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• Superman Krypton Coaster | Most Wanted Roller Coasters

  Written by The Coaster Critic 10 Comments
  Last Updated: August 24, 2010
  

  For the first time Most Wanted Roller Coasters features a roller coaster in the U.S. San Antonio, Texas is home to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The park is located in an old quarry and some of the roller coasters use the quarry cliffs in their layout. Here’s a satelitte view of the park. The most notable of which is the 2000 Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless coaster, Superman: Krypton Coaster. U...

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• Kings Dominion Trip & My 200th Coaster

  Written by The Coaster Critic 14 Comments
  Last Updated: August 20, 2010
  

  For my next and probably last trip of the season I’ll be headed back to my home state and former home park. Kings Dominion is where it all began for me. I had only ridden a few smaller roller coasters until I was coerced into riding Grizzly. Next thing I knew I was hooked. I’ve been to Kings Dominion dozens of times over the years, but my last visit was in 2004. So, I haven’t bee...

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• Happy Roller Coaster Day & USA Today’s 10 Roller Coasters

  Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
  Last Updated: August 16, 2010
  

  Happy National Roller Coaster Day! Today’s National Roller Coaster Day. On August 16th of 1898 the first roller coaster was patented. And, in some strange twist of fate, today’s also my birthday. Since I’ve found out this weird coincidence I’ve had a hard time convincing some people that I didn’t create the holiday so that it coincided with my birthday. It’s rea...

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• Coaster Stock 2010 Recap Pt. 4: Trivia, Videos, & Night ERT

  Written by The Coaster Critic 3 Comments
  Last Updated: August 15, 2010
  

  This is the final part of my coverage of Coaster Stock 2010 at Carowinds. After the Intimidator Tour, there was another break. Again, attendants dispersed throughout the park. I headed for the above average Arrow looper, Carolina Cyclone only to get caught by a thunder storm. All rides were halted for fear of lightning strikes. I waited in the station hoping that the storm would pass quickly, but ...

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• Trip Report: Filming Bert the Conqueror at Carowinds

  Written by The Coaster Critic 12 Comments
  Last Updated: August 12, 2010
  

  After signing a few waivers, the group of about 30 of us made our way to Intimidator. It was hours before the park opened to the public and it was neat seeing the normally busy park empty, but not lifeless. Maintenance and groundskeepers were hard at work making sure that Carowinds looked pristine as always. We entered the station where the crew, except Bert, were already setting things up. There ...

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• 5 Most Missed Defunct Roller Coasters

  Written by The Coaster Critic 16 Comments
  Last Updated: August 11, 2010
  

  I hope that you have some tissues nearby. This post could be a real tear jerker if you’re still missing a rollercoasterthat’s no longer with us. I invite you to let go. A good cry could help you move on. A recent comment on the Drachen Fire post inspired me to take a look at some of the most missed defunct roller coasters of the past decade or so. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ...

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• Coaster Stock 2010 Recap Pt. 3: Intimidator Tour

  Written by The Coaster Critic 2 Comments
  Last Updated: August 6, 2010
  

  When we last left the Coaster Stock attendees they were enjoying lunch while being treated to a rare Q&A session with B&M rep Bob Mampe. Next, the attendees had a break for a few hours where they could enjoy the park at their leisure. Since I live about 30 minutes from the park, I headed home to help out with the kids and cool off. When I returned around 6 PM, everyone was finishing dinne...

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• Coaster Stock 2010 Recap Pt. 2: Q&A with Bob Mampe of B&M

  Written by The Coaster Critic 8 Comments
  Last Updated: August 2, 2010
  

  This is the continuation of my coverage of Coaster Stock 2010 at Carowinds. During lunch, we were treated to a Q&A session with Bob Mampe from Bolliger & Mabillard. I’ve paraphrased the questions and responses below. In hindsight, I should have video taped the session, but I think that I’ve been able to summarize the bulk of the Q&A session. The picnic area where the sessio...

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• Amusement Park Tips for Overweight Guests

  Written by The Coaster Critic 14 Comments
  Last Updated: July 27, 2010
  

  According to WebMD the percent of Americans who are obese has now reached 26%. And, the percent who are either obese or overweight is now at an alarming 63%. This trend means that more and more guests will be too large to be safely seated on some theme park attractions. If restraints like lap bars and over-the-shoulder harnesses do not fit correctly, riders could be in danger. Last month, guests w...

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• Most Wanted Roller Coasters: Expedition GeForce – World’s Best Coaster?

  Written by The Coaster Critic 12 Comments
  Last Updated: July 21, 2010
  

  This edition of Most Wanted Roller Coasters takes us to Germany for the roller coaster some believe to be the Best in the World. Holiday Park’s Expedition GeForce has been battling it out with the United State’s Bizarro at Six Flags New England ( formerly Superman: Ride of Steel) for years. In the past five years of Mitch Hawker’s Internet Coaster Poll Expedition GeForce has tie...

