[RCT3] Tennessee's Great America

[CP2000]

In the description for Venom you said it is the first launched roller coaster in Kentucky. The park is called Tennessee's Great America.

[fraroc]

In the description for Venom you said it is the first launched roller coaster in Kentucky. The park is called Tennessee's Great America.

 

oh snap......thanks for chatching that.

[IneedTPforbunghole]

Um, can we get a water ride? I'm not even sure if there is a single one!

[thrillseeker4552]

Awesome! Glad to see a nice flat added as well as an Intamin! Seems to be a good replacement for a classic Schwarzkopf.

[stashua123]

Actually Delirium(HUSS Giant Frisbee) wasn't built until 2003!

[fraroc]

June, 2002

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 10

 

I RODE VENOM TODAY!!!!

 

Hey everybody! It's now summer and we're taking our yearly trip to Tennessee's Great America! My parents see that me and my sister LOVE this park and we're going to go as many times as we can!

 

 

The main point of this trip for me was so that I can go on Venom, the new roller coaster for 2002! Lines were pretty long for the coaster, almost an hour wait. Mainly because this ride can only run one train and that's it. I should know, lines for Twister can get pretty bad.

 

 

I also learned that ride ops have lots of fun on coasters that launch from the station Screwing around with the passengers so that they don't know when the train is gonna go! "All Clear!" the ride operator said...

 

"You will be launched in T-Minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, RIGHT NOW!"

 

 

(SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK)

 

The LIM's on Venom made a sound that was just like a woman in a horror movie screaming. And instantly, we blasted out of the station like a bullet from a gun, sowly picking up more speed every time we pass by!

 

 

Overall, I really liked Venom. I really miss Super Looper like everyone else, but Venom is a suitable replacement to me!

 

 

We got to the park pretty early so that we were able to go on Revolution without dealing with any of the crowds. The park did get more crowded as the day went on, though.

 

 

I also decided to give Roar another chance. Usually I like a roller coaster more the second time around, not here though. It still suffered from the same old things. Your head slams against the headrest at the bottom of the 220ft drop, horrible whiplash and shaking in the mountain tunnel, and the extremley trimmed and slow paced oval section with of course, only one pop of real airtime. I don't HATE Roar though, it does have it's good moments like the exhilirating first drop and the airtime hill after the MCBR. I'm surprised that this coaster got such good reviews from coaster critics, some people even having the audacity to call it the greatest roller coaster in the world. Are you sure he didn't mistake Roar for Vampyre?

 

 

It's almost criminal how Rage gets almost no attention in the park. Ever since it opened, it was a walk-on, walk-off deal. I understand Rage isn't the biggest coaster in the park, but it's still pretty fun! Hell, I'd rather ride the smallest B&M Floorless coaster than the tallest, fastest and most overrated wooden coaster in the world.

 

 

Bye for now!

[fraroc]

May, 2003

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 10

 

 

Hey guys, I'm sorry to tell you this, but this year we will not be taking a trip to TGA this summer. Instead, we are going to go to both Dollywood and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom for the summer. However, I do have some news concerning Tennessee's Great America, they recently added their first water ride!

 

 

It is a river rapids ride called The Forgotten Tomb. And it looks awesome! It occupies the empty space left between Roar and Revolution. The theming of this ride is supposed to be either a lost temple in the tropics or an Egyptian tomb. The theming of the locker room is tropical, so I'll go with that.

 

 

On a side note, there was a funny blooper on the commercial TGA did for the Forgotten Tomb, a woman riding the ride was completely oblivious to the waterfall creeping up behind her and.....you should have seen the LOOK on her face when she got drenched!!

[fraroc]

August, 2004

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 11

 

Hey, it's Kelly! Wow...it's been a while since I posted anything concerning my home park on this blog. I have some good news! My mother agreed that for my 17th birthday that I can take two of my best friends to Tennessee's Great America with me!

