Python at Busch Gardens Africa 1977-2007 Themeparkfanatic 2024-10-21 | Python at Busch Gardens Africa 1977-2007
Boomerang at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-17 | This is Boomerang at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. This coaster was built by Vekoma and is what is known as a shuttle coaster. A shuttle coaster is one that goes out to a point and then returns the same way it went out on. In this case, it is pulled up backwards out of the station by a cable lift system until it reaches the top. Then it is released to go through the station, then a two-inversion element called a Cobra Roll, then a loop, and then up the rear spike. A chain lift then pulls it up to the top where the chain lift then retracts, releasing the train to traverse the course backwards until it reaches the station where the brakes slow it to a stop. The Boomerang opened here on April 8, 2000 with a length of 935 ft, a height of 116 ft 5 in, a top speed of about 47 mph, a total ride time of about a minute and forty-seven seconds long, and three inversions.This coaster does have a very low capacity so get there early and make this one of the first rides of the day. Otherwise, you could be looking at queues exceeding two hours long on busy days.
Patriot at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-17 | This is the Patriot at Worlds of Fun and it is one of the best coasters at the park. This one is a Inverted coaster from B&M which means riders ride in trains that are hung below the tracks but are not allowed to swing freely like they do on Suspended coasters. This one is also pretty aggressive and has a few moments of airtime as well. Patriot opened here on April 8, 2006 replacing a classic, but aging, Arrow Dynamics coaster called the Orient Express. That coaster was one of only two coasters built with interlocking loops. The other being the Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg which is still operating today. The Patriot is 3,081 ft long, 149 ft tall with a drop of 123 ft, a top speed of about 60 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes and eighteen seconds long. This coaster also has four inversions with a 89 ft tall loop, a zero-g roll, an Immelmann (a half loop entered from the bottom and exited at the top), and a corkscrew. I personally recommend riding in the front row as the view is spectacular with nothing in front of you.
Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-17 | This is Timberwolf at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a fun wooden coaster that can be a bit rough if you sit towards the back. Timber Wolf was built by the now defunct Dinn Corporation and opened here on April 1, 1989 but has had some major reprofiling done since then as the 560-degree helix was removed and replaced with a overbanked turn in 2018. Unfortunately, the available stats for length do not include the removal of the helix. Timber Wolf is, or was prior to 2018, 4,230 ft long, 100 ft tall with a 95 ft drop, a top speed of about 53 mph, and a ride time of about two minutes and thirteen seconds. I love riding wooden coasters, so I expect it to be a little bit rough but I still recommend you ride as close to the front as possible for a smoother ride.
Spinning Dragons at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-17 | This is the Spinning Dragon at Worlds of fun in Kansas City, Missouri and it is a really fun ride for the entire family as it does spin based on the weight distribution in each car. It is a Spinning Coaster 420/4 model and was built by Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH and opened here in the East Asia area on April 17, 2004. It is 1,345 ft long, 54 ft high, and has a ride time of about a minute and a half. This coaster's queue can get long as it does not have a very high capacity so I would make this one of the first rides of the day if you get there at rope drop. Otherwise, you could be waiting up to an hour and a half or more on busy days.It should be noted that this replaced the Aquatic Arena where the Fins and Flippers show ran from 1973 to 1996. The show starred two dolphins named Skipper and Dolly, and later, Clovis and Sandy. You can see the original pool where the fountain is now.
Mamba at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-16 | This is Mamba at Worlds of Fun and it is one of the best coasters in the park if you love airtime like I do. This one was built by the D.H. Morgan Manufactuing, Inc. which consisted of former employees of the now defunct Arrow Dynamics Co, a pioneer in the amusement industry themselves. Mamba opened here on April 18, 1998 and is 205 ft tall, 5,600 ft long, has a 580-degree helix with lots of g-forces and "head chopper" effects with the ride supports, a ride time of about three minutes, and a top speed of 75 mph. You do get some good airtime in the front row but the back row gets even more, plus some "ejector airtime" in the back half of the ride.
Zulu at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-16 | This is the Zulu attraction at Worlds of Fun and it is located in the Africa section of the park. It is an Enterprise model from HUSS which opened here in 1979. Zulu took the place of the Safari ride which only operated for a few years. It seems there were a few riders that got out of the Safari Cars in the middle of the ride. The Safari Ride track went under the railroad tracks and back where the Prowler is now.
