The company recently revealed additional details about another makeover: Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. The classic Magic Kingdom attraction is set to close on July 6 to begin work. Fans of the show (I count myself part of that group) will be pleased to know that, with a projected 2027 reopening, tomorrow’s just a dream away.

Before we get around (see what I did there?) to what’s on the way, let’s take a look back at the Tomorrowland staple. The show debuted as part of General Electric’s Progressland pavilion at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair. It was one of four breakthrough attractions that Walt Disney introduced at the expo, which also included “it’s a small world,” the Ford pavilion’s Magic Skyway (which sent passengers in sleek Mustangs and other convertibles back to prehistoric times and the dawn of mankind), and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Whereas the Lincoln presentation introduced one, albeit remarkably fluid and advanced, audio animatronic figure for its time, the Carousel of Progress had an entire family of human characters–and one dog. They were part of a presentation that showcased the importance of electricity through different eras (with–product placement alert–a heavy emphasis on GE appliances).

The attraction was presented in a unique revolving theater. Guests entered one of six 240-seat auditoriums. Arranged in a circle on an enormous turntable, the theaters rotated around a central stage. The scenes included the pre-electricity era of the Gay 90s, the dawn of electricity in the 1920s, the post-World War II 1940s, and the then-near-future of the late 1960s. The characters, with “dad” taking the lead, talked about the role electricity played in their lives from each period. The catchy tune, “There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” served as a bridge between each act. It was penned by the prolific Sherman brothers, whose credits also include the timeless songs from “Mary Poppins” as well as what may be the all-time musical earworm, “it’s a small world.”

After the fair ended, The Carousel of Progress moved to Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park in California where it opened in 1967. It closed in 1973 and relocated to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World where it premiered in 1975. Or more specifically, Disney built a new rotating theater in Florida and moved the set pieces and characters there. A different show, America Sings, took up residence at Disneyland’s carousel theater in 1974. That show shuttered in 1988, and many of its animatronic animal characters migrated to Splash Mountain. The theater remained vacant until 1998 when Disney repurposed it into the West Coast version of Inventions. Guests viewed and interacted with the pavilion’s technology exhibits while the floor (which had previously been the show’s multiple stages) slowly rotated. From 2015 to 2020, the building was converted into Tomorrowland Expo Center and Star Wars Launch Bay, which served as a promotional space for the arrival of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. During this period, the floor no longer turned. Starting in 2023, Disney opened the building to Disney Vacation Club as a members-only lounge.

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So, what’s in store for the new Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom? The rotating theater mechanism and the essential concept of the attraction will remain the same. Surely many, if not all, of the animatronics will be repurposed, perhaps with the latest technological advancements. The four-act show will become a five-act presentation with the addition of an introduction featuring an animatronic Walt Disney (giving new meaning to the attraction’s name, “Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress). The character will be similar to the one that debuted last year at Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House. Some critics have pointed out flaws in the animatronic Walt that cast an uncanny valley pall on the California presentation. Here’s hoping the Imagineers will make some improvements to the East Coast Walt.

As has been the case since it opened at the World’s Fair, the Carousel of Progress’ first position is now used for guests to shuffle into the theater and find their seats (after the previous audience departs). The stage’s curtain remains closed while a voice-over announcer briefly talks about the history of the attraction and introduces the show. The narration barely lasts one minute. This, I believe, is where Walt will now preside. Perhaps the Imagineers will extend the length of each act (they all have to be precisely the same length to accommodate the rotating bank of audiences that revolve from one scene to the next) so that the founder will have a little more time to address the crowd. According to the company, the opening sequence will have echoes of the 1964 TV special, “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” in which Walt talked about the expo’s attractions, including Carousel of Progress.

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In 1964, the original attraction began its journey about six decades earlier at the turn of the century; similarly, the revamped presentation will send audiences back 60 years from the present to the 1960s for its first scene (where, it should be noted, the original show ended its look at the then-future). Disney says it will depict the CoP family watching the Apollo moon landing on television. If General Electric still sponsored the attraction, the TV set would undoubtedly be a GE model. (Interestingly, GE purchased NBC, later combined it with Universal Studios to form NBCUniversal, and then sold the whole shebang to Comcast, which now operates the rival Universal theme parks.)

The next scene will advance to the 1980s on Halloween where the family will alternate between doling out candy to trick-or-treaters and extolling the virtues of their era’s appliances. The setting for Scene 3 is New Year’s Eve 1999 and the wonders of the then-new Internet. The final scene flashes forward to a future in which folks routinely take off for distant planets and robots cheerfully help people (as opposed to the AI-fueled dystopian future we not-so-secretly dread–if our AI overlords even allow us to survive; ooh, sorry that this otherwise cheerful piece just took a harrowing turn).

I’m thrilled that the company is investing in the historic attraction and breathing new life into it. While I can be something of a Disney attraction purist, the creaky old show needed an update. Inexplicably, the Carousel of Progress is my son’s favorite Disney attraction, Rise of the Resistance be damned. He’s looking forward to the overhaul even more than I am. How about you? Here’s my guess: And when it becomes a reality, it (will be) a dream come true for you and me.

So, how about you? Are you looking forward to the new and improved Carousel of Progress? Have you seen the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland? Is there a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, or will AI put the kibosh on our optimistic future?

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Yes, there is plenty of laughter in the air at parks. Some of it is the byproduct of anecdotes and banter exchanged among families and friends. Some of it is nervous laughter shared on coasters and other rides. Many shows and story-based dark rides incorporate some token humorous moments. But I believe parks could use more laugh-out-loud attractions, where comedy is as much a focus, if not the primary focus, as the thrills and other elements.

Fortunately, as The Muppets migrated across the Studios park to their new digs, the troupe’s trademark postmodern, vaudevillian shenanigans followed them. From all reports (I have not experienced RnRC 2.0), the queue, pre-show, loading station, and unload area are packed with videos (that include celebrity cameos), gags, props, and more that keep Muppets silliness front and center. The Imagineers even shoehorned the curmudgeonly animatronic hecklers, Statler and Waldorf, into the ride so that they could hurl some barbs as passengers whiz past them.

The Muppets have perfected the art, but as it has been said, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” Maybe that’s why there aren’t a heckuva lot of other examples where guffaws are the raison d’être at parks and attractions. Let’s explore a few.

RnRC isn’t the only thrill ride to elicit laughs. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure feature’s the franchise’s offbeat mayhem and hilarity. Like RnRC, the Guardians ride repurposed an existing attraction, the West Coast version of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and replaced the mostly serious proceedings with a much lighter, and frequently funny, tone. To a lesser extent, the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster at Epcot, also injects some interplanetary humor into the ride.

The Minions are just as super silly in their pre-show presentations as they are during the main event for Minion Mayhem, the motion simulator attraction at Universal’s parks in Hollywood and Orlando. As is the characters’ wont, there are plenty of slapstick and wacky scenes to get guests giggling, but there are also some surprisingly tender moments. Considering the whole experience spans a few minutes, it’s incredible that Mayhem can elicit such a broad range of emotions. That’s part of the challenge at theme parks and attractions; unlike movies, TV shows, and other longer forms of entertainment, it can be hard to generate real belly laughs given the constraints.

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Ardent and more casual fans of ”The Simpsons” can find hilarious examples of the long-running series’ comedic chops in Universal’s namesake attractions as well as throughout the Springfield lands. Like RnRC, the queue and pre-show for The Simpsons Ride is absolutely jammed with nonstop nods to the show’s inanity.

Depending on how well the performer can improvise and interact with the audience, the laughter can be uproarious at Disney’s freewheeling Turtle Talk With Crush. Similarly, depending on the skipper’s improv skills and delivery of one-liners, the Jungle Cruise can be a riotous affair. While it’s based on a similar premise as Turtle Talk and also features a beloved franchise, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor at the Magic Kingdom doesn’t rise to the same level of lunacy–at least not when I’ve experienced the show.

One of the challenges of bringing a comedy-based show to a park is making it accessible and appealing to a broad audience. The Legoland parks solved that challenge with The Lego Movie 4D. Like the hip and wildly funny theatrical films on which it is based, the show cleverly operates on two levels. Children and adults simultaneously find it hilarious for different reasons. (There is a similar dynamic at Turtle Talk.) The Lego Movie 4D may be the park attraction that generates the most laughs for me. There are so many stupid (in a good, funny way), throwaway lines, I am in stitches.

Might Nate Bargatze lean into the funny at Nateland, the theme park he is developing in Tennessee? I’d have to assume that the popular comedian would want to showcase the craft that made him famous. But, as I’ve outlined, comedy at parks can be a tricky proposition. Maybe he can take some lessons from The Muppets.

