COTALand at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX

[bert425]

forgot a pic i had on my phone

[bert425]

Haven't really seen any chatter about it. . but Matt Hughey (VP of Park Operations at CotALand) has posted some pics on Facebook about an upcoming job posting for the park.

and included some pics that show Palindrome has gone vertical!


Pics courtesy of Matt's Facebook.

[bert425]

Palindrome lift hill complete!!

Pics from Matt (VP of park operations at COTAland)

(also in these pics, the black tracks for Circuit Breaker - the park's Tilt Coaster - also on site already.

 

[Nrthwnd]

^ It's all looking great, Bert!

[ricklap77]

This new Vekoma tilt coaster will be a hit and we will probably see a bunch of them being built at other parks.

[bert425]

for National Roller Coaster Day this past weekend, my Friend Matt Hughey (VP of Park Operations at Circuit of the Americas), invited my other friends, the Quirky Coaster Couple (Nick and Kelly) to come out and take a tour of the COTA-land site. . . where they have quietly been doing a TON of work.

the Quirkies were able to turn it into an event of sorts, inviting 20 or so others to come along, ride the Schwarzkopf Texas Wildcat (that's been open for a while), and take laps on the go-karts as well as have a site tour.    Sadly, I was unable to attend, as I was *LITERALLY* a mile a way at the Austin airport for my flight to Vegas at the time of the event -  hey, it all worked out, I had a great time, and so did they at COTA.

With the Quirkies' kind permission that it was ok to share their pics?  here are some updates - and I think you're gonna be a little surprised.

yes, yes. . the big "news" that came out of it, is that they are still hoping for a 2025 opening, but that there HAVE been delays (mostly related to Covid, and how things work nowadays), but they will give a planned update at an event in January, if 2025 is still in the cards.

BUT. . all track for all coasters is on site, and all the flats are on site.

ok. .here come the pics:

Palindrome is complete!   (not sure when it's going to start testing, as I wasn't able to attend, so not sure if they covered that):

 

Circuit Breaker - the 2nd Tilt Coaster in existence has gone vertical - the support for the "tilt" portion is up!

 

and finally, here are the Quirkies (Nick and Kelly- lower right in yellow), with Matt at the COTA site (along with the lucky folks who were able to join them)!

 

[CedarFlags]

On 8/20/2024 at 6:35 PM, bert425 said:

Circuit Breaker - the 2nd Tilt Coaster in existence has gone vertical - the support for the "tilt" portion is up!

Not to be too pedantic about it, but Jinma has four tilt coasters operating in China right now and Vekoma already finished building Iron Rattler in Qiddiya.  Plus Winja's at Phantasialand and Gringott's at Universal Orlando both have tilt sections.

[bert425]

a Section of tilt track (as on Winja's) is not anything at all like a Tilt Coaster.

you are incorrect on your list above, only because I'm talking about real, Vekoma, "Tilt Coasters" . . . not the Chinese Knockoff that they call "Broken Rail Coasters" (if I'm being pedantic)

there is currently ONE Vekoma tilt coaster in existence - open and operating:  Gravity Max at Discoveryland in Taiwan.

 

there are 3 under constructions - Circuit Breaker at COTA, which has gone vertical and is moving along nicely, Iron Rattler at Six Flags Quiddiy City, and the just announced today, Siren's Curse at Cedar Point.

[bert425]

we finally have some movement from COTAland.

their Facebook page came back to life this morning, revealing the brand new Logo.

I love it, and hopefully we'll start seeing really regular updates.

https://www.facebook.com/COTALAND

[bert425]

apparently the folks behind COTALand (at the Circuit of the Americas) - finally are listening to my (and our other friends advice / nudging), and have started promoting on their FB page!

(these pics were taken by my friend Nick Carlos, 1/2 of the Quirky Coaster Couple)

here are the pics COTALand uploaded of Circuit Breaker (the Tilt Coaster):
 

Think you can handle Circuit Breaker?

New shots just dropped—and this thing moves.