Woodstock Gliders at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-16 | This is a Flying Scooters model from Larson International and this model has been really popular since the 1920's. It opened here 2016 in the Planet Snoopy section of the park. You can get the tubs up to a great height by skillfully manipulating the rudder but be careful not to get too high so as to "snap" the lines. That means the tub has gone so high that there is slack in the lines which make a snapping sound as the tub comes down and tensions the lines again. I love these type of rides as we really don't have any of these where I live.
Steel Hawk at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-15 | This is one of only four Windseeker Models from Mondial and this one originally operated at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It opened at Knott's in 2011 and was then moved to Worlds of Fun 2014 due to some noise complaints by the surrounding neighborhoods. This one stands at 301 ft tall and offers great views of downtown Kansas City.
Detonator at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-15 | This is the Detonator at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. It was built by S&S Worldwide and opened here in 1996 as the first Space Shot ride in the US and the first in the world to have two towers. Detonator launches riders up 210 feet and then back down using a cushion of air to bring riders back down. The top speed of this ride is about 45 mph and riders a launch of up to 4.5 g's on the way up, and -1 g on the way down. In other words, you get lots of airtime on this ride.
Grand Carrousel at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-15 | This is the Grand Carrousel at Worlds of Fun near Kansas City, Missouri. It is a very rare carousel from the Marcus Illions shop. His company carved this carousel in 1926 for the US Sesquicentennial celebration in Philadelphia. It operated there until 1928 when it was moved to an unknown location in Birmingham, Alabama, before being moved in 1930 to the M.C. Illions shop in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, where it was refurbished. It was then moved to Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio in 1937 where it operated until the park closed in 2007. Cedar Fair, who owned Geauga Lake put it in storage so the Carousel Works team in Mansfield, Ohio, could restore it. It was then moved to Worlds of Fun in 2011 where it currently sits. The original band organ that came with the carousel lost in a fire in 1952. There is a Stinson organ with a M.C. Illions facade that plays rolls form a WurliTzer 165 here, but it seems to not be working when the video was taken.This carousel is unique in two ways, the first of which is that all four rings are jumpers. Usually, the outer ring are horses that stand, and the inner rings are jumpers. Secondly, each row of horses is a single base color. There are 64 jumping horses and 2 chariots.
Possum Trot Election Day Reveal at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-13 | This is just a funny show involving the election for Mayor of Possum Trot.
The Great American Train Adventure on the Worlds of Fun RR Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-13 | This is one of the original park attractions that opened with the park in 1973. It is a fun train ride that includes a train robbery at the along the way. The engineers and conductors do their best to entertain you at the station as well. The train was manufactured by the Crown Metal Products Company. The engine was named after a fast CB&Q freight train that started running in 1888. Burlington Northern was the original sponsor so that is why the train is painted green.
Fjord Fjarlane at Worlds of Fun Themeparkfanatic 2024-08-12 | This is the Fjord Fjarlane at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a Swingaround model from the Meisho Amusement Machines company in Japan. It opened here in 1982 and has been thrilling guests ever since.
Pipeline The Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando Themeparkfanatic 2023-07-05 | This is Pipeline The Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando and it was built by B&M and opened here on May 27, 2023. It is also the world's first launched stand-up coaster and the world's first roller coaster with moveable seats which allows for some exquisite airtime. You know, that floating feeling you get when cresting over the top of a hill. According to RCDB, Pipeline is 2,950 ft. long, 110 ft. tall, has a top speed of 60 mph, one inversion which is a very tall Corkscrew, and a total ride time of about one minute and fifty seconds.This is a really fun roller coaster but not as extreme as some other coasters in the park. The front row gets a decent amount of air time but the back is the best and it is as smooth as glass. I recommend front row for first time riders, then ride back row and you'll see the difference.
Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando Themeparkfanatic 2022-10-12 | This is Ice Breaker at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL. It is a triple launch Sky Rocket model coaster from Premier Rides that opened here on February 18, 2022. It is 93 ft tall, 1,900 ft long has a top speed of 52 mph, with a drop from the rear spike at 100 degrees. This is a really fun coaster and is best ridden in the back for the maximum amount of air time.
