What's New at Theme Parks and Amusement Parks?

In summer 2009, SeaWorld will up the thrill quotient with Manta, a themed flying coaster. What's a flying coaster, you ask? Passengers will be harnessed in a near-prone position under Manta's trains as they soar through the air and skim along the water.

Kings Island has a lot of wonderful roller coasters, and is especially regarded for its legendary woodie, Beast. For its 14th thrill machine, however, the park will be filling a void in its ride arsenal by uncoiling Diamondback, a steel hypercoaster in 2009.

This sleek woodie will wind its way through the woods and feel a lot faster than its top speed of 51 mph. Find out why.

For 2009, Indiana's Holiday World will debut the world's tallest water ride, Pilgrims Plunge. The shoot-the-chutes attraction will take 10-passenger boats up a 135-foot hill using an elevator lift and drop them 131 feet at a 45-degree angle. The boats will reach a top speed of 50 mph and will create a cascade of water 90 feet wide and 45 feet tall.

It's a bit curious to have a wooden coaster themed to the Terminator sci-fi film franchise. But the coaster ride itself, which is being designed and built by the acclaimed Great Coasters International, should be wonderful.

Fans of one of the most beloved series of books and films will be able to visit J.K. Rowling's fanciful lands and characters when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter comes to Universal Orlando in late 2009.

The transformed park will include a new entry plaza, a new Cars Land, new attractions, a new nighttime spectacular, and more.

The blockbuster film and toy franchise, Transformers, would seem to be ideally suited for a theme park attraction. It's flashy, it's part of the cultural zeitgeist, it's larger than life, and...it's GIANT ROBOTS! THAT CAN TRANSFORM! In early 2011, Universal Studios Hollywood will bring the changeable robots to life. The Transformers oeuvre demands an over-the-top attraction--the kind that Universal Studios, home of Terminator 2:3-D, Jurassic Park-The Ride, and Revenge of the Mummy, is more than capable of delivering.

New parks, new coasters, new shows-- 2008 is shaping up to be quite a season at theme parks and amusement parks. No matter where you may live throughout North America or where your vacation travels may be taking you this year, there's bound to be some new excitement awaiting you--and all of the new rides, shows, and other attractions are listed here.

I know: It's only rock & roll. But nearly everyone likes it. And nearly everyone will get a kick out of the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.