Continuing the 15 to 15 series in celebration of Coaster101’s fifteenth anniversary, this article takes a look back at some of our personal favorite experiences at the theme parks and amusement parks. These visits stood out to us either because they were for a special event, spent with cool people, or just a special day at the park that we took a lot from. This list isn’t really in any particular order, but instead think of it as a collection of some of our favorite park memories, and the reasons why we remember them so fondly. Make sure to read all the way to the end of the article to read about our giveaway, and let us know some of your favorite experiences in the comments!
15. WinterFest New Year’s Eve 2018 at Carowinds
It’s rare that I visit a theme park and barely ride anything, and instead just take in the atmosphere. WinterFest New Year’s Eve at Carowinds provided the perfect opportunity. The lights were on, everyone was in a festive mood because of the impending new year, and it was quite the party atmosphere. To cap the night off, I managed to start a roller coaster ride in 2018, and finish in 2019, followed by catching the tail end of a New Year’s fireworks display. Quite the exciting way to ring in 2019!
–Andrew
14. Kennywood 4th of July 2019
This trip will always hold a special place for me even though we were a week early from the debut of the incredible looking new Steel Curtain roller coaster. I got to share my daughter’s first roller coaster ride. She was two at the time and we rode Lil’ Phantom. Can’t wait to ride many more coasters with her. Watch some more highlights of our trip in the video below.
-Nick
13. Opening Day For Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland in January 2020
This might be a little bit of recency bias, but it was really fun to be a part of something this big. Even if I didn’t actually get on the ride. It was maybe the most planning ahead I’d ever made for a day at the park, and one of the earliest I’ve ever gotten up for a park. The huge crowd of people who all piled into the park far earlier than we needed to was unlike any I’d seen. I mean, how often are there thousands of people just milling around in Disneyland? Then the frantic smashing of the app as people tried to get a boarding group. My personal panic as the button to get a group STAYED GREYED OUT ON MY APP! Growing concern as people around me cheered until I finally got a number: 118.
I would then spend a rich, full day at Disneyland and California Adventure, checking every 20 minutes to see how the boarding groups were progressing. I’d gain confidence as numbers ticked up, and promptly lose it as they stalled. Eventually, I missed getting on Rise of the Resistance by 4 boarding groups. Are you kidding me? Luckily, thanks to having a FlexPass, I went again with a couple of friends the next day and we comfortably got on it.
The success of Rise of the Resistance is probably part of the reason for these price hikes. The upcoming Avengers campus likely also plays a role.
In a way, I got the best of both worlds. The crazy stress of constantly checking for boarding groups on Friday, and then getting to ride the ride on Saturday. No, that’s not true. I would have much rather ridden it twice. But still, a fun story. Here’s the spoiler-free story of opening day, and my spoiler-filled top-5 favorite things about the ride.
– Eric
12. Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Blazing Fury at Dollywood
I wrote for the Dollywood Insiders blog for two years, which granted me a slew of amazing opportunities to research and write about one of my favorite theme parks. I also had the chance to go on numerous behind-the-scenes tours for stories that I was writing. One of the most memorable (there were a lot) was a behind-the-scenes walk-through of the park’s Blazing Fury indoor coaster.
I’ve been fascinated by this coaster ever since I first visited Dollywood in the early 2000s. The 1978 coaster only has a few drops, but the campy special effects and set pieces make it one of the most beloved rides at the park. And thankfully, it continues to receive TLC from the park’s maintenance department.
Learn more about Blazing Fury and see additional photos of the coaster with the lights on here.
– John
11. My First and Last Rides on Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge
When I learned Dragon Challenge (formerly Dueling Dragons) at Islands of Adventure was closing in September of 2017, I made a last-minute trek to Universal Orlando for the first time since 2006. I had skipped what was then known as Dueling Dragons — that remains one of my biggest coaster-related regrets to date. Though the coasters were no longer dueling, I wanted to experience the legendary inverted Bolliger & Mabillard creations.
I rode each side as soon as I arrived at the park. Since I was only in town for one day, I visited both Islands and the Studios parks. I went back to ride Dragons one last time as a thunderstorm brewed in the distance. Just as I was about to board the next train out of the station, the lightning began to strike. I left the line and waited outside of the entrance for what felt like an eternity, hoping the coaster would reopen before the park closed, which was fast approaching.
So did I ride Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge once more? Find out by reading my full account here.
– John
10. Candymonium Announcement Day at Hersheypark in 2019
One of my first assignments as a new Coaster101 writer was to travel to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania for the announcement of Candymonium, the park’s new B&M hyper scheduled to open in 2020. Despite living relatively close, I had never been to Hersheypark before, but I was very excited to attend the media event and try out some of the coasters I had heard so much about. Something that I think Hersheypark does not get enough credit for is that the park has a near-perfect coaster collection. There is a great distribution of different types of coasters at all levels of thrill, and a good mix of wood and steel coasters. I also found my new favorite coaster in Skyrush, the park’s Intamin hyper coaster. Overall, the variety and charm of the parks are what make Hersheypark one of my favorite theme parks I’ve been to. I wish I could’ve had another day at the park to experience the attached zoo and get some more rides on some of the coasters, but now I have something to look forward to for next time!
