The Steamin’ Demon at Great Escape (formerly Six Flags and now Enchanted Parks) has quite a history. The ride actually began its life in New Orleans at Pontchartrain Beach as the Ragin’ Cajun in 1978. The coaster was built by Arrow and featured 3 inversions over a compact 1,565 feet of track. Ragin’ Cajun would close along with Pontchartrain Beach in 1983 and open as Steamin’ Demon one year later in 1984 at The Great Escape. The ride is quite prominent at the front of the park with great views of the Adirondack Mountains of New York in the distance. The ride has operated 42 years now at Great Escape essentially unchanged except for a brief stint in 2016 when it was outfitted with Oculus VR headsets. In 2028 Screamin’ Demon will celebrate its 50th anniversary!

The coaster’s former home was quite the place. Pontchartrain Beach was an amusement park located in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the southern side of Lake Pontchartrain and had an actual beach. It had a wooden coaster named Zephyr, a dolphin show and Elvis Presley even performed there. The park operated from 1928 to 1983 and closed due to poor attendance and the site is now a technology park with numerous corporate tenants and home to the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR).

Great Escape is a fantastic collection of relocated rides beyond Steamin’ Demon. This includes Canyon Blaster coming from Opryland, Desperado Plunge coming from Busch Gardens Van Nuys and Comet which came from Crystal Beach Park. The theme park industry is generally pretty good about recycling attractions and places like Great Escape have benefited. In terms of the ride experience it’s important to remember that Steamin’ Demon is a ride from a different era that helped pave the way for today’s new coasters. It’s short and was designed before preciseion CAD was the standard meaning not every transition is perfect. However, it is a fun ride with a great view and usually has a short line. Not many coasters seem to be making it to age 50 these days and that’s something to celebrate about Steamin’ Demon too!