Maybe the entire industry can look to The Muppets for inspiration. We could all use a whole lot more laughter and silliness at parks–and really everywhere else too for that matter.

What theme park attractions and shows get you laughing out loud? Do you agree there should be more comedy at parks?

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The meandering ride, which will be the park’s twelfth coaster, will span a generous 4,120 feet and include four magnetic LIM launches to keep passengers on the move and hopefully away from pesky werewolves. Werewolf Gorge will also incorporate a mid-course rollback, which will add to its edginess and potentially challenge kids who are close to the ride’s low 39-inch height requirement (which could include brave passengers as young as three years old).

The stunning quarry walls that encircle Six Flags Fiesta Texas provide a picturesque setting for its coasters and other rides. The park says that it will enhance the ambiance for Werewolf Gorge by sending its trains through the quarry walls and above a forested canopy of trees. It will also augment the storytelling with werewolf figures, effects, and other thematic elements.

Werewolf Gorge will hit a top speed of 45 mph and include a 40-foot drop. Because of the park’s hilly terrain, the coaster’s layout will include an 85-foot elevation change. Six Flags says that the ride will feature 32 airtime moments, which will be the “highest number of floater airtime elements ever incorporated into a family roller coaster.”

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If all of this sounds like it could traumatize your 39-inch-tall, budding coaster warrior, let’s put the stats and hype in perspective. 45 mph, especially when it is a zippy magnetic launch, will certainly elicit ah-hoos from riders. But it’s only five miles per hour faster than the fairly gentle Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And it’s three miles per hour slower than Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood, which is also a family launch coaster manufactured by Vekoma and closely resembles the ride coming to the Texas park. The Dollywood ride is plenty perky–thrilling even–but it’s still within the bounds of a family ride. Werewolf Gorge will be considerably tamer than coasters that really pour on the speed such as Fiesta Texas’ glorious 70-mph Iron Rattler. (With coasters themed to snakes, werewolves, ghosts [Poltergeist], and bats [Batman the Ride], the park has quite the scary menagerie of rides on its midway.)

As for the touted 32 airtime moments, that claim could be full of hot air. Looking at the animated rendering of the ride (which is below), it doesn’t appear that there will be any significant airtime hills. The coaster’s fairly low speed wouldn’t seem to generate much airtime either, especially not 32 distinct moments. As I wrote in my recent review of Quantum Accelerator, Six Flags New England bragged that its new coaster delivers 11 airtime moments. I counted maybe one, and that barely registered. Likewise, Big Bear Mountain didn’t lift my tushy appreciably out of my seat.

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As for Six Flags’ claim that Werewolf Gorge will be “the world’s longest family launch coaster,” well, let’s also deconstruct that one. What constitutes a “family launch coaster?” That’s the model name–“Family Launch Coaster”–that Vekoma uses for the line that will include the new Fiesta Texas ride. And Werewolf Gorge will be the longest one the manufacturer has built to date (besting Big Bear Mountain, which spans 3,990 feet). But Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Coaster at Universal Orlando, which is also considered a family launch coaster, is 5,053 feet (and was built by a competing company, Intamin). Heck, what is a “family” coaster, anyways? Most coasters gurus would put Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure in that category even though it hits a hefty 55 mph, drops 108 feet, and includes an inversion. And while we’re looking at stats, Disney’s launched, Pixar-themed ride travels a 6,072-foot course. As is the case with lots of park hype, Six Flags may be a bit loosey-goosey (loosey-wolfy?) in its claims.

Regardless, Werewolf Gorge looks like it will be a heckuva ride. I’m a fan of the similar Big Bear Mountain, which has received near-unanimous acclaim. Like the Dollywood ride, it appears that Six Flags will be incorporating a potent, original backstory complete with characters such as showman and werewolf archivist Jasper Bunyan, an immersive queue that will help set the stage by taking guests through the Museum of Cryptids, and a mysterious werewolf that will lurk throughout the coaster experience.

“This is a defining addition to Six Flags Fiesta Texas,” says Robert Bustle, park manager at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. “Werewolf Gorge brings together storytelling, innovation, and a bold combination of ride elements that truly sets it apart. It delivers an experience that is approachable for families, yet unmatched anywhere in the world.”

What’s your take on Werewolf Gorge? What do you think about dubious claims from parks and manufacturers about new rides?

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It is the highlight of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World in Florida. And it just may be the best park attraction in the world. But here’s the thing: As with most rides, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance includes some thrills. Would you be able to handle them? Would you want to?

Unlike a roller coaster or any amusement park ride that is outdoors and easily viewed from the midway, visitors at the Disney parks have no visual cues to observe Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in action and gauge its intensity. That’s because the attraction takes place inside an enormous show building nestled in a wooded area. So, I will do my best to explain what occurs during Rise. That way, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether you (or the people who might be among your theme park posse) would be up to giving it a whirl.

What kind of ride is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?

First of all, it’s important to note that Rise is not a single ride experience. Unlike, say, Mission: Space at Epcot, which uses centrifuge technology to simulate space travel, or the Soarin’ rides at Disney California Adventure and Epcot, which uses (and pioneered) the concept of a flying theater to take guests on an “airborne” hang gliding journey to famous locales, the Star Wars attraction uses multiple ride systems and unfolds across a series of acts to engage guests in its narrative. It therefore takes some unpacking to describe what happens.

The entire experience lasts about 17 minutes. The sheer length of Rise, which is considerably longer than the more typical four-minute-or-so theme park attraction, only begins to hint at its epic scale and sheer wow factor. It is a triumph of park and attraction design, technology, and immersive storytelling. That’s why it is worthy of your careful consideration. If ever there was a must-ride Disney attraction, Rise is it.

But if you fall somewhere along the upper end of the theme park ride wimp spectrum (and you know who you are), you might be nervous about trying the Star Wars attraction. By demystifying Rise and divulging what happens during the experience, I run the risk of ruining the element of surprise for you. Ideally, it would be great if you could try the Star Wars attraction cold, without any prior knowledge. But, if you really want to know what to expect, consider this a big honkin’ spoiler warning–though the focus will be on the thrill-inducing aspects of the attraction, not the plot.

The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands depict Batuu, a planet created for the parks. Batuu is a trading port that attracts eccentric characters from around the galaxy. At its center is Black Spire Outpost, which includes merchants selling wares in bazaar stalls, a cantina, and some eateries. Oh, and the Millennium Falcon just happens to be docked there. The Resistance (the good guys) have set up a secret encampment in a forested area on the outskirts of the village. This is where Rise is located.

According to the backstory of Galaxy’s Edge, the First Order arrived on Batuu a few weeks ago. A showdown is brewing between the sworn enemies, and you are about to be plopped into the middle of it.

The first act: Blast off

As you make your way through the encampment, you’ll see equipment cabinets and medical supplies stored by the Resistance. For the pre-show that sets the story in motion, you will be led into a briefing room where you will meet a holographic Rey. She will entrust you with some vital information that you cannot divulge to the First Order, or the fate of the galaxy may be doomed. (That, kids, is what is known as foreshadowing.)

For the first act of the attraction, you will board an Intersystem Transport Ship. It is supposed to whisk you away for a short journey to rendezvous on a safe planet. In usual theme park fashion, however, things will go horribly wrong.

This part of the attraction uses motion simulator ride technology, like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at the Universal Parks, or one of the earliest attractions to use the concept, Star Tours at the Disney parks. Unlike those attractions, however, you stand aboard Rise’s transport vehicle. To give you a sense of the ride intensity, no safety restraints are used. You will experience a sense of space travel as the motion of the vehicle syncs with the action you can see through the viewing windows in the front and rear of the cabin, but it is quite mild.

Throughout this overview, I will use a thrill scale of 0 to 10 to rate the physical intensity of the experience, where 0 means no thrills and 10 means extreme thrills. Note that there are also psychological thrills; I have not factored those in. But if you are okay with the PG-13 hijinks of the Star Wars films, you’ll be fine with the drama you’ll encounter during Rise.

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I give the first act on the Intersystem Transport Ship a thrill rating of 2.25. For comparison, Minion Mayhem and Star Tours rate 3.25 on the thrill-o-meter. Nearly everybody should be fine with the thrills delivered here. They are equivalent to the sensations you might experience aboard a fast subway car that navigates some small hills and turns.

The second act: Oh oh!

For the second act of Rise, you’ll be walking through the Star Destroyer. The size and scope of the massive carrier is impressive. When the door of the ship opens, you will be greeted by a phalanx of armed stormtroopers. You won’t experience any physical thrills here, but you will experience some deeply immersive and highly impressive storytelling.