– Shane
9. Coaster101 Goes to Carowinds (and Andrew shows us around) in 2017
You’ll find a bunch more of our meet-ups further down the list, but our Carowinds gathering in 2017 stands out to me personally. Why? Because it’s the first time we went to the home-park of one of our writers. Andrew is our Carowinds expert, but the rest of us had never been there. So we all enjoyed expert guidance from Andrew and a couple of fun little behind the scenes things thanks to his connections. Plus, we happened to be there during Taste of the Carolinas, which was fantastic. It quickly turned us into Carowinds fans and made us understand why Andrew talks about Fury325 all the time.
– Eric
8. Peanuts Celebration 2019 + Funtasticks
My home park is Carowinds, so one would think that I had all of the roller coasters in the park checked off on my “credit count.” Before November 2019, I was sadly missing one credit: Wilderness Run. I don’t typically make a trip to the park with a small child, but instead, was joined by Nick and Kyle who drove down from Ohio, and John came over from Tennessee, and we had a fantastic day at Carowinds during their Peanuts Celebration. Not sure if we got lucky with low crowds or a ride operator who wasn’t bothered by the “you’re supposed to have a kid with you” rule (or if she didn’t want to have to deal with four coaster enthusiasts in search of a kiddie credit), but I got my Carowinds white whale that day. The night was capped off with another credit I was lacking in North Carolina — Miner Mike at Funtasticks. That’s another story for another day.
-Andrew
7. Six Flags Magic Mountain 2020
Six Flags Magic Mountain and Cedar Point are two destinations that are always at the top of any coaster enthusiast’s bucket list, and typically attract even mainstream news attention because of their sheer size alone. However, it is currently Six Flags Magic Mountain that hold the worldwide coaster record, boasting 19 total roller coasters. So when I spent a few months in California at the beginning of this year, I knew that I had to make a stop at the coaster capital of the world. I’m certainly glad I did, because I got to try out some coasters that I had been hearing about for years, and they all lived up to the hype. Some highlights for me were my first flying coaster, Tatsu, which has the most intense element I’ve ever experienced, its monstrous pretzel loop. I also got to try out the sheer madness that is X2 and got to experience the park’s newest coaster, West Coast Racers. While this park may not have all of the glamor of Cedar Point, the coaster collection is one of the best and most varied in the world, and absolutely worth the trip to California alone. Getting to ride some of the rides that I’ve been hearing about for so many years was truly special, and a highlight of my trip to California.
– Shane
6. Universal Studios Hollywood 2020
Another highlight of my California trip was my time at Universal Studios Hollywood. It’s worth mentioning that Islands of Adventure is my personal favorite park, and Forbidden Journey is my favorite dark ride, which I haven’t gotten to experience since 2013, so needless to say I was pretty psyched to be living 20 minutes away from this park for three months. Since I was living so close and knew I’d be visiting multiple times, I bought the season pass, which is only around 20 dollars more than a daily ticket, so if you’re spending even two days at the park I would say it’s the best value. Simply put, this park is a dream come true for a movie fan like me. The Studio Tour is an amazing experience that will change each time you ride, and it’s a surreal experience to be driving through some of the most famous movie sets of all time. The other rides at the park are amazing as well, and even though I prefer the Forbidden Journey in Orlando, most of the ride is the same despite a few cosmetic details, and the ride held up my sky-high expectations. As a big Jurassic Park fan, the new Jurassic World ride was a great overlay of the attraction, and although I hope they leave the Florida version as-is, I like that there’s now an option to ride an updated experience. The Waterworld stunt show is also a must-see, and is currently the best theme park show I’ve seen. Even though this park lacks the cohesion of its Floridian counterpart, it is a different park with different offerings and its own personality, and by far my favorite park experience I had while in LA. Make sure to check out our walkthrough video on YouTube!
– Shane
5. BeastBuzz, Kings Island August 2013
Banshee construction, Beast night rides, and free beer? BeastBuzz, an event at Kings Island put on my Coasterbuzz, was a fun day to remember.
Here’s a complete rundown of the day.
-Nick
4. Walt Disney World 2020
Earlier this year we were able to surprise our kids with a trip to Walt Disney World. We booked the trip on Thanksgiving 2019 and somehow kept it a secret from our six-year-old son even though my wife spent a ton of time making us all Disney shirts. The trip is even more special now know all the parks have been closed for the past several months. I’m glad we were able to squeeze this trip in. It was so much fun seeing the interactions with all the characters. My three-year-old daughter’s coaster count is now two thanks to the Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom, though I don’t think she liked it much.