 

 

To the right is my best friend Jill. She really loves coasters like me and she jumped at the chance to go to TGA with me! To my left is my other best friend Iris. She's a little timid when it coems to roller coasters. She usually has to ride small coasters first and then graduate to bigger ones.

 

 

We arrived at the park at approximatley 10:30, a half-hour after it opened but the place was already crowded.

 

 

It soon became evident why the lines for the coasters were so long today compared to other days. every single coaster was operating one train! I have NO idea why considering how crowded it was. The first one we rode was Vermont Maple Train! This is when I really wish that Super Looper was still around, it would have been the perfect starting ride for Iris.

 

 

Next up was the Arrow+Vekoma combo, Twister and Fireball! Twister didn't have a long line, so we rode it about three times. Fireball on the other hand had a 30 minute wait so we only rode it once.

 

 

We then went on Venom. Because that ride is so popular and it can't operate a second train, the line was MONSTROTORIOUS! Me and the girls killed time by just chatting!

 

Jill: Was it just me or was the ride operator for Fireball kinda cute?

Iris: OMG he totally was!

 

 

After Venom, I decided to go on a ride that I haven't been on ever! The water ride, Forgotten Tomb! Before we went on the ride, we had to put our purses in the locker room.

 

 

Forgotten Tomb is very well themed. It almost looks like a real lost Aztec temple, not what I'd expect from a Cedar Fair park! Mabye from a place like Alton Towers, but not here!

 

 

My friends were ready to crucify me after this. Both times we rammed into the waterfalls, Jill and Iris both got soaking wet and I was still somewhat dry at the end of the ride!

 

After they dried off, they forgave me though!

 

 

Of course, I had to save the best for last! Vampyre! Jill and Iris also loved it!

 

 

Despite the long lines and me getting Jill and Iris completley soaked, all three of us thought it was the best trip ever and I can't wait to go back! Hopefully next year, there will be a new ride or a new coaster to go on!

 

Bye for now!

[fraroc]

May, 2005

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 12

 

RANT ALERT: Vampyre’s AWFUL new locker policy and ride operations

 

As you can tell from the title, my recent trip to Tennessee’s Great America was less than good. All thanks to the absolutely terrible new rider policies for my favorite roller coaster.

 

 

In a move that has thoroughly pissed off ME and most other patrons, Tennessee’s Great America has enacted a mandatory locker policy on Vampyre. Akin to Millennium Force at Cedar Point, we now have to pay an outrageous fee of $4.00USD to rent a locker for ONE HOUR (lines for Vampyre can reach up to 3 hours on a bad day.) and NOTHING is allowed in the queue line, not even a bottle of water.

 

 

But the worst part of this whole ordeal was the fact that TGA hired a f***ing BOUNCER. That’s right, they hired a security gorilla in order to intimidate people into buying a locker for their purses, backpacks, stuffed animals etc....My experience with this new policy is that this security guy is SUCH a bully! After I bought my $4 locker to put my purse in, as I was strolling up to the entrance of Vampyre, this guy PUSHES HIS ARM IN MY FACE to stop me!!! And he said in not-too-friendly of a tone “Empty your pockets, or I will have to pat you down.” He watches me like a hawk to make sure that I take my “contraband” cell phone, eyeliner, and lipstick out of my pocket. He then had the nerve to force me into BUYING ANOTHER LOCKER for my lipstick, cell phone etc....I had enough with this roid-ape’s crap so I just said “Forget it! I’m not going on.” He just smirked. Obviously, I’m not the first one to walk off line because of him.

 

 

Not only that, but I heard through the grapevine that in late August of 2004, just a week after I went to the park with Iris and Jill, they enacted an assigned seat policy. They removed the magnetic gates leading to the rows and when you reach the entrance of the gothic abbey, a ride-op assigns you a seat. If you wanted the front car and you’re assigned the middle car, TOO BAD. Better luck next time. According to the complaints, this is the attitude that the attendants have on the ride.

