Rides

Never Made it to Opryland? Some of its Rides are Still Running Today Like Canyon Blaster at Great Escape

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Opryland was a famous theme park in Nashville that closed almost 30 years ago. It had a nice group of rides which you probably need to be almost 40 to remember riding. Remarkably though, several of the rides from the park were relocated and are still operating today. One of those is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, a classic Arrow mine train, which is now operating as Canyon Blaster at Six Flags Great Escape (Enchanted Parks) in Queensbury, New York. There were a few modifications to fit the space, but it’s essentially the same ride. The signature moment for Canyon Blaster is the huge 900 degree helix at the end.

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NightFlight at Dollywood Shut Down Through August 30th to Allow Mack to Adjust the “Turntable” in the Flying Simulator Section of the Ride

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It’s no secret that NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood has had some up-time challenges in its early days. I experienced this personally earlier this week with it opening late and shutting down early. We may have an indication of one of the potential issues with Dollywood’s social media post stating, “As part of on-going ride rehearsal, the manufacturer has asked for additional time to adjust the timing of the ride’s turntable to ensure a quality experience for this unique part of the attraction.” It’s rare that you see this level of transparency and specificity by a theme park about a ride issue and it is quite refreshing. The post has now been removed as everything is about Dolly Parton’s passing (and rightfully so), but the bottom line remains that the ride is closed for now.

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A Review of Riding NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood During its First Week of Operation

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NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood is open and it is a highly ambitious ride, but in these early days you may need a lot of patience. I went to Dollywood on Monday, August 24th, 5 days after the August 19th official opening date. This ride is complex with a moving loading platform, simulator section, coaster section (forwards and backwards with turntables), a water rapids section, a calm boat section and tons of screens and effects. Getting it all to work in sync borders of a miracle of technology as there is so much going on during this ride. The ride’s opening date was delayed from Spring to August and it’s obvious they’re still debugging the ride. However, when it all works it’s pretty cool, but try to ride as early in the day as you can as it has had a propensity for extended closures as they work to get everything right.

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Did you Know Desperado Falls at Great Escape Used to Operate at the Short Lived Busch Gardens in Van Nuys, California?

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The log flume is one of the most iconic rides at Busch Gardens. At Busch Gardens Tampa the recently closed Stanley Falls Flume opened in 1973 as the park’s first “thrill” ride and was built by the famous roller coaster company Arrow Dynamics. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg there’s Le Scoot which opened in 1975. However there was a third Busch Gardens log flume known as Ya-Hoo Barrel Ride (sometimes known as Busch Barrels) which opened at Busch Gardens Van Nuy in 1972. You might be wondering, “There was another Busch Gardens?” Well sort of, but not as extensive as the parks we know today and the log flume closed in 1976 and the entire park closed in 1979. However, this ride would be moved and still operates today as Desperado Plunge at Great Escape.

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Switchback, the Former ZDT Wooden Shuttle Coaster, is Sold Giving Hope for an ArieForce One Relocation

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The first modern wooden shuttle roller coaster Switchback has been sold and will be headed to a new home. ZDT’s Amusement Park in Seguin, Texas closed a year ago and the coaster along with it. The owners have been trying to find a home ever since and have announced a year later that it has finally happened. No details at all about the new location are known yet. Hopefully this is both encouraging and calibrating for fans of the recently closed ArieForce One at Fun Spot Atlanta. It’s encouraging to show there is a market for coaster relocation, but also calibrating in that it took a year to happen.

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Did the “B&M Rattle” Cause Bolliger & Mabillard to End Their Relationship With US Based Track Supplier Clermont Steel?

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Signature B&M Track Design on Kumba

Coaster enthusiasts have claimed for the last several years that new B&M (Bolliger & Mabillard) coasters aren’t as smooth as they used to be with a rattle or shake. Complaints have centered on rides like Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando and Iron Menace at Dorney Park. It seems like sport now every time a new B&M opens, like Tormenta, to wait for reports of if it has the B&M rattle. There has been much speculation as to the cause ranging from issues with the ride bearings or something with the train to inconsistencies with the track gauge causing the train to go “hunting” for center. This rattle is not like riding an old school wooden coaster or anything, but merely a departure from the glass smooth rides B&M has gotten a reputation for over the years. So did something in the design change? Is it a quality control issue? There are rumors of B&M ending a long relationship with track supplier, Clermont Steel, could this all be related?

