Finally, Total Mayhem Hits Six Flags Great Adventure!

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For the first time in a long time, there's something to get excited about at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.  One of the busiest and most profitable parks in the Six Flags family hasn't really added any truly exciting attractions since the openings of Kingda Ka in 2005 and El Toro in 2006.  Now, a long wait is over as Total Mayhem is about to be unleashed.

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Total Mayhem is being dubbed as a 4D Free-Fly Coaster, a wicked wicked type of ride where riders spin forward and backwards perched along the sides of the track, occasionally catching glimpses of the terrified faces of fellow riders.  Oh, just watching the video is enough to whet ones appetite at the prospect.    

The new ride is set to open next spring.  I can't wait...

Dollywood Announces Lightning Rod, The World's Fastest Wood Coaster

There's a new trend in the theme park industry and their ongoing coaster wars that generate mega bucks at the gates, and I'm not sure if I like it, but it does get me excited nonetheless.  Whereas in recent years, amusement parks have been saving their big coaster announcements for the dreary, inactive winter months, new ride press releases have been coming out in the summer months, sometimes up to a couple of years in advance of the newest, baddest roller coaster.  With Cedar Point's teasing of a big announcement on August 18th, Tennessee's biggest theme park attraction, Dollywood, has already made a big one.  Lightning Rod will strike in March 2016.

 

Lightning Rod is a huge announcement for Dollywood, The new record-breaking coaster stands as the park's largest investment ever, coming in at a cool $22 million.  That signifies a seriousness in the parks desire to become one of the beacons of coaster coolness, adding to their already respectable line-up of great roller coasters.

Here's what the theme park has to say about the new Lightning Rod coaster on their website:

Themed after a tricked out 1950s-era hot rod, Lightning Rod launches riders from zero to 45 mph more than 20 stories up its lift hill to one of the ride’s first airtime moments. At the crest of the hill, riders face twin summit airtime hills before tackling the daring first drop. Lightning Rod races down the 165-foot drop and propels guests along its 3,800-ft. track to a top speed of 73 mph, the fastest speed for a wood coaster in the world. 

Located in Dollywood's Jukebox Junction, Lightning Rod rockets riders around its massive wooden structure on an adrenaline-charged lap through the trees in the hills and valleys surrounding Dollywood. During the ride, guests experience nearly 20 seconds of airtime. The coaster train is comprised of 12 cars, carrying two passengers each, for a total of 24 people per train.

Sounds pretty exciting, no?  2016 is already sounding ike it's already going to be a great year! Check out a video simulation of the new ride and stay tuned for more...

Check Out This Wild New Roller Coaster: Sky Scream

Roller coaster season is upon us and I simply can't wait to start riding (very soon!).  My pal Rich is as excited as I am and between the two of us, we've been riding a lot of coasters lately via P.O.V.  (point of view) videos on YouTube.

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Here's one that he found and shared with me today, a thriller that just opened on April 12th in Holiday Park in Hassloch, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany.  It's called Sky Scream and it's a mix of several types of coasters that have been popping up around the world.  It's got the back and forth, twisting up and down of rides such as Wicked Twister in Cedar Point and Possessed in Dorney Park, combined with a complete circuit with a corkscrew loop somewhere in the vicinity of 150 feet above the ground.  Ooh, I'd love to ride this one! Check it out...

  

A-Z Blogging: Adventure Parks - A is for Alton Towers

I've been racking my brain for days on a theme for the A-Z Blogger's Challenge and I've finally got it! Since John's World is a little about me and a lot about all of the things that interest me, it only makes sense to do a theme this year on one of my favorite things in the world and that's amusement parks and especially roller coasters.  Since deciding on this theme yesterday, I've been brainstorming topics and parks and coasters and I think I've got a winner here. There are plenty of things to talk about in the amusement world, and maybe even it'll spark me to write a little more for my National Adventure Parks Examiner page.  So without further adieu, let's start with our first entry...