 

 

Ugh....I just frikkin HATE THIS!!!! Cedar Fair turned Anton Schwarzkopf’s magnum opus into a complete hassle to just to get on! Currently, my favorite four coasters at Tennessee’s Great America are Steel Savage, Venom, Rage, and Vampyre and this crappy policy alone is the reason why Vampyre is now my fourth-favorite coaster in the park. If they enforce this policy next year, it’s sad to say that I will end up skipping this ride.

 

 

I should close this rant with a rumor that I heard that they are considering removing the Vekoma Boomerang, Twister! This makes no sense. Twister was built in 1996 to replace the Intamin First Generation Freefall, making it only nine years old, not that old at all. And it’s still pretty popular! Nothing is confirmed yet but, time will tell whether or whether not it’ll be here next year.

[carowindsman]

Park still looks good man, Sucks that they may get rid of Twister. Maybe a update to the trains would help (haha) but maybe a nice family ride could go in its place.

[fraroc]

September, 2005

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 13

 

 

 

 

To: Cedar Fair L.P

From: Kelly Ducharme

 

 

I heard a rumor that Tennessee's Great America is going to remove Twister at the end of Halloweekends, is this true?

 

 

 

To: Kelly Ducharme

From: Cedar Fair L.P

 

Hello! Thank you for your email! To awnser your query, Tennessee's Great America will NOT be demolishing the Twister steel looping coaster, but however, the ride will be very different come 2006! Stay tuned for updates!

 

Have a Nice Day!

 

 

Here it is, straight from Cedar Fair! Twister will not be removed! But what do they mean by "the ride will be very different" in 2006? I guess we have to play the waiting game again...

 

Kelly out!

[IronWolfman]

Are you going to switch to Cinipaes' Boomerang CT and give it Twister a 7 car train??

[fraroc]

November, 2005

 

Kelly's Coasters: Post 14

 

Coasters4U REPORT: Tennessee Great America just announced that Twister, the park’s Vekoma Boomerang coaster will be repainted pink and black and be rebranded as “Hang-Time” after the HUSS Top Spin ride at Dorney Park, the Cedar Fair property in Pennsylvania. The reason for this change is unknown, but as an added bonus, the boomerang’s old train, (which was the disused third train for Fireball, the park’s Arrow looper) will be outfitted with a brand new Vekoma-built train with comfortable restraints to reduce headbanging.

 

 

Before....

 

 

 

After!

 

 

 

Okay.....I have no idea what prompted this decision, but so long as the head banging is gone, I have no argument against this! By the way, this year I am attending opening day at TGA for the first time in my life so expect some pics!

 

=======================================================================================================

 

April, 2006

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 15

 

OPENING DAY TRIP REPORT!!

 

 

Ok, now I know why I should never go to the park on opening day.

 

 

I already expected the park to be crowded. Like, BEYOND Hersheypark on Saturday in July crowded, and it was. But operations were just PITIFUL. Screamin’ Eagle, Stratosphere Tower, and Fireball were all closed and not expected to open until June! Most of the roller coasters were only operating one train so lines were humongous. I waited in line for about two hours to get on Steel Savage and 1h 45min to get on Venom! Vampyre was a 30+ minute wait only operating a single train, Vermont Maple Train was also one train. Roar operated all three trains but the line was still an hour and thirty minutes because dispatch times were abysmal. The shortest dispatch time was SIX MINUTES. Imagine that!

 

 

I also waited 45 minutes to get a chance to ride the “new” Hang-Time. It definitely is smoother and much more enjoyable though.

 

 

Rage had the shortest lines at only ten to fifteen minutes. It took me a while to notice, but as soon as I found out, I freaked out. The slingshot ride Vertigo is gone! They must have taken it out because it just wasn’t profitable anymore.

 

 

Overall, it wasn’t that great of a trip and from now on, I’m only going during weekdays.

