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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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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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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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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The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan are currently taking place and with it the bobsledding competition. For many watching Bobsleds scream at 80 miles/hour down an ice track is the highlight of the Olympics. Celebrities like Jason Kelce and Colin Jost are also taking their turns with rides down the track. It looks like a roller coaster ride with its intense turns and speed and the roller coaster industry even designed a special type of coaster based on the bobsled experience.
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SeaWorld San Antonio released footage on February 4th social media of the first test run of their new B&M family inverted coaster Barracuda Strike. This is the second consecutive year the park will be adding a coaster and it’s 3rd new coaster in the last 6 years. The park has put out a lot of great graphics and concept art related to the ride’s theme, so it will be great to watch in the coming weeks as some of these elements come more into focus. Anytime there is a new coaster test cycling, no matter if it’s a family coaster or a new thrill coaster, there’s still a ton of excitement in the air.
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While wooden roller coasters generally cost less to build, they generally require more maintenance compared to steel coasters. A park generally wants to keep a wooden ride in good condition so to avoid customer complaints of the ride becoming uncomfortably rough and potentially even unsafe. A major wood coaster is going to be $5-$10 million while a major steel coaster is probably going to be between $10 – $25 million. However, with wooden roller coasters the maintenance is greater with reports of some requiring $500,000 annually and costly rebuilds of well over $1 million. So it’s the classic case of lower capital cost with higher operating cost with wooden coasters versus the inverse with steel coasters. For places like Dollywood, maintaining Lightning Rod and Thunderhead is just a part of doing business, but for places like Alabama’s Adventure, large annual maintenance costs on their wooden coaster Rampage are a tension they’re actively grappling with today.
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We’re about a month away from the opening of Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida and LEGOLAND California. Galacticoaster is an indoor launch roller coaster and these projects represent a $90 million investment by Merlin Entertainment. It was only April of last year that we were reporting on the ride building in Florida being enclosed and now we are less than a month away from opening day. Merlin Entertainment has recently begun to tease more of the details of the rides now both with media construction tours, website updates and advertisements in their LEGO magazine for kids. LEGOLAND is still finishing construction, but from what they’ve released this “family” attraction has some pretty cool specs and features that will appeal to guests of all ages.
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At IAAPA 2025 I had the chance to experience Wingz by Zamperla. Wingz offers passengers the ability to “Fly Like a Bird” by flapping their arms to make the gondola rise and fall as the central tower slowly rotates. Wingz is THE interactive family ride. In addition to the unique interactive feature, it’s designed to be fully accessible and has a specialized gondola that allows wheelchairs or scooters. It’s part of Zamperla’s ALL ACCESS and inclusive lineup of attractions.
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BGT Safari 