Welcome back to our annual “A-Z Coaster of the Week” series. This year, we’re selecting some unique or lesser known coasters to highlight. We’ll share trivia, history and the coaster’s need-to-know stats.
First up is Arkansas Twister at Magic Springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Arkansas Twister as it’s known today debuted at Magic Springs in 1992. But it first opened in 1978 as Florida Hurricane at the former Boardwalk and Baseball, located southwest of Orlando, Florida.
See video of Arkansas Twister as Florida Hurricane at Boardwalk and Baseball in the video below:
The out-and-back wooden coaster was originally designed by Don Rosser & Associates along with roller coaster designer William “Bill” Cobb. It came at a price tag of $2.3 million.
In its Florida home, the coaster experienced two different names: Michael Jack’s Thrill Coaster and Roaring Tiger (according to this news article, Jackson rode the coaster when it was known as Roaring Tiger).
When Circus World closed in 1990, a small amusement park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, jumped at the opportunity and paid $10,000 for the wooden coaster. In the end, the park spent roughly $900,000 to relocate the coaster to Arkansas, where it was renamed “Arkansas Twister.”
The coaster went dormant once again as Magic Springs was shuttered from 1996 until 1999. But in 2000, the park and Arkansas Twister reopened.
The coaster’s layout was modified slightly when it was rebuilt at Magic Springs. However, for the park’s 2002 season, Magic Springs invested $2 million to bring the coaster back to its former glory, restoring some of the coaster’s hills to their original configurations.
Arkansas Twister Stats
- Lift hill: 95 feet tall
- Drop: 92 feet
- Length: 3,340 feet
- Speed: 50 mph
- Ride time: 1:55
- Layout: Out-and-Back
- Trains: six cars each seating four riders (24 riders total)
Have you ridden Arkanas Twister at Magic Springs? Share your thoughts about the wooden coaster in the comments section below.
Love this A-Z. Also a very good looking park. I will have to look into it more when I get a little more free time.