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Could a Lawsuit Dismissal Lead to More B&M Surf Coasters like Pipeline at SeaWorld Orlando?

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SeaWorld Orlando built Pipeline, the world’s first “surf coaster” by B&M (Bolloger & Mabillard) in 2023. It was a prototype that was meant to be an improvement on the old stand-up coasters. It could also potentially provide B&M another genre of coasters to sell along with it’s wing, hyper, Giga, dive and other models. Pipeline got rather solid reviews from the public, but another surf coaster has yet to be built. However, it turns out there was a good reason why, but that may now be about to change. In 2024 Vekoma filed suit against B&M claiming the “surf coaster” design violated their patent US7987793B2. However, several months ago according to PatSnap a judge dismissed this case with prejudice (meaning Vekoma cannot sue again) and thus B&M is now clear to sell its design to other parks without fear of subsequent patent infringement lawsuits. This could potentially open the door for more surf coasters in 2027 and beyond.

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Coastersauraus to Reopen at LEGOLAND Florida on National Roller Coaster Day on August 16, 2026

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Coastersaurus at LEGOLAND Florida
Coastersaurus at LEGOLAND Florida

After a long refurbishment, Coastersaurus at LEGOLAND Floridad is scheduled to reopen on August 16, 2026, which also happens to be National Roller Coaster Day! The refurbishment was extensive, replacing the whole structure of the ride, control system and the restraint system on the trains, so this is almost a new coaster at this point. This was the first major refurbishment of the ride since it opened in 2004 at Cypress Gardens (the park before it was a LEGOLAND) in 2004. With all the work they still wanted to maintain the original character of the ride as Coastersaurus is Florida’s only fully wooden roller coaster and the only wooden coaster in a LEGOLAND park. The refurbishments are expected to extend the life of the roller coaster another 20-30 years, meaning you’ll be able to enjoy Coastersaurus for decades to come!

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Roller Coaster Testing Includes Water-Filled Test Dummies and Kids Trying to Wiggle Out of Restraints

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Ever wonder how they test a roller coaster? Before a coaster is even built today, computer modeling will verify things like the g-forces being within safe thresholds and that the track layout doesn’t have any “envelope” issues (places where a rider’s hands or other body parts could make contact with the structure). However, theoretical testing is not enough, practical testing is needed too. After the track is first inspected inch by inch, a car will then do a “pull-through” test, usually by a winch, to check everything. Often a large piece of plywood will be mounted on a seat to represent the maximum reach of a rider’s hands to check the “envelope” again. Then the train will cycle all or part of the course empty before the water-filled dummies below will get the first ride! Before a human sets foot on a new coaster, dummies like this will take dozens or hundreds of laps with sensors and cameras aboard to be sure everything is OK. The restraints are also tested long before construction and if you’re in the Orlando area you can potentially even help Skyline Attractions with this next Saturday, August 15, 2026!

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The New Bakunawa Roller Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure is Based on a Mythological Moon-Eating Dragon From the Philippines!

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Bakunawa (Courtesy of Six Flags)

A lot of people were a bit surprised at the name and logo for Six Flags Great Adventure’s new coaster, Bakunawa? However, it actually has a really cool backstory. The Bakunawa is a legendary, dragon-like sea serpent creature from Philippine mythology. It’s known as the “moon-eater” and folklore credits it as the cause of eclipses, earthquakes and storms. Its name is a compound word meaning “bent snake”. Bakunawa was said to live in the ocean, but would fly to the moon to try to swallow it and thus cause eclipses. Filipino people would bang pots and pans during an eclipse to try to scare it away. It was largely an oral tradition, but below is 18th century engraving depicting a Philippine warship. Given the ride’s design and this name/mythology, there’s tons of ways Six Flags could use this in theming!

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