Photo TR: Coastermania 2016

[Password121]

Glad you could make the most of a rainy day. Looking forward to more.

[DILinator]

Vekoma made a more comfortable coaster than B&M did. Deal with it.

 

Profoundly disagree! I am a bigger fan of the Vekoma Flying Coaster than most, but my #1 complaint about them is the terrible (in my opinion) ride position (nothing is worse than being forced to stare up at the sky at the blinding sun, or close your eyes) on the lift hill, and overall comfort of the ride. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I certainly don't dislike the ride. But thinking it's more comfortable than a B&M Flying Coaster is really, really mind-boggling to me!

 

Glad you enjoyed yourself though! KI is definitely a nice park!

[Hilltopper39]

So Sea World has marine animals in a multi million dollar habitat and spends millions on animal rescue and everyone loses their minds. Kentucky Kingdom seems to have Sea Lions in an inflatable backyard above ground pool and nobody cares.

 

Do I get that right?

 

(And I'm not bashing Kentucky Kingdom. Just the hypocrisy of these activists).

 

Yeah, I thought the same thing.

[gmann88]

Do they ask people queued for the front to get in shorter lines for different rows after official close? So it would be safe to get in line considerably before closing? If that's the case is it a better idea to ride Bat or Banshee at night then queue for Beast at 10 in any row or is the front *that* much better?

 

Don't mean to make this my trip planning thread but this is good information haha.

 

yes. Like Nannerdw stated about it closing for the fireworks then reopening, I was lucky enough to experience this on one of my visits to KI. We were in line for the front row (we would be the 6th ride out of the station), and during the firework break, they said everyone will ride, but they are only sending 6 more trains out (lucky for once in my life), if there are more than a 6 train wait, please select another row. We were the last ride on the Beast and the last people to leave the park...had a security escort following us. Best ride on the beast ever.

[alilstronger]

So Sea World has marine animals in a multi million dollar habitat and spends millions on animal rescue and everyone loses their minds. Kentucky Kingdom seems to have Sea Lions in an inflatable backyard above ground pool and nobody cares.

 

Do I get that right?

 

(And I'm not bashing Kentucky Kingdom. Just the hypocrisy of these activists).

 

 

I had the same exact thought when I went to the park and saw that.

 

I really enjoyed this park. The rides were good and the customer service was where I felt it needed to be.

[Nrthwnd]

^ I know I've seen stuff like that, all over the world (seals in play pools), and nobody

is going after those people. Most times. Bigger public target obviously, is Sea World.

[ElectricUncleSam]

When I was there, they said they would close off the queue for Beast right at park closing, and then keep cycling people through until everyone who was already in line got to ride. They had to wait for the fireworks to end before they could start it back up, though, so I'm guessing it stayed open pretty late. I was over at Bat by that time, though, and got the last train of the night right before the fireworks began. I'm jealous of the people who got to be on the drop tower when the fireworks started.

The same thing happened to me on Memorial Day Weekend, except I was next in line when it shut down. Honestly, though, the wait made it probably the single most fun I've ever had in a half-hour at the park, if not tied with Banshee media day night rides. The ride ops spent the whole time reading quote "really bad, lame jokes" from a sheet they had ready. I was lucky enough to run into a guy that had my sense of humor, told him my really dark jokes. The anticipation and the laughs made the ride itself absolutely stunning. Such an amazing ride at night, even if it is a 7,200 ft. slightly bland hike through the woods during the day.

[ElectricUncleSam]

When I was there, they said they would close off the queue for Beast right at park closing, and then keep cycling people through until everyone who was already in line got to ride. They had to wait for the fireworks to end before they could start it back up, though, so I'm guessing it stayed open pretty late. I was over at Bat by that time, though, and got the last train of the night right before the fireworks began. I'm jealous of the people who got to be on the drop tower when the fireworks started.

EDIT: double posted it. MB, cmon moderators, delete this one!

[Barge84]

I'm enjoying the report. I've only been to Kings Island once, in 2013, and was pretty underwhelmed. It seems like a lot has changed just in those 3 years based on multiple reports that I've seen. I will say that I really liked Diamondback. I have it ranked the highest of the newer B&M hypers. Still not as good as Nitro, Apollo's etc, but it's a great ride.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Day 3 – Cedar Point (and Coastermania!)

