Gadlinks for Tuesday 8.4.09

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome to this Tuesday’s installment of Gadlinks. What weird, wondrous and wacky tales did we dig up from the travel world today? Read on to find out:

  • Like Rollercoasters? Maybe it’s time you booked a ticket to Shanghai, where China’s largest amusement park is set to open its gates next week. That looks like quite a wooden coaster! [Via Jaunted]
  • Looking to be inspired? This plan by two dozen homeless men in Poland to build and sail a ship around the world is an absolutely amazing story. [Via The NYT]
  • We shouldn’t forget that some of our country’s best beaches aren’t on the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans – they’re on the Great Lakes. How about this list of Seven Michigan Lake Towns to get you started? They forgot my favorite, South Haven. [Via Intelligent Traveler]
  • Sometimes, despite our best efforts to get “off the beaten trail” we end up in what is otherwise known as the dreaded tourist trap. Don’t fret, Esquire has a Five-Minute Guide to American Tourist Traps like the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and Yellowstone. The hordes of tourists are still there, but you’ll have the upper hand. [Via World Hum]

More Gadlinks HERE.

Universal Studios Orlando unveils Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

by Grant Martin on

Universal Studios in Orlando just released plans and animations of their new ride, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, a state of the art roller coaster ride with all sorts of new features.

The experience starts before you even get in the ride vehicle. People movers have been integrated into the launchpad to streamline vehicle loading and unloading, meaning more launches and faster lines. Once you get into the vehicle (pictured) you have a personal bucket seat and Guest Interface Panel, where you can select a soundtrack for your journey that plays through integrated speakers.

Vehicles are staged in stadium style seating, meaning everyone gets a front row seat — which is important, because 14 cameras along the ride will be filming you. At the end of the journey, clips from each camera will be beamed to the video desk on the way out, so you can purchase a custom tailored video of you screaming your head off.

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit represents the newest, most cutting edge technology in roller coaster design. We can’t wait to get onboard.

New Cedar Point Roller Coaster Opens In May

by Jonathon Morgan on

I grew up in Ohio, about an hour’s drive from Cedar Point, the amusement park often ranked as the best in the world. I can remember fearing for my life, and trying not to puke, as I flew hundreds of feet into the air on the park’s 17 coasters.

This year there’s a new addition to the park: Maverick. The coaster will take riders 105 feet into the air at a 20 degree angle, just before sending them racing downward at a 95 degree angle — reaching a top speed of 70 mph.

The track is finished, and workers are now focused on the $21 million ride’s electrical and underground utilities systems. Awesome!

Sounds like I need to plan a trip to Sandusky this summer.