A is for Alton Towers

Alton Towers is an amusement park and resort area located in Staffordshire, England, and it's a place I've long-dreamed of visiting (if I ever get to the U.K.,, of course!).  The park has long been on the cutting edge of roller coaster technology, with 8 coasters, many of which have provided a lot of firsts.  Check out some of these stats:

Air - Short for Aerial Inversion Ride, this steel monster was the world's first B&M (that's short for Bolliger and Mabillard, world-famous coaster manufacturers) "flying coaster," opened in 2002.  Take a ride on Air here.

Nemesis - This ride, Europe's first inverted coaster, make the mouths of any enthusiast water for its twists and turns, oh, and inversions, four of them, as it flies through some beautiful countryside.  Take a ride on Nemesis here.

Oblivion - Another first for this park, Oblivion was the world's very first vertical drop coaster, pausing ever so slightly and leaving riders dangling in sheer terror before being dropped straight down into, well, oblivion. This looks like a wicked, wicked ride!  Check it out...

The Smiler - The newest coaster at Alton Towers is The Smiler, which opened in 2013.  With a thrilling 180 degree drop right from the get-go, a record 14 inversions, 2 lift hills, and plenty of twists, turns and heart-stopping moments, this one looks like it's well worth the trip across the pond.  Take a ride on The Smiler:

That's just four of the amazing eight coasters located at Alton Towers, and enough for me to want to go to England even more than ever before.  Located in what looks to be beautiful countryside about three hours drive northwest of London, I'd definitely have to reserve some time for this side trip should I ever go to visit.  For more on Alton Towers, visit their website here.

The Smiler

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"A" Coaster of the Day - Apollo's Chariot, Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

During the A-Z Blogger's Challenge, we will also be featuring point of view videos of roller coasters from around the world to match the letter of the day.  Today's "A" coaster is Apollo's Chariot, located at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.  It's a hyper-coaster that I've ridden and loved.  Check it out...

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Stay tuned for more Adventure Parks on John's World during the A-Z Blogger's Challenge!

Verbolten: Busch Gardens, Williamsburg's newest coaster

I was in the middle of penning a piece on the newest thrill rides for 2012 when I came across Verbolten, Busch Gardens, Williamsburg's newest masterpiece. Busch Gardens is one of my favorite theme parks, modeled after European countries in a most spectacular way and interlaced among the countrysides of Germany, Scotland, Italy and England are some mighty fine roller coasters.

This one was built on the site of the old Big Bad Wolf and it looks to be really fun. It's not the biggest, nor the fastest, coaster in the park, but the folks at BG have always proved in the past that bigger and faster is not necessarily best anyway. Take a ride on Verbolten with commentary from a representative of Theme Park Review.

 

Check out Busch Gardens website here for more.

For rides on other new roller coasters for the 2012 season, check these out:

X-Flight, Six Flags Great America, Chicago, IL

Mr. Freeze, Six Flags Arlington, TX and St. Louis, MO

Swarm, Thorpe Amusement Park, Surrey, England

Wild Eagle, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN

Leviathan, Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario, Canada

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All New Pics and a POV Ride on the New "Swarm" Roller Coaster at Thorpe Park

One of my go-to coaster sites, Coaster Grotto, has just published pictures of the newest roller coaster at Thorpe Park in England. Swarm is the frenzied winged coaster where crash test dummies lost their limbs on test runs before the ride opened on March 15th. So far there have been no reported loss of limbs from riders..






To read more on "Swarm," click here.
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For more images, check out Coaster Grotto here

And check out a front seat ride right here:



YIKES!

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Theme Parks adding new coasters for 2011

Through the dead of winter, roller coaster enthusiasts can only dream of what's to come. Over the past several months, amusement parks around the country have been making preparations for new additions to the ever growing number of scream machines. The summer of 2011 promises a whole new slew of record breaking, death defying rides and thrills for aficionados everywhere. Here's a look at some of what's to come:

Read more here.