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  • Theme Park News Round Up

    Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
    Last Updated: August 7, 2009
    Theme Park News Round Up
    I don’t typically do general news updates, but there’s been a lot of developments in the past few weeks that I haven’t written about due to all the traveling. Here’s a brief theme park news round up. Cedar Point Teases 2010 Attraction – Possible 18th Roller Coaster On the Way Somehow Cedar Point has found some room for another attraction on their crowded peninsula on ...
    • Knoebels Removes High Speed Thrill Coaster, Adds New Ride

      Written by The Coaster Critic 5 Comments
      Last Updated: January 29, 2009
      Knoebels Removes High Speed Thrill Coaster, Adds New Ride
      Knoebels is a Central Pennsylvania park that’s small, but beloved by enthusiasts for its old school traditional feel. This winter, the park removed the ironically-named High Speed Thrill Coaster. I skipped the coaster when I was at the park, but from the looks of it, it wouldn’t be a high speed thrill for my two year old. I know that parks need kiddie and family attractions, I just thi...
      • Knoebels Amusement Park | Theme Park Reviews

        Written by The Coaster Critic 7 Comments
        Last Updated: October 14, 2008
        Knoebels Amusement Park | Theme Park Reviews
        Historic Park Surprises With Two World-Class Coasters Knoebels Amusement Park Elysburg, Pennsylvania Google Satellite Map Tickets & Pricing Last Visit: August 2003 Knoebels is small amusement park located in the middle of Pennsylvania. It’s a homey park with a very traditional feel. Like other independent amusement parks, admission is free. Guests pay for ride tickets per ride or buy a ...
        • Knoebels Flying Turns Construction Photos

          Written by The Coaster Critic 2 Comments
          Last Updated: March 8, 2008
          Knoebels Flying Turns Construction Photos
          Flying Turns at Knoebels | Constructions PhotosLoyal reader Judy supplied some great shots of Flying Turns in the snow at Knoebels. As you’ll see in the slide show below, Flying Turns is a wooden coaster that features a trackless wooden chute similar to a bobsled. When it opens it will be one-of-a-kind as these types of coasters have been extinct for many years. Thanks for the photos Judy. ...
          • World’s Best Wooden Roller Coasters

            Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
            Last Updated: December 8, 2007
            World’s Best Wooden Roller Coasters
            Mitch Hawker’s Wooden Coaster Poll ResultsThe best wooden roller coasters of 2007 look a lot like the best from 2006. Mitch Hawker’s Internet Coaster Poll is arguably the most accurate coaster poll around. The ballots take into account votes based on mutual rides. On the ballots riders must rank the coasters they have ridden and then their ballot is put up against someone else that has...
            • Twister @ Knoebels | Roller Coaster Reviews

              Written by The Coaster Critic 8 Comments
              Last Updated: November 25, 2007
              Twister @ Knoebels | Roller Coaster Reviews
              Twister at Knoebels | The Other Half of Knoebels‘ 1-2 PunchThe aptly named Twister is the epitome of a twister roller coaster. It’s an action-packed wooden coaster with more lateral g-forces than you can shake a stick at. Twister’s exciting layout was actually borrowed from Mr. Twister, a roller coaster that operated at Elitch Gardens in Denver, CO from 1964 to 1994. Mr. Twister ...
              • Phoenix @ Knoebels | Roller Coaster Reviews

                Written by The Coaster Critic 5 Comments
                Last Updated: August 4, 2007
                Phoenix @ Knoebels | Roller Coaster Reviews
                Phoenix – A Reborn Classic WoodieWooden Coaster Rises from the Ashes of the Rocket to Thrill Riders from All Over the Globe Knoebels is small amusement park located in the middle of Pennsylvania. It’s a homey park with a very traditional feel. In a past life, Phoenix was the Rocket at Playland Park in San Antonio. After lying dormant for five years, Knoebels bought and moved the coaste...
                • Top 3 Small Amusement Parks

