Traveling the Globe for the Best Coasters and Theme Parks
The year is 1860. Thunder Mesa has been virtually wiped off the map by an earthquake, with its infrastructure largely destroyed. Big Thunder Mining Co. is now shuttered, but indigenous spirits still possess the mine trains to this day.
Continue reading “The Best Big Thunder Mountain”
While we’ve ranked all of Disney’s Space Mountains before, such an article can only spend so much time showcasing the pure brilliance of Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain. After another recent trip to our french Disney home park across the pond, we decided to highlight this dazzling masterpiece of a roller coaster in a dedicated article.
Continue reading “The Best Space Mountain”
Due to the pandemic our last visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain (Sean and Alex) was early 2020. We were so excited to head back and spend a day and night at the Valencia theme park. The housing development behind the park that’s currently under construction provides some great views of the park. Let’s see how Magic Mountain’s collection of coasters is holding up!
Continue reading “The Backside of Magic – Magic Mountain Fall 2021”
One of our favorite parks in the country is Silver Dollar City. After a week delay, during which we went to Dollywood instead, we finally made it back out to the Ozarks for two days at the charming park.
Continue reading “Silver Dollar City – Fall 2021”
Six Flags Magic Mountain, the undisputed “Thrill Capital of the World,” in partnership with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and DC, today unveiled plans to add yet another record-breaking coaster—WONDER WOMAN™ Flight of Courage—to its unparalleled thrill ride lineup. Six Flags Magic Mountain’s record 20th roller coaster—the most at any theme park in the world—will debut as the tallest and longest single-rail coaster on the planet where riders will fly over 3,300 feet of track, towering 13 stories and soaring at speeds up to 58 miles-per-hour. The new coaster will be located in the six-acre DC UNIVERSE™ area of the park, which will be expanded and entirely remodeled to include a new, innovative restaurant and bar experience, plus retail locations featuring exclusive DC branded merchandise.
Continue reading “Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces Record 20th Coaster WONDER WOMAN Flight of Courage”
Despite actually having a trip planned to sister theme park Silver Dollar City, we ended up ditching our flights and jumping in the car to drive to Dollywood this week. While the drive from Orlando isn’t particularly convenient, it was good to get out of the city for a quick trip to one of our favorite parks. Let’s look at our day at the park including the good and the bad.
Continue reading “Dollywood – Fall 2021”
There’s nothing more coveted by coaster enthusiasts than an amazing night ride on one of their favorite coasters. As we get into the Halloween season many parks are staying open later. So we thought we’d rank what we consider the ten best parks for night rides. Get ready to add some evening park visits to your bucket list!
Continue reading “The Ten Best Parks for Night Rides”
There’s considerable carnage over at Animal Kingdom’s Dino-Land U.S.A.! Let’s see how Primeval Whirl is looking:
Continue reading “Primeval Whirl Demolition”
The awakening of a monster in Gröna Lund brought us to Stockholm this year. In the subways, the park found something lurking that guest can now enjoy at the park. We’re of course talking about Europe’s newest B&M: Monster!
Continue reading “Gröna Lund 2021 – Monster and more!”
Halloween Horror Nights has returned to Universal Studios Hollywood and they have returned with a clear goal in mind – to scare the living daylights out of us! But how is this event holding up after last year’s absence? With many old mazes and a few new, explore the frights with us as we delve into this year’s haunt!
Continue reading “Universal Studios Hollywood – Halloween Horror Nights 2021 Review”
Let’s get the camera rolling cause we visited Movie Park Germany this month! We couldn’t resist visiting to experience their brand new rollercoaster: Movie Park Studio Tour. A special launched family coaster which offers both a dark ride and a coaster. Next to that, I guided our European Coaster Kings members Alex from Spain and James from the UK during their first visit to the park. Want to know the tips? Continue reading!
Continue reading “Movie Park Studio Tour – September 2021”
It’s that time a year again! Welcome to Coaster Kings’ 3rd annual Twenty Year Top 20, where we count down our picks for the twenty best coasters turning 20 in 2021!
Continue reading “Twenty-Year Top 20: The Best Coasters of 2001”
“If the 225 foot drop down a 55 degree descent doesn’t terrify you, maybe knowing that the Desperado is one of the tallest roller coasters in the country will.” Was seen captioned on “Vegas.com”. Let’s take a closer look at Nevada’s wildest roller coaster that hasn’t been seen in years!
Continue reading “Desperado Testing Update”
The pandemic has been a blow for everyone. Horrorland, Spain’s main scream park, was ready to open but had to cancel their 2020 edition a week before opening due to then-new restrictions. Now they raised like a phoenix, and the team is back for another year of screams and scares!
Continue reading “Horrorland Preview 2021”
October is around the corner and that can only mean one thing, it’s time for some spooks at the one and only Knott’s Scary Farm!
Continue reading “Knott’s Scary Farm – 2021 Opening Night Review”
After having a modified event last year without any traditional haunted houses, Howl-o-Scream has returned to form in 2021, and it’s great to have it back! This year’s event features five haunted houses, eight scare zones, two shows and an excellent lineup of coasters in the dark. We got to check it out last weekend, so read on to find out our thoughts on the event!
Orlando’s got some big theme parks, and that includes SeaWorld Orlando. Home to marine life, roller coasters, water rides, and more! How does SeaWorld Orlando hold up on a global scale? Let’s find out.
Continue reading “SeaWorld Orlando – Crown Rating”
We’ve wanted to write a Flying Coaster Top 5 for years now, but a certain Dutch prototype project in Germany made us take pause. Now that we have F.L.Y. under our belts, we ask ourselves: how does Vekoma’s flying coaster reset stack up against the flying coasters of the preceding 20 years?
Continue reading “The Top 5 Flying Coasters”
After a shorter day at Worlds of Fun, Pete and I had come to our final day and park of the Missouri Triangle. Six Flags St. Louis opened in 1971 as the third and final Six Flags park developed under the vision of Angus Wynne – before expansion switched from new park development to acquisition. It is apparent that the concept had been streamlined by the third try. While the six flag-themed areas remained, far less emphasis was placed on nation specific theming. By the 70s it was obvious rides are why people went to Six Flags and the park opened with multiple of what made the Six Flags concept work: two Arrow log flumes, two Arrow mine trains, and two Arrow car rides. While the park has undergone some dramatic changes through the years, it benefits from this simplified formula, and, despite the changes, the park feels cohesive. What was it about this “lower-tier” Six Flags park that made it a highlight of our trip?
Continue reading “The Missouri Triangle: Part 3 – Six Flags St. Louis”
Shortly before most borders (and theme parks) closed, Alex and I traveled to Disneyland Paris for a few days at one of our favorite parks. At the time we did not realize we’d cancel our next several international trips. This summer we finally were able to leave the US again, and the first park we visited was Disneyland Paris of course. Let’s take a look at the French Disney destination, without the usual crowd!
Continue reading “Disneyland Paris: Our Last International Park Before – and Our First International Park Since – the Pandemic Started.”