The third act: Dodge the blaster bolts

For the third act, which is the heart of the attraction, you will be whisked onto Star Destroyer Fleet Transports. The eight-passenger vehicles are highly sophisticated and use trackless ride technology. Instead of guide tracks, onboard computers determine the path, speed, and motion of the vehicles.

The action is frenetic, but not overly wild. The vehicles speed up, come to sudden halts, spin a bit, and execute other evasive maneuvers as they try to avoid detection, dodge fire, or otherwise get out of harm’s way. At one point, your vehicle will board an elevator and rise perhaps 25 feet into the air to the upper levels of the Star Destroyer. I give the third act a thrill rating of 2.75. It is not as wild as Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, which uses Disney’s Enhanced Motion Vehicles. Like Rise’s first act on the Transport Ship, virtually everybody should be able to handle this part of the attraction.

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The finale: Let’s get the heck outta here

For the fourth and final act of Rise of the Resistance, Disney combines three ride systems. This is where things get a bit hairy. But only a bit.

Major spoiler alert: You and your mates aboard the Fleet Transport will, in fact, make it out alive from the Star Destroyer and to safety. But you knew that, right?

Your Fleet Transport will lock down onto an escape pod. The pod is actually a motion base, that, like the Intersystem Transport Ship in the first act, will move in sync with projected action to simulate space travel. Remember how I wrote that you will rise about 25 feet in the air earlier in the attraction? Well, what goes up must come down. To get away from the Star Destroyer, your escape pod will suddenly plummet in space before your droid can regain control and pilot you back to Batuu.

Here is how Disney accomplishes the effect: As I indicated, the trackless ride vehicle is locked down onto a motion base. The motion base is then coupled with a drop tower-like mechanism to deliver a freefall. Think Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but instead of a 199-foot drop, Rise drops perhaps 25 or 30 feet. It is startling, but not nearly as thrilling as the Tower of Terror. I give that terrorizing attraction a 7 on the thrill scale.

For the final act in the escape pod, I assign a thrill rating of 3.25. That is the same as the rating for Star Tours. The motion simulator thrills are similar (although the duration of the experience is much shorter), and, although it includes a drop, the freefall sensation is not all that intense. If you are okay with Star Tours and similar motion simulator rides, you should be okay with Rise of the Resistance.

Who can (and should) go on Rise of the Resistance?

With a relatively low height restriction of 40 inches (102 centimeters), children as young as 4 might be tall enough to ride. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should. The same goes for tweens, teens, and adults. Sure, thrill rides are supposed to be thrilling but regardless of height or age, the thrills that Rise delivers may not be appealing to some people. That should be a personal decision.

Still, Rise is relatively mild when compared to many other park rides and attractions. Some roller coasters, of course, are incredibly extreme. While Disney World and Disneyland do not have any Six Flags-level coasters, they do offer some thrills that are considerably more intense than Rise.

How would you rate the thrills on Rise of the Resistance? Do you think most young children could handle the attraction?

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The new Ithaka Resort will be located within the park. The 744-unit, Greek-inspired property, which will include rooms, villas, and suites, will be adjacent to Toverland’s Greek-themed land, Ithaka. Scheduled to open in summer 2027, it will feature restaurants, a pool complex, and a wellness facility among its amenities. Some hotel guests will be able to see Troy, the park’s 105-foot wooden coaster built by Great Coasters International, from their windows.

In addition to encouraging multi-day stays, on-property accommodations allow guests to leave the everyday world and more fully immerse themselves in the park experience. The larger Efteling offers four hotels at a variety of price points and with different themes.

The first land that guests enter at Toverland is Port Laguna. According to the park, the tropical harbor village is slated to get a big-budget, new dark ride along with other attractions. The rides are slated to debut in 2027 as well, although they may not open until late in the year. Toverland has not released any details about the dark ride, but it will likely feature the homegrown characters featured in the land, which include a parrot named Ivy and other members of the Magistralis family.

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Other smaller attractions planned for Port Laguna are a demolition derby-themed car ride and a pint-sized log flume for younger guests. Elsewhere in Toverland, Maximus’ Blitz Bahn, which is a bobsled ride in a metal tough or chute that is sort of a cross between a roller coaster and an alpine mountain coaster, has been retired. It will be replaced later this year with what the park promises will be an even faster, more aggressive bobsled ride that will include swinging cars. It appears that passengers will have some control over the speed of their individual vehicles.

Among Toverland’s other highlights is Fenix, a B&M wing coaster that climbs 131 feet, hits 59 mph, and includes three inversions. Themed to the mythical firebird, it includes a brief confrontation with the creature just before the train leaves the station. The boat-based attraction, Merlin’s Quest, includes a dark ride sequence in which guests encounter the Arthurian wizard. There is also Djengu River, a themed river rapids ride with tunnels and fog effects. It features the Dwervels, playful characters that live along the riverbanks of Magic Valley and enjoy splashing passengers.

Do you enjoy staying on property at theme park resorts? Have you visited (or heard of) Toverland?

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4.25 (out of 5)

When it debuted at Disneyland in 1987, the original Star Tours was the first major motion simulator attraction at a theme park, and the newfangled virtual reality concept ushered in a new era for park attractions. If theme parks are about escaping from the everyday world, motion simulators offer an ideal means of escape. Using seats that move in sync with filmed action projected onto a screen, the destinations are only limited by the imagination of the attraction’s designers. Star Tours was also a departure for Disney which, up until that point, had exclusively used its own content as the basis for its attractions. Partnering with George Lucas to bring in a third-party intellectual property to Disneyland was a bold (and highly successful) move. Subsequently, Disney bought Lucasfilm and now has the Star Wars franchise under its corporate umbrella.

Since the ride film made its debut, attraction designers have added Omnimax screens (such as The Simpsons Ride at Universal), roving motion base vehicles (such as Transformers: The Ride 3D, also at Universal), and other features to enhance the you-are-there experience. The movie ride space cowboys at Walt Disney Imagineering upped their own ante with a retooled version of the attraction that launched in 2011.

Now, half the fun aboard Star Tours is you never know where in hyperspace the ride will whisk you.

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That doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything exciting happening at some parks. For example, Canada’s Wonderland, located outside of Toronto, is lavishing attention on two of its coasters. One is getting a significant themeing makeover along with some new(ish) trains, while another is getting some much-needed love for its track.

Opened in 1995, Top Gun was Canada’s first inverted coaster. The park was then known as Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, and the ride was themed to the hit 1986 Paramount Picture’s movie featuring Tom Cruise. Cedar Fair took over the park in 2007, dropped the Paramount theme, and changed the name of the coaster to the more generic Flight Deck. Some 31 years after it debuted, Canada’s Wonderland (which is now under the Six Flags umbrella) is changing the name of the coaster once again, this time to The Daredeviler. That’s a lot of transformations for both the coaster and the park.

The retro theme reimagines the ride as an ode to early aviation and the stunt pilots who popularized the then-novel mode of transportation. The coaster will anchor a reenergized Grande World Expo area, which recalls the late 19th century and is one of the theme park’s original lands. The change is more than just cosmetic, however. Canada’s Wonderland says that the coaster will feature new track sections, new trains, and vest-style restraints, all of which should yield a more smooth ride experience.

The “new” trains are actually imports taken from the shuttered Six Flags America. They were introduced in 2024 on Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder, which had previously been known as Mind Eraser and, like Top Gun at Canada’s Wonderland, first opened in 1995. (Are you following me with all of these ride and park permutations?) Both coasters are off-the-shelf Vekoma SLC (an acronym for “suspended looping coaster”) models, sometimes derisively referred to in the enthusiast community as “Hang and Bangs.” With their notoriously rough rides, passengers would often be subjected to pinball-like head banging on the coasters’ original over-the-shoulder restraints. The Daredeviler’s less intrusive vest-style restraints (combined with the likely smoother ride) will eliminate the head banging.

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The Mighty Canadian Minebuster, one of three wooden coasters at Canada’s Wonderland (out of a total of 18, which ties it with Ohio’s Cedar Point for having the second highest number of coasters at any park in the world; Poland’s Energylandia take the top spot with 19 coasters), is getting some much-needed replacement track. The Gravity Group is supplying its engineered precut track, and the park is installing it. With a total of 3,828 feet of track, Minebuster got 1,000 feet of track replaced last year and will be getting another 980 feet this year, which should make the ride much smoother (or at least the half of it outfitted with new track). Last year, Canada’s Wonderland debuted the multi-launch coaster, AlpenFury.

When I first wrote about The Gravity Group’s innovative replacement track, it featured vertical stacks of wood for straight-path sections. The company now also offers “3D combo track” for curving or twisting paths, which incorporates both horizontal and vertical boards. The Gravity Group provided its wooden replacement track for The Beast at Cedar Point and is currently working on Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. The company has other replacement track projects underway, but the parks at which the work is being done have yet to announce them.

