing my favorite floorless coaster Kraken? STAND AND UNFOLD YOURSELVES, HERETICS *stands atop mountain peak shaking one fist and holding a Molotov cocktail in the other* - As a budding photographer who is desperately trying to emulate the awesomeness of invertalon's skill, I really dig the composition of a lot of your shots. Nice work.

Huh. That IS weird. I could've sworn the designers had just watched a YouTube video of someone being placed in a trash can, set on fire, thrown down a flight of granite stairs, and then thought to themselves, "Hmm... how can we simulate this experience with a roller coaster?"

I usually just visit here as a guest, but this list made me feel incredibly validated in that you put Talon above Afterburn. I really don't think most people share that sentiment. Glad I'm not the only crazy one here and I commend you for your bravery. Anyway, here's my top five: 5) Alpengeist - Best theme bar none. I mean, the whole idea of the inverted coaster is a runaway ski lift, right? I also dig the height and speed. Just wish the cobra roll and the turn into the mid-course brakes didn't make me want to die. Also, the helix finale's a bit underwhelming, especially compared to Raptor's. 4) Afterburn - I really wish this didn't start of with the "CLEAR FOR TAKEOFF" that was clearly voiced by a clinically depressed man on opiates. The anti-rollback is also deafening. Thankfully, most of the ride after is smooth, fast, and fun. I really thought this should've placed higher... that is, until I got around to the head-knocker of a corkscrew at the end, then I no longer thought it should've. Still a very good ride overall. Also, shark train > hawk train. 3) Talon - Now we're starting to get into "grinning from start to finish" territory. Got back on it for the first time in nine years last spring and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was; glass smooth, great elements, eye-popping colors, plus Dorney has the appeal of a gangrenous wound, so I seldom had to wait to ride it. If I had to find any flaws, it's not super high or long, and it creeps a bit between the helix (the first one) and corkscrew. 2) Banshee - A lot people give the new B&M restraints a lot of flack for not allowing for good airtime, and for coasters like Valravn, I can see where they're coming from. To me, though, B&M loopers are all about strong positive G's, and this one most definitely delivers on that front. The new trains are also wider, so no more more fighting for elbow space with your neighbor, and when you're going over the slow inline twist at the end, you WANT the restraint to pin you down. I do wish the vest wasn't quite so tight on my collarbones, though. Anyway, Banshee boasts some truly awesome elements including the world's best zero-g roll (that's not my opinion - it's a veritable scientific fact), and it looks so graceful and fluid compared to older B&M inverts. One thing, though: How on Earth did it turn out so bumpy? Were the men who were hammering out the track pieces at Clermont phoning it in? I'd really like to see more second generation B&M inverts crop up (though there's hardly a park that doesn't already have one these days) to see what they're truly capable of. One final complaint: if they run all three trains, the wait in the block brakes is interminable. If you're not going to have an exit platform, this is a situation where I really hate when the ride operator asks you how your ride was. Yes, it was good, but the adrenaline wore off about two hours ago. Still, that zero-g roll is dreamy. Have I mentioned that? 1) Montu - I was between this one and Banshee (which I do still love, warts and all), but this coaster probably has the best marriage of height, speed, elements, and theming. Also, it's in Florida, which is better than Pennsylvania in nearly every conceivable way. Admittedly, I haven't been on this one since 2010, and the ride really seemed to lollygag after the loop in the trench, though I've read more recent reports that the mid-course brakes have been eased up a bit. Is that true? If so, this is probably a rock solid #1. Hard to believe it was built in May of '96. In just a few months, it'll be old enough to drink.