I got to experience Barracuda Strike on March 9, 2026, on just its 3rd day of operation, The ride looks great in the park, especially with how it incorporated the water. It’s a very short ride, but for a “family” coaster it packs some intensity with whippy turns and transitions. Low capacity is going to be a concern here with only one train, but Barracuda Strike fits nicely in SeaWorld San Antonio’s coaster lineup.
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Wooden Roller coasters primarily use a very specific type of wood called Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) for their structure and track. Southern Yellow Pine has become the industry-standard wood used worldwide for most modern wooden roller coasters due to its density, strength, and pressure-treatment capabilities. For more than two decades, S.I. Storey Lumber Company in Armuchee, GA has specialized in high quality treated Southern Yellow Pine that has been used in roller coasters around the world. S.I Storey lumber is in use at many Six Flags parks, smaller local parks across the United States and even international parks like Walibi Belgium. Please note that of the coasters pictured in this article only Viper and Weerwolf are known for certain to have S.I. Storey lumber.
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Six Flags Over Georgia announced last summer that its Holiday in the Park event was cancelled for 2025 as the were focusing resources “during the time when the majority of our guests visit the Six Flags Over Georgia” and “weather conditions can more consistently support our goal”. This closed the park about a month earlier than usual and was met with a lot of disappointment from the season pass base who only got a “free bring a friend” as compensation. However, during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Feb. 19, 2026 there was a glimmer of hope that this event might return in 2026 as the new management reflected that the decision last year may have been a mistake.
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In a recent press release it was announced that Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia would be making upgrades to 3 guest favorite attractions. This off-season, the maintenance team at Wild Adventures was hard at work improving the ride experience on Island Falls, the Safari Train, and Boomerang. Island Falls has 2 new boats, delivering shorter wait times and more splash-filled fun. The Safari Train has a second locomotive joining the track, meaning less time spent waiting in line to hop on board. The beloved Boomerang roller coaster features an all-new control system and new magnetic brakes from Vekoma, designed for smooth stops and reduced unexpected closures throughout the season.
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New and significant military conflict has bean in the Middle East on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The United States and Israeli forces took action against Iran who retaliated with attacks on US facilities throughout the region. This included Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Several of these house major theme parks now popular with tourists including potentially your favorite theme park influencers from the United States. One of these is the brand new Six Flags Qiddiya City near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with its record breaking coasters like Falcon’s Flight. This conflict is expected to last at least 4 weeks, so anyone with a trip scheduled this month will have some decisions to make. The US State Department is currently recommending US citizens leave these Middle East countries ASAP and new travel is not recommended or even possible in many cases either in or out.
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If you visit Six Flags White Water you’ll notice a large building sharing the parking lot that appears largely vacant. This building was actually part of American Adventures, something akin to a large family entertainment center or small amusement park that operated until 2010. This park has a really interesting history, having been owned by more than one theme park brand. The property is now used for training, HR, storage and the employee cafeteria, but at one time there were numerous rides here and even a small roller coaster. White Water is very much a “water park in the woods” and American Adventure was similar as in the forest between that building and the water park once sat a pretty amazing little amusement park called American Adventures.
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The LEGO Group acquired the LEGOLAND Discovery Centers and LEGO Discovery Centers from Merlin Entertainment back in Spetember 2025 in a ~$250 million deal. The acquisition includes 29 facilities in nine countries which attract around five million visitors each year. It does not include the 11 LEGOLAND Theme Parks and Resorts which Merlin to continue operating under licence from the LEGO Group. Merlin will now focus on the theme park locations while the LEGO Group will see the LEGO Discovery Centers as an important addition to their global network of retail stores allowing fans memorable hands-on brand and shopping experiences
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We’ve written before about the exciting municipal water park coming to Bartow County and the flume slides have now arrived! Work continues at the Hamilton Crossing site with construction of the stairs and structure to support the flumes. The fumes themselves are staged at the perimeter of the park awaiting install and currently there is one enclosed and one open flume. Pictures here were taken on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
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It’s no secret that linear TV and cable subscriber numbers have been falling for years now, which is a drag on Comcast’s traditional cable TV business. What is perhaps newer for Comcast is a decline in broadband internet customers due to increased competition from fiber and home wireless 5G internet. Comcast revealed in its latest earnings report that it lost 104,000 internet customers and 257,000 cable TV customers during the third quarter of last year due to customer switching from increased competition. In the industry this is referred to as “churn” where customers switch from one service to another looking for better deals. One way to combat this is with loyalty programs (think airline miles or hotel points) where customers are rewarded for staying put. Comcast has ha such a program for some time, but has made some changes for the better and included some hefty theme park discounts the their Universal Orlando Resorts parks in Florida.
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On February 20th during the 2026 ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala it was announced by Alex Ramsey of Alabama Adventure that the park would likely be reopening their wooden coaster Rampage during the summer of 2026! Alex is Alabama Adventure’s Human Resources, IT and Marketing Manager (he wears many hats) and was presenting during a night dedicated to wooden roller coaster preservation. The night also featured a screening of the documentary, “Save the Wooden Coaster”. The park will be doing a traditional retrack as the ride has been SBNO “for too long”. Things like Titan Track and RMC were considered, but were just too expensive at this time. There are still plans to do a more durable and permanent retrack (likely Titan Track), but this will come later and in steps over the next 5-6 years.
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