Have you been to Canada’s Wonderland? Are you surprised that the park has a near record-breaking 18 coasters?

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Sure, there are more thrilling rides at Six Flags New England. But the new family launch coaster, Quantum Accelerator, has just enough oomph to keep adrenaline junkies engaged while remaining accessible to a wide swath of guests. It’s also incredibly smooth, wholly satisfying, and a great addition to the park’s lineup.

The new ride is located in the park’s Old West-themed land, Crackaxle Canyon. According to Six Flags’ backstory, crackpot inventor Professor Screamore has purchased the town to showcase his creations, including his time travel machine, Quantum Accelerator. The themeing isn’t extensive (and the story isn’t entirely obvious to guests), but it’s more generous than most Six Flags rides. Walking through the queue, guests see some of the professor’s works-in-progress, many of which are embedded with cogs, gears, and other steampunk-styled ephemera. The copper roof of the Victorian-era loading station has a nicely aged green patina. During the ride, passengers pass a smokestack belching steam and curious looking vats containing green-tinged goo–apparently another one of the professor’s experiments.

Each seat in the two-passenger cars has a single hydraulic lap bar that’s comfortable and a breeze to pull down and release. With its simple, intuitive, restraint system, two-train operation, and energetic, capable ride-ops crew, the line for Quantum Accelerator was booking right along on the day that I visited.

Six Flags and Intamin, which designed the coaster, tout Quantum Accelerator’s “straddle seating” and call the cars “hover bikes.” Unlike rides such as TRON Lightcycle/Run at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Coaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, which feature vehicles that truly feel like motorbikes, the straddle designation here seems more like a gimmick. Riders sit on bench seats, but their legs are positioned astride small humps on the car’s floor. They can sit back or lean forward and grab small handlebars at the front of the vehicle. If the cars had no fronts or sides, perhaps they might seem more like motorbikes.

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The train rolls out of the station and is immediately propelled from 0 to 30 mph via a tire-launch system on a straightaway. The launch is enough to grab riders’ attention, but fairly tame. The first half of the course, which takes place to the left of the loading station, sends passengers on a gentle excursion through banked turns and twists.

Heading back towards the station for the coaster’s second act, business picks up when another tire-launch revs the train to 45 mph. That’s still well within family coaster parameters, but–parents take note–perky enough to give pause to younger or more timid guests. (The minimum height for unaccompanied riders is 52 inches and 48 inches for accompanied ones.) The launch sends the cars around a bend and up a 59-foot hill, which is Quantum Accelerator’s highest point. More twists and turns follow on the right side of the station before the train returns to unload.

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Six Flags claims Quantum Accelerator delivers 11 airtime moments. I rode in both the front and rear cars and aside from a barely-there rise out of my seat as the train crested the hill after the second launch, I couldn’t discern any more airtime. That doesn’t mean that the coaster isn’t a load of fun. Everyone from veteran ride warriors to more casual fans will enjoy Quantum Accelerator. The crowd pleaser could be a great choice for courageous kids that are ready to graduate from kiddie coasters and try their first truly thrilling ride.

With 12 coasters, it’s interesting to note that Quantum Accelerator is Six Flags New England’s first launched coaster. The park describes the new ride as “New England’s first dual-launch straddle coaster.” That’s a lot of qualifiers. In fact, Quantum Accelerator is only the second launched coaster of any kind in the region after Phobia Fear Coaster, the Premier Rides Sky Rocket ride at Lake Compounce in Connecticut.

Of Six Flags New England’s 12 coasters, I’d rank Quantum Accelerator as tied for my third-favorite thrill machine alongside the floorless Batman – The Dark Knight. It’s considerably better than the clanking, woefully painful Vekoma Inverted Boomerang, Goliath, that used to occupy the spot on which Quantum Accelerator now sits. By the way, the RMC makeover, Wicked Cyclone, nabs the second spot, and the glorious hypercoaster, Superman The Ride, soars high at number one on my Six Flags New England list (and is one of my all-time faves anywhere). I will now add Quantum Accelerator to my must-ride list when I visit the park.

Have you been to Six Flags New England? What’s your favorite coaster at the park? Will you return to experience Quantum Accelerator?

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Sadly, as is the case at most of New England’s once-thriving oceanside amusement meccas (as well as many of those that existed outside the region), the coasters and other rides are all gone at Salisbury Beach. Except for one.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of a dedicated group of visionaries, the Salisbury Beach Carousel is again bringing squeals of delight and kinetic energy to the midway. And it’s not just any carousel, but an historic and lovely piece of genuine Americana that beckons beachgoers.

Before we get to the current-day carousel, let’s explore some Salisbury Beach history. Its trajectory follows a similar path as other seaside amusement areas in the U.S. Starting in the mid-1800s, hotels, restaurants, and, of course, the beach itself drew visitors that arrived first via steamboats and ferries. Then, as now, its ocean breezes and cool waters offered refuge from summer’s often-stifling heat and humidity. In the late 1800s, amusements started to be added to the mix of diversions, including the first carousel, Culver Flying Horses. When it was destroyed by fire, the ride was replaced by the Broadway Flying Horses, which began welcoming guests in 1914. The hand-carved gem was built by the Looff Carousel Company and originally debuted in 1890 at Coney Island in New York City.

Other coasters preceded it and followed it, but the Wildcat was the reigning king of the midway at Salisbury Beach. According to rcdb.com, it was installed in 1922, although other sources say its debut was a few years later in 1927. The classic out-and-back ride, which was first known as Comet, was created by noted coaster designer, Herbert Schmeck, and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. In a fascinating aside, the Wildcat was commissioned and operated by the Dodgem Corporation. Yes, that Dodgem company.

Located in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts, the pioneering company installed its very first bumper car ride at Salisbury Beach in the early 1920s. The Dodgem folks had the coaster built next to the bumper cars, and the two rides shared a common entrance which featured stylish Art Deco lettering.

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In the first half of the 20th century, the amusements expanded and thrived at the beach. In the 1960s, when I began visiting the beach, there were open-gate amusement parks, including Shaheen’s Fun-O-Rama, as well as a host of independent concessionaires. By the time I took my first ride on Wildcat in 1974, the Salisbury Beach amusement area was experiencing a long, sad decline. With the advent of the automobile and the mobility it offered and later, the introduction of Disneyland and more modern theme parks, tastes changed and attendance waned at places like Salisbury Beach. The Wildcat closed after the 1975 season, and the Broadway Flying Horses stopped spinning in 1976.

The amusements continued to fade at Salisbury Beach. Pirate’s Fun Park, which offered a small collection of rides including a Ferris wheel, go-karts, and the old-school Kastle Frankenstein dark ride, hung in there until 2004. Condominiums encroached on the amusement area, which became eerily quiet.

With less to do, fewer folks made the trek to Salisbury Beach. The handful of merchants and property owners that remained banded together about 17 years ago to promote the area and attract visitors.

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The Salisbury Beach Partnership was formed “to revitalize the area–not to get it back to what it once was, but to get it to what it can be in the present day and age,” says Paul Descoteaux, one of the organization’s board members as well as the operator of the new carousel and the pavilion building that houses it.

One of the group’s first goals was to get a boardwalk built. In 2017, the organization celebrated the opening of the 625-foot-long oceanfront span. The organization then turned its attention to the beach’s legacy as a beloved amusement area and determined that it wanted to bring a carousel back to the midway. The group first tried to track down the Broadway Flying Horses. After it left Salisbury, the carousel made its way to Shoreline Village in San Diego in 1977 where it operated until 2004. It then went into storage.

By the time the Salisbury Beach Partnership tried to reclaim its crown jewel, some of its figures had been removed and sold individually to collectors. It is a fate that has befallen many of the grand carousels that were built during the ride’s golden age. So the partnership shifted gears and looked instead for a similar vintage ride. It hit the jackpot in Pennsylvania.

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The Wintersteen family operated a carousel for over 90 years at Don Hanson’s Amusement Park on Harvey’s Lake in Pennsylvania. The park closed in 1984, and the carousel was relocated to Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida near Disney World for a period. When the Salisbury group was seeking it, the Wintersteen family had it packed away in a warehouse.

Although it was the third highest bidder, the family accepted the beach organization’s offer. The reason? The other bidders wanted to break up the ride and sell it in pieces. The Wintersteens wanted to see their prized carousel remain intact and continue to bring joy as a functioning ride.

“We couldn’t sign the paperwork fast enough,” says Descoteaux. “We were so very happy with what we got. [The Wintersteens] were ecstatic about it as well.”

