Georgia Gold Rusher at SFOG Closed Until 2027 While Intamin Makes Changes

Georgia Gold Rusher

It appears Georgia Gold Rusher at Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) will be out of commission until sometime in 2027. There were rumors that the ride vehicle (train/gondola) had been returned to Intamin in Europe for repairs and that appears to be the case. SFOG mentions that the manufacturer (Intamin) will be making enhancements to improve reliability. Given the long transport time (likely by boat), it doesn’t appear there’s a way to get it back operating this season. This roller coaster’s operation has been sporadic at best since it opened last year, so hopefully this dramatic step is one in the right direction. For those of us in Georgia this news is tough to hear, but SFOG is saying the right things and their candidness and honesty should be applauded. Six Flags put out a press release about the status of Gold Rusher on their social media:

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Riding ArieForce One the Saturday After the Announcement of Fun Spot Atlanta’s Upcoming Closure

I visited Fun Spot America Atlanta on Saturday, June 27, 2026 which was the first Saturday after the company announced the park would be closing on August 2, 2026. It was a hot summer day in Georgia, but I saw something I hadn’t seen frequently at Fun Spot Atlanta and that was lines. It was great to see and it wasn’t like the park was overcrowded in any way as you could generally ride almost anything in less than 10 minutes. There was of course a small line for ArieForce One, but it was also great to see healthy lines for Hurricane, the bumper boats and go-karts. ArieForce One has relatively huge capacity compared to other rides at the park, so it not being the longest wait makes sense.

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American Eagle Racing Returns at Six Flags Great America this Summer

Beginning June 20 through August 9, American Eagle at Six Flags Great America returns its legendary side-by-side racing for the first time in nearly 10 years! This is part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Great America and probably part of America 250. No doubt this brings back memories from longtime guests of the thrilling head-to-head excitement that made it a fan favorite for generations. Being a wooden coaster brings with it recurring maintenance costs for retracking and refreshing the structure and ver the last few years the “operating” side has alternated. This no doubt played into the lack of racing over the last decade (there were rumors about the strength of the structure being able to withstand the forces of two trans simultaneously), but it is good to see both sides running for summer 2026.

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Fun Spot Atlanta to Close Permanently August 2, 2026 with Rumored Demolition of ArieForce One

Fun Spot America announced today that its Atlanta location in Fayetteville, Georgia will permanently close following its final day of operation on August 2, 2026. No fakes here unfortunately, it’s from the park’s own social media. You can see the press release below which came out just 24 hours after intense speculation began. This closing is obviously sudden and very sad. Nothing is known yet about the future of the park’s iconic and signature ride, ArieForce One (often referred to as AFO or AF1). This is considered by enthusiasts to be one of the best roller coasters in the World, so hopefully it lands somewhere. There are rumors of its demolition of ArieForce One for tax purposes, but hopefully this is not the case.

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I Rode Dive Bomber at Six Flags White Water to Achieve LogRide Park Completion

Dive Bomber at Six Flags White Water

This past Sunday I finally got to ride Dive Bomber at Six Flags White Water and check the last remaining attraction I hadn’t ridden off my LogRide app. I use LogRide to track my roller coaster credits and everything else related to theme parks. It’s kind of addicting and if you’re prone to wanting “completion” like me you’ll sometimes ride stuff just to check it off. However, Dive Bomber was something I’ve wanted to ride for a couple years, it’s just been frequently closed.

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Tormenta at Six Flags Over Texas Opening June 26th (delayed) with World Record 218 Foot Inversion

Tormenta Logo (Courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas)

Update July 2026: Tormenta is now scheduled to open July 9th and is currently running member previews and technical rehearsals!

Update June 22, 2026: According to the Six Flags Over Texas social media, Tormenta has been delayed from the original June 26th date.  First news of the delay started with the postponing of media day for June 25th. The commissioning and testing process is taking longer than expected and the park wants everything perfect for opening.

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NightFlight at DollyWood Officially Delayed, but has a Target “Mid-August” Opening Date

NightFlight Rendering (Courtesy of Dollywood)

Dollywood released on social media and email that NightFlight would not open in Spring as originally anticipated. Park President, Eugene Naughton, made the announcement citing the challenges of getting such a new and innovative ride system going. He mentioned they are targeting a middle of August opening day and will work to openly communicate progress going forward. The delay of NightFlight was first noticed when “spring” was removed for the website marketing and train conductor script. It’s now officially delayed, but at least we have a target date. No doubt this delay will soon be forgotten about if NightFlight is as great as expected. Also, even with the late opening in August, it will still have huge 2026 financial upside for the park as this is an indoor ride and Dollywood does huge Fall and Christmas business. Thank you to Dollywood for the candid update, this ride looks groundbreaking and will no doubt positively change the park for decades to come.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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