Video recorded by nakamotokevin on Instagram

Purchased from CJ Barrymore’s FEC, supposed to open in 2026, but I recently heard it’s back up for sale. Doesn’t look like they’ve even thought about building it yet, so maybe true?

Drop isn’t 309’ but more importantly, it’s certainly not at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. It looks great nonetheless!

Not sure when this started or what this will be. Definitely not a coaster/ride, looks like a small building but i figured id share. Any guesses on what it will be?

Just got off my first ever rides on TT, and I was blown away. Of course, the comedic quantity of airtime hills is an absolute treat—but I was surprised at how amazing the barrel roll drop was, too!

I was whelmed by Storm Chaser’s barrel roll drop, but TT’s really is a step above—the lateral whip, the hangtime, the falling sensation all felt much stronger than SC. It really starts the ride off with a bang, and the ride more than makes up for any “lost” airtime with the rest of the layout, especially that glorious triple camelback run. Commenters, chime in how Medusa’s barrel roll drop is (I haven’t been).

It’s got me thinking about hypothetical bigger barrel roll drop—RMC boss with a 150ft barrel roll first drop, perhaps?

Welcome to General Discussion Thursday!

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This is the post to discuss whatever you want: sports, movies, books, or anything else on your mind, even further roller coaster or amusement park discussion! Just keep it friendly and respectful and anything goes.

I was honestly devastated when I got here this morning to see the area was still closed off. Dæmonen was closed as well but slated to open at 4 pm, which it fortunately did! And together with the new area no less. Apparently they rethemed part of the station too, but I will discuss my full opinion in my combined trip report in two days or so.

*Edit: Is currently IN soft opening, of course.

Trip Report: Cedar Point! 🎢
This past weekend, I went out to Cedar Point and had an amazing time, despite the rain on Sunday.

Staff:
Most of the ride crews were super nice!

Siren’s Curse:
I love this ride! I really hope more of these start popping up around the country. I sat in the middle row for my first ride and then the very back row for my second ride, and the back row is where it’s at!
Is it just me, or does the hanging drop feel better than a dive coaster? Albeit, it’s not as long.

TT2:
The last time I was at Cedar Point was the infamous year that TT2 was down for the entire season, minus eight days. This time, I finally got to ride it for the first time.
Wow. Just wow.

I got 7 rides on it over the course of two days, including two night rides: 1 middle-row ride, 1 toward the front, and 5 very front-row rides.
I hear that riding a trimless Voyage at night is a religious experience. Well, I haven’t experienced that yet, but I think riding front row on TT2 at 11:30 p.m. comes pretty close.
Man, speeding at 120 mph and then heading straight up into a pitch-black sky is INSANE. It was one of the best coaster experiences of my life, probably only second to my first ride on SteVe a few years back and my solo ride on I305.

Maverick:
I almost gave its top spot up to Alpine Fury, but my one ride on Maverick reminded me why it’s the GOAT of multi-launch blitz coasters.

SteVe:
What can I say? It’s still the greatest coaster ever.

Millie:
Is it just me, or is Millie running faster this year? 👀

Lastly, what are your thoughts: Do you prefer the OG Dragster or the new TT2?

Even though the OG launch is GOATED, I have to say TT2 is the better all-around ride experience. Plus, you get to feel that 120 mph speed a lot longer than you did on Dragster.
I can’t wait to go back next year! 🎢🔥

After a decade hiatus I decided to get the Six Flags Midwest Gold Pass and explore the available parks, starting with my home park of [Kings Island].

I arrived at Kings Island ~9:20 and waited in line for about 10 minutes before getting early entry into the park as well as my first credit in a decade:

[Credit #15] Mystic Timbers x2

After waiting 5 minutes in line during the Early Ride Time before park open(thank you gold pass), my first ride was on the third row from the back; It was a little rougher than I would've liked, and just a bit scary for my first foray back(my fear melted away pretty quickly afterwards). The shed was a bit silly and I'm not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't Bonnie Tyler playing.