 

Finally the big event. My alarm woke me up at 5:00 AM, and even though I’m used to Eastern Time by now, that’s still ungodly early. Nevertheless, I jumped up and was ready to leave in 5 minutes.

 

Not even close. I hit snooze until 5:45, then forced myself out of bed. Quick shower, no breakfast (didn’t start until 6 in my motel), and groggily I got in the car.

 

And that’s when it hit me. For months I’ve been saying “I’m going to Cedar Point!” But at this moment all that changed. I’m going to Cedar Point. Right. Now.

 

I was elated. I am fulfilling a desire I’ve had since I was a child, and I am about to ride some of the biggest, fastest, and best roller coasters anywhere.

 

I crossed the causeway and viewed for the first time that beautiful skyline I’ve seen in so many pictures. I showed my Platinum Pass and was waved through, and I parked in the front row, staring at Blue Streak, Raptor, and Gatekeeper.

 

I know these rides. I’ve watched the videos a hundred times. This was like a celebrity sighting for me. I got in the queue to enter. Let me reiterate: I am queuing to enter—CEDAR POINT.

 

Tony Clark came out to advise us of how things would go, and we were let in very orderly. Perfect execution. I got my lanyard, T-shirt, and passes for lunch and the cruise, then went to rent a locker.

 

Let me just say that if there’s anything I can criticize about Cedar Point, it’s that the all day lockers are by the front entrance, which is ungodly far from the back of the park. That’s the only criticism I have. Now back to your regularly scheduled glowing review, already in progress.

 

I assumed that most of these enthusiasts had been to Cedar Point before, and therefore most would be rushing to Valravn. This ended up being a very good assumption, as you will soon see. As the rope dropped, I headed over to Gatekeeper and rode twice, once on each side. Next I made my way to Raptor and rode in the front and in the back. Those two down, it’s time for coaster #100: Millennium Force.

 

As I walked past the Valravn queue, I observed its length, which validated my plan of attack. It was probably about 30 minutes from there, which is very good for this coaster, but I had just had 4 walk-ons. I rode Millennium Force twice in the back, once in the front. Then a quick jaunt over to Rougarou, and two rides, one front, one back. Then on to the new hotness, again one front and one back.

 

At this point it was now 9:00. Yeah, let me just recap that real quick. During ERT I got 2 laps on Gatekeeper, Raptor, Rougarou, and Valravn, and 3 on Millennium Force. This day had begun awesome, and it didn’t let up. I went next to Blue Streak and got on immediately, only to have it break down just then. We were advised we could wait, but it’s ERT time. I’ll come back. I went to Wicked Twister, then headed for the back of the park and Maverick.

 

I rode Maverick in the back row twice this morning. After the first time, I thought it was fun, but I didn’t really get the hype behind it. I was sitting next to a more seasoned enthusiast who advised me next time to throw myself at the turns. Not lean, throw myself. Thank you, whoever you are. I got back in line immediately and tried this technique, and it was then that I learned one cannot passively ride Maverick. Riding Maverick is a skill. I can’t say I was any good at it, but over the 4 rides I had that day, I got better each time at riding it, and the ride rewarded the effort.

 

My second lap of the morning on Maverick ended just after 10:00, so I went for Top Thrill Dragster. I waited for the front row and was not disappointed. Then on to lunch, which consisted of the ubiquitous fried chicken and hot dogs. It was good, though, and there were several lines, so I didn’t have to wait too long.

 

After lunch, I went on the cruise. It was a lot of fun! I took a lot of pictures, and I’ll share the best ones below. It was a great break in the day, and since the day is 18 hours long, I needed the break. I’m not a teenager anymore, and I’m learning to listen to my body.

 

Upon coming back from the cruise, I decided to hit up Blue Streak, since it’s right next to the marina entrance. I rode in the front, and it was great! I went and put my stuff in my locker, then checked out a couple of flats that had been on my list: Matterhorn and Power Tower. Afterward, I proceeded to the rest of the coasters: Corkscrew, Magnum, Gemini, Mean Streak, and Cedar Creek Mine Ride.

 

Those done, I wanted to do the water rides. I passed up Snake River Falls, thinking I’ll go do Thunder Canyon, then Snake River Falls afterward. Mistake. It was closed once I came back to it for mechanical problems.

 

Oh, well. I’m kind of tired now, and it’s around 7:00, so Brews and BBQ is the next goal. I took the train to the skyride to my locker, then the skyride to the train back. Yea for transport rides. That would have been a hell of a walk.

