If you’re in search of a gift for a roller coaster enthusiast friend or family member this holiday season, we’ve got you covered. Our 2016 roller coaster enthusiast gift guide features an array of gift ideas that are sure to please the coaster and theme park connoisseur in your life.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with buying a season pass for your coaster enthusiast’s local amusement park, zoo or aquarium. But if you want something to wrap, see the list below for our suggestions. And as always, feel free to recommend additional ideas in the comments section below. We’d love to include it on the list.
Like last year, we’ve organized our gift ideas into several categories of books, games, toys, and more. Note: the prices listed here were current as of this posting. They may fluctuate with time.
Roller Coaster Publications & Prints
Coaster101 2017 Roller Coaster Calendar
We’re biased, but we think our 2017 Roller Coaster Calendar is the perfect gift for any thrill seeker.
The photographs featured were taken by members of the Coaster101 team. And best of all, we’re donating 50% of the net proceeds to Give Kids The World Village in Florida.
Each calendar costs only $15 and includes free shipping in the United States! Purchase your calendar(s) here!
Typography fans will get a kick out of Made to Thrill’s A-Z Coaster Poster with letters from 26 iconic roller coaster logos — from Apollo’s Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg to the former Z-Force at Six Flags Great America. The 18 in. x 24 in. print is available for $24 at Made to Thrill.
Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design.
Learn how roller coaster designers spend hundreds of hours creating, tweaking, and re-imagining ride paths to push the exhilaration envelope while carefully maintaining the highest safety standards. Features design example problems real roller coaster engineers face in the field today as well as career advice for any aspiring roller coaster engineers.
Chippewa Lake Park: Gone, But Not Forgotten is by Coaster101 writer and photographer Kyle Lindner. This 64 page photo-book is a small effort to help preserve what is left of this once roaring park. Included are black and white film photographs, digital photographs and chromoskedasic prints.
Theme Park Books
Opryland USA: Images of Modern America
The home of country music and a slew of fun rides, Opryland USA unfortunately closed in 1997, but the park’s memories live on in the new Opryland USA: Images of Modern America. The book features a photo-graphical history of the park, with tons of trivia and detailed insight about the theme park.
Purchase a copy of the book on Amazon for $17.44.
Great Adventure: Images of Modern America
Another installment in the “Images of Modern America” series, Images of Modern America: Great Adventure provides a colorful history of Six Flags Great Adventure’s beginnings, and the many years that led to the park we know today.
Purchase Great Adventure: Images of Modern America on Amazon for $16.54.
Theme Park Design and the Art of Themed Entertainment is the most thorough book on theme park design available. David Younger’s book is literally a textbook on every single aspect of theme parks you could think of, with quotes from real designers with priceless knowledge. Reading Theme Park Design is like taking a college course on the subject, and your professors are Walt Disney Imagineers. Click here for my full Theme Park Design book review.
American Coasters 2
A perfect coffee table book, American Coasters 2 features beautiful photographs of roller coasters from coast to coast. The book is available on Amazon for $30.36. See some of the images and read our review here.
Roller Coaster Video Games
Planet Coaster has brought the roller coaster and theme park simulator genre roaring back to life. The game has received rave reviews, and was made by the developers of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Like RCT3, Planet Coaster allows players to design and manage their dream theme park, as well as ride their roller coaster creations — and share them with other players.
Planet Coaster is available for purchase on Steam for $44.99 (as of this posting).
Roller Coaster Tycoon World
If one new coaster and theme park game wasn’t enough, Roller Coaster Tycoon World — the long-await sequel to 2004’s Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 — is now available as well.
The game is touted as the “newest installment in the legendary RCT franchise” with “fan-favorite features as well as incredible new advancements!
Buy Roller Coaster Tycoon World online for $19.24.
Or you can get the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon Triple Thrill Pack instant download for just $9.99.
Toys and Models
Lego Disney Castle
Launch the fireworks and let the magic begin! The Disney Castle measures over 29” (74cm) high, 18.8” (48cm) wide and 12” (31cm) deep.This set includes over 4,000 LEGO® pieces. Be sure to buy directly from LEGO where the set is only $349 (not $479 like on Amazon).
LEGO Creator Expert 10247 Ferris Wheel Building Kit – Build the iconic Ferris Wheel, featuring 12 colorful suspended gondolas with opening doors, ice cream stall, kiosk, 10 mini-figures and more.
K’NEX Space Mountain Roller Coaster
I loved playing with K’Nex as a kid and I’m glad they’re still around with more roller coaster sets to choose from than ever before. Recreate the excitement of the popular Disney Parks attraction. Includes 2 roller coaster cars and 25 ft of track that glows in the dark!
Walt Disney World Monorail Playset
Want to bring a little piece of Walt Disney World into your home? Looking for an alternative to putting a train around your Christmas tree? Then check out the Walt Disney World Monorail Playset. This working monorail is inspired by the real thing and has sound and light effects.
CoasterDynamix Nancoasters: Stainless steel coaster models that are pretty affordable, though non-working. Great gift to display on your desk or in your home.
It’s a Mystery!
For when you prefer your gifts to have the added element of surprise.
Holiday World T-Shirt Grab Bag
Holiday World offers a t-shirt grab bag on their Holi-shop. Available in both Adult and Child sizes, these mystery t-shirts can be yours for the low, low price of $5, which is a huge savings from the typical $20+ park tshirt.
Made To Thrill Mystery Bags
You have to act fast on these, as they’re only available through today, November 28! Made To Thrill is offering at least $25 worth of their original products in a “mystery bag” for just $15. Randomly selected items may include: Stickers, Patches, Pins, Posters, T-shirts or Hats. Check out our interview with Made To Thrill owner and founder Josh Reichlin here!
Tech, Gadgets and Miscellaneous
Intamin Track Bottle Opener
Looking for that perfect gift for the theme park fan in your life who also enjoys beverages out of glass bottles without screw-off caps? Look no further than this roller coaster track bottle opener, shaped like Intamin track!
Find more coaster-enthusiast gift ideas in our gift giving guides from 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
What gifts are you getting your coaster enthusiast friends? Which coaster gifts are you hoping to find under the tree this year? Discuss in the comments section below, and feel free to recommend additional gift ideas!
I have an Opryland USA book already.