Carrousel at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-20 | This is the classic Carousel at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. This Carousel was originally built by the Philadelphia Toboggan & Coasters (PTC) in 1919 for Liberty Heights Park in Baltimore, MD. It operated there until it was moved to Enna Jettick Park in Auburn, NY 1929 where it operated until 1944 when it was moved to Hersheypark. This classic all wood carousel has 4 rows with 42 jumping horses, 24 standing horses, and 2 chariots. There is a Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ #3839 there as well but it wasn't working when I was at the park.
Frontier Flyers at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-20 | This is a really good recreation of the classic Flying Scooters ride that is built by the Bisch Rocco Company. This particular one was built by Larson International and opened here in 2003. Hersheypark used to have a Flying Scooter ride called the Aerial Joy back in the 1950's. You can really gain some altitude by skillfully operating the rudder correctly.
Whip at Hersheypark 1997-2022 Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-20 | This was the Whip at Hersheypark which was a very good recreation of the Whip rides that were built by the WF Mangels Company. This Whip ride was built by Rideworks and opened here in 1997 and closed in 2022.
Dry Gulch RR at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-20 | This is a 24'' gauge railroad that opened here in 1961 and was built by the Crown Metal Works Co.
Monorail at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-20 | This is a round trip ride on Hersheypark's Monorail. This ride opened at the park on June 20, 1969 and was built by the Monorail Amusement Company. the Monorail was actually supposed to have two stations with one where the current station is by the old arena, and the second was to be near the Hersheys Chocolate Factory but obviously, the second station was never built. You had to pay a .25 cent fare to ride the monorail.
Skyview at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-17 | This is the Skyview aerial cableway ride which opened here in 1966. It takes riders on a round trip over Spring Creek to Sooper Dooper Looper's loop and back. Just about anyone can ride and it is a nice way to relax for a bit and get in some great views of the park. It was built by Universal Design, Limited, (UDL) out of New Jersey.
Kissing Tower at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-16 | This is a on ride video of the Kissing Tower at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. It is a Gyro Observation Tower from Intamin and is about 300 ft tall with the gondola ascending to the 250 ft mark. It opened here on May 18, 1975 and is located in the Kissing Tower Hill section of the park.
Starship America at Hersheypark Themeparkfanatic 2022-09-11 | This is the Starship America ride at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. This is a Roto Jet ride that once operated at Ponchartrain Beach Park near New Orleans, LA. It operated at that park from 1956-1961. It was then bought by Hersheypark and where it operated from 1962-2002 when it was put in storage. The park brought it out of storage in 2005 and has been operating here ever since. This ride was made by Kasper Klaus with ride gondolas that were custom made for Hersheypark.
Valravn at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-14 | This is Valravn at Cedar Point. It is the worlds tallest (223ft), fastest (75mph), and longest (3,415ft) Dive Coaster. It opened here on May 7, 2016 and features three inversions with a 165ft tall Immelmann inversion right after the 214ft drop at a 90 degree angle. The other two inversions are a Dive Loop and an amazing zero-g roll which gives riders about 2 seconds of air time. Believe it or not, the Mercury stature has a long history at Cedar Point. George A. Boeckling who owned Cedar Point at the time, went to the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis where he bought the statue and many others, including the urns on the midway. Many of those statues were sold off to help with the war effort during WW2 but this one and the urns, remain at Cedar Point. A Valravn is a creature in Danish folklore that comes to life when Ravens eat the hearts of men that were slain in battle.
Rougarou at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-13 | This is Rougarou at Cedar Point. Originally , it opened as Mantis as a Stand Up coaster on May 11, 1996 but it grew so rough that they made the decision to convert it into a Floorless coaster. This coaster was originally going to be called Banshee, which is a wailing female spirit whose wail would foretell a death in the family in Irish folklore. The name was dropped after it was printed in the newspaper which caused a bit of an uproar. Rougarou is a werewolf like creature in French folklore. Mantis was built by B&M at a cost of twelve million dollars and kept its name until 2014, when it was changed to Rougarou. It is 3,900ft long, 145ft tall with a 137ft first drop. It has four inversions with a loop, a dive loop, a inclined loop, and a corkscrew in that order. Rougarou's top speed is about 60mph and has an average ride time of about two minutes and forty seconds.
