Family Review of Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida: A Spectacular Experience That’s So Much More Than a Ride

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Galacticoaster (Image courtesy of LEGOLAND)

Our family of 3 had a chance to experience Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida and we were wowed, awestruck and captivated by this amazing attraction. Calling Galacticoaster and “ride” or a “roller coaster” really sells it short as this is a multi-part story driven experience. The actual “coaster” portion of Galacticoaster is pretty short, but you’ll be entertained thoroughly over 10 minutes or so as you’re completely immersed in the ride’s story. This ride and its twin at LEGOLAND California represent a $90 million investment by Merlin Entertainment and you’ll immediately see it was money well spent.

Continue reading →

Rampage Roller Coaster at Alabama Adventure to Reopen on June 19th!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

The long wait is over. Rampage is back and better than ever! On June 19th, 2026 the ROAR of Rampage will return to Alabama Adventure! The park put out a social media post on June 13th announcing Rampage would be open just 6 days later! This coaster has been SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) since August of 2023. Later in February of 2024 the park confirmed in a very honest video that it would remain closed for that season targeting a 2025 return. Some budget adjustments and plans for a multi-year retrack caused it to miss 2025, but then in February 2026 came word that Rampage would be back for summer 2026!

Rampage at Alabama Adventure (Martin Lewison, CC BY-SA 2.0)

This was first announced on February 20th during the 2026 ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala. Marketing manager Alex Ramsey of stated then that the park would likely be reopening their wooden roller coaster Rampage during the summer of 2026! He did a great job candidly describing the tension Alabama Adventure faced with Rampage and the decision to reopen it with a traditional retrack this year. In late May the park posted pictures of work beginning on the track and then on June 9th the park teased an upcoming announcement on social media. This culminated with a June 13th announcement of Rampage opening just 6 days later! No one is probably happier about the opening than Alex and the post below alludes to why. During his presentation at the 2026 ACE event Alex mentioned “When will Rampage reopen?” Is essentially the number one question they get. Thankfully, in a few days he and the park won’t have to answer it anymore.

The park also teases that another announcement is forthcoming as Rampage is not the only thing coming back to the park this year! What else is coming? We’ll no doubt find out soon. However, here’s a huge THANK YOU to Alabama Adventure for getting Rampage going again. This is a family owned park and not a small chunk of change, so be sure to visit and buy some extra nachos to support their efforts!

The Super Cyclone by Wade Shows is an Impressive Traveling Roller Coaster

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

When you think of a roller coaster at a fair or carnival you’re usually going to picture a Wacky Worm or a Dragon Wagon. Carnival rides need to be easily portable which is often counter to a larger coaster experience. However, Wade Shows transports two copies of the Super Cyclone with 1,148 feet of track. The ride is an impressive 1 minute 20 seconds with a height of 30 feet and series of sharp figure-eight switchbacks and bunny hops. The ride has a theoretical capacity of 1,400 riders/hour which is greater than most theme park coasters.

Continue reading →

Review of the Phenomenal Capyfriends Cafe Capybara Experience in Helen, Georgia

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

The humble capybara is having a moment where they seem to be everywhere. The internet is filled with adorable pictures of baby capybaras creating tremendous demand to meet these creatures in person. Capyfriends Cafe in Helen, Georgia is an opportunity to do just that! This unique experience is a partnership between Nacoochee Adventures and North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park. At Capyfriends Cafe, guests have the rare opportunity to meet, interact with and learn about these gentle, curious creatures.

Continue reading →

Could Themed Restrooms Ever Be a Thing? Busch Gardens Already Has an Egypt Themed One!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

Theme parks are known for being immersive, but that usually ends at the restroom door. A typical restroom is plain and boring, however there are some exceptions. In the men’s restroom near Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa you’ll see some great Egyptian art. This is mild theming, but still pretty cool. Is the lack of restroom theming perhaps a lost opportunity for parks?

Continue reading →

The Tasmanian Tiger Roller Coaster at ZooTampa Has Gone Extinct

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Tasmanian Tiger at ZooTampa (Courtesy of ZooTampa)

After 28 years the Tasmanian Tiger roller coaster at ZooTampa has closed and dismantled. The ride itself was simple, but it had some pretty iconic tiger trains. It was also relocated from Wild Adventures where it previously operated as Tiger Terror (great name), but we’ll discuss that more later. The coaster opened at ZooTampa in December of 2008 and has given more than 4.5 million rides to zoo guests during its life. The ride area has a sign by it mentioning this fact and its retirement in general:

Continue reading →

If you Visit Fun Spot Atlanta, Be Sure to Make the Short Drive to Truett’s Luau, the Hawaiian Themed Chick-fil-A

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

If you make the pilgrimage to Fayetteville, Georgia and Fun Spot America Atlanta to ride the amazing ArieForce One, there’s also another unique restaurant experience less than 15 minutes down the road. Truett’s Luau, often referred to as the “Hawaiian Chick-fil-A”, that is also located in Fayetteville, Georgia. This is not your standard Chick-fil-A with different as in addition to the standard Chick-fil-A staples, the restaurant features unique, tropical, and Polynesian-inspired items like fish tacos, Kalua pork, mahi-mahi, and bubble tea. The restaurant was opened in December 2013 when att 92 years old, Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy created this special project to share his love of Hawaiian vacations. He even handpicked the decor to bring the island spirit to his home state.

Continue reading →

The Best Six Flags Dark Ride is Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

Monster Mansion is also an opening day attraction at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967. It was formerly known as Tales Of The Okefenokee (1967–1980) and Monster Plantation (1981–2008) and now it’s Monster Mansion. There’s a ton of history here and even connections to Disney. This was the first “dark ride” at Six Flags Over Georgia and most reviews claim it is the best in the whole Six Flags chain or any regional theme park. It is also a source of original characters for meet and greets and some cool merchandise for the park. So let’s dive into what makes Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia so special and it’s evolution that continues today.

Continue reading →

Large Section of Alapaha Trail at Wild Adventures Reopens

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

Wild Adventures is several types of family entertainment combined into one that is equal parts theme park, water park, concert venue, zoo and nature center. The Alapaha Trail is a large section of elevated boardwalk through authentic Georgia swampland. For the 2026 season the trail has more than doubled in size with a large section closed for over a decade reopened. The entire trail has been refreshed with more than 6,000 board feet of new wood. The Alapaha Trail is a peaceful, shaded boardwalk that provides a nice break from the neighboring rides with the opportunity to see several of the park’s animals along the way.

Continue reading →

The Use of 3D Printing at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to Bring Howl-O-Scream to Life by Massivit and Hatch X

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Queen Sculpture (Courtesy of Hatch X and Massivit)

I recently had a chance to attend an IAAPA webinar entitled, “Off with Their Heads! Build Unforgettable Experiences with XXL 3D Printing” that was tied directly to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The webinar was put on by Massivit, a company involved in large scale additive manufacturing (3D Printing). In the webinar Massivit highlighted the “Giant Chess Queen” character at the Shadows of Wonderland haunted house at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s annual Howl-O-Scream event. This house is based on the story of “Alice in Wonderland” and made its debut in 2024 and returned for 2025. Out front of this Howl-O-Scream house was a 9 foot 3D printed sculpture of the queen of hearts created by Hatch X and Massivit. You can watch the video below with the Busch Gardens content starting at ~10:30 mark.

Continue reading →