SkyScreamer opens at Six Flags St. Louis

by Joel Bullock on
There are a number of new tower rides debuting this year at amusement parks across the country. One of the tallest is Six Flags St. Louis’ SkyScreamer. At 234 feet tall, the ride lifts guests in chair swings some 23 stories above the park. Then at that lofty height, SkyScreamer spins riders at 43 mph. The ride should offer some great views if you’re brave enough to look down. Acrophobics should steer clear of this one.

A few days ago, SkyScreamer opened. Guests pointed to the ride’s similarity to the old school amusement park staple, known as the swing carousel or wave swinger. Of course SkyScreamer is about ten times taller than those rides.


Morey’s Piers plans a massive new wooden roller coaster

by Joel Bullock on


Morey’s Piers, located in Wildwood, New Jersey, is planning on building a $10 million wooden roller coaster. The yet-to-be-named attraction will be so large that it will span two of the park’s piers. Two names that the park’s owners are considering are ‘Wildwoody’ and ‘Boardwalk Flyer’. The new wooden coaster is rumored to be designed by Great Coasters International (GCI). They are the designers behind such world-class rides as Thunderhead at Dollywood and Lightning Racer at Hersheypark. The new ride is scheduled to open in 2013.

Morey’s Piers is my favorite seaside amusement park as they already boast a fun wooden coaster in Great White and two steel looping roller coasters in the Great Nor’Easter and the Sea Serpent. I’ll definitely be planning a trip back to Wildwood to check out the park and the new ride. NJ.com has more about Morey’s Piers new roller coaster.

[Photo credit – Flickr User wfyurasko]

4 U.S. cities that need a major theme park

by Joel Bullock on

A glance at a map of the United States makes my theme park-addicted mind flag the states and cities with theme parks. To me, the states without theme parks look like big holes in the map. I figured I’d list the cities that I feel could use a major theme park. I’m going to preface this list by admitting that I have a completely outsider’s view of these cities. I’m going mainly on the population, so feel free to inform me of any local issues or reasons why theme parks aren’t there. And by theme park, I mean a 100-acre or more amusement park with roller coasters, thrill rides, and the typical attractions people associate with these parks.

A theme park developer once told me during an interview that the U.S. market is already pretty saturated and that it was unlikely that we would see new large theme parks. I’m no theme park businessman, but I find that a little hard to believe. Here are the cities that I feel need a theme park.

4 – Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville was recently the center of what looks to be at worst a hoax, and at best a well-meaning, but unlikely new project. Last month a developer unveiled plans for a $750 million theme park in nearby Spring Hill, TN. Since the announcement a number of questions have arisen around the developers background. There are about 1.2 million people in the Nashville metro area and around 600,000 in the city itself. There are two great smaller parks, Holiday World and Dollywood, that are about 3 hours away, but I’d still like to see Nashville with its own major theme park.3 – Phoenix, Arizona
AZ Central recently recounted the proposed Phoenix area theme parks and attractions that for one reason or another haven’t made it off the ground. They included an indoor ski park, Decades Theme Park, and the Mesa Waveyard. Aside from the climate, AZ Central goes on to point out the competition area attractions would have. A theme park would have to compete with a little attraction known as the Grand Canyon and the area’s other natural points of interest. The latest proposed project is an indoor theme park that would include a ski area and a water park. With 1.4 million in the city and 4 million in the metro area, the city definitely has the population to support a major theme park.

2 – New Orleans, Louisianna
After Hurricane Katrina flooded Six Flags New Orleans in 2005, the park remained abandoned for years. There were a few plans to re-open the park, but they fell through. Even as recent as last summer, the park looked like it was left in such dissaray (see video) that you’d think an apocalyptic event had happened. Something that removed the patrons and workers, but left the rides to rot and merchandise to lay out in the streets. New Orleans has over a million people and no competing major parks that are relatively close. The new park should probably be placed further away from the coastline or lake, but New Orleans seems like a city where a theme park could thrive.

1 – Houston, Texas
With a population of 2.1 million people and a warm climate, I can’t imagine why there isn’t a major theme park in Houston. Since the city lost Six Flags AstroWorld back in 2005, theme park fans have had to trek to San Antonio or Dallas to visit a large theme park. An eco theme park, called EarthQuest Adventures has been planned for the Houston area for a few years now. According to news from last summer, the new park is slated to open in 2013 in New Caney, Texas about 25 miles north of Houston. However, I couldn’t find an official opening date on the park’s website.