The carousel dates back to 1909 and, like the Broadway Flying Horses, was also designed and built by the Looff Carousel Company. The 44 figures on the three-row ride showcase the old-world craftsmanship that defined classic carousels such as this one. Known as a “menagerie” machine, it includes animals such as giraffes and zebras as well as horses. While the original ride was powered by a steam engine (which the Partnership obtained when it took possession of the ride), a modern-day electric motor now keeps the Salisbury Beach Carousel turning. A lift can accommodate guests in wheelchairs. The group was unable to get the carousel’s original band organ, although it is hoping that it will be able to someday obtain one.

The carousel is housed in a lovely octagonal, post-and-beam building. It includes radiant floor heating–another one of the Partnership’s goals is to make Salisbury Beach a year-round destination–but in the summer, the pavilion’s expansive doors are opened wide to let the ocean breezes in and the joyful ambiance out onto the midway. The building includes a separate function room, and tables can also be arranged around the carousel for large events such as weddings.

“As corny as it sounds, this is a magical building,” Descoteaux says. People love sharing their memories about the former Broadway Flying Horses and the many other rides and attractions they experienced at the beach, he adds. “Now we are creating new memories with our carousel. The tradition goes on.”

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Unlike many other seaside amusement areas, which often lose any semblance of their character once the rides go away, the merchants that remain carry on the spirit of Salisbury Beach. After guests take a ride on the carousel, they can head over to Joe’s Playland where Skee-Ball, classic pinball machines, and other games await. They can also scarf down some of the world’s greatest thick-battered onion rings, try some “beach pizza” (which, curiously, hardly has any cheese but can be topped with a slice of provolone for an extra charge), or head to Wiley’s, which has been serving scrumptious hand-made candies and ice cream since 1913. There are some wonderful sit-down restaurants in addition to a number of other quick-service food stands. While the Frolics, a huge nightclub that hosted famous big bands in the 40s and 50s and rock acts after that (and may or may not have been the site of my underage drinking escapades), is long gone, the Blue Ocean Music Hall now welcomes national and local performers in its beautiful venue.

So, what are you waiting for? Take the Salisbury Beach Carousel for a spin. There’s plenty of merry to go round.

On a related note, for folks in the New England area (or vacationers who will be visiting), please consider coming to Salisbury Beach on July 6, 2026 to check out the band I am in, Express (and to ride the carousel, of course). We will be performing outdoors from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Oceanfront Stage as part of the free Bands on the Beach summer concert series.

Are you a fan of antique carousels? Have you been to Salisbury Beach?

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That got me thinking. I was able to curate our trips to theme parks and steer my brother clear of high-thrill attractions because I know them so well. Since others may not have that knowledge, I’ve decided to share my expertise and help those who might be in the same situation with a series of ride guides. Many attractions are hidden away, often tucked inside show buildings, so it can be hard to determine what’s in store and whether those who fall on the ride wimp spectrum would be able to handle them. I’ll try to demystify the rides and identify which ones to probably avoid and which ones to consider giving a go. I’ll even assign a rating for each attraction using a 10-point thrill scale, where 0 refers to ones that would be of virtually no concern to the wimpish, and 10 designates ones that would challenge even the most hardened ride warriors. Let’s kick off the ride guides by focusing on the original theme park, Disneyland.

It may be called “The Happiest Place on Earth,” but ride wimps see danger lurking just beyond Main Street U.S.A. When it first opened in 1955, Disneyland didn’t really feature anything that would have given wimps pause. Through the years, however, Walt’s original park has assembled a collection of rides that gets pulses racing. Mind you, there is nothing that comes close to some of the thrill-tastic coasters found at other parks, but those who want to keep things relatively tame would definitely want to steer clear of Disneyland’s more aggressive offerings.

Rides to (probably) avoid at Disneyland

We’ll start with the four rides that form Disneyland’s mighty “mountain range.” You will likely want to remain at the base camps for all of them. There is one more attraction at the classic park that would likely be too adventurous for you.

● Matterhorn Bobsleds: With its relatively slow speed (likely less than 30 mph) and lack of huge drops or inversions, Disneyland’s first roller coaster, which debuted in 1959 (and was the first in the world to feature tubular steel tracks), is not really all that thrilling. It is jarringly rough and not an especially comfortable ride, however. That, and the fact that it is a roller coaster (regardless of its comparatively low thrill profile) means you’ll want to consider foregoing it. Thrill rating: 4.25

● Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: There is more or less only one thrilling element throughout the entire log flume ride that was formerly known as Splash Mountain, but it’s a doozy. The vehicles take a 52.5-foot plunge at about 40 mph. It’s over in a matter of seconds, but the anticipation of the drop, let alone the drop itself, would probably be enough to drive you bonkers. It’s a shame, because the rest of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure–which is packed with animatronic characters, a rousing soundtrack, and a compelling story–is delightful. Thrill rating: 4.75

Space Mountain: Originally opened in 1977, the coaster is one of Disney’s most iconic rides. You may be surprised to learn that Space Mountain chugs along at a relatively poky speed of about 30 mph. (Consider that some coasters flirt with and even exceed 100 mph.) But the indoor attraction keeps passengers in the dark, and that makes the ride seem all the more terrifying. Thrill rating: 5

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: At 28 mph, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is even slower than Space Mountain. And like Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain, it has no big drops or inversions. But with three lift hills, it’s a fairly long ride. The sheer length alone may make wimps recoil in horror. Thrill rating: 4.5

Indiana Jones Adventure: It’s not a roller coaster, but the attraction’s “Enhanced Motion Vehicles” are zippy and feature a fair amount of jostling. In addition, much of the action takes place in the dark, and there are plenty of in-your-face effects including hissing snakes, whooshing darts, and a giant rolling ball that threatens to squash passengers. Thrill rating: 4.25

Rides to (possibly) give a try at Disneyland

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster: Yes, it’s a roller coaster. But with a height of 28 inches and a top speed of 22 mph, this is a very gentle ride. It barely qualifies as a “junior” coaster and is really more of a “kiddie” coaster. Plus, the whole thing is over in 44 seconds. If you’ve never been on a coaster, or haven’t ridden one in a while, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster could be a good test for you. It could perhaps be a gateway to bigger coaster thrills, depending on how you tolerate it. Thrill rating: 2.75

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The Haunted Mansion: Despite its scary-sounding name, the Haunted Mansion is really more silly than frightening. Young children may freak out at the somewhat dark scenes and imagery, but adults should do fine. As one of Disney’s all-time great rides, you really wouldn’t want to miss it. Thrill rating: 2.5 (for the scares, not the physical ride experience, which is quite tame)

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run: One of the featured rides at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Smuggler’s Run is a motion simulator. It pretends to blast passengers off into space, but its ride vehicles never really move more than a few inches in any direction. Unlike most other simulator attractions, Smuggler’s Run is interactive, and all passengers have assigned roles (pilots, gunners, and engineers–although they will likely be changed when the attraction is updated this May with a new mission featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu). You might find the task that you are asked to perform to be distracting enough to make you forget about the minor thrills. Thrill rating: 3.25

Pirates of the Caribbean: It is dark, a bit disquieting, and (spoiler alert!) includes a couple of fairly mild flume drops, but you should do just fine. This is another gotta-ride Disney classic. So, go ride it. Thrill rating: 2.75 (for the drops)

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Star Tours: One of the original motion simulator attractions, Star Tours was given a makeover in 2011 and now features a random sequence generator. You never know where in the Star Wars universe you might be heading. If you are okay with Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run (see above), you should be okay with Star Tours. Thrill rating: 3.25

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Perhaps the most sophisticated attraction in the world, Rise of the Resistance uses multiple ride systems (including trackless vehicles) and unfolds over a generous 17 minutes. You will experience some thrills, but they are relatively mild. The attraction’s finale takes place aboard an escape pod. In the interest of transparency (warning: I’m about to reveal a big spoiler), the pod blasts off and suddenly drops, Tower of Terror style. But (and it’s a major but), the drop is very short and should not cause any conniption fits among the wimpish. Thrill rating: 3.75

All the other attractions and things to do at Disneyland

What’s great about Disneyland for wimps is that even if you eliminated all of the attractions above, there is still plenty to do at The Happiest Place on Earth. You should be perfectly fine aboard the park’s many other rides such as Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and the attraction that leads the pack in the theme park wimps’ hall of fame, it’s a small world. Then there are the shows, parades, nighttime spectaculars, character experiences, and the sheer joy that the park engenders.

Are you or someone you know a ride wimp? If so, is it helpful to have a thrill ratings and a ride guide? What other parks should I include in my series of ride guides?