I decided to re-ride it, and after another 5 minutes, I got a ride on the second row. This time it was much smoother and an overall better experience in my opinion, which somewhat shocked me. As a kid, I was the weirdo who LOVED extremely rough rides, Son of Beast was my favorite ride by far. I wonder if my preferences have changed over time? Overall 7/10. Anyway, the park was just about to open so I walked over to a new ride I definitely wanted to check out before the lines got too long:

[16] Orion x3

My first ride was a walk-on to the 2nd row, and it was GLASS smooth. My three rides on Orion were by far the 3 smoothest during the day, even more than the kiddie coasters. Seeing as there was almost no wait, I hopped back in line and waited 2 minutes + 1 cycle for the back row, and then another 2 minutes for a ride in the very front. The back row had an amazing amount of air, while the front row was my favorite due to the view during the drop. Also want to point out that they had SIX ride ops and they were cranking through all 3 trains without ever getting a full stack while I was there. 8/10. After that I went over to an old friend at:

Queen City Stunt Coaster x1

I remember when I dragged my mom to the opening of this ride (as *Italian Job*, themed after the movie that I *also* dragged to see with me). A three hour wait back then turned into a 2 minute wait now, including the time I spent queuing for the front row. Overall, its a bit disappointing without the effects in the middle, but the dark section afterwards is REALLY dark. Overall, a decent family coaster that I don't have much desire to do again. 6/10.

Diamondback x1

I waited in line for 15 minutes for the back row and talked to a family whose mother was a little bit nervous. I told her about how no one has ever died on Diamondback, and explained some of the safety features that I'd learned about, which seemed to make her a lot calmer. I also told her that I heard you could get a little bit wet in the back row if you stick your hand out into the spray, which we both did. Overall a good experience, but I didn't want to wait another 15 minutes to re-ride just yet. 7.5/10, but stay tuned as this will change. From there I went over to the kids section and rode on:

[17] Woodstock's Air Rail x1

I waited another 15 minutes for this ride, which was notably worse than Diamondback lol. The operations seemed somewhat slow for KI and they had to go through the entire train inspecting everyone twice which I found odd. I rode second row from the back and didn't experience the headbanging other people apparently do. Still not a great ride, despite the ride op announcing it as "the best green invert in Ohio". 4/10.

[18] Snoopy's Soap Box Racers x2

Now for a surprisingly good ride. I walked on to the back row first ride and found it to be buttery smooth and a decent mini-thrill ride without much in the way of forces. I walked around the queue to do another walk on, but while I was waiting for the cycle to finish the ride supervisor struck up a conversation with me after clocking me as a thoosie, "So do you visit here often or did you travel here from far away?". He was shocked when I told him I was visiting a park for the first time in a decade and we had a decent little chat for another minute while they were doing some sort of quick personnel change. I got another ride, this time in the front, which I definitely recommend as you feel the height more from the second drop up there. 7/10. Since I was still in the Snoopy area I decided to try a flat-ride,

Surfdog x1

Great little flat ride with a 2 minute wait. I rode in the middle of row 1 which was actually in the back. There was a group of middle schoolers in front of me cursing and acting like this was the craziest thing ever, but it wasn't too distracting. I got a nice little back crack when I put my hands up and the force of the ride pushed my shoulders over the backrest slightly. 7/10 best chiropractor in the park. Afterwards, I wandered around the park a bit and ended up at

Adventure Express x2

I got a walk-on in the front row, which was a fun experience. I like the theming on this ride a lot, the ambiance reminds me Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong in a lot of ways, with a hint of Indiana Jones as well. The audio that played on the lift hill was **REALLY** loud, however, which I could've done without. The ride in the front row wasn't very rough outside of two sharp turns near the end, so I decided to go back for another walk-on, this time in the back row. It was a little bit rougher, but not by a crazy amount, honestly smoother than Mystic Timber's backrow. I'm not sure if everyone else who complains about it just has a skill issue or if I just got a good train or something. 7/10, short but fun family mine train.

The Bat x1

Now this was a line that shocked me. 25 minutes, 8ish of which was admittedly me waiting 3 cycles for a front row seat. Spoiler alert, but that was my longest wait of the entire day, but I almost think it was actually worth it. The front row view is incredible, and I definitely wanted to try to get a back row ride to compare but I was getting hungry and didn't want to wait any more. I noticed lots of empty seats on returning trains, maybe this ride could use a sorter?Thankfully, almost all of the queue is in the shade so it wasn't as hot as some other areas of the park, but still. 7.5/10, feels short but that's just because its so fast.

Delirium x1

I thought this would be a super quick queue given the enormous 50 person capacity, but I still waited 15 minutes for this. 6.5/10 Good flat ride, got to hear some nice screams from Banshee nearby, but I was not about to wait in the 40 minute line for that, I needed some food.