-Nick
3. Kentucky Kingdom and Kings Island 2017
This marked the first time that all seven (at the time – we’ve since added Shane and Rachel!) Coaster101 writers were at the same park at the same time. Though we weren’t all riding that day (shoutout to John, who had some medical issues, but I think would have dragged an IV through Kentucky Kingdom that day), it was extremely memorable to hang as a group for the first time. Not to mention the rides on Storm Chaser and Lightning Run. A few of us went over to Kings Island the next day for some rides on Banshee and the Beast!
-Andrew
2. Indiana Beach/Six Flags Great America 2019
2019 marked the first time that all seven writers of the Coaster101 team rode a roller coaster together at the same time, and it was a ride on Goliath at Six Flags Great America. The day prior, six of us visited Indiana Beach, many of us experiencing the park for the first time. You’d think that seven basic strangers from across the country would get tired of each other’s company after 48 hours, but it’s always a blast getting together with these guys — a strong bond over roller coasters.
-Andrew
1. Coastermania 2018 at Cedar Point
In 2018, almost all of the Coaster101 team converged once again at Cedar Point for the annual Coastermania event, which included ERT on the new-for-2018 Steel Vengeance. It was the first time many of us had ridden the much-anticipated RMC coaster, and, for me at least, it lived up to the hype.
On the day of the main event, we were at the park entrance just as the sun was rising, and we were some of the last to leave. It was an unforgettable 18-hour day spent riding 18 roller coasters. The day also included a Q&A with the park’s director of communication, Tony Clark, some amazing food and ERT on additional rides like Valravn and Top Thrill Dragster.
Read more about our three days at Cedar Point for Coastermania 2018 here.
– John
Coaster101 15 to 15 Giveaway #6
We continue our “15 to 15” giveaways with another Coaster101 Prize Pack! To enter, leave a comment below telling us your favorite park memory.
You can enter now through 11:59 p.m. ET tonight.
Giveaway Rules
- The entry period for this giveaway will run until 11:59 p.m. ET tonight. We’ll email the winner tomorrow.
- To remain eligible for your prize pack, you will need to respond with your name and mailing address within 24 hours of receiving the email notification.
- One entry per person.
- Unfortunately, we are unable to ship Prize Packs outside of the U.S.
Finally, keep an eye out for the next 15 to 15 tomorrow as we continue celebrating 15 years online!
Good luck!
Having SFGAm as my home park, I really enjoyed the trips to Great America and Indiana Beach!
I have quite of few fond memories from parks, but my favorites have to either be from 2017 when I visited Universal Orlando for the first time during Dueling Dragons closing week, and to my surprise, found that the ride was a walk on all day long(Unlike John’s experience). This allowed me to get 10+ rides on each. I also have a really fond memory from this year on the day after Maxx Force opened. I was pretty desperate and showed up to the park two hours early, and then found that Maxx Force may not open at all. I decided that since I had nothing better to do, I might as well wait, and I ended up waiting well over 6 hours for the ride to actually open, but it was well worth it(sorta).
My family was on a long road trip, and the last night of it we were at Cedar Point. My brother and I stayed till midnight to try and get the last ride of the night on Maverick. We did and in the front row. Then we rolled back! It was the definition of ending with a bang. A front-row midnight rollback on Maverick to close out our trip.
We used to get away with a lot of stuff at Cedar Point in the 70s that I doubt would fly now. The last train of the night on Blue Streak was always employees, not in uniform of course. We’d make sure the lap bar did not lock. Think of what you could do!
One of my most memorable “trips” was headed back to the Cedars dorm after the Circus employee rec center (bar!) closed. It was about 2am during Corkscrew’s first year in 1976. Maintenance was running trains while working on the ride. Hey! Give us a ride! We got on and just kept going around in complete darkness until they decided to let us off.
So many family trips to choose from. Probably my best memories were watching my kids conquer each coaster. Progressing to taller and faster all the time.
One of my favorite theme park memories was from the one time I went to SFOG during Holiday in the Park in 2015. The weather was cold and wet which kept the crowds away, but it was not cold and wet enough to close the park. Walk ons all day, and a ride on Goliath with no one else on it. I was all by myself!
My favorite experience was actually a school trip to Six Flags and having fun with friends playing the games and riding the Ferris wheel. It was different to go with a group of friends than just family. However, during the day time, we got to see the water show and pretty much ride on all the rides. It was cool to see the place from each end. I honestly enjoyed the fun to challenge friends in the water shooting game and tossing balls to win prizes. We got to go on my favorite ride, skull mountain, and did that a few times. It was possibly during 2000 in May.
The Orion announcement