What city would you say needs a theme park? Do you know a reason why one of these cities shouldn’t get a theme park?

Photo Credit: Intamin10

Five ways roller coasters have changed since you were a kid

by Joel Bullock on



Roller coasters have evolved immensely since they were patented in 1898. Advances in technology in recent history have also triggered a number of exciting changes in the way we enjoy today’s thrill rides. In the past two decades roller coasters have reached greater heights and speeds than ever. In 1991, the looping coaster boom was winding down. Throughout the 1980’s amusement parks added roller coasters that turned riders upside-down on both a large and small scale. There was a good chance you could find a roller coaster with a loop or even two. The next craze was just beginining as theme parks created what’s been called The Coaster Arms Race as parks battled to create the tallest and fastest roller coasters. Rather than emphasizing loops, most of these coasters emphasized height and speed. Twenty years ago, in 1991, the new contender to the height and speed championship, Steel Phantom, opened at Kennywood.

Launch coasters revolutionized the industry
Probably the most noticeable technological advancement in the the past two decades is of the birth of launch roller coasters. Originally, driven by powerful magnets, these coasters don’t need a traditional lift hill to generate speed. Instead, they rocket guests to blistering speeds in only a matter of seconds. In, 1991 Steel Phantom set a new speed record of 80 mph thanks to a drop down a natural ravine. Today, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World uses a hydraulic launch that accelerates riders from 0 to to an unprecedented 150 mph in under 5 seconds.

Riders experience every riding position imaginable
If a roller coaster fan from 1991 entered a theme park in 2011, they would marvel at the wide variety of roller coasters. A number of new seating positions have created exciting new experiences that were not around a few decades ago. Today, riders find themselves below tracks on ski lift-like inverted coasters and face down in a Superman-like flying position all while being thrown into a variety of loops and maneuvers. The most unnerving new ride position can be experienced on 4th dimension roller coasters like Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2. Like the combination of a spinning amusement ride and a moving roller coaster, these thrill machines place riders outside the track in seats that spin on their own axis. Meanwhile, the roller coaster travels enormous heights and insane speeds.

Roller coasters achieve lofty heights and provide unbelievable drops
The aforementioned Steel Phantom boasted a once record-breaking drop of 225 feet. Currently, the World’s longest drop (and tallest roller coaster) can be found on Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. It nearly doubles Steel Phantom with a 418′ drop from a 440′ tall tower where riders are said to be able to see both Philadelphia and New York City on a clear day.

These are not your father’s wooden roller coasters
Even wooden roller coasters have seen changes. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure features an ultra-smooth and un-wooden like ride with super steep angles. The Gravity Group designed roller coasters like Hades and The Voyage have featured extreme 90 degree banking that hadn’t been seen on wooden coasters until recently.

Steep drops have gotten a whole lot steeper
That stomach dropping feeling has been taken to a whole new level with today’s ultra-steep roller coasters. Rides like the new Untamed at Canobie Lake and Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia are so steep that the coasters actually travel back up under the crest of their drops. Currently, the United Kingdom’s Mumbo Jumbo at Flamingo Land holds the record with an unreal 112-degree drop.
Roller coasters have changed in so many ways over the years and these were just a few. Do you think that they’ve changed for the better? What’s your take?

Photo Credits: MrProgrammer, Six Flags, & Chrkl

Las Vegas to get a London Eye-like Ferris wheel & amusement park

by Joel Bullock on




In an effort to boost Las Vegas’ family appeal, Clark County commissioners have approved plans to build a new amusement park on the Las Vegas Strip. Located at the former site of the Cloud Nine Balloon near Mandalay Bay, the 9-acre attraction will include shops, restaurants, and several roller coasters.

The new amusement park’s biggest draw will likely be a massive $100 million dollar Ferris wheel in the vein of the London Eye. Like that attraction, developers hope Vegas’ wheel will be as popular and as iconic. The 500-foot tall Ferris wheel will feature air conditioned, family room-sized gondolas. The amusement park and Ferris wheel are set to open in 2013. Las Vegas’ KTNV has more.

This seems to be part of a growing trend as similar observation wheels have been proposed at the New Jersey Meadowlands and in downtown Atlanta. Cities likely see them as strong revenue producers thanks to the success of the London Eye, one of London’s top tourist attractions.

[Image credit: Flickr user – Wilfried.b]