Gatekeeper at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-11 | This is Gatekeeper at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. It is the worlds tallest (170ft), longest (4,164ft), and fastest (67mph) Wing Coaster. A wing coaster is one where the riders sit on either side of the track and do not flip head over heels like a 4D coaster does. This was built by B&M and opened here on May 11, 2013. It has six inversions and a ride time of about two minutes and forty seconds and is best ridden in the back row of either side in my opinion. It replaced the indoor bobsled coaster called Disaster Transport and the Space Spiral Gyro Observation Tower.
Snake River Expedition at Cedar Point 2021-2023 Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-09 | This is the family boat ride that takes you around the lagoons that were dredged in the early 1900's. You are lead on an expedition where you are supposed to deliver gold to someone when things start to go wrong. It opened on May 29, 2021 and closed on September 4, 2023.
Midway Carousel at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-06 | This is the Midway Carousel at Cedar Point that has been operating here ever since it was installed here in 1946. This all wood carousel was built by the D.C. Muller & Bros company for Hurley's Bathhouse in Nantasket Beach in Massachusetts in 1915 but was moved to Cedar Point in 1946 where it has been operating ever since. The band organ is a WurliTzer 153 #3053 and was recently refurbished to a operating condition for Cedar Point's 150th anniversary. This machine is a pit machine with a 57ft diameter platform with four rows of horses with the outer row being standers and the rest are jumpers. There are a total of sixty horses and four chariots. I got all that info from the National Carousel Association. The Midway Carousel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and received the NCA (National Carousel Association) Historic Carousel Award in 2012.
Celebrate 150 Show at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-04 | This is Cedar Point's 150th anniversary show and it is a good one. This show celebrates the 150 years that Cedar Point has been open.
Celebrate 150 Parade at Cedar Point Themeparkfanatic 2021-08-02 | This is the Celebrate 150 Parade at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The park really out did themselves on this one and why not! It is their 150th anniversary.
Mardi Gras 25th Anniversary at Universal Studios Florida Themeparkfanatic 2020-03-12 | This is the 25th anniversary of the Mardi Gras Parade at the Studios park at Universal Orlando Resort. This years theme from the Dionysus Krewe is Treasures from the Deep and the floats were built by Kern Studios who has been building floats in New Orleans for well over 100 years now,
Tigris at Busch Gardens Tampa Themeparkfanatic 2019-05-04 | This is Tigris at Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida It opened here on April 19, 2019 as Florida's tallest launched coaster. It replaced the aging Taganyika Tidal Wave which operated for almost forty years. That ride replaced a Jungle Cruise type ride called the African Queen Boat ride. The queue even utilizes some of the water troughs as walk ways and it also passes by the old station for the Tidal Wave.This coaster is a Skyrocket 2 model from Premier Rides and launches riders three times (two forward and one backward) up to a height of 150 ft. (46 m) and a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h). The track is 863 ft. (263 m) long and features a LSM launch, a in-line twist, and a non-inverting loop.
Mystic Timbers at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-17 | This is Mystic Timbers at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It is a exceptional wooden roller coaster from Great Coasters International and has a added bonus with a show at the end that features either snakes, bats, or trees. I rode it three times and got snakes twice and bats once. I recommend riding in the back row as that is where it is most intense. Front row is really good but the back row is absolutely incredible and this coaster has the biggest difference from the front to back rows of any of the 200 + coasters I've ridden so far. By the way, this one was coaster number 207 for me. This coaster is 3,265 ft. (995.1 m) long, 109 ft. 2 in. (33.3 m) high, with a top speed of 53 mph (85.3 km/h). it is a out and back coaster which means it goes out to a point, turns around, then comes back to the station. This one does it with a few twists and turns and a "trick track" section that banks right then banks left before going into the final break run and into the shed where the show scene is.
Diamondback at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-16 | This is Diamondback at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. This is a Hyper coaster model from B&M and it opened here on April 18, 2009. This coaster is 5,282 ft. (1,609.9 m) long, is 230 ft. (70.1 m) high with a drop of 215 ft. (65.5 m) and a ride time of about three minutes. Diamondback's top speed is 80 mph (128.75 km/h). This is a airtime machine which is something that most coaster enthusiasts crave above all else. Air time is that feeling you get as you go over a hill and get lifted slightly out of your seat. That feeling is accented by the "T" style lap bars that hold you in to your seat. Lap bars are needed only when coasters like this one do not go upside down.
