Tachophobia, the fear of speed, is the abnormal, often unwarranted fear of doing something too fast. While the most common reasons for being too scared to ride a roller coaster might be due to height or inversions, fear of speed is a very real thing.
Luckily, not every roller coaster has to be 60+ mph to be fun or offer a memorable experience. Storyline, theming, and environment can help make a ride special without it being super speedy.
Which American coasters match this criteria of being a blast without being too fast? Here are 15 fun roller coasters with a top speed under 35 miles per hour (in order from slowest to fastest).
1. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain – 20 MPH
Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana is home to one of the most unique wooden roller coasters in the world. Opened in 2002, Lost Coaster uses an elevator lift to reach its 35 foot high point. From there, the mine cars careen around insanely tight turns over water and through tunnels. A very memorable experience indeed.
2. Blazing Fury – 22 MPH
Dollywood’s Blazing Fury is a classic dark ride/coaster combination. Read our fantastic behind the scenes tour for all the details on Blazing Fury.
3. Flying Turns – 24 MPH
Flying Turns at Knoebels was a six year labor of love that produced the only modern wooden bobsled coaster. While the top speed may only be 24 miles per hour, it’s exhilarating knowing it’s the only ride of its type on the planet.
4. Space Mountain (Walt Disney World) – 27 MPH
Anyone who has ridden Space Mountain at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom might be surprised to hear the top speed is only 27 miles per hour as the ride feels so much faster as you careen around hairpin turns in the dark.
5. Dahlonega Mine Train – 29 MPH
This classic mine train at Six Flags Over Georgia was launched in 1967.
6. Exterminator – 29.1 MPH
Kennywood took a simple wild mouse ride and put it inside a themed building and turned it into a really cool coaster.
7. Pepsi Orange Streak – 30 MPH
This family coaster with exceptionally long trains meanders all over around Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America.
8. Steel Lasso – 30 MPH
Frontier City’s family inverted coaster was designed by Vekoma and built by Chance Morgan in 2008.
9. Bombora – 31 MPH
The 45 foot tall ride has two 16-passenger trains with lighting effects and on-board audio which blasts surfer themed music such as “Wipe Out.” Lagoon Park organized a few companies and individuals to produce the ride at a cost of over five million dollars.
10. Rewind Racers – 31.1 MPH
A Gerstlauer family shuttle coaster in Adventure City, California.
11. La Vibora – 32 MPH
Six Flags Over Texas is home to one of the only remaining Intamin steel bobsled coasters, this one opened in 1986.
12. Roar-o-saurus – 33 MPH
The Roar-O-Saurus stormed into Story Land in New Hampshire in the summer of 2014. This crazy-fun, smooth wooden roller coaster thrills passengers of all ages from young children to adrenaline junkies.
13. Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride – 34 MPH
The second coaster from Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride uses unique swinging cars and features a fun trip inside the gem mine.
14. Oscar’s Wacky Taxi – 34 MPH
The second Gravity Group mini wood coaster on this list, Oscar’s Wacky Taxi was new for 2018 at Sesame Place.
15. FireChaser Express – 34.5 MPH
Just sneaking in under the speed limit is Dollywood’s second appearance on this list, FireChaser Express. It’s like a “best of” for family roller coasters: wild mouse style hairpin turns, twisty hills, zig zag track, a launch, a lift, a showscene, and a backwards segment.
Are there any others you can think of that we missed on our list? Which one of these “slow but fun” roller coasters is your favorite?
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