JFrombaugh Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Assuming I can prove myself to be a responsible driver, my Mom and Dad will let me take my own road trip to various theme parks out of state. I won't have time to hit every park I've listed below - so I'd like to hear which parks you guys think I should choose out of these. Parenthesis indicate the attractions which are my main reasons for wanting to visit that park. I will leave from Katy TX (west of Houston), and the trip will last about 6-9 days. The following parks are all on my list of places I may visit: -Magic Springs (X-Coaster!) -Worlds of Fun (Prowler!) -Dollywood (Mystery Mine/Thunderhead!) -Indiana Beach (Steel Hawg!) -Holiday World (Voyage/Pilgrim's Plunge!) -SFGA (Raging Bull!) -Valleyfair/Nick Universe (Renegade/Spongebob/Avatar Airbender!) My credit list badly needs good woodies, and this trip will give me quite a few, no matter which parks I visit! My current plan is to go up to the Indiana area and hit Indiana Beach and Holiday World, but there are also a lot of interesting parks I can visit on the way to and from there, and the Valleyfair/Nick Universe detour is another tempting add-on, if I can squeeze it in. But in order for this trip to happen, I have to prove to my parents that I am a good driver, and that means no wrecks or tickets between now and next summer. Hopefully I won't make any careless mistakes...I'm not going to miss this trip if I can help it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfBeastSucks Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Valleyfair! and SFGAm are hours out of the way, but if you really want to go to them, I'd go to WoF first, and then VF and SFGAm. IB is about three hours away from SFGAm, so I would do that next. I would reccomend a detour to KI so you can ride Diamondback, and then hit HW; you could probably get both of those done in the same day. Dollywood would be next, and you could hit Magic Springs on the way back to TX. Edit - I reread your post. If you don't do all the parks you listed, I would definitely do the Indiana parks (along with the KI detour I mentioned if you're interested) along with Dollywood. I don't think any of the others are all that great, so go for whichever ones you like best. I'd also hit Magic Springs just because of location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I think HW is a must, Indiana beach is a if you have time. What you could do is do HW and do a quick IB credit run on your way to SFGAM. If the crowds are anythng like this last year at IB, you could possibly ge all the credits in an hour and half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cprocks22 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Depending on how far out of the way you are willing to go the Wisconsin Dells are only 2 hours (I believe) north of SFGAm, and provide plenty of credits, as well as some AWESOME waterparks (Noah's Ark, Kalahari, and many many others). The only downside is it can get expensive...fast, considering hotels, admissions and any up-charge attractions (bungee jumping and SCAD diving ) really add up quick. If you're willing to make the drive and pay the money then it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I will leave from Katy TX (west of Houston), and the trip will last about 6-9 days. The following parks are all on my list of places I may visit: -Magic Springs (X-Coaster!) -Worlds of Fun (Prowler!) -Dollywood (Mystery Mine/Thunderhead!) -Indiana Beach (Steel Hawg!) -Holiday World (Voyage/Pilgrim's Plunge!) -SFGA (Raging Bull!) -Valleyfair/Nick Universe (Renegade/Spongebob/Avatar Airbender!) My credit list badly needs good woodies,.... I'm assuming that this would be your first long road trip. Just make sure you plan accordingly. Especially travel times (add 20% for safe measure) and costs. A few things to make note of: Dollywood is a long way out of the way for your trip! Magic Springs and the X-coaster is just setting you up for a big let down. You do have SFKK about an hour from HW, and can continue that loop to KI, if you really want. (Then continue to IB, etc...) If you're gonna hit SFGAm and VF!/NU, you need to hit the Dells, just for Avalanche and Hades alone. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 If your hitting HW and IB, you might as well come down to Ohio for atleast Kings Island. KI has about as much wood as steel, and now that we're getting Diamondback it might be worth visiting. Plus if its anything like last year, Crypt alone makes it worth your while, since that thing's insane now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkman3582 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 SFSTL with Evil, Boss, Screamin Eagle and Mr. Freeze are not that far from Magic Springs. Maybe you could hit them on the way back to the Lone Star State. Have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkman3582 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 One thing I forgot... as cheap as season passes are now at either SFFT or SFOT you could get a pass and get SFGAM and SFSTL basically free. With San Antonio only 2 hours away you might really get your moneys worth. I just paid $39.00 for our SFOT season passes and $35.00 for a parking pass that is good at any SF park. Not to mention the Sports bottles ($1.00 refills) are good at other SF parks as well. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xizor_Racer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I would have to add too that if you are making the IB trip you should make the HW, KI, KK loop. IB is a bit out of the way, seems like it takes for ever to get there and I live in central IN..... Good luck on your quest to keep the driving record clean!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holyblakbelt Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Your list seems a little bit extensive. But if you want to hit up Valleyfair/Nick U, I'd go up I-35 so you can go to WoF and Adventureland in Iowa. from the Twin Cities, you can take 94 to the Dells. You can find decent parks allong the corridor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speeddeamon128 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Definitely do HW. KI is only 3 hrs from HW. Indiana beach is on the opposite side of the state so that might be tough. Good luck with your planned road trip here is my midwest trip I have planned for sometime in July http://www.mapquest.com/mq/6-tccuYcBD There are other factors you need to include when going on a road trip by yourself. How good is your car on gas? Do you have enough money? (I have a Cedar Fair Pass so I don't have to worry about KI & CP) I'm bringing $1000 with me. How long do you plan to stay at a park? Consider leaving a park early if you get all of the credits & footage. Is someone going with you so you have company during long hour drives as well as at the parks? My trip will be Friday-Friday. One of my best friends is coming with me & he can drive so we can switch if needed. Those are some advice I'm giving you. Good luck! P.S. Tom Toms are VERY helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFrombaugh Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 If your hitting HW and IB, you might as well come down to Ohio for atleast Kings Island. KI has about as much wood as steel, and now that we're getting Diamondback it might be worth visiting. Plus if its anything like last year, Crypt alone makes it worth your while, since that thing's insane now. I've been to KI this year. Remember this TR I posted? http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45715 The fact that there are many other parks in the midwest I have yet to visit and that I will have limited cash keeps the Diamondback detour from being a viable option IMO. I am just better off spending my time and money on new parks and driving distance than on a 4-hour diversion and $40 KI admission just for the Diamondback and Flight Deck credits. That said, I may change my mind if and when I do the trip! Dollywood is a long way out of the way for your trip! Magic Springs and the X-coaster is just setting you up for a big let down. I calculated it all up, and the Dollywood detour and the Valleyfair/NU detour are both an extra 3-4 days on the trip. That means I can only do one or the other. Right now I'm leaning towards Dollywood, it seems like Mystery Mine and Thunderhead would make it worth the drive alone. Magic Springs is on there mostly for location. Wisconsin Dells is an alternative option to the Valleyfair/NU detour, and has many hyped up woodies, but...is it worth the adjustments and bad operations there just to ride them? Steel Hawg at IB, BTW, is currently my #1 most sought-after coaster to get to! EDIT: Yes, I have a TomTom too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougstanton Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 If your hitting HW and IB, you might as well come down to Ohio for atleast Kings Island. KI has about as much wood as steel, and now that we're getting Diamondback it might be worth visiting. Plus if its anything like last year, Crypt alone makes it worth your while, since that thing's insane now. I've been to KI this year. Remember this TR I posted? http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45715 The fact that there are many other parks in the midwest I have yet to visit and that I will have limited cash keeps the Diamondback detour from being a viable option IMO. I am just better off spending my time and money on new parks and driving distance than on a 4-hour diversion and $40 KI admission just for the Diamondback and Flight Deck credits. That said, I may change