Banshee at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-15 | This is Banshee at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH. It opened here as the world's longest and fastest inverted coaster on April 18, 2014. It replaced the former Son of Beast which was the world's tallest, fastest, and only wooden coaster with a loop. It proved more of a problem with it being delayed multiple times plus several injuries at the end and the park simply decided it was time to go. This Inverted coaster, not to be confused with a suspended coaster, was built by B&M (Bolliger & Mabillard). The difference between Inverted and Suspended is that a suspended coaster is hung beneath the tracks and allowed to swing freely and NOT invert riders. A Inverted coaster is hung below the tracks but the ride vehicles are fixed to the chassis and not allowed to swing freely from side to side. This allows the trains to go through a number of different inversions. Compare this video to my video of The Bat at King's Island and you'll see the difference as The Bat is a Suspended coaster. This coaster is 4,124 ft. (1,256.9 m) long, 167 ft. (50.9 m) tall with a 150 ft. (45.7 m) drop, 7 inversions, has a top speed of about 68 mph ( 109.4 km/h), and a two minute and forty second ride time.
Vortex at Kings Island 1987-2019 Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-14 | This is Vortex at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It was built by Arrow Dynamics and opened here on April 11, 1997. It actually replaced a roller coaster from the same company called the Bat. The bat was the world's first suspended (not to be confused with inverted) steel roller coaster. That coaster operated here from 1981 to 1983 and was forced to close due to a combination of some design flaws and increasingly escalating maintenance costs. Vortex even uses the old Bat station. Vortex is 148 ft. (45.1 m) high, 3,800 ft. (1,158.24 m) long, 6 inversions, a top speed of about 55 mph (88.5km/h), with a drop of 138 ft. (42 m) and a ride time of about two minutes and thirty seconds. This also was the world's first roller coaster with six inversions with two loops, two corkscrews, and a Batwing with two inversions. Vortex closed on October 27, 2019.
Invertigo at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-13 | This is Invertigo at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It is a inverted shuttle coaster that was built by Vekoma and opened here on April 17, 1999 as Face Off. It operated under that name until 2007 when Paramount, then owner of the park, sold the chain to Cedar Fair which then changed the name to Invertigo. A shuttle coaster is one that does not make a complete circuit like a more traditional roller coaster would. This one is pulled up out of the station and up the rear spike to the top. Then the train is released going back through the station and through a series of inversions and up the second spike where the train is pulled up to the top. The train is then released and allowed to travel backwards the way it came in until it is lowered back into the station. This one is unique in that riders face each other allowing them to see the expressions of the other riders while riding. This coaster is 1,013 feet 8 inches long (309 m), 131 feet 3 inches high (40 m), has three inversions, and a top speed of about 50 mph (80.5 km/h).
The Bat at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-12 | This is the Bat at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It was built by Arrow Dynamics and opened here on April 9, 1993 as Top Gun. It ran under that name until 2007which was the year Paramount, then owners of the park, sold the chain to Cedar Fair. The name changed to Flight Deck and it ran under that name until 2013 when it was changed to the Bat in 2013. The Bat name has some history with the park and the amusement park industry as a whole as it was the world's first suspended coaster. Just so you know, there is a difference between a suspended and a inverted coaster. A suspended coaster is one where the entire train is suspended below the tracks but allows the individual cars to swing freely and there are no inversions on the coaster. I inverted coaster is like the suspended coaster in that the train hangs below the tracks but here is where the two are different. A inverted coaster train cars are fixed and cannot swing freely and there are inversions. The Bat originally opened where the Vortex coaster currently sits and in fact, uses the same station that the Bat originally used. It opened as the world's first suspended coaster on April 26, 1981 and closed in 1983. The current Bat coaster is 2,352 ft. long, 78 ft. high, has a top speed of 51 mph, and a total ride time of one minute and fifty two seconds.