 

I really enjoyed the Brews and BBQ festival. There was so much good stuff, and the bluegrass band was fun. Frontier Town reminds me a lot of Silver Dollar City, and it’s a great place to relax.

 

I spent about two hours at the event, then finished up the last couple of things I hadn’t done: Skyhawk, Iron Dragon, and MaxAir, then just before 10:00 I got in line for one last ride on Millennium Force in the front. Everything everyone has said about MF coming alive after dark is true. It’s so amazing, and I want to go back to it. Like right now.

 

Next up is night ERT! One more lap on Top Thrill Dragster, again in front, then two more laps on Magnum in the magic seat, then two more on Maverick, one front, one back. It was almost midnight, and I was tired from a long day, so I walked back to the front, stopping at Valravn for one last ride in the front row. It was an amazing day in every way possible, and I want to live there. I’m going to several more places this year, but I think Cedar Point has already achieved my Best Day of the Summer.

 

Theming: The Frontier Trail and Frontier Town are very reminiscent of Silver Dollar City. The theming isn’t quite to SDC’s level, but it’s still very good. Little attempt is made at theming other parts of the park.

 

Food: I had the Coastermania buffet, a Pink’s Long Island Dog and fries, and Brews & BBQ. I was very impressed by all of these. Pink’s may be the best hot dog I’ve ever had.

 

Service: What can I say, but that literally everyone is on top of their game. I’ve never seen such professionalism from teenagers as I have seen here. Their training programme is outstanding to produce such results. Absolutely incredible.

 

Water Rides: Thunder Canyon is the best rapids ride I’ve ever been on, and that’s a favourite ride type for me. I wish I would have gotten to ride Snake River Falls, as I enjoy that type, and this one’s huge! Maybe next time.

 

Flat Rides: I rode Cedar Downs Racing Derby, Matterhorn, Power Tower (both drop and shot), Skyhawk, and MaxAir. All were fantastic. There are so many flats here, a lot of which I wouldn’t ride, but some I would have liked to if I had more time.

 

Coasters:

 

Blue Streak – A brilliant out and back. It feels a lot to me like Screamin’ Eagle, but a bit smaller.

 

Cedar Creek Mine Ride – Like I mentioned with Adventure Express, I love this ride type, but none of them ever measure up to Thunderation. Still had fun though.

 

Corkscrew – I loved watching this go over the midway. More than actually riding the coaster.

 

Gatekeeper – Better than X-Flight, but not nearly as good as Thunderbird. I enjoyed it, and it was a good first coaster when I wasn’t really awake yet.

 

Gemini – This was a ton of fun. I rode on both sides, and it was racing both times. I haven’t been on a racing steel coaster before, and it was very interesting to me. I loved the interaction, and the ride was pretty forceful too.

 

Iron Dragon – Well, if I hadn’t been on the Bat the day before…. It was okay, but nothing super impressive. The bat swung out to the sides a lot more and was just more enjoyable.

 

Magnum XL-200 – Second best coaster at this park. I rode four times total, all in the magic seat, and it was amazing. Like sex and beer, you know it was good when you can’t walk straight afterward.

 

Maverick – Echoing the thoughts from above, it takes skill to ride this coaster, and I’ve never encountered anything like it. It’s the best themed coaster at Cedar Point as well, which scores high points with me. Absolutely incredible ride, and deserving of all the praise it gets.

 

Mean Streak – I rode in the front seat, leaning forward, and it was a lot of fun. I liked how the queue went underneath the ride, as it gave a great sense of scale. It’s big and fast and mean, just like a good woodie should be. It wasn’t painful to me in the least.

 

Millennium Force - Perfect. I rode twice in the back, then once in the front. It’s beautiful, it’s fast, it’s forceful, and it has an amazing view of the lake. It is my new favourite coaster. I wish I had time to ride this more.

 

Raptor – My new favourite invert. It was basically like riding Batman, but twice as long. The drop was great, all the inversions were forceful, and it kept me guessing until the end. Brilliant ride, and it shines way above the rest of its kind.

 

Rougarou – This was a bit of a disappointment. The first drop was good and the inclined loop was cool, but otherwise it wasn’t all that great. Wildfire still stands as the best floorless/floored B&M looper I’ve ridden.

