After a nice spring break and lots relaxation i am continuing my list of my favorite Woodie's.
4. Son of Beast- Kings island- OH
Do you see that!? That's a loop on a wooden roller coaster! I know my mind was blown too. This was the only modern roller coaster to have one. It was also the worlds first hyper-Woodie (hyper in front of a coaster means its height is between 200ft and 299ft) the worlds longest wooden roller coaster, longest looping roller coaster and most wood used in a roller coaster. this thing is a Beast. if your ever in the Ohio area ride this thing. The son of beast can hold a candle to it's dad but 200ft of shake goodness exist on this scream machine. i still get thrills thinking of of that drop. the helix (360 turn around) is probably the best part of this ride. the loop was taken of recently and the ride itself may be torn down. it would be a wast of tons of fun and entertainment.
3. Texas Giant- six flags over Texas- TX
This coaster is not one for the faint of heart. its sharp turns and steep drops will put anyone stomach in there throat. it is no longer a wooden coaster (steel rails where added in the 2010 season). this ride is the flagship of modern woodies. This is hands down the beast roller coaster in Texas and the southeast. also the park where this coaster is located is one of the six flags you don't feel like you need a tetanus shot afterwords.
2. The Voyage- Holiday world- Santa Clause,Indiana
I am surprised about how many people don't know about this wonderful ride. The voyage is the smoothest Woodie i have ever ridden. This coaster is smoother than most steel coasters i have ridden. besides that the first drop alone puts this in the top ten. but that doesn't do the justice for the airtime. this monster makes more airtime than any coaster in the u.s. and more that any Woodie in the world. this Terrain / twister coaster is a mandatory ride for any serious coaster nut.
1. the beast.
The only word for this coaster is WOW! and the wow need to be in all caps because this coaster is that good. When this coaster was constructed in 1979 it was one of the worlds fastest and tallest coasters overall. now it is the worlds longest woodies and the worlds favorite. the signature moment of this ride is the tunneled helix that glues you to your seat. Its drop and use of the surrounding terrain make this my favorite Woodie and one of my favorite coasters. this coaster was so popular that it had 2 books written about it by R.L Stine (the goosebumps series writer) Many scientist believe that the coasters creators where guided buy the coaster god when they designed this beast. (Pun intended) This coaster is the mecca of roller coasters. if you don't ride this thing you are missing out on one of man's greatest achievements. that's why this is the greatest wooden rollercoaster ever made.
Hello readers! this week I am posting a 1/2 list of my 10 favorite Wooden roller coasters. if you don't know what a wooden roller coaster is the name basically describes it; It is a coaster made of wood. these rickety old beast are a little rough but they are extremely fun to ride. if you are ever near one of these coasters make sure to put them on the top off your ride list. all of these coasters i have ridden so these are off my own experiences. if you disagree please put your debate in the comment section.
10. Coney Island Cyclone- Coney island Astro land- New York, NY
- This coaster is an oldey but a goody. This is the oldest roller coaster i have ridden and the second to be listed as a American Coaster Enthusiast Coaster landmark (the other one was The lock-ness monster in Williamsburg, VA) This ride has seen better days, yet she still has a lot of character. It will not break any records for height or speed. Yet, what stands out the most about this scream machine is the first drop. your stomach will be in your throat after this thrilling 65 degree plunge. I think that this drop is more intense that the 90 degree drops i have experienced. For the complete experience go during the 4th of July and watch the Nathans hot dog eating contest. Your never quite the same watching someone eat 60 hot-dogs.
9. The Comet- The Great Escape- Lake George, NY
This coaster is probably the only reason to go to the Great Escape park. It is put way in the back of the park when it should be the flag ship ride of the park. It is an out and back Twister coaster that never ceases to thrill me. it started out as The cyclone in an amusement park near Niagara falls. It had a reputation of being the roughest roller coaster in Canada in the 20's.(so its average by u.s. standard) there was actually a first aid station right outside the exit. The park closed down during the 60's and the ride stayed dormant until the 90's when six flags bought the ride for expansion of The great escape. The owners restored it and know it is one of the best woodies out there. also this easily has the best line out of the ten because of the park.