                  Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
                  Last Updated: June 14, 2007
                  Top 3 Small Amusement Parks
                  Everyone’s been to a Six Flags, Paramount, or Disney theme park. But what about the smaller amusement parks. This Thursday I’m counting down my top 3 small amusement parks. My three amusement parks are off the beaten path, have only three major roller coasters, and have a rich history. Lake Compounce – Bristol, CTLake Compounce is home to Boulder Dash, an amazing wooden coaster ...
                  • Top 3 Extreme Airtime Roller Coasters

                    Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
                    Last Updated: May 10, 2007
                    Top 3 Extreme Airtime Roller Coasters
                    Ever get lifted out of your seat on a roller coaster? This is a result of the negative g-forces that are experienced on roller coasters. It’s a large part of the perceived danger that makes roller coasters fun and thrilling. This Thursday I’m listing my Top 3 Airtime Roller Coasters. Cyclops at Mt. OlympusWisconsin Dells, WIYou have to be 18 or older to ride in the back seat of the Cy...
                    • Top 3 Dark Rides

                      Written by The Coaster Critic 5 Comments
                      Last Updated: April 26, 2007
                      Top 3 Dark Rides
                      The Best Dark RidesDifferent from indoor roller coasters, dark rides are indoor rides consisting of a vehicle traveling past animated scenes. This week I’m going to list my top three dark rides. I’m going to forgoe the ranking system (1-3) as it’s tough to compare the more tradional dark rides to the state-of-art 3D varieties of today. Curse of Darkastle at Busch Gardens EuropeD...
                      • World’s Best Roller Coasters Announced

                        Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
                        Last Updated: February 12, 2007
                        World’s Best Roller Coasters Announced
                        Mitch Hawker’s Internet Roller Coaster Poll ResultsThe results for Mitch Hawker’s Roller Coaster Poll have been posted. Information about how Mitch’s poll works can be found here. Basically on the ballot you indicate all of the roller coasters that you’ve ridden and then you rank them. The results are based on which coasters were ranked higher than other coasters by riders ...
                        • Flying Turns Progress @ Knoebels

                          Written by The Coaster Critic 2 Comments
                          Last Updated: February 2, 2007
                          Flying Turns Progress @ Knoebels
                          Knoebels to Resurrect an Extinct Wooden CoasterKeeping with Knoebels’ theme of classic wooden coasters, the park is currently working on Flying Turns. According to Wikipedia, Flying Turns was the name of a specific type of wooden roller coaster. They feature a trackless wooden chute that was twisted like a bobsled course and had toboggan-like cars. There hasn’t been one in operation in...
                          • Top Wooden Coasters of 2006

                            Written by The Coaster Critic 3 Comments
                            Last Updated: September 8, 2006
                            Top Wooden Coasters of 2006
                            Thunderhead Edges Out The Voyage for Second Straight GTA TitleThunderhead won top honors at Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards for the second year in a row. But the real surprise, to me at least, is that The Voyage shot all the way to the second spot nearly taking first in its very first year in existence. That’s impressive, and it must mean that a lot of those well-traveled enthus...
                            • Smaller Parks Popular Among Enthusiasts

                              Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
                              Last Updated: September 2, 2006
                              Smaller Parks Popular Among Enthusiasts
                              Smaller Parks Getting PropsAs I looked at the Golden Ticket Awards, I was surprised to see the smaller parks scoring so well. I was especially surprised to see Knoebels ranking third overall. Of course Knoebels will never surpass Cedar Point, but it is getting more votes every year. The smaller parks like Knoebels and Holiday World also won other categories. I think this reiterates that the survey...
                              • 2006 Golden Ticket Awards Announced

                                Written by The Coaster Critic No Comments
                                Last Updated: September 1, 2006
                                2006 Golden Ticket Awards Announced
                                The 2006 Golden Ticket Awards were held August 27th at Holiday World. Hosted by Amusement Today, it’s basically the Academy Awards of the amusement industry. With all of the great new coasters opening this year and last year I was curious to see what changes might have taken place. The winners are based on surveys sent to well-traveled enthusiasts around the world. The interesting thing abou...
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