 

Top Thrill Dragster – What a rush! I was actually a bit nervous before getting on this ride. It’s very intimidating, seeing how fast it goes. It’s over before you know it, but you don’t forget those few amazing seconds.

 

Valravn – My first dive coaster, and it was great! The holding chain in the front row makes the ride. Only place to ride this is the front.

 

Wicked Twister – Much better than Vertical Velocity. The second twist adds a lot.

Woohoo!

Gatekeeper's testing!

Valravn photobombing my picture of Skyride.

Beautiful.

No pictures of coasters at sunset. How about a dinosaur at sunrise?

There it is!

I'm finally here!

They have dived.

Even the second drop is really tall.

Millennium Force is the absolute best ride here.

Raptor is amazing!

I'm on a boat!

I ran so far away.

Little known fact: Mike Score went on to a successful solo career.

Some great views of Raptor from near Valravn.

MaxAir is very photogenic.

Loved Pink's Hot Dogs!

And from the midway.

They had KC-style dry rub pork ribs. This is the correct way to do BBQ.

Valravn beer tent.

Missouri representin'!

Now, before you Texans and Carolinians get all upset, let me clarify. You're wrong. This is what BBQ is supposed to be.

I loved all the lights after dark.

Goodbye, Cedar Point. Thanks for the Best Day of the Summer!

Edited June 10, 2016 by ytterbiumanalyst

[Nrthwnd]

^ That was an amazing visit for you! And for me, reading this! Awesome report and great photos to match.

Thanks for sharing it all. It makes me all the more interested in going there, for next year's CM! We shall see...

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You should definitely go! If they do it next year like they did this year, it's going to be a great time.

[boldikus]

That was great! Reading that made me want to go back more than reading my own report from last year, seriously. Sounds like you had a great day. I just don't understand what you're getting at w/ Maverick. First ride that thing split my brain right open and just got better with every lap I got the rest of that weekend.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Day 4 – Michigan’s Adventure

 

Sleep fast! I started my trip back to the West early Saturday morning, with a drive to Michigan’s Adventure. I left about 7 and arrived around noon, with a couple of breaks to just get out and walk around some. I was seriously exhausted from the day at Cedar Point.

 

As I crossed the state line into Michigan, I reflected on the ridiculous amount of fun I had in Ohio over the last 2 ½ days. I wanted to go back as soon as I left. I want to go back right now.

 

Onward to Muskegon! I’ve been to Michigan before, but I flew into DTW and spent the whole time in Detroit (this was back in 1999, when it was a much nicer city than it is now). I enjoyed the drive through the rest of the state on I-96. It’s pretty country, very wooded. Missouri is highly wooded too, but in a different way than Michigan is.

 

I turned off onto a farm road when instructed, past some trailers, and in the middle of nowhere is this beautiful gigantic wooden structure. This is seriously more out in the middle of nowhere than Holiday World is. That made for some magnificent views from virtually all the rides, and in every direction.

 

The park is very clean and seems to be in pretty good shape for the most part. Most people were there for the waterpark, which looked great. I mean, if you compare it to Cedar Point (where I had been just the day before, so it was hard not to), this place isn’t much to write home about. Taking it for what it is, though, I had fun. I especially appreciated that it’s much more relaxed than most theme parks I’ve been to. I’m not a teenager anymore, and Cedar Point had taken a lot out of me.

 

I had planned to do the waterpark here, since it was so highly spoken of, but I decided that would make for a rushed day. I already rushed 18 hours at Cedar Point yesterday, and I decided to take this one slowly. Forecast was for thunderstorms in the afternoon, so I wasn’t going to have a whole lot of time here.

 

On a side note, the only day it didn’t thunderstorm was my day at Cedar Point. If I could pick one, that would definitely be it!

 

Theming: None. Just, none at all.

 

Food: After the amazing food at Kings Island and Cedar Point the previous couple of days, it was a bit jarring to me that they only had the staples. I got a pizza and Bosco sticks over by Shivering Timbers for lunch, then ate at Coasters once the thunderstorm hit late in the afternoon. Both were good, though, and the food service employees were decently efficient and friendly.

 

Service: This park seems to have issues with staffing. There were a bunch of rides shut down throughout the day for maintenance, and the maintenance staff couldn’t get to them because they were running other rides. If they had more ride ops, several rides could have operated.

 

Additionally, operations were very slow. They seemed very reluctant to have anyone ride with anyone who wasn’t part of that group, which unnecessarily lengthened lines. For example, there was a group of 3 that were put on one boat at Grand Rapids, and I was directed to go on the next boat, by myself. With a wait time of about half an hour. The boats can accommodate 9 people—why are you leaving 8 of them empty with that long of a line?

 

Water rides: For the second day in a row, I missed out on a splash boat by thinking I’ll come back to it after I go on the rapids ride, only to find it down. Oh well. Grand Rapids was fantastic, pretty much a miniature version of Thunder Canyon at Cedar Point. Logger’s Run was a very good log flume. HydroBlaster was great, and really the only ride there of a type I haven’t been on before. It and Shivering Timbers were the only two rides with efficient operations, too. There was one guy at the top, and the other at the bottom, and they were running both sides by themselves. Just perfect.

 

Flat rides: I wanted to ride some, but nearly all were down for big chunks of the day. A few on my list, especially the Sea Dragon and Lakeside Gliders, re-opened around 5:00, but by that point I didn’t have any energy left.

 

Coasters:

 

Corkscrew – Surprisingly good. I actually liked this better than Cedar Point’s Corkscrew. It wasn’t as fast, but that ended up being a very good thing. It took the corkscrews at a better speed and gave a much smoother ride.

 

Mad Mouse – Down all day. Slightly disappointing, as I do like the non-spinning mice and would have ridden this one. But only slightly; these things are everywhere.

 

Shivering Timbers – This ride is way too good for this park. I had heard it compared favourably to the Voyage, and it’s honestly almost as good. With Cedar Point fresh in my mind, I thought if there’s a wooden version of Magnum, this is it. The trick track was great, especially when leaning into the turns. It’s very smooth for a wooden coaster this big, and better than either of Cedar Point’s woodies by a lot.

 

Thunderhawk – I’m not the sort of person who will just ride any coaster, so I wasn’t riding this SLC for the “credit.” I ride a coaster because I think it will be fun. This was my third—the first one, Gauntlet at Magic Springs, I rode because I hadn’t been on one before. That’s enough reason for me to try something. The second, T3 at Kentucky Kingdom, I rode because of the new restraints. This one I rode because I kept hearing it’s the best of its kind. After the experience with T3, I was hoping I wouldn’t be burned again.

 

It’s good! I actually re-rode it, and it’s the only one other than Shivering Timbers that I did. It’s better in the front than in the back, and there’s honestly less headbanging than on Batman. So 2/3 SLCs are evil and should die in a fire, but Thunderhawk can live. Mind you, it’s still not the mind-blowing ride that Shivering Timbers is, but I liked it more than Wolverine Wildcat, for what that’s worth.

 

Wolverine Wildcat – I rode this one first per lots of advice here, but since I got there a bit after opening, the line was huge. It moved steadily though, and I enjoyed the ride. Unlike at Holiday World, where the smaller woodies still hold their own against the Voyage, this one really doesn’t have much to offer that Shivering Timbers doesn’t do better.

 

Zach’s Zoomer – It’s the same as Woodstock Express at King’s Island, but with one train instead of two. I like these little woodies; they’re very old school to me, offering a ride that’s pure fun as a nice counter-point to the big, intense coasters. My top 10 list should show you I prefer greatly that intensity; it’s just nice to have a break from it sometimes, and this style of ride does that perfectly.

I'm ready for some more adventure!

Corkscrew through the trees!

First ride of the day!

It was a little shy.

Beautiful views of the lake from just about everywhere.

Right in front of the train station. Great shop idea.

I wish for a coaster that's big.

I got my wish!

Two flat rides that were down. The scrambler opened late afternoon; Thunderbolt never did.

But hey, I'm here for this beauty.

They are on a log flume.

Now I'm in line for a log flume.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Giant Gondola Wheel was running.

The new petting zoo was nice.

Every time I went by, there were several people enjoying the area.

Down.

So was Flying Trapeze.

Donkey credit!

Height measuring station.

Corkscrew!

I did not play mini golf.

Yep, beautiful views of the lake from just everywhere.

Carousel

Winky the Whale and Little Drummer Boy

And the only good SLC I've been on.

This waterfall on Grand Rapids was fun. Would have been more fun if there were other people in the boat.

Yeah, I see you.

Adventure Falls, I'll get you next. Or so I thought.

Well, you know, you're not as good as Shivering Timbers.

All right, Thunderhawk. One more time.

Not very many people in the park today.

Whee!

The eponymous corkscrew.

Be-Bop Blvd. was popular with the kids.

More fun things for little ones.

But the only thing in this area I want is Zach's Zoomer. After this, I rode Shivering Timbers until the storms rolled in!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Day 4 Continued: Founder’s Brewery

 

On advice from several posters here, I decided to use my early exit from Michigan’s Adventure to drive to Grand Rapids and try out Founder’s Brewery. I got off the highway downtown and went to look for a parking space. I noticed during the course of my search that there were several tents set up and it looked like a special event was going on. Plus, in the 45 minutes since I left Michigan’s Adventure the thunderstorm had let up, so it looked like this was going to be a cool time to visit, once I find a place to park.

 

I never found one. Not a single space anywhere. I saw one open up once, but someone else was already sitting on it. After about half an hour of going up one street and down the next, I gave up. Thanks for the suggestion; I wish I could have done it. Oh, well.

 

Day 5: Indiana Beach

 

I stayed overnight in Michigan City, basically splitting the distance between Muskegon and Monticello. This ended up being a good decision, as it allowed me to sleep in and have a relaxed morning, since Indiana Beach opened at 11 Eastern. It did have the odd side effect of having me back in Central Time, but just to sleep, as the events of the previous and next days were both in Eastern Time. Definitely some mental aerobics keeping that sorted.

 

A straight shot down 421, a pretty drive through endless farms punctuated by small towns. I mean really small towns. I live in a town of about 4,000—which looks like a metropolis compared to these.

 

Indiana Beach itself is pretty cool. It’s totally old school and completely different from any other park I’ve ever been to. It seems to suffer from similar staffing issues as Michigan’s Adventure, but the employees they have are generally good. The lakeside atmosphere is awesome, the coasters are good, and they have a doubleshot and a skyride. What’s not to love?

 

Well, one thing: It takes them a long time to get things up and running. When I entered, I saw Tig’rr testing, so I went straight there, knowing it’s a low capacity ride and iffy on when it will operate. The queue was open, but there was no operator. One of the maintenance guys was there, though, and was very nice. He said Tig’rr is running great, but there’s no one here to operate it yet. I decided to hit up some other coasters first. I then went up the queue of Hoosier Hurricane, which also was open, only when I reached the top to be told it wasn’t running yet. You know, if you closed the queues, you’d save me some time and both of us some frustration…. Also, the log flume wasn’t running, but the queue for it was open all day. ???

 

Next I tried Cornball Express, only it wasn’t running either as it had only one op. Fortunately, the same nice maintenance guy from before was inspecting this ride now, and since there were about 8 of us queuing for it, he decided to be the second op for it so we could all ride. Super great employee here! I rode twice in a row, and it’s a fantastic ride. Lives up to the hype totally. It’d be the best coaster in Indiana if Holiday World didn’t exist. Yeah, all four of theirs beat everything at Indiana Beach.

 

I then went over to Steel Hawg, which was running 2 cars, but that was well enough to handle the meagre crowds here. I got to ride 4 times in a row without getting off. Only then was someone waiting for my seat, so I moved on to other things.

 

I next went over to Dr. Frankenstein’s Haunted Castle, then got some tacos, then took the Skyride to Double Shot, followed by Den of Lost Thieves. By now, Hoosier Hurricane and Tig’rr were running, so I got to ride all the coasters that were open.

 

It was time for Fascination. I put $10 on a card and played as much as I could. There weren’t a whole lot of other players, so I played when someone else was around, and went to Skee-Ball when there wasn’t. Helen at Fascination is another stellar employee and really made everything so much fun.

 

I spent about an hour using up my $10. Everything’s a quarter or 50 cents at most! Awesome! Then it was time for one last spin on Steel Hawg and a long drive back home. This was a great, low-key way to finish off a huge road trip.

 

Theming: It’s themed to a…lakeside boardwalk!

 

Food: I only had the world’s best tacos. That isn’t true, but I can say with certainty they’re the best tacos I’ve ever had in Indiana!*

 

*They’re also the only tacos I’ve ever had in Indiana.

 

Service: Really great! The ops were friendly when they were around. The senior op at Steel Hawg showed me the best seat (front right), and the senior op at Cornball Express was a really friendly guy as well. Helen at Fascination is awesome, and made a great game so much better. Fascination really was the highlight of my day, and she was a big part of why.

 

Waterpark: I didn’t do it, as I only wanted to spend a couple of hours here. It looked good for its size, though.

 

Water rides: Rocky’s Rapids was down, as was the Bumper Boats. No water rides for me this trip.

 

Dark rides: Den of Lost Thieves was a fun, two-story shooting dark ride. I liked that it had primary and secondary targets. When you shot a primary target, a secondary one would appear for more points, but with a very short window to shoot it. It was fun! Also, the longest line of anything, but only about 20 minutes.

 

Dr. Frankenstein’s Haunted Castle was a very good walkthrough. It’s pitch black throughout most of it, leaving you to feel your way through. There are some good scares and some great scenes with animatronics. I may have liked it better than the coasters. It’s absolutely worth the upcharge; do not miss this!

 

Flat rides: Double Shot was great, as always. Its location near the lake gives some great views. It was the only flat I rode due to limited time and Fascination.

 

Coasters:

 

Cornball Express: The better of the wooden coasters. It twists and throws you around, and is very smooth. This is the best coaster in this park.

 

Hoosier Hurricane: Your standard out and back woodie, but over a lake! Great views from this coaster, and due to its size, it interacts with just about everything else at the park.

 

Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain: Closed all day for my visit. This was very disappointing, as this is a weird and unique coaster. I will definitely have to come back to ride this, and also Fascination.

 

Steel Hawg: The park’s only inverting coaster, and until this year the only inverting ride at all. I loved it; this and Fascination were my main interest at this park. I rode five times in all, and it was great every time.

 

Tig’rr: Despite its opening two hours late, it was a really great ride! Schwarzkopf just makes the best. I could tell a lot of people underestimate this ride, as it looks like something at a traveling fair. It’s intense, maybe the most intense ride here. Definitely ride this if at all possible.

Steel Hawg is the first thing you see when entering the park.

It's testing!

There it is!

And with that, my trip is complete. It's been an awesome and exhausting week.

Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain and Rocky's Rapids are both closed.

Both these queues were open, but both rides were closed. ???

North end of the boardwalk.

South end of the boardwalk.

New hotness for this year.

Waiting to enter Dr. Frankenstein's Haunted Castle.

Jim Morrison's not looking so good these days.

Ichabod...found your head!

This guy was the best jump scare of the attraction.

Glow paint!

It's alive!

And we're outside. Cool, time for more pictures.

Hoosier Hurricane...through the tree!

Rock you like a hurricane!

Just hangin' and shreddin'

Cool little shooting gallery, and only a quarter!

These waterfalls around the chairswings were really cool.

Yep, photography on the skyride is allowed, but dropping your camera is not. I did not drop mine.

I don't do skycoasters. I'm glad they're having fun though.

Lost Coaster, you mock me.

Antique autos ride.

Count how many coaster you see in this photo.

Sea Dragon

New hotness.

Thieves on a hot tin roof.

There's the eponymous beach.

Tig'rr is open!

And a short line!

Wheee!

All is not lost. Look what my local liquor store just started stocking!

[PKI Jizzman]

Another great addition to a fantastic trip report. I'm bummed that more enthusiasts don't gush about Cornball's airtime like I have. During my visits I swear I was standing up the whole ride due to the air + buzzbars.

[DILinator]

I'm all about Cornball's airtime! It's a top 5 wooden coaster for me, and unlike the above poster, I definitely prefer it to Legend and Raven at Holiday world! I too, was basically standing up every time I rode it. Fabulous airtime machine!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Cornball is fantastic, and definitely the best coaster there. I'm gushing more about Dr. Frankenstein's Haunted Castle and Fascination. This was the fifth day in a row of coasters, and I was pretty tired. Maybe that muted it a bit. As it stands, Cornball isn’t a top tier ride, but it is a very good one, and worthy of rerides when I go back.

[GCI Wooden]

I hadn't realized how much the new owners had done to the place, it looks amazing compared to when I was there last year! I'm really liking Tig'rr's new paint.

 

Nice trip report!

[TBpony414]

Can you give this Fascination virgin a rundown on what I'm missing out on?

[GCI Wooden]

Can you give this Fascination virgin a rundown on what I'm missing out on?

There's really no way to explain how much fun it is, but this video put out by Indiana Beach gives you an idea of what it is.

 

 

Side note, I had no idea she had been working that game for so long! Wow!