Roller coasters are multi-million dollar investments that amusement parks spend countless dollars and time in designing, building, and maintaining. But lately it seems like we’ve seen more roller coasters and classic thrill rides closed and dismantled than ever before. Why...
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Looking Back at Pleasureland – Part II
After a short hiatus over the cold winter, we’re back with another look at Southport and it’s amusement park. In part one, we looked at the park in transition through the 2000s, from closing up to the re-opening under the...
Continue reading...Carowinds Adding Vintage Flat Rides in 2017
We’re just 36 days away from the opening day of Carowinds‘ 2016 season — a season that promises to build on park’s successful 2015 campaign with the rebranding and expansion of Carowinds’ existing Boomerang Bay water park into “Carolina Harbor,” and...
Continue reading...The Niagara SkyWheel
If you ever find yourself at Niagara Falls and want a unique view of the breathtaking waterfalls, take a ride on the Niagara SkyWheel! This attraction opened in 2006, stands 175 feet tall and was designed and built by Chance...
Continue reading...Abandoned Geauga Lake Amusement Park from Above
The Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio, last operated on September 16, 2007. Cedar Fair, the park’s short-term operator, later salvaged and auctioned off the park’s valuables, piece by piece. Many of the park’s roller coasters moved to other parks...
Continue reading...An Interview with New Carowinds General Manager Brad Marcy
This year, Carowinds will be welcoming several new attractions – among them, the Carolina Harbor water park rebranding and expansion and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 3Z Arena. Also “new for 2016” is General Manager Brad Marcy, who comes to Carowinds after...
Continue reading...Model Train Turns into Wicked Roller Coaster
All aboard the Mine Escape: a model train ride like no other. What begins as an innocent train ride through a dark mine turns wild after an Expedition Everest-like reverse switch-track segment. The train quickly accelerates, passing through various cavern-like set pieces before escaping into...
Continue reading...Storm Chaser Construction Update
Is it storm chasing time yet? While there are still pieces of Storm Chaser track arriving at Kentucky Kingdom, the coaster continues to make significant progress. You can see the horizontal ledgers in place that there are still a few...
Continue reading...Analyzing The Teases for Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2017 Project
On January 29, Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s social media channels posted a message that said “There’s something going on in our engineering department. Stay tuned…” with a link to the following video, featuring Busch Gardens Vice President of Marketing, Dan Dipiazzo....
Continue reading...Wooden Coaster Model You Have to See to Believe
Last March, we interviewed Brad Corben, who was working on an incredible Rocky Mountain Construction wooden roller coaster model. After 14 months of hard work and patience, Brad’s “Ironside – The Viking Warrior” coaster model is complete — and it looks amazing:...
Continue reading...Lightning Rod Construction Tour + Train Reveal
Although Dollywood is closed for the season, the park was bustling with activity over the weekend as crews continued work on the new-for-2016 Lightning Rod launched (yeah, launched) wooden coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). On Saturday, American Coaster Enthusiasts...
Continue reading...Smoky Mountain Alpine Coasters Comparison
If you’re going to be in the Pigeon Forge area this coming spring for the premiere of Lightning Rod at Dollywood, you might also want to take a ride on one of the four alpine coasters in the region. What...
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