my mind if and when I do the trip! Dollywood is a long way out of the way for your trip! Magic Springs and the X-coaster is just setting you up for a big let down. I calculated it all up, and the Dollywood detour and the Valleyfair/NU detour are both an extra 3-4 days on the trip. That means I can only do one or the other. Right now I'm leaning towards Dollywood, it seems like Mystery Mine and Thunderhead would make it worth the drive alone. Magic Springs is on there mostly for location. Wisconsin Dells is an alternative option to the Valleyfair/NU detour, and has many hyped up woodies, but...is it worth the adjustments and bad operations there just to ride them? Steel Hawg at IB, BTW, is currently my #1 most sought-after coaster to get to! EDIT: Yes, I have a TomTom too! To be honest, considering Valleyfair has Renegade plus many other rides, I would pick that. I went to Valleyfair and MoA 2 summers ago. Dollywood is a 4 hour drive from my house so I have been there multiple times. Thunderhead is great, but Renegade is really close. Mystery Mine isn't that good. The final 15 seconds are great but the rest of the ride is slow and rather rough in spots. I definitely feel you would be disappointed. As far as the Dells go, I understand many people on TPR love Hades. Granted I only rode it once in the front row due to terrible operations, I didn't see anything great about it and it barely makes my top 10. Avalanche, on the other hand, is a ride that you laugh at as you arrive due to its insane speed, and will easily ride as many times as you like due to no line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anfronee Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 So I am just going to throw out there that Dollywood would definitely be the better choice of the two. Not only does it have Mystery Mine and Thunderhead but Tennessee Tornado is actually a really fun, smooth ride. It is very under-appreciated in my opinion. Plus, the best credit in the park is definitely Sideshow Spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rock401 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Dollywood is a bigger detour for fewer coasters. VF/NU/Dells before you go to Six Flags Chicago gets you a lot more quality wood credits than just going to Pigeon Forge. Day 1: Drive from Houston to KC. 12 hrs. Day 2: Worlds of Fun, drive partway to VF (appx. Des Moines, IA) Day 3: Drive rest of way to VF, VF. Stay in Twin Cities Day 4: Drive to Dells (appx 3 hrs), MtO, Timber Falls, Stay in Dells/Madison. Day 5: Drive to SFGAm (2-3 hrs), SFGam Day 6: IB. Drive rest of way to HW. Day 7: HW, SFKK Day 8: SFStL. Day 9: Drive back to Houston. 14 hrs. You could cut out SF St Louis at the end (HW back to Houston is shown by Google Maps as 16 hours and change). Otherwise, this is probably what you're looking at for itinerary if you go to Minnesota instead of Tennessee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFrombaugh Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 ^I suspect if I followed that plan I would cut out SFStL at the end and use two days of driving back to Houston. It looks like a somewhat "forgettable" park to me, with very little about it standing out, and chances are I'll be feeling pretty fatigued by then. And I'm afraid a 14-hour drive is out of the question...with my projected driving skill level by next summer, I can expect to be making AT MOST 10 hours per day. This is enough to reach Magic Springs in one day, VF and Dollywood in 2 days, and WOF in 1 1/2 days (leave the hotel early and get to the park around noon or so). The pace of this trip will be rigorous no matter what, but I suspect it'll make for a really good TR afterwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Six Flags St. Louis is actually a very nice park. Nothing stands out like TTD does for CP, but EK, Screamin Eagle, and Mr. Freeze are honestly really good coasters. Judging from photo TR's, I would put it up there with the Texas SF parks. Nice shaded areas, nice selection of flat rides, and 7 or 8 coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunExplorer Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I Think On The Way To DollyWood you should stop at Ghost Town In The Sky but make sure Cliffhanger is Open and you can get two credits Cliffhanger, and the Tumbleweed since you're on the road it would be worth a hour or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Thriller Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 ^ I can tell Ghost Town is your home park. I doubt someone would have the time to get to Maggie Valley driving to Dollywood. He already has so much to do in so little time, he should maybe stick with the larger and more popular parks. --James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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