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4 (out of 5)

So, you Will Smith-wannabes think you have the stuff to join the Men in Black? Slip on some black shades, enter the “recruitment program” at MIB Alien Attack and find out. Issued laser guns, passengers travel in ultra-sophisticated vehicles through an alien-infested New York City streetscape and rack up points by blasting the otherworldly bugs.

Beware. The bugs, it turns out, blast back. It’s zap or be zapped time.

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We’re not talking about a couple of modest water slides here. The honest-to-goodness water park will span about six acres and include 19 different slides along with a host of other attractions. The focal point and highlight will be Tidal Tower, which at 170 feet will tie the record for the tallest water slide tower in North America. NCL hasn’t provided details, but the line does say that two of the tower’s slides, on which guests will use inner tubes, will take advantage of the extreme height and offer “splashing drops and thrilling climbs…for an exhilarating ride.” With eight slides in total, the tower will also include mat-racing slides and body slides. NCL says that the topmost slides will include conveyor belts to lift the tubes up to the starting point, thereby giving guests a break from having to lug them. (But guests will apparently still have to climb up a gazillion steps to get themselves to the slides.)

There will be additional racing slides at the park’s Cliffside Cove. The area will also include two “cliff jump” slides, so named because they will abruptly end in midair leaving guests to freefall into a splashdown pool. One will end 15 feet and the other will end 10 feet above the water. NCL says that the cliff jump slides will be a cruise industry first.

Rounding out Great Tides Waterpark will be an interactive splash zone structure with toned-down slides for younger splashers, all kinds of sprayers and water cannons, and a tipping bucket–a water park staple–that will rain down on guests every few minutes. Partially encircling the park will be a jazzed-up river that will include a faster-than-lazy current and send passengers on a trip through a tunnel that will include a “dreamlike bioluminescent scene” according to NCL. The 270-acre Great Stirrup Cay also features beaches, a huge heated pool, a spa, water sports, dining spots, bars, and activities such as jet skiing.

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Royal Caribbean is also building a waterpark at its new private destination, Perfect Day Mexico. That’ll be the place where the other record-breaking, 170-foot-tall water slide tower (to be dubbed Jaguar’s Peak) will be found. I got to experience Daredevil’s Peak, the tallest water slide on the 135-foot-tall Daredevil’s Tower at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay island retreat in the Bahamas. When it debuted, it was the tallest water slide tower in North America.

It’s since been topped by the 142-foot-tall Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer slides at DreamWorks Water Park in New Jersey’s American Dream retail, dining, and entertainment complex and the 145-foot-tall The Rise of Icarus that opened in 2024 at Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells. NCL’s Tidal Tower and Royal Caribbean’s Jaguar’s Peak may be able to claim North American bragging rights, but they fall far short of Icon Tower at Meryal, the water park that opened in 2023 in Qatar. That monster reaches a staggering 260 feet into the air.

Have you been on a cruise ship with water slides? Would you prefer to chill on the beach at a private island getaway, or does a waterpark sound appealing to you?

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Let’s start in New Jersey at Six Flags Great Adventure. Purple track pieces recently arrived at the park for what will be a “multi-record-breaking launch coaster” according to Six Flags. It will purportedly be from Mack Rides and may scale a tower in excess of 400 feet (filling the void left by the scrapped 456-foot-tall record-breaker, Kingda Ka). But that mystery ride is not scheduled to open until 2027.

Great Adventure recently announced that it will welcome Barrel O’ Fun, a modest spinning coaster, this year. Previously known as Rajin’ Cajun, the ride made the journey north from the shuttered Six Flags America in Maryland. But the coaster predates that park as well. Rajin’ Cajun originally debuted at Six Flags Great America near Chicago in 2004 and was transplanted to the Maryland park in 2014.

A Reverchon spinning Wild Mouse coaster, it features four-passenger cars that are dispatched one at a time. It rises 43 feet and hits a top speed of 29 mph. The hairpin turns, which are a staple of Wild Mouse coasters, combined with the free-spinning of the Reverchon rides have been known to make some passengers’ stomachs start rajin’ (if you know what I mean). The round cars will be designed to resemble wooden barrels. The relocated coaster will be part of the park’s refreshed Boardwalk area, which will be known as Shoreline Pier.

Barrel O’ Fun will be joined by three other reborn rides from the defunct Maryland park, two of which are classic midway staples: Flying Scooters, which equips passengers with a rudder to control the ride vehicles, and Wave Swinger, which spins suspended swing-like seats around and into the air. Hypno Twister, a Zamperla Nebulaz ride is also part of the package making the journey. Another classic flat ride, Super Roundup, will be moved from another location at Great Adventure. The reimagined land will take inspiration from the famed Jersey shore.

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There’s no word on what will become of the other rides at Six Flags America. It would be nice to think that coaster headliners such as Superman: Ride of Steel and Joker’s Jinx could find new homes. As I’ve previously written, it would be especially gratifying to me personally if the woodie, Wild One, extended its 109-year-old life. It started thrilling riders at Paragon Park in Massachusetts, a defunct park that I used to frequent. Although it’s likely a long shot, here’s hoping it’s not the end of the road for the vintage coaster.

Wild and wooly coaster coming to Nebraska

Fun-Plex Waterpark will welcome Mammoth, a new ride from Italian manufacturer Preston & Barbieri, to its modest midway this year. That will increase the number of thrill coasters in Nebraska to [quickly checks rcdb] one. (There are only three coasters, all of which are kiddie rides and one of which is also located at Fun-Plex in Omaha, in the state). The steel ride will rise 70 feet, top out at about 40 mph, and span 2,000 feet. Primarily a water park, Fun-Plex also includes a few dry rides including a Tilt-A-Whirl, go-karts, and a carousel.

Lookout Safari, a Zierer family coaster, will be added to the midway at Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia this season. It will use a booster wheel lift hill to climb 20 feet and accelerate to 20 mph. It will join two other coasters, the wooden Cannon Ball and the Wacky Worm kiddie ride, at the small park, which is affectionately known as “Lake Winnie” and is located along the state line near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lookout Safari is being relocated from the Indianapolis Zoo where it was known as Kombo.

Have you been on Rajin’ Cajun or similar Wild Mouse spinning coasters? Like me, would you want to see Wild One continue its long legacy of thrilling riders?

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There are scant details about what is planned. But the SpongeBob expansion will be part of a major investment by Beto Carrero World, which is Brazil’s largest theme park. In a recent interview, Alex Murad, the park’s president, said that Beto Carrero World would be shelling out $2 billion reais ($385 million US) throughout the property over the next four years and that the coaster would be “the most expensive in the Southern Hemisphere, costing twice as much as any other existing today.” So SpongeBob won’t be helming a modest kiddie ride.

According to rcdb.com, Intamin will manufacture the coaster, and it will have a price tag of $450 million reais (a cool $86.6 million US). That will likely make it a highly themed attraction. Indeed, rcdb.com says that it will include an indoor section, which will probably feature some show scenes, perhaps with animatronic characters. The site also reports that the ride will span 4,593 feet and feature multiple launches, rapid track switches, and 18 airtime moments.

SpongeBob and his pals already meet and greet guests at Beto Carrero World. Other IPs represented at the park include Hot Wheels and DreamWorks franchises such as Madagascar, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda. 2.9 million guests visited Beto Carrero World in 2025. Murad says that the hope is that the investment and expansion will double attendance by the end of the decade. In addition to the SpongeBob land, the park will be adding a land geared to young children based on YouTube sensation, Galinha Pintadinha (Lottie Dottie Chicken to English-speaking fans), and three new hotel towers with 600 rooms. According to Murad, the accommodations will help establish Beto Carrero World as a theme park destination resort.

A sweet park is on the way to Sao Paulo

Brazil will welcome another theme park destination resort when Cacau Park, which is scheduled to debut in late 2027, opens its gates. Taking a page from Hersheypark, the Cacau Show candy company is developing the park. With a budget of $2 billion reais ($380 million US), Cacau Park will have 70 attractions, including three roller coasters. One of them, which Vekoma is building, is being billed as the tallest and fastest coaster in Latin America. It will climb about 180 feet and hit a top speed of around 75 mph. The as-yet unnamed coaster will include a launch and four inversions. Mistral, a suspended family coaster, will also be part of the lineup as will a second family coaster; Vekoma will be providing both of those as well.

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When it opens, the Cacau Park resort will include two themed hotels and City Walk (hmm, that name rings a bell), a dining and shopping complex that will put the spotlight on chocolate and other Cacau Show goodies.

Brazilians can’t seem to get enough of theme parks. Before an economic downturn in Brazil and COVID curbed travel, the country was the number one source of overseas visitors to Florida’s theme parks. The homegrown theme park resorts would seem to be an attempt to capture the market and keep folks and their discretionary vacation reais in Brazil.