8. The Grizzly-Kings Dominion- Doswell, VA.
This coaster was my first woodie. It is a twister terrain coaster (Terrain coasters use the natural terrain to increase the experience of the ride.) This ride twist and turns you trough the dense forest of Virginia. Its signature moment is the helix that sends you through a tunnel that's darker than the depths of hell. the ride is a little hard to see from the park because of the wooded layout. If you can pull yourself away from the other rides of the park, this is a great Woodie.
7&6. Gwazi- Bush Gardens Tampa- Tampa Bay FL
You may be asking why this coaster is number 7 and 6. this is because it is 2 coasters in one!
Gwazi is a dueling coaster. that means that it has 2 tracks that "battle" each other. one side of the track is themed as a lion while the other is a tiger. These rides twist and turns together to look like they are going to hit each other. i had the privilege to ride both coasters and the tiger one is a little more enjoyable. Bush gardens always does a good job on its coasters (except dracen fire, we can forget about that one)
5. Hurricane: Category 5- Myrtle beach pavilion- Myrtle Beach, SC
Hurricane's life may have been sort lived, but damn did it live it well. It's 100ft drop, swooping turns and perfectly rough track led this ride strait into my heart. the view from the top of the lift has yet to be topped by any coaster i have ridden. This ride was demolished in 2006 but it was the highlight of my vacation during its closing year. This coaster lives on in the memories of the people who rode it. when it was demolished parts of the wood and the trains went into the Son of the Beast the first modern wooden roller coaster.
This is the end of part I of my list. Next weeks post will continue on with this list. hear are videos of the coasters.
today i will be talking about the park closest to my current home. Elitch gardens is an amusement park in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is one of the most historic amusement parks in the west, being opened in 1890
this is a map of Elitch Gardens during the 2010 season.
The park was originally owned by the Elitch Family until it moved to its current location . It has 5 roller coasters and a water park.
when i review amusement parks i will be using the 5 star system. the total stars for the park will be the average of several categories; which are park atmosphere, roller coasters/ rides, food, and price.
I personally went to the park the summer of 2009 with my dad, his co-worker and his son Edmond. it was 35$ a ticket so it was nothing to bad. My first impression of the park was how cramped it felt. it wasn't the people (the park was actually pretty vacant) it was the rides being so close together. The theme was average at best with little thrills. i did notice the view of the Rocky mountains and Invesco Field impressive. the staff was mostly Seniors and teenagers. they were helpful but don't expect them to come to you to make sure you have a good time. the food was o.k too just the typical park fair of hot dogs and funnel cakes.
Rides: some of the rides have seen better days; others need to go to the scrap heap, burned and hope it doesn't infect other parks.
burn it! burn it now!
the park had 4 real rollercoasters and one kiddy coaster. The mind eraser is the generic 2 seat Vekoma inverted suspend coaster. This is the same mind eraser you will find at most six-flag parks. it is a little rough but most of the rides are hear. After that i rode the sidewinder, a shuttle looping coaster. (shuttle means it goes forwards and backwards) it was fun until someone peed there pants on the ride and it was closed the entire day. the next coaster was Twister II. This is the only decent coaster at the park. It reminded me of a mix of the Hurler at Kings Dominion mixed with the shakiness of the coney island cyclone. It is a nice old woody but is doesn't crack any of my top ride list. The other coaster is Boomerang, It is the basic Backwards lift hill lopper that you order from the factory. Only Twister II left a good taste in my mouth about this park. but beggars cannot be choosers.
Overall: 2.5 stars C- in my book. this park is nothing special but when there is only 1 other park in the state (lakeside amusement park which looks like a good place to get mugged) you can be the average sized fish in a cup of water.
its true.
here are videos of the roller coasters at the park. enjoy