 

 

P.S: I’ve been hearing some whisperings around Coasters4U.com and other theme park enthusiast sites. They’re keeping this a secret, but it seems like TGA is planning on something really big for 2007. Which is also part of the reason why they took out Vertigo, they’re going to use the land for something else...And it makes sense, you know? Tennessee's Great America has not added a significant new attraction since 2003 and before then,they added new attractions every year! Starting with Roar in 2001, Venom and Revolution in 2002, and The Forgotten Tomb in 2003...however, that petered out...Absolutely nothing is confirmed yet, but my gut tells me that next year, TGA might have the steel hypercoaster that I’ve been waiting for.

[fraroc]

August, 2006

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 16

 

 

Today, when I decided to check Coasters4U.com out of sheer boredom, I found something EXTREMLEY exciting that confirms that a new major roller coaster is indeed coming to Tennessee’s Great America! Let’s look at the pictures that were posted in the Tennesee’s Great America Discussion Topic!

 

 

 

As you can see here, the amount of land cleared near Rage is tremendous and a massive ditch was dug. Basically confirming that this new coaster is going to be pretty damn big!

 

 

Something I found interesting was the barrier fence that the park put up to block the cleared land out of plain view. Instead of just a plain wooden fence, it seems to have some sort of rustic motif to it. It almost looks.....Greco-Roman to me.

 

 

But this is the coup-de-grace. At the opposite end of the cleared land is roller coaster track and supports! But not just any coaster track, but INTAMIN track! TGA is getting another Intamin!

 

 

This means that Venom will no longer be that lonely little Intamin among a park full of Arrows, Vekomas, B&Ms and a legendary Schwarzkopf!

 

 

 

I can’t help but imagine just how freakin’ cool it would be if this new coaster was an Intamin Mega-looper like Colossus at Thorpe Park! Then again, the plot of land seems to be way too large for such a ride.

 

 

 

What seems more likely to me is an Intamin hyper coaster. Which means that TGA will finally get a true hypercoaster that Roar failed to deliver. It would be pretty cool if it was a clone of Expedition GeForce! According to many of my fellow enthusiasts, Expedition GeForce is supposed to be one of the greatest steel coasters of all time. But I’m just dreaming...

 

It could be something COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT for all I know......

 

 

Creator Comments: What do you think this Intamin will be? Will it be anything like those two designs that Kelly thought of?

[I305KD]

Neither. Both layouts are of real coasters. Personally, I think something like Ride of Steel at Darien Lake. Great park also!

[fraroc]

September 2006

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 17

 

TENNESEE’S GREAT AMERICA ANNOUNCES HERCULES: THE REVENGE INTAMIN LSM COASTER

 

I....I...I CHECKED COASTERS4U.COM TODAY FOR UPDATES ABOUT TGA AND... AND......OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD HOLY CRAP......

 

 

 

Immense and immortal was the strength of Hercules, like the world and the gods to whom he belonged....Yet from lesser men, he learned one eternal truth- that even the greatest strength carries within it a measure of mortal weakness....In 2005, Hercules was vanquished by the vile and repugnant eight-headed serpent known as the Hydra......

 

But now he is back.....and he’s back with a vengeance.

 

Tennessee’s Great America is proud to announce......

 

 

HERCULES: THE REVENGE

A brand new steel-tracked multi-launching roller coaster! This behemoth of a coaster utilizes Linear Synchronous Motor technology that uses the natural force of repelling magnets to propel the train forward.

 

 

Out of the station, brave warriors who dare to challenge Hercules will be catapulted out of the station at approximately 35mph and will experience a banked rise and several helices.

 

 

Soon enough, the train will hit a second LSM that will propel riders from 35mph to a breakneck speed 84mph in 2 seconds!

 

 

After the second launch, the train will reach the ride’s highest point of 152 feet and will drop down 148 feet in a “Top Hat” element.

 

 

After the massive drop, the train will enter a series of overbanked curves travelling at approximately 71mph.

 

 

After that, the train hits a brake run. But the battle is not over yet. Riders will without warning- be launched for a third time going from 0-58mph in 2 seconds before tearing through a “BayernKurve” element and blazing into a cavern.