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• Top 3 Arrow Design Failures

  Written by The Coaster Critic 20 Comments
  Last Updated: July 9, 2010
  

  For this week’s Top 3 Thursday, Aric Davis takes a look at Arrow’s three biggest design failures. Prepare for an entertaining history lesson. Give just about any historical subject a long look in the rearview mirror, and you’re going to see some ugliness. Some things are worse than others of course, but for every VHS player, there is a Video Disc unit, clinging to the unfortunate sh...

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• Bert the Conqueror Episode Recaps & Poll

  Written by The Coaster Critic 37 Comments
  Last Updated: July 7, 2010
  

  Bert the Conqueror is a new show on the Travel Channel where comedian Bert Kreischer faces all kinds of extreme challenges from crazy home-grown thrills and local traditions to modern thrill machines at the Nation’s largest and smallest amusement parks. We enthusiasts get a taste of roller coasters every summer on a cable channel or two. But usually it’s via some kind of 1 hour program...

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• Theme Park Coupons, Discounts, & Deals

  Written by The Coaster Critic 18 Comments
  Last Updated: June 30, 2010
  

  Old Six Flags Coupon I almost never pay full price admission when I go to theme parks. Either I have a season pass or I find a coupon at a local fast food chain, pharmacy, or grocery store. As I do every year, I’m going to devote a space where people can share the theme park coupons and deals that they’ve found. This year I’d like to organize it better by creating a searchable ta...

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• Top 3 Scariest Roller Coasters (X-Men Edition?)

  Written by The Coaster Critic 24 Comments
  Last Updated: June 24, 2010
  

  Reader, Merle, suggested that I list my Top 3 Scariest Roller Coasters for Top 3 Thursdays. After riding so many roller coasters, I don’t typically get scared. Even on coasters that I’ve never ridden I generally know what to expect. But, as I thought about it I remembered a few moments that stuck out in my mind as pretty scary or unnerving. As I compiled my list I noticed an unintent...

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• 2010 Theme Park Trips

  Written by The Coaster Critic 35 Comments
  Last Updated: June 19, 2010
  

  Summer officially begins in just a few days and it’s the height of the theme park season. This will be a slow year for me as we’ve got a young one at home and we’re still adapting to life with two kids. There’s a chance that I’ll make it back to Kings Dominion. Perhaps fittingly, I could be returning to my home park where it all started to ride my 200th roller coaster and Int...

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• Thrill Seeker App Video Blog & Review

  Written by The Coaster Critic 7 Comments
  Last Updated: June 14, 2010
  

  Today, I’m launching one of my new features, video blogs. For my first episode I reviewed the Thrill Seeker App for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It’s a bit long as it’s basically a video version of the text version of the review below. Future video blogs will be shorter and (hopefully) more polished. It’s a little rough, but I had fun making it. Enjoy and let me know your tho...

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• Four Years Strong: New Additions & Changes on the Way

  Written by The Coaster Critic 6 Comments
  Last Updated: June 8, 2010
  

  I’m officially back from my longest hiatus to date. The family’s doing great and I was able to write a few posts and work on some projects that I’d been meaning to get to. Thanks again to the guest bloggers that supplied some great posts from Europe, Australia, the West Coast, Midwest, & East Coast of the U.S. While I was out: Author Aric Davis, Ashley from Theme Park News Di...

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• Top 3 Amusement Park Resorts

  Written by The Coaster Critic 3 Comments
  Last Updated: June 3, 2010
  

  This Thursday I’m going to take a look at the best amusement park resorts in the U.S. I’ve been to quite a few parks over the years, but I’ve only stayed a one resort; Walt Disney World when I was 8. So, how could I do a top 3 list? I can’t, but the travel experts over at the Hospitality Management Schools Blog can. They recently sent me their list of the 10 Best Amusement ...

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• Music & Special Events at Theme Parks

  Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
  Last Updated: May 28, 2010
  

  Austin, a theme park fan and writer at Theme Park Syndicate is today’s guest blogger. Ah, the classic amusement park image: great rides, irresistible food, addicting midway games, and that genuine one-of-a-kind atmosphere of non-stop fun. Not much else a person could think of to compose a perfect day at the park. But there is one element which I feel is often overlooked: the special events...

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• Top 3 Theme Park Foods

  Written by The Coaster Critic 18 Comments
  Last Updated: May 27, 2010
  

  Aric Davis is a working writer, body piercer, and the author of From Ashes Rise. He rarely updates his website, www.aricdavis.com, but plans to someday. When not writing, Aric can be found riding rollercoasters, playing hockey, listening to punk rock and knocking holes in people. If you’re at a park in the Midwest and see a guy covered in tattoos with really big ear piercings, it’s pro...

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