Taking the Kids: Checking out the new coasters
Love them or hate them? Maybe your family is divided on the subject of roller coasters; my family has been for as long as I can remember. From the time they were just tall enough, two of my kids couldn't wait to ride the fastest, biggest coasters in the park; the third preferred other attractions.
Me too, especially since I screamed so loud on one coaster that I not only embarrassed my kids, but also lost my voice.
The good news for those coaster lovers out there is that, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, this spring and summer, at large and small theme parks around the country, there are more than two dozen new attractions with unprecedented technology, spins and speed. For example:
-- Swing over a 200-foot cliff at Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs, Colorado, on the new TERROR-DACTYL coaster that goes nearly 100 mph. Think you can savor the views?
-- Spin and loop multiple times seven stories in the air on the new Joker Chaos coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Did I mention you can control how much you spin?
Go backward and forward through a seven-story vertical steel loop at Darien Lake in Darien Center, N.Y.
-- Dive down 137 feet going up to 60 mph on Rougarou at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. As if that isn't enough, the ride is based on a scary werewolf-type creature.
-- Voyage to the Iron Reef at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, on a dark, 3-D ride where you'll encounter hundreds of creatures of the deep as you try to save Knott's from doom.
-- Get catapulted nearly 300 feet in the air at speeds up to 60 mph on Slingshot at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gulp! And that's just a sampling of what's out there. (Check out our Taking the Kids Spring Break section for more of what's new.) Not only are there more thrill rides, but more "dark" rides, like the new 50,000-square-foot "Fast and Furious Supercharged" 3-D motion simulator that has been added to the Hollywood Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood
...continued
(c) 2015 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
