At the Bartow County Georgia 4th of July Celebration there was a roller coaster themed inflatable. It looked really cool, but the fact it was named “The Wild One” was really interesting and probably not accidental. The Wild One was a wooden coaster at the now shuttered Six Flags America park. It was originally built in 1917 as the Giant Coaster at Paragon Park in Massachusetts, but was relocated to Six Flags America in 1986. It had a red, white and blue color scheme just like the inflatable, however the yellow trains are a diversion from the original.

If you track your credits (unique distinct roller coasters you have ridden) you know all credits are not created equal. Some are rare because of location and some because the ride was or is only available for a limited time. Aftershock in Alaska ticks both of these boxes. If you want to ride Aftershock you have to find your way to Palmer, Alaