Holiday Gift Ideas for Coaster Enthusiasts

The holiday season is upon us! It’s time to start thinking about what’s on your shopping list. If you are shopping for a theme park nut or coaster nerd here are a few ideas:

Here’s probably the best bang for your buck: The latest installment in Theme Park Review’s “Roller Coasters: In the Raw” series, Volume 5 is available for only $9.99 in the Theme Park Review store. The DVD features raw, music-free coaster footage of more than 30 coasters from across the globe. This is a great gift or stocking stuff for any coaster enthusiast.

Do you like assembling your Christmas presents? The Lego Carousel is right up your alley. It’s a bit pricey at $249.99 on Amazon, but the carousel “spins and plays music while the horses and swing boats move up and down.” This is the perfect addition for any special edition collection.

The Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 computer game is great for all ages. The game is available for the great price of $7.49 on Amazon. I’ve owned the game since 2004 and I still play it to this day.

The K’nex Hot Shot Video Coaster is a great gift for aspiring coaster designers and videographers alike! The 725+ piece set is available for just under $90 at Amazon. But this is no ordinary K’nex coaster kit – as the name suggests, this kit comes with a digital camera-equipped coaster car so you can shoot a POV video of your coaster to share with friends and family.

Are you looking for a gift for someone who enjoys reading up on history? The Holiday World is the perfect gift! The Images of America series showcases historic photos of amusement parks, towns, etc. The Holiday World edition is no different! I own several books in the series and I have thoroughly enjoyed each book. The book is available for around $17 on Amazon. Or you can get get a personalized, autographed copy signed by Pat Koch herself if you order through Holiday World’s website!

The Theme Park game is great for all gamers with a Nintendo DS gaming system. For around $40 on Amazon, you get a miniature amusement park tycoon game in the palm of your hand. As the product features state, you can “control everything, from the speed of your rides to the amount of ice in your drinks.”

Another great book for any readers is the American Amusement Park book. The “photographic retrospective distills more than 100 years of the sights, sounds, smells and thrills associated with the American amusement park.” The book is available for around $112 on Amazon.

The Rollercoasters 2011 wall calendar is a great way to keep up with important dates while also showcasing your love for coasters. “This calendar features 12 of the hottest roller coasters of today.” The Rollercoasters calendar is available for $12.97 on Amazon.

Have you ever gone to a theme park and wondered, “How did they do that?” At last there’s a book that shows you. Theme Park Design: Behind the Scenes with an Engineer reveals the secrets behind some of the world’s greatest attractions. Take a peek behind the scenes, with a theme park engineer. Aimed at theme park enthusiasts, the book features behind the scenes information based upon author Steve Alcorn’s 35 years designing attractions.