Is SpongeBob worthy of an E-Ticket coaster attraction? Is the world ready for another chocolate-themed park?

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Sesame Workshop has filed suit against United Parks and Resorts, alleging that the company has not been paying royalties for the use of its characters and intellectual property. Further, it claims that the park chain closed Sesame Place San Diego last September, changing its operational schedule from year-round to seasonal, with little notice. The California location, which opened in 2022, is the second Sesame Place park; the original one is located just outside Philadelphia. In its bid to terminate its licensing agreement with United Parks, Sesame Workshop also says that the park company scuttled plans to open a third Sesame Place and closed its Sesame Street-themed land at SeaWorld San Antonio.

“While we did not want to end a partnership that has spanned 45 years, we have regrettably determined that the termination of our agreement is the only path forward,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement.

For its part, United Parks says, “We are aware of the lawsuit filed by Sesame Workshop and look forward to setting the record straight in court.”

In addition to the standalone Sesame Place locations and the SeaWorld parks, the Sesame Street brand is featured at the Busch Gardens parks in Tampa Bay, Florida and Williamsburg, Virginia, which also fall under United Parks’ umbrella. Beyond the U.S. chain, Bert, Ernie, and the gang can be found at Port Aventura in Spain and other parks. Interestingly, Universal Studios Japan recently announced that it would be closing its Sesame Street-themed land. Which prompts the question: Does the Sesame Workshop lawsuit have merit, or does Oscar the Grouch just like trash-talking theme parks?

Less flags, less fun

To the surprise of just about nobody, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced that it would sell seven of its parks. After the Cedar Fair merger with Six Flags in 2024, the combined companies created a portfolio of 42 properties throughout North America. That’s a lot of parks. The troubled company has since been posting attendance and revenue losses, so something probably had to give. What is surprising are some of the parks that were included in the sale. Underperforming, long-neglected places such as Michigan’s Adventure would seem to make sense. I wouldn’t have expected Six Flags St. Louis, which opened in 1971 (then called Six Flags Over Mid-America) as one of the three original Six Flags parks, or Valleyfair in Minnesota, which was the namesake “Fair” for the Cedar Fair chain, to be part of the deal, however. The other parks include Worlds of Fun in Missouri, Six Flags Great Escape in New York, Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal, and Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston.

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I was also taken aback by the price tag. The investment trust, EPR Properties, picked up the seven properties for the fire-sale price of $331 million. On a per-capita basis, that’s a pretty sweet deal for all of those roller coasters. Shouldn’t the cash-strapped company have held out for more cash? Enchanted Parks will manage the acquired parks. For the remainder of the 2026 season, the sold parks will retain the Six Flags name and branding. Will the new owners be able to lavish the attention and capital on the smaller collection of parks to help make them successful? Here’s hoping that’s the case.

I am heartened by the announcement that Travis Kelce is Six Flags’ official “brand ambassador” for the 2026 season. A lifelong coaster and park fan, the football star acquired a stake in the company late last year. The brand could use some polishing and should be able to capitalize on the Kelce bump. (Then again, I am disheartened that Jana Partners, the activist investment firm which is affiliated with Kelce and which has a sizable stake in Six Flags, is pressuring the company to explore a sale and make leadership changes. That is not going to help the park chain’s image or calm its turbulent waters.)

“Decisions like this are never taken lightly,“ says John Reilly, the chain’s president and CEO, about unloading the seven properties. “This move allows Six Flags to concentrate on the parks that we believe offer the greatest opportunities for growth and long-term success,” Amen to that as well, I guess.

Sure it is a major organization engaged in the often-harsh world of business, but given its squeaky-clean, little kid-centric image, are you as rattled as I am by the nasty allegations leveled by Sesame Workshop? If it is successful in ending its agreement with United Parks, to what parks would you want to see Big Bird and his brood migrate? What do you think might become of the pared-down portfolio of Six Flags parks? How about the ones now being run by Enchanted Parks?

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4 (out of 5)

Six Flags knows coasters and thrill rides. Sophisticated, media-based, story-driven dark rides? That’s more the province of the destination Universal and Disney parks. Yet, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis brings a Universal-style attraction to Six Flags parks. The ride is a gas (courtesy of The Joker). Is it Universal-level quality? Almost.

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Robert (it should be stated that virtually everyone knew him as “Bob”) Levine was a heckuva guy. I’m not just saying that because I loved him. During his long and highly successful career in executive ground transportation sales, he was beloved by everyone he encountered–and he encountered lots and lots of folks. Robert conducted a daily master class in networking and assembled a rolodex for the ages. (Rolodexes used to be a thing, kids. Look it up.) He worked with captains of industry and dignitaries such as Colin Powell and Bill Clinton, making sure that everything went off without a hitch whenever they came to Boston.

He especially loved working with some of the biggest celebrities, particularly those in the music industry. Robert would be on site at Boston Garden, Gillette Stadium, and Fenway Park, ensuring not only that every act–from the Rolling Stones, to Jon Bon Jovi, The Eagles, and Def Leppard–got where they needed to go, but that they had everything they needed—before they even knew to ask for it. He schmoozed backstage with stars such as Billy Joel–who he vaguely resembled–and Bono from U2.

But Robert was closest with the bad boys of Boston, Aerosmith. He spent so much time with them, I think he could have been considered an honorary member of the band. I remember Robert telling me that when Aerosmith returned from a world tour, for which he arranged the ground transportation, he was on the tarmac at Logan Airport to greet them. When the band members got off the plane, they hugged him and said that seeing him truly made them feel like they were home.

Anybody who was anybody knew and cherished my brother and would do anything for him–as he would for them. Sure, Robert landed accounts and arranged transportation services for his clients, getting them from point A to point B. But what he did was way, way more than that. Robert went far above and beyond for his clients providing doting, impeccable service, all the while developing lifelong friendships. Robert delighted in bringing joy, often unexpectedly, to others. He said that he was going to collect all of his celebrity escapades and write a book that he would call, “Behind the Tinted Glass.”

His influence extended well beyond his day job. Robert helped shape the region’s tourism community as the New England Chapter president of the Global Business Travel Association. He also served on a number of other boards. He was a larger-than-life, one-of-a-kind titan and an unstoppable dynamo. It could be said that he was the unofficial mayor of Boston.

While Robert was arranging rides for his clients, I, of course, was going on and writing about rides. There are some ways in which my brother and I were alike. We both loved to travel, for example. But there were many ways in which we were quite different. Robert wouldn’t go near the coin-operated mechanical horses that used to be outside stores (are they still there?), let alone the roller coasters that I love. He was, to put it mildly, a thrill ride wimp.

Still, we would visit parks together, carefully avoiding anything that might scare him. Just how much of a wimp was he? I knew coasters were out of the question. But I thought Robert might be able to give psychological thrills a go, so he gamely accompanied me one year to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida. We entered the first haunted house, and Robert immediately panicked. You know those incongruous red emergency exit signs that break the theme in haunts? He made a beeline for the first one and busted through the door, setting off an alarm. Then he did the walk of shame to a bench, where he sat and waited for me. That was his first–and only–time in a haunted house.

Sometimes, I’d convince him to try out a ride I thought he could handle. But even the slightest movement–we’re talking about something as innocuous as Peter Pan’s Flight here–would startle Robert, and he’d scream, “Oh Ma!,” an expression he co-opted from our easily frightened grandmother. He would get angry with me for suggesting the offending ride, but soon enough all was forgiven.

There were some attraction successes. Robert liked Toy Story Mania so much, we rode it twice. As I recall, he racked up decent scores. And he got a kick out of the defunct Poseidon’s Fury walk-through experience at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, even though he had an “Oh Ma!” moment when everything went dark in the final scene. He enjoyed going to shows at the parks and was especially wowed by The Bourne Stuntacular at Universal Studios Florida. We had a wonderful family trip to the Nickelodeon Hotel and Resort in Punta Cana. He didn’t go on any of the water slides at the Aqua Nick water park, but he loved getting slimed there and would often bring it up when we gathered at family events. For Robert, the highlight of our park trips–and really, any trip–would be the meals we shared. Food is an abiding passion for the Levine clan.

We loved revisiting the local parks–or at least, what remains of them–that we went to when we were kids. Places like Salem Willows (where we would eat the chop suey sandwiches more for their nostalgia than their taste), Revere Beach (where, sadly, the amusements are all gone, but the glorious Bianchi’s Pizza remains), and Salisbury Beach, (home of the world’s most extraordinary onion rings). See what I mean about our passion for food?