 

 

The train then emerges out of the cave and into the ride’s grand finale, a one-of-a-kind inverting element known as a “Roman Roll” before hitting the final brake run.

 

 

HERCULES: THE REVENGE OPENS MAY 2007 Only at Tennessee’s Great America in Lynchburg, Tennessee!

 

 

OH. MY. GAWD. THIS. SOUNDS. SO. AWESOME. I. CAN’T. WAIT. UNTIL. NEXT. MAY.

 

 

 

 

Creator Comments: You like this? I’ve been planning and working on Hercules: The Revenge since the 2002 update! I’ve always loved the idea of an epic launched coaster and somewhat following the legend of Hercules and Hydra seemed perfect! Inspirations include Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa, iSpeed at Mirablandia, and Maverick and Cedar Point.

[IronWolfman]

Dude that is so awesome! It's realistic even without the use of CT's and has so much themeing! I love it!

[TheAmazingCP]

Wow, definitely a nice Intamin Blitz! The themeing is done very well- it's there, but not too much. Similar to how Cedar Fair would actually theme a ride.

 

The only complaint or criticism I would have is that the the hills on this coaster and Vampyre stick out like sore thumbs. It's too late to make more than a completely flat map now, but I would add some hills and other elevation changes for your next park.

[fraroc]

January 2007

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 18

 

 

Hey guys, I’m sorry for abandoning my blog for so long, me and my family were spending a nice holiday season together, so nothing’s wrong! The reason why I updated the blog is because construction pictures of Hercules: The Revenge were posted! Let’s look at them!

 

 

As you can see here, the majority of the coaster is all done! All that needs to be completed is the Top Hat and the “Roman Roll”.

 

 

 

I’m still stymied about why Hercules’ Zero-G-Roll is called a “Roman Roll” My guess is that TGA is trying to be as edgy as possible with this new attraction, It’s similar to how the Immelmann on Storm Runner at Hersheypark is called a “Cobra Loop”. Either way, I’m ‘totes digging the roman column support stricture!

 

 

This ride should be complete soon!

[fraroc]

April, 2007

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 18

 

Whatever Happened To Super Looper?

 

 

I know....I know....Hercules: The Revenge is currently testing and is slated to open in a month, but first I want to give you an update that put a HUGE smile on my face! I’m pretty sure you’re all familiar with Super Looper, the Schwarzkopf looping coaster that was removed from Tennessee’s Great America in late 2001.....

 

 

 

Super Looper was removed, but not scrapped. Throughout 2002-2007, it has been in storage at several different amusement parks throughout the United States, especially after Cedar Fair’s rival, Six Flags bought it and wanted to relocate it to one of their parks. In 2002, it was in storage at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and was rumored to be put where Joker’s Revenge once stood and be named “Viper” After that fell through, the coaster was stored at Six Flags America from 2003-2004. Then, it was moved AGAIN and stored at Six Flags New England from 2005-2006. After Six Flags as a whole lost interest in building it at one of their parks and put it up for sale.

 

 

Super Looper was bought and stored in a small mom-and-pop boardwalk amusement park called Family Land Florida located in you guessed it, West Palm Beach, Florida. Family Land Florida is a very small, yet quaint park that is home to a few good flats and two roller coasters. Tiki Coaster, a tiny Wacky Worm, and a unique family roller coaster built by Giovanola called Coast-to-Coaster. And to make things sweeter, the park is totally free to enter! And you can ride every single ride however times you want for a small Pay-One-Price bracelet!

 

What makes this dinky little park interesting is that whenever me and my family go on our Easter trip to Walt Disney World, we always pass this tiny park. However, this year....was special....

 

 

This time when we passed Family Land Florida, I could swear that the skyline looked different and I saw something that looked very familiar to me. It was a total deja-vu.