Windseeker at Kings Island (day and night) Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-11 | This is the Windseeker at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. This attraction was built by Mondial and installed here in 2011. It is 301 feet tall and rotates at a top speed of about 30 mph (48 km/h).
Drop Tower: Scream Zone at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-10 | This is Drop Tower: Scream Zone at Kings Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It is a Gyro Drop from Intamin that is 315 ft. (96 m) tall and is one of the tallest of it's kind in the world. A Gryo Drop mean that the gondola rotates 360 degrees on it's way up but does not rotate while dropping. The ride was installed here in 1999 when it was known at Drop Zone: Stunt Tower when Paramount owned the park. Paramount sold the parks to Cedar Fair in 2007 which also owns Cedar Point in Sandusky. The name changed to Drop Tower: Scream Zone shortly thereafter.
Delirium at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-09 | This is Delirium at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It is a Giant Frisbee ride from Huss that was installed here in 2003. It is 137 ft. (42 m) tall and swings riders at a top speed of 76 mph (122 km/h). It will swing riders up to a 120 degree angle with the total swing radius at 240 degrees.
Grand Carousel at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-08 | This is the Grand Carousel at King's Island north of Cincinnati, OH, USA. It is a PTC #79 and was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan & Co (PTC) and installed at Coney Island in Cincinnati in 1926. It operated there until the park moved to it's current location in 1971.There are 28 jumping horses, 20 Standing horses, and 2 Chariots, all of which are carved from wood. There is a 1926 WurliTzer 157 band organ that is not operating. There are 4 PTC signature horses that are marked with a shield with PTC lettering on the outer shoulder of the animal.
Eiffel Tower at Kings Island Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-08 | This is a 1/3 scale replica of the real Eiffel Tower in Paris. It opened on April 29, 1972 when the park officially opened. It is 315 feet (96 m) tall and was built by Intamin. The observation deck is 264 feet (80 m) high. King's Island is located north of Cincinnati, OH, USA.
The Tornado at Strickers Grove Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the Tornado at Stricker's Grove. It was designed by Al Collins and built by Ralph Stricker and construction started in November of 1990 and finished in June of 1993. The tornado is a mirror image of the former Comet/Mighty Lightnin at Rocky Glen Park in Moosic, Pennsylvania.
The Teddy Bear at Strickers Grove Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the Teddy Bear at Stricker's Grove in Ross, OH, USA. It opened here in 1996 and was built by Ralph Stricker using the blueprints from the 1935 Teddy Bear roller coaster that used to be at Coney Island in Cincinnatti, OH.
Ferris Wheel at Strickers Grove Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the Ferris Wheel at Stricker's Grove near Ross, OH, USA. It was built by the Eli Bridge Company which also built the Scrambler at this park as well.
Tip Top at Strickers Grove Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the Tip Top ride from the Frank Hrubetz Company. The company built trailer mounted and park rides from 1939 until it closed it's doors in 1992. I couldn't find any information on when the ride was installed at Stricker's Grove. The ride is best experienced with two riders so you can get your tub spinning and then get surprised every time the platform jumps up.
Merry Go Round at Strickers Grove Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the Merry Go Round at Stricker's Grove near Ross, OH, USA. It is a 1950's era metal traveling carousel from Allan Herschell. It is a portable machine with two rows of horses that are all jumpers and there are two chariots. The band organ is a Stinson model #31. The carousel was bought from someone or another company but details on when it was brought here or when the machine was originally constructed are currently missing.
Strickers Grove Railroad Themeparkfanatic 2018-07-07 | This is the train that goes around Stricker's Grove near Ross, OH, USA. It is a C.P. Huntington train that has been operating here since 1981.
Mine Blower at Fun Spot America (Kissimmee) Themeparkfanatic 2017-11-23 | This is the Mine Blower, not Mind Blower, at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, FL, USA from Gravity Group. This coaster is currently the only wooden coaster in the state of Florida and in the southeastern US that inverts riders and this one does it while going over the top of the station. Kudos to the design team at Gravity Group for squeezing this fantastic coaster into a small footprint. This coaster is absolutely packed with air time, that floating sensation you get when you crest the top of a hill at just the right speed, and this one does it in spades. This coaster is 2,290 feet long, 83 feet high, has one inversion, a top speed of 48.5 mph, and 115 degree over-banked curve.
