Germany Enters Coaster Arms Race
Tuesday December 2, 2008
At 128 mph, Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey is currently the world's fastest (and tallest) coaster. But the U.S. won't reign supreme for long. Now under construction at Germany's Nurburgring Race Track is ring racer (sic), a compressed-air launched coaster that will accelerate from 0 to 135 mph in 2.5 seconds. Unlike any other coaster, however, ring racer will reportedly not include any inversions, banked turns, or any other elements. In fact, it apparently won't even include any hills. Created exclusively for speed, the ride will run parallel to the famous German raceway on a straight track, and then turn around and head back to the loading station. Want to know which thrill machines round out the list of record breakers? Read my new World's 10 Fastest Roller Coasters (which actually includes 15 coasters).
A rendering of the F1 Thrust Air coaster train that will be used on ring racer. S&S Worldwide, Inc.
Ohio's Sands Turns on Water, Gets Muddied
Monday December 1, 2008
A few months after it opened, the Maui Sands Indoor Water Park Resort in Sandusky, Ohio has closed its doors. According to WTOL-TV, the resort filed for bankruptcy but plans to reorganize and reopen in May 2009. A combination of competition (Sandusky is home to three other major water park resorts: Castaway Bay, Great Wolf Lodge, and the Kalahari), opening before construction was completely finished, and poor planning may have contributed to the Maui Sands' downfall. The brutal economy surely didn't help either.
Photo: Like water in the sands. The Maui Sands Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. Maui Sands Resort. Used with permission.
Everybody Out of the Water!
Saturday November 29, 2008
Click over to the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark Web site and you'll get a headline promising "365 Days of Summer!" Not quite. In a change to its always-open policy, the Lake George, New York attraction will be open weekends only through the fall and into the winter. Folks will still be able to ride the Boogie Bear surfing simulator and other attractions at the Great Escape Lodge on weekdays during school vacations and holidays, however. (Correction: According to The Great Escape, the hotel and indoor water park will be open select weekdays through the end of the year and is scheduled to be open daily in 2009.) It's a trend that appears to be gaining some traction.
Read more...Score One for this Site
Friday November 28, 2008
One of the more intriguing Web sites about coasters and parks is ThrillScore. After creating a free account, park fans can log in and keep track of the coasters and other rides they've experienced. They can also rate them. ThrillScore maintains and aggregates the stats so that visitors can search for rides and parks and see how members score them overall. When I last checked, the top-scoring ride at the site was Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia, while the top-scoring park was Ohio's Cedar Point. What if you'd rather not wait until you get home to a computer to rate rides after a day at a park? No problem. ThrillScore has a new mobile feature that allows members to rate rides from their cell phones. Check it out.
Hummable Humbug at Universal Orlando
Tuesday November 25, 2008
While it may be better known for its Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Orlando serves up more holiday cheer with its Christmastime celebrations. Find out how Boris Karloff bridges both events in my exclusive interview with the Florida resort's Michael Roddy. He talks about Islands of Adventure's ambitious musical production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the participation of Mannheim Steamroller, and how Universal Studios Florida transplants the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Read more about Universal Orlando's 2008 holiday events.
Photo: The Grinch isn't such a mean one with Cindy Lou Who at Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando. Used with permission.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...to Travel
About.com Blog Carnival
Sunday November 23, 2008
There may be no place like home for the holidays. But lots of folks spend at least some of the holiday season traveling. Sometimes they're gathering together with their extended families in far-flung places to celebrate the holidays and squeezing in some sightseeing time. Other times, they're packing off for holiday-season vacations--perhaps to get far away from their families. Whatever the reason, there are some fascinating places to visit in the U.S. and around the world during the holidays. And who better to bring you a rundown of holiday hotspots than the merry band of elves here at About.com? My colleagues on the site's Travel Channel have recently begun collaborating for Blog Carnivals about a variety of topics, and this month I'm pleased to host an About.com roundup of great places to visit for the holidays.
Read more...The, a, Award Goes To...
Thursday November 20, 2008
This week, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions held its Expo in Orlando. The annual confab brings together members of the industry for an enormous trade show (with operating rides!), symposiums, and more. The Themed Entertainment Association used the occasion to announce its highly regarded Thea awards, which are sort of the park industry's equivalent of the Oscars. Congratulations to all of the winners, which include the following highlights:
- Thea Classic Award: EPCOT, Walt Disney World, Florida
- Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement (AOA), Attraction: The Simpsons Ride, Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood
- Thea AOA, New Theme Park Land: Jungala, Busch Gardens Africa, Florida
- Thea AOA, Live Show: Finding Nemo, The Musical, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
RIP Astroland and Hard Rock Park? Not so Fast.
Tuesday November 18, 2008
It's been T-minus-almost-zero in the countdown to scrap Coney Island's Astroland before, and it's managed to hang on. The scrappy Brooklyn, New York park certainly appeared to be orbit-bound a few weeks ago, but don't count it out quite yet. According to the New York Post, the City of New York may be on the brink of closing a deal to purchase prime Coney Island property from developer Thor Equities and finally embark on a deadlocked plan to rezone and redevelop the storied amusement area. And Astroland could be part of the plan.
Read more...Take the Poll: Best New Coaster for 2008
Tuesday November 18, 2008
There were plenty of new thrill machines that debuted this past season. Which one do you think topped them all? Granted, it's unlikely that any About.com Theme Parks users sampled every single new coaster, but we have a well-traveled, coaster-happy gang here, so I think you're qualified to cast your vote. Also, I know it's not necessarily fair to compare a steel hypercoaster to a more traditional woodie, but who said polls were necessarily fair? (Right, Al Gore?) Note that I've listed most of the major coasters that debuted in 2008, although I didn't include ones that moved from one park to another (such as Michigan Adventure's Thunderhawk, which was transplanted from Geauga Lake) or coasters that got a makeover (such as X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain). After you take the poll, please feel free to expound on your choice by clicking on "Comments" below.
Read more...Bob to Build a Coaster at Legoland
Monday November 17, 2008
The hardhat-wearing star of the popular PBS kids show, "Bob the Builder," will bring his construction skills to Legoland parks next year with the debut of the new 4-D attraction, Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster. The show is set to open in March 2009 at the Legoland parks in California and the UK, followed by April openings in the Denmark and Germany parks. The 10-minute presentation will feature 3-D footage (yup, goofy glasses required) and "4-D" sensory effects such as wind and spritzes of water. Bob the Builder is already a Lego product, so the theme park tie-in makes great sense.
Photo: "My mouth and eyes don't move, but I built all that stuff!" Legoland. Used with permission.