If you’re on the hunt for the perfect holiday gift for a roller coaster enthusiast in 2024, look no further—we’ve got your guide! Since 2011, we’ve been publishing an annual gift guide just for coaster lovers, and our 2024 edition features an exciting range of ideas for every thrill-seeker and theme park fan on your list. This year has been a wild ride, and while it’s great to grab gifts for family and friends, it’s also a perfect chance to support your favorite parks.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a season pass to your enthusiast’s local amusement park, zoo, or aquarium. But if you’re looking for something to wrap, check out our list below! We’ve organized our ideas into categories like books, games, toys, and more, making it easy to find something for every age and interest.

Happy shopping, and feel free to share additional ideas in the comments.

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Any prices listed are subject to change. Last updated: November 26, 2024

Holiday Gift Guide for Coaster Enthusiasts

Coaster101 Merchandise

We’re biased, but we think our 2025 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 100% of the net proceeds to Give Kids The World Village in Florida. What’s better than getting a gift and contributing to charity at the same time? Purchase your calendar here while supplies last.

Do you want to wear your love for Coaster101 on your sleeve? Now you can thanks to TeePublic. The link for our store, which features roller coaster-inspired merchandise, C101 merch and more, is HERE.

Theme Park Books

Images of Modern America: Libertyland is a chronological look at the theme park’s life, from blueprints to its razing and beyond. Photographs were gathered from former park employees, guests, historians, Memphis-area libraries, and the Shelby County Archives. Born and raised in Memphis, Coaster101 founder and author John R. Stevenson V rode his first roller coaster at Libertyland and considers his childhood days spent at the park unforgettable. This book is not only a tribute to Libertyland’s legacy, but also a history lesson for generations of Memphians to come.

Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design by Coaster101’s Nick Weisenberger will show you 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. 5th Edition now available in paperback and hardcover.

There are history books about many theme parks out there, but for some reason, there were none written about Kings Island. This was realized by Kings Island merchandise associate and high school student Evan Ponstingle when park guests asked if there were any books about the history of Kings Island. He decided to change that. Kings Island: A Ride Through Time is a must-read for any Kings Island fans.

A new guidebook for Dollywood was recently released. The Unofficial Dollywood Guide goes through literally every single shop, restaurant, and attraction at the park. There are some illustrated maps but the biggest downside is there are no real pictures.

Want the full scoop on Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park? The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2025 is your key to planning a perfect stay. Whether you’re putting together your annual trip or preparing for your first visit, this book gives you the insider scoop on hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more

Even more theme park books listed here.

Official Park Shops

You want the gear without making the trip? Head to the official park store for drinkware, apparel, accessories, and more!

• Cedar Point
• Kings Island
• Carowinds
• Knott’s Berry Farm
• SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Parks
• Universal Orlando
• Disney Parks
• HersheyPark
• Indiana Beach

Check out the best theme park Black Friday sales here.

Roller Coaster Building Sets and Models

Currently, there’s no better place online for roller coaster toys and models than our good friends CoasterDynamix. Not only do they have the traditional nano-coasters that we’ve come to know and love, but have expanded into wooden “Coaster Cutout” models as well.

If the official LEGO brand roller coasters are out of your price range, there are now off-brand roller coaster models to consider. Mould King even has a LEGO roller coaster with a neat spiral lift!

Want even more LEGO roller coasters? Theme Park Lego MOCs (My Own Creation) are becoming very popular. On Etsy you can find numerous designs of roller coaster cars. Bricks usually aren’t included, just the instructions.

Theme Park Inspired Games

Nearly every classic major Disney attraction has been turned into a board game. In the Disney Space Mountain Game, players will race to see who can complete their missions and visit all 5 Starports first. Not sure what is has to do with the ride other than the name but it features standees of all five Space Mountain rides from around the world. Other Disney attraction inspired games include It’s a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mountain. If you’re looking for a quick game to play with your kids then I do NOT recommend the Haunted Mansion game.

Hunt  A Killer is one of the most popular murder mystery subscription box services. A great way to get a taste without fully committing is one of their standalone games. In Body On The Boardwalk, players investigate the death of a seaside amusement park employee and uncover the park’s dirty secrets that led to her murder.

Theme Park Apparel

Ohio-Based HOMAGE has a variety of Vintage-inspired shirts for the Cedar Point and Kings Island fans on your shopping list. I’ve gotten more comments from strangers when wearing The Beast shirt then any other, great conversation starter.

If you prefer your theme park wear to be more “-inspired” than official logos, be sure to check out the talents of Made to Thrill. Josh Reichlin has some of the best theme park-inspired gear out there, perfect for a little bit of subtlety (and trademark infringement avoiding) in your wardrobe. (Spoiler: This isn’t the last time Made to Thrill is on our list).

Roller Coaster Art

Our own resident photographer and writer, Larry Treece, has reopened his Etsy shop for the holiday season to sell his photographs, some of which have been featured in our annual Coaster101 calendar. He has a variety of prints and decor pieces of coasters such as Steel Vengeance, Fury 325, and The Beast. You can check out his Etsy store HERE. And as a special for Coaster101 readers, if you use the link to the store or use promo code, COASTER101 at checkout, you’ll get 15% off your order!

Told you you’d see them again. Made to Thrill is probably better known for their unique posters. While several of Josh’s designs have made it into parks with “official” partnerships, he still has a variety of amazing roller coaster-inspired prints on his site.

Roller Coaster and Theme Park Video Games

The hottest new theme park related video game this holiday season is Planet Coaster 2. Planet Coaster 2 builds upon the foundation of the original game plus the addition of new management options, expanded social functionality and, of course, the massively requested addition of water parks. Get it on Steam, Epic, Xbox X/S and PlayStation 5.

What gifts are you getting your coaster enthusiast friends? Which coaster gifts are you hoping to find under the tree this year? Know of any good Black Friday or Holiday sales? Discuss in the comments section below, and feel free to recommend additional gift ideas for coaster enthusiasts!