He was my only sibling. I’m heartbroken, and I’m going to miss him dearly. I know I’m going to think about Robert when I visit parks and wonder whether he would have been able to go on attractions with me. As a seasoned park veteran, I don’t get too scared these days by coasters and thrill rides. But if you see me on a midway, don’t be surprised if you hear me scream “Oh Ma!” in honor of my brother.

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Those interested in the promotion can go to Allegiant’s Website, search for flights departing Orlando (MCO) and arriving at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville on November 6 and then choosing the special flight #925. The airline is promising a Dollywood-centric experience aboard the outbound flight, including a celebration at the gate with live entertainment (which undoubtedly will include a rendition of “9 to 5”), an in-flight trivia contest (suggested question: What was the name of the park before it was Dollywood?), exclusive merchandise, and themed food and drinks. Perhaps the airline can serve some cinnamon bread and a cup of ambition as part of its in-flight offerings.

The fun won’t stop when the flight lands. Those passengers that purchase park tickets (which, I’d have to imagine would be most, if not all of them) will have additional perks at Dollywood on the following day, Saturday, November 7. The park says that it will provide special treats (more cinnamon bread?), exclusive ride time, reserved seats for shows, and “other surprises.” Since the visit will take place during the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival–which is among parkdom’s best seasonal events–the reserved seating will likely be for one or more of Dollywood’s stirring holiday productions.

The park is also offering hotel packages for Flight #925ers at its properties, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort. Deals include discounted room rates, park tickets, complimentary TimeSavers front-of-the-line passes, and a $100 dining and shopping credit.

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“Flight #925 is all about embracing the joy of travel,” says Drew Wells, Allegiant’s chief commercial officer. “Partnering with Dollywood Parks & Resorts allows us to deliver a unique experience that reflects the best of both brands: great value, unforgettable moments, and the chance to create memories from the second you step on board.”

Sure, the route between Orlando and Knoxville is a popular one, but there are plenty of other feeder markets that Dollywood and Allegiant could have targeted. I do think that zeroing in on Florida’s theme park corridor is intentional. In my estimation, Dollywood holds a special place in the industry. It may not quite be on the level of Disney or Universal (although Night Flight Expedition, which is scheduled to debut this spring and should be open for the November event, certainly looks Disney-esque and E-Ticket worthy), but it’s a considerable step above most regional parks and a destination theme park resort in its own right.

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So, does the 925 tie-in sound intriguing to you as well? Unfortunately, a quick check of the Allegiant site seems to indicate that all tickets for the special flight have been sold. But if you want to get in on the promotion, check with the airline to be sure. The quick sale of tickets demonstrates strong demand. Perhaps Allegiant and Dollywood will schedule additional dates and flights–in which case they’ll need to stock up on cups of ambition.

What in Thunderation is going on at Silver Dollar City?

Sister park Silver Dollar City recently revealed that this will be the final season for Thunderation. The popular coaster, which opened in 1993, has apparently reached the end of the line. When I first boarded Thunderation a number of years ago, I was impressed by the ride. A classic mine train coaster from defunct manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics, it climbs 81 feet and hits 48 mph, which is fairly potent for this type of ride. It also features a nice helix. During my last visit to the Branson, Missouri park, however, Thunderation had become noticeably rougher and was showing its age. So yeah, it’s time to bid farewell. The park is giving fans a big heads up so that they can get in their last rides this year. It will also be presenting special ceremonies, promotional merchandise, and other ways to give Thunderation a proper sendoff.

Both Silver Dollar City and Dollywood are owned and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment. You get bonus points if you were able to answer the trivia question I posed earlier. For those scratching their heads: Before it was Dollywood, the Tennessee park was known as–pause for dramatic effect–Silver Dollar City and took its cues from the original park in Missouri.

Would you want to participate an airline/theme park promotion like Flight #925? Will you miss Thunderation?

Twister coaster

A twister coaster is so named because its track twists and turns into itself. Because of all the turns, twister coasters can be built on relatively small plots of land. With all of the twists and curved track, they usually deliver lots of lateral G-forces that can slam passengers to-and-fro sideways. When riders are racing along a twister coaster, it may appear that they might not clear the structure when they enter it. This is known in the industry and among enthusiasts as a “head chopper.” (Lovely imagery, right?)

Examples of twister coasters include Thunderhead at Dollywood in Tennessee and Tremors at Silverwood in Idaho.

Out-and-back coaster

A popular type of wooden coaster is the out-and-back. As the name implies, the track takes passengers out to the halfway point, turns around, and heads back to the station. Because of their configurations, out-and-backs can take up a lot of real estate. They typically do not include many twists or turns, instead offering lots of hills that can deliver sweet pops of out-of-your-seat airtime. Variations include double out-and-back and triple out-and-back coasters.

Examples of out-and-back coasters include Shivering Timbers at Michigan’s Adventure, which travels a half-mile out and a half-mile back, and El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Interestingly, El Toro, which was built by Intamin, uses prefabricated wooden track.

Cyclone

A specific type of twister coaster, cyclone coasters pay homage to the original Cyclone at Brooklyn’s Coney Island. Built in 1927, the Cyclone is among the most famous rides in the world. Deemed a National Historic Landmark, it is still operating to great acclaim. The famous ride actually features a steel structure. But it is considered a wooden coaster because of its traditional wooden coaster track. All other cyclone coasters reproduce the original’s layout.

There used to be a number of cyclone coasters, including Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. Three remain today, including Viper at Six Flags Great America near Chicago.

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Figure Eight

In the early 1900s, when coasters first became popular, figure eight track layouts were quite prominent. In fact, many coasters were (unimaginatively) named "Figure 8.” As you might imagine, their layouts trace a figure-eight pattern.

There are still plenty of steel figure eight coasters, but the only remaining woodie that’s still operating is Swamp Fox at Family Kingdom in South Carolina.

Twin coaster

Twin coasters have two tracks and typically dispatch two trains at the same time that “race” one another. They are also known as racing coasters. The two tracks are usually mirror images, and they generally follow the same course alongside one another for most of the ride. A close cousin of the twin coaster is the Möbius coaster, which features two trains on what appears to be two tracks, but is actually one continuous loop of track. Racer at Kennywood in Pennsylvania is a (wonderful!) classic Möbius coaster.

Examples of wooden twin coasters include The Racer at Kings Island in Ohio and Racer 75 at Kings Dominion in Virginia.

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Topper Track coasters

The coaster types listed above all focus on track layouts. For this category of wooden coaster, we turn to the track itself. Nearly all wooden coaster tracks incorporate a stack of wooden track pieces with a thin steel rail embedded in the top layer onto which the trains’ wheels run. In 2013, the innovative ride manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) introduced Topper Track. Its coasters feature a thick band of steel rail that completely covers the entire wooden stack. The more robust track allows the coasters to go higher and faster while remaining comparatively smooth. It also allows them to include inversions that turn passengers upside down, which was novel for modern-day wooden coasters when the first Topper Track coaster, Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City in Missouri, opened.

There are three other Topper Track coasters operating, including Goliath at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, Wildfire at Kolmården in Sweden, and Lightning Rod at Dollywood. Lighting Rod had much of its Topper Track replaced in 2021 with I-Box track (see hybrid wooden and steel below).

Bobsled

Bobsled coasters also focus on the track. Specifically, they do not include any rails, but instead use a trough through which trains race, much like a bobsled. Wooden bobsled coasters were popular in the first half of the 1900s. Today, there are a number of steel ones operating, but the only wooden bobsled coaster is the retro Flying Turns at Knoebels in Pennsylvania.

Hybrid wooden and steel

This one is a bit, um, off the rails. Technically, many consider hybrid wooden and steel coasters to be “steel” coasters, because their tracks are entirely steel. It’s tricky though. Another wild innovation by RMC, these coasters feature a wooden structure and a proprietary “I-Box” steel track. Most hybrid wooden and steel coasters start with the wooden structure of an aging, overly rough woodie, which RMC invariably transforms into incredibly smooth rides. Other ride manufacturers have developed their own hybrid concepts including Great Coasters International, which offers Titan Track.

A stellar example of a hybrid coaster is Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida.

Do you have a favorite kind of wooden coaster? Did I overlook any wooden coaster types?

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4.5 (out of 5)

Like Universal Orlando's other original Harry Potter-themed rides, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is spectacular.

Located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure (one of three theme parks at Universal Orlando), Hagrid's is a hybrid dark ride and roller coaster. Unlike nearly all other attractions that attempt to blend the thrills of a coaster with the immersive storytelling of a major E-Ticket ride, Universal hasn’t sacrificed anything. It is both a richly themed, compelling attraction filled with stunning animatronics and other captivating elements as well as a full-throated, scream-tastic coaster.

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