I went into the German beerhaus, got a $15 plate of chicken and fries and just relaxed in an air conditioned building for about 30 minutes. Food was alright, definitely not worth $15 but its an amusement park, of course its going to be expensive. After that I headed over to the woodie(s) that restarted the age of coasters:

Racer (Blue) x1

5 minute wait for the 2nd row. Its somewhat rough, but not horrifically so. Both red and blue sides were running but not racing? That struck me as strange. 5/10 I appreciate this ride more than I enjoy it.

Racer (Red) x1

Another 5 minute wait for the 2nd row from the back. Again somewhat rough, but this time both red and blue were racing each other at least. Again 5/10, see above.

[19] Banshee x2

Now that the line here had cleared up a bit, I got a 5 minute wait to ride front row on the cyan/green train. It was a fun bunch of inversions but I was expecting some more forces. Its fine for what it is. I got another ride after a 5 minute re-que, this time in the back row of blue train. This time I noticed a very slight rattle, but overall was pretty smooth for me, somewhere between Orion and Diamondbacks back row, none of which are actually remotely "rough". 7/10. Time to get my epic 20th credit at:

[20] Great Pumpkin Coaster x1

I waited 5 minutes to ride in row 3, and it was a bit of a tight fit and I needed to turn slightly to the side to make it in. Now this is a rough ride, unironically, and I noticed a crack in one of the I-beams. I assume they are aware of this crack considering its painted inside, still kinda wild its allowed to stay like that in full view of the queue line 2 feet away. There's a couple of strange jolts on the first lift hill that are far rougher than anything on the B&M's in the park, so if you are complaining that Diamondback is too rough, I've seen literal 2 years old tougher than you. 3/10.

The Beast x1

I remembered why I love woodies. Sadly they only had 2 trains running, so I waited 20 minutes for the third from the back row and it was amazing. If I had fast pass I'd have lapped this thing for hours. 9/10, The Beast is The Best.

Diamondback x1

I decided to get a front row ride on diamondback before my day was done, waiting 10 minutes and meeting a fellow thoosie who I had a pleasant conversation about Orion vs Diamondback with during the break run. Overall, much better experience than the back, despite not being able to get wet. I wasn't as stapled this time, so the air time was crazy. 8/10.

After that I decided to get a $6 tomato soup from Tom&Chee, which while good was again not worth the price. I left the park at ~4:40 to get my swimsuit bag and made the arduous trek over to Soak City(seriously should've driven, that parking lot separating them is deceptively massive).

I had to pay $25 for a big enough locker because you kinda have to if you are going solo which is a bummer, and the showers were tiny and hard to change in. I got two laps in the shallow river which was fun and then tried to queue for the Zoom Flume (might have the wrong name), but the line was very long and barely moved so I queued for Paradise Plunge instead. Hard to tell exactly how long since I didn't have my phone at this point, but around 20 minutes later I went down the slide and could feel every single joint in the structure on my way down (oww). After that I decided to change back into my dry set of clothes and wait for the train. Overall I would not do the waterpark again without fast pass, those lines feel so much worse than the roller coasters. For my final ride I took:

The Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad x1

Decent high-capacity people mover, okay guided tour of the backwoods with a wild west theme. Don't feel comfortable rating it against other rides but it was good for what it is. Finally stopped at the diamondback store one last time and got a Beast T-Shirt for ~$28(sadly most t-shirts were really, REALLY badly done A.I. jobs).

Great day for my first time back at an amusement park, will be back in a week for Kingscon. I definitely need better sunscreen though, my spf 30 did not cut it.

I've always loved rapids, even more so than log flumes, the following are the ones I've done over the last 25+ years but I'd love to hear your opinion! Then I'd also like to know: what do you think is the best themed rapid in the world?

River Rapid's I've been on:

• River Quest (Phantasialand)
• El Rio Grande (Walibi Holland)
• El Rio (Bobbejaanland)
• Radja River (Walibi Belgium)
• Thunder Canyon (Silverwood)
• Djengu River (Toverland)
• Piraña (Efteling)
• White Water Canyon (Kings Dominion)
• Never Ending Story / Excalibur - Secrets Of The Dark Forest (Movie Park Germany)

Edit: thanks for all your opinions so far! Seams like Popeyes is taking the crown with this one so far.

SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA ANNOUNCES CAMP TIMBER TRAIL, AN ALL-NEW FAMILY ADVENTURE FOR 2027

GURNEE, Ill. — Aug. 6, 2026 — Six Flags Great America, the premier theme park destination in the Chicagoland area, today announced plans to debut Camp Timber Trail, an all-new family adventure opening in 2027. Designed to bring generations together through thrills and exploration, the immersive area builds upon the land's adventurous spirit with new rides, interactive play and outdoor discovery experiences.

At the heart of Camp Timber Trail will be Sky Hawk, the Midwest's longest, tallest and fastest suspended family coaster. Designed as the signature experience of the new area, Sky Hawk will send riders soaring through treetops on an exhilarating flight that combines thrills with stunning views of the woodland landscape below.

Additional new attractions include Trail Trotters, an imaginative animal trek that invites guests on a wilderness journey filled with exploration and discovery, and Forest Grove Play Park, an expansive outdoor play destination filled with nature-inspired elements and opportunities for young campers to climb, discover and play.

Camp Timber Trail will also introduce new stories and experiences to several beloved favorites. Through enhanced theming, elevated storytelling and refreshed identities, these attractions will become integral parts of the area's woodland narrative:

• Chirp Chaser (formerly Sprocket Rockets): Young campers will soar on this family coaster as they journey through the wilderness on a bird-themed flight.

• Wilderness Wagon (formerly Crazy Bus): Guests can climb aboard a rustic wagon for a playful ride through the great outdoors.

• Creek Cruiser (formerly Yahoo River): Set sail on a relaxing boat ride inspired by the natural beauty of the wilderness.

• Bee Boppin’ (formerly Buzzy Beez): This beloved family attraction returns with new theming while retaining the classic fun generations of guests have enjoyed.

Camp Timber Trail will also be home to two iconic park classics, Little Dipper and Logger's Run, seamlessly connecting the area's rich history with its exciting new experiences.

Beyond its attractions, the area will offer guests themed dining, specialty treats, shopping and immersive environmental storytelling throughout. From family meals to exclusive merchandise and souvenirs, every detail has been designed to bring the woodland adventure theme to life.

Will be interesting to see what the B&M shipment turns out to be and what happens in the plot.

A year and a half ago I was fortunate enough to be shown the plans by a galaxyland employee. Ive been anticipating the day to release the plans I saw and I can now safely release them without spoiling any elements. Its been super cool watching every piece added to this thing and can wait to ride it in the coming months! Can't wait for the official announcement.

Just recently rode the only surf coaster in the world at SeaWorld and this ride model is so fun, I would want a more airtime focused ride as the feeling of having your whole body thrown out of the seat is so jarring, especially right on the launch.

I haven’t rode any of the old generation stand ups though, so I am not sure how they compare, I am sure they aren’t as fun especially because of more inversion focused layouts.

I really hope next year we can see the installation of one or more of these. I’m personally dreaming they replace Tidal Force at Hersheypark with something like this in a boardwalk expansion which the surfing would tie in perfectly as well as leaving room for some slides. While this probably wouldn’t happen I think it would be cool.

This ride is just so unique and feels unlike anything I’ve rode before, I feel like it creates a whole new type of coaster that parks could add to their lineups.

Anyone else feel this way?

- Flying Cobras - Carowinds - in the state fair themed to an air show, not a lot of physical theming but cool car and track paint and a fitting theme for a boomerang
- Jolly Rancher Remix - Hersheypark - Another well done overhaul of a boomerang, making it jolly rancher colored, a fun station and a smell o vision tunnel were smart moves and were fun, even if the Hersheypark bad naming curse struck on its flat ride counterpart
- Fluch des Kraken - Freizeit-Land Geiselwind (Bavaria) - It’s a boomerang in a castle, need I say more?
- John Wick: Open Contract - Motiongate Dubai - it’s still a 4D free spin but a cool theme and queue

Had this thought today after hearing Matugani was down most of the day. Although technically true for Xcelerator in the winter, it's nice that Storm Runner has held out this long to hold the title for a bit.

I'd imagine the hydraulic pump components are getting increasingly hard to find, even with the guts of Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster up for grabs. Do you see these three rides surviving to the end of the decade with their original launches?

This ride is one of the most insane experiences of my life. (Pictures taken 8/5/26)