 

 

As we drove closer.....my mouth dropped down onto the floor of the car. It had to be.....IT WAS! Super Looper was built and now operates at Family Land Florida! When I finally got to a computer to check RCDB, I found out that Super Looper is now known as Python! I can’t tell you how happy I am to find out that this classic Schwarzie did not go to coaster heaven!

[IneedTPforbunghole]

It was a total deja-vu.

Is it because Super Looper got colored green and blue?

[carowindsman]

Hercules looks awesome and Super Looper is a nice addition keep up the good work.

[thrillseeker23]

Im Tottaly In Love WIth Hercules! Keep Up THe Good Work

[AlmereStars]

Super Looper looks great! but i'm not really a fan of the SS shooting up trough the helix of Viper.

 

I do think it is awesome that you used the generic Atlantis theming as supports of the coaster! I would never have thought of that

[fraroc]

Thanks for the nice comments! BTW, AlmereStars, the giovanola coaster is named Coast-To-Coaster, not Viper. Viper was what Super Looper would have been named if it was built at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 2003 as a replacement for Joker's Revenge.

 

 

June, 2007

 

Kelly’s Coasters: Post 19

 

FINALLY RIDING HERCULES!!!

 

Hey guys! I’m going to do this blog post a little different than I usually do. I will post picture updates on this post as I spend the day at Tennessee’s Great America in order to finally go on Hercules: The Revenge! I have no doubt that this ride is going to be awesome!

 

 

10:30AM: When me, my parents, and my sister Sara (who is now a big adrenaline junkie like me!) arrived at the park, it was pretty crowded and a good amount of people were headed towards the new coaster. Hopefully the line isn’t too long.....

 

 

11:00AM: As it turns out, the line for Hercules: The Revenge was not that long! Only about thirty minutes. I love the way that the queue was themed with giant gladiator statues and ruins, very authentic stuff! I still wonder how Cedar Fair got permission to use Steve Reeves’ image for the logo of this roller coaster.

 

 

REVIEW OF HERCULES: One word. AWE-SOME. This is one of the most kick-a$$ roller coasters I have EVER been on! The first launch into the helix wasn’t that strong though, it was more of a gradual acceleration from 0 to 35mph, but that did NOT indicate what the whole ride is! The second 35mph to 84mph launch into the massive top-hat was like being shot like a bullet from a gun!

 

 

Travelling through overbanked turns at over 70mph was incredibly forceful and you are literally pinned into your seat the entire time! In fact, the entire ride itself is very forceful, especially the underground section after the third launch!

 

 

The Zero-G-Roll makes for a great grand finale for this coaster!

 

I give Hercules the Revenge 9.8/10. This coaster has tons of speed on it, it has a lot of substance and length for an Intamin launched coaster, the overbanked turns are very forceful and the top hat has tons of ejector airtime and overall, I think it’s a great ride!

 

 

 

12:00AM: Hercules, to me has GREAT re-rideability value so I just have to go on again! This time, after I got off of the ride, I could see the young ride operator answering the phone in the control booth and....you could just see color drain from his face as he put his head on the desk.....poor guy....I can bet you someone in his family just passed away....

 

 

However, as my family and I returned back to the main plaza of the park, I’m seeing people literally flipping out and screaming, not like a fun scream, but screaming in fear. I have no idea what the hell was going on, but I know it’s something big.

 

 

Oh my God.....there is smoke coming from Roar’s mountain....there’s got to be a fire or something....Oh God.....I hope everybody’s okay.....

 

 

6:00PM: When me and my family arrived at the park that evening, almost half of the park was cordoned off by the police, shutting off access to Round-Up, Hang-Time, Roar, Forgotten Tomb, Revolution and Vampyre.

 

 

Everybody was trying to ignore the elephant in the room and trying to enjoy their day at TGA, but no one could totally ignore what happened. I could see from the lift hill of Fireball what looked like a crane behind the massive lift-hill of Roar....Something tells me that....you know....this is it for Roar. If it’s true than it’s a shame....the coaster is only six years old.

 

 

 

I’ll post again when I have more info.