Steep climbs, sharp drops, and nonstop speed from start to finish.

9 Airtime Moments

4 Different Inversions

5 Head-chopper Effects

Only at COTALAND!

 

 

and here is their update from yesterday, featuring Palindrome:
(assuming this is by my friend, Matt Hughey; VP of Park operations)

Construction Update!

PALINDROME is taking shape — and it’s unlike anything else in the country.

This groundbreaking ride will be:
The first Infinity Shuttle Coaster in the U.S.
The only steel coaster in the country to soar over an active road!

Forward. Backward. Gravity-defying in both directions. PALINDROME is built to thrill — and it’s coming only to COTALAND.

#COTALAND #Palindrome #InfinityCoaster #comingsoon

[bert425]

oh, and they started working on their website too! 

no longer shows as a "kiddie park". . .but has some nice pics, and a way to sign up to follow the progress:

https://cotaland.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKfF_5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEzZVMxZ0FlR3dTNjUycjVHAR7I9pwGkeKJobcZJdcTIyTQ4py2g_pxVjmM87705aIiHMeZ83SUcUhu6wCFHQ_aem_CWcNMUB15TJwohPSYC3yEQ#newsletter

[bert425]

Took a trip up to COTA last night, to check out the Peppermint Parkway Christmas Event - which thanks to the Director of Park Operations (Matt Hughey), and the local SW chapter of American Coaster Enthusiasts included free admission and rides on Circuit Breaker.

lots of pics below, but will get the burning question out of the way up front.

Circuit Breaker is amazing.   Very smooth, has multiple inversions- including my favorite element - a short stall at the 1/2 way point on the ride, and wll be 100% worth the trip to Texas to ride.   

they have two trains running:  Red and Yellow, both with onboard audio.   Very loud onboard audio, I'll note.   I mentioned that to Matt and he said they have brought that up to Vekoma, but apparently it's a program that cycles and they don't really have any control over  whether the audio will be BLASTING loud, or not.   for what it's worth?  I thought the Audio was much better/quieter on the Red train.

oh..they also lowered the price.   at least during Peppermint Parkway, it's now $15 to get into the event, but once in?  only $15 (3 tickets) to ride it.   almost every other ride is only 1 ticket.  (Circuit Breaker was prior $25 for one ride).

Or you could do the Gold Band that is $50 and offers unlimited rides on everything, and includes Circuit Breaker.    

the only thing not included in the Gold Band are the Go Kart racing, and the upcharge "lap around the track"

also even tho it's the weekend before Christmas?  it looks like they are expanding the ride options - adding in a new section that has another kiddie coaster (Orient Express), an Octopus, a kiddie motorcycle carousel, and a ferris wheel - tho this section was not quite ready to open.    As you'll see tho, they did have the lights on some of the new rides going tho.

ok. .on to pictures. .it really is a good event, and we had a great time.

more info scattered thruout the pics

at the moment, the Entrance to what will be COTALand is via Peppermint Parkway.   So it's just to the left of the main Grandstands, and the parking is mainly in lot A
behind us is the startingline/main granstands and the Minigolf.  to the right is the Karting for adults (and under that white shade back there is the kids Karting)

bright and sunny, as they just changed the hours of Peppermint Parkway so it starts at 4 instead of 5:30. . but they haven't really gotten that memo out to folks, so it was actually pretty quiet (and almost ERT like) until about 5:30, which had been the starting time.

entrance is not free - it's $15 per ticket to enjoy the carnival grounds, and the lights.

then you can either purchase individual tickets for rides/attractions (each ticket is $5) or buy one of multiple wristbands that include different levels of activities (ie: all the 1 ticket rides, the mini-golf, the activities such as paint a dreidel or ornament, cookie decorating, smores, etc. . .)

They did a really nice job. . tho I must admit the COTALand area looks much better at night, once the darkness hides the dirt/construction.

the exit of the entry tunnel. . again, this will look incredible at night.

I absolutely adore that they put up "wacky Santa inflatables". .. immediately put a smile on our faces

the only thing actually open during Peppermint Parkway in COTALand "proper" is Circuit Breaker. . so it's off by itself after a bit of a walk on the left.

but they actually DO have quite a bit done already.  it was impressive to see.

the Schwarzkopf Wildcat is not moved and pieced back together, but was not quite ready to go yet. 

and the S&S Screaming Swing has been topped off, and Matt said they will be back next week to complete work on it.

as you might note, there are LOTS of ride pads, and pillars poured.   so there will be things everywhere. . . I believe what's going right next to Circuit Breaker is the Starflyer.

there will be no dedicated "kiddie area", but instead the kids rides will be scattered thruout the park so there will things for families to do in each area.

this is the base of what will be a 250' drop tower!

and off in the distance (beyond the final curve of the F1 track - there will be a path that connects the park to that side along the track), is Palindrome, the Gerstlaur infinity coaster.
it also is not open yet, but WAS testing during our visit, to the delight of many.

hard to see in this pic, but the lift hill/final drop of the log flume is up and done too.

but here's what most came for.    and as noted above, Circuit Breaker is amazing.

Wildcat seen from the Circuit Breaker gift shop exit.

these trains are covered in LEDs. . and really do look incredible at night.

tho I rode several times in a couple of places (on both trains). . I really do prefer the back row.

to be fair tho, the front really does have a ton of airtime.

 

walkways are designed well over here, with tons of spots to get great pics.

we pulled Matt over for a pic in the sleigh that's for use by a Santa later in the evening to pose for a pic.

this coaster is a great success, in terms of rideability, smoothness, and thrill.

walking back over to the main Peppermint Parkway after rides on Circuit Breaker, another pic of just how far out COTALand will extend (tho please note the big area in the center is the F1 track, so mainly along that path connecting the two sides of the park will be nothing but path).    Matt did confirm for me there are still plans for the "most thrilling ride that will be in the park" - the multi seated "skycoaster" type ride, that will be rising over on the Palindrome side.

but this pic gives a good idea of how many ride pads / supports have been done already, and a better view of the flume and Palindrome.

looking back at Circuit Breaker a final time before leaving this section to head over to the main Peppermint Parkway area.

tons and tons of lights, and things to do / photo ops over here.

they did a Menorah Lighting at 5:45, which I appreciated, as last night was night 7 of Hanukkah.

one of my favorite things is that they have the grandstands open (mainly for use of the Concession stands and bathrooms), but you can sit and watch the folks that did the "take a lap on the track".. so very loud and fun to see the cars zoom by at 100+ MPH.

 

some of the stuff they had up was a bit "scary" for kids I thought. . but most of the adults loved it.

and they had a screen set up playing movies (we saw the end of Grinch, and most of Elf playing during our visit)

the smaller rides that used to be over by the Concert Venue entrance have been moved over to the front of the Grandstands to be included in Peppermint Parkway.

Matt told me these are only here temporarily, and I'd say the vast majority of them will end up placed in COTALand - as many of the smaller kiddie rides are COTA branded already in the paintjobs and ride vehicles.

but over here is also the Wacky Worm. . and since Jim wouldn't ride Circuit Breaker (it's too big a coaster for him still, so he freaks himself out), he WAS willing to ride the Wacky Worm with me.

from the temporary placement, one does get a lovely view of the F1 track starting line from the lift hill.

lots of other temporary rides have been set up over here, and tons and tons of lights.

and would it be a "carnival atmosphere" without food carts?

including the Donut place that is operated by Matt's wife. . yummmmm. . .a giant bucket of fried donuts!  (and hot apple cider too).

just a sampling of the lights over here. . which would look so much better as it got darker.

back here is the new section, which as noted, didn't open last night as it wasn't fully ready.   but they are assembling an Octopus there, the Orient Express looked ready to go (and was lit up!), but I guess it's not safe to operate while they are building a ride next to it.

of course they have a kissing booth too.  

(and yes, we did kiss, but not sharing that pic here  )

the only "permanent" things over here are the Zipline, the Mini Golf and the two karting tracks (Kids/Adults).    but as noted, I would say most of these rides will make it over to COTALand proper eventually.

it was time for the tree lighting ceremony, and it got PACKED over here.

Princess Peppermint came out and did a little skit to light the tree.

it really is pretty cool looking

once the tree lighting happened, the crowd spread out, and since the place is so large?  it never did feel crowded.

tho I would estimate the line of cars to get in, as we were leaving, was at least a mile long.

would it BE an event at COTA without some race cars?

How about RaceCar driver Santa? 
(the line for him was at least 40 minutes, so I just waited outside the queue and snapped them between visitors) 

you could also queue to meet Mrs Claus 
(she had a much shorter line at about 15 minutes)

THIS nightmare fuel:

as well as Rudolf, and the "Ice Queen and Snow Princess" (aka: NOT FROZEN, but kinda, but we don't wanna get sued). . LOL 

the line for those two was easily the longest of the night other than Santa tho.

so we kept walking and stopping for pics.

we did bump into Princess Peppermint as she was making her way back towards the main entrance for her photo-op spot.   
she was kind enough to pose for a pic with us.

the entrance gate at night.   stunning.

and the tunnel at night is pretty impressive too

but our feet were hurting, so it was time to go.

heading back to the car, a few final pics of Circuit Breaker - with the LEDs on the cars .. they start off the color of the train, then switch to Red/White/Blue, as the train runs the course.

here's that Stall I love.

 

well worth a visit if you're in the Austin Area this holiday season. . . . 

[coastersandhockey]

Wow! I had no idea they were doing this event. The park already seems to be a hit with the locals! Can't wait to see it grow over the next few years.

[SharkTums]

It's so weird to me that we finally are starting to get some awesome Vekoma Tilt Coasters and no one is talking about this one.  I had no idea it even was open! I really hope word gets out and they do well.

[bert425]

1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

It's so weird to me that we finally are starting to get some awesome Vekoma Tilt Coasters and no one is talking about this one.  I had no idea it even was open! I really hope word gets out and they do well.

I know!  the fact they dropped the price, and still no one really knows about it.

it's SO smooth too.   I liked it better than the Vekoma tilt I rode in China!

I honestly think tho, that they are waiting to at least get Wildcat back up and running (it was assembled but not yet testing in the new location) before they really start a media blitz.

Palindrome is testing, but there's simply no way to get to it from the Circuit Breaker side  (yet). . so even if they did open it, I doubt we'd get an announcement.  

but once they get Wildcat running again, and that S&S swing?  there's enough there to really start advertising a reason to come to the track.

[bert425]

5 hours ago, coastersandhockey said:

Wow! I had no idea they were doing this event. The park already seems to be a hit with the locals! Can't wait to see it grow over the next few years.

it's interesting.. . they've done it for a few years, but this year has some MAJOR changes - the big one being the Tilt Coaster now open.   but another huge change?  free parking.

and it just doesn't seem to be getting advertised locally that it's now free to go park (tho they DID start charging $15 to enter the grounds).   still tho, that's *nothing* to go and walk around!

the crowds did seem to be coming in as we were leaving (around 7) and it's open until 10.   and as I mentioned, they just recently expanded the hours to 4-10pm instead of 5:30-10.. so they must be starting to draw.

It's open thru Jan 4. . . so still a couple of weeks to check it out!

https://ticketing.peppermintparkway.com/events/01995544-598c-1dfe-c38e-401c551150a5

[JJLehto]

On 12/22/2025 at 11:54 AM, SharkTums said:

It's so weird to me that we finally are starting to get some awesome Vekoma Tilt Coasters and no one is talking about this one.  I had no idea it even was open! I really hope word gets out and they do well.

Yeah! Im planning on the USGP in 2026 which reminded me of this park and I was shocked that according to RCDB Circuit Breaker was open! I didn't see even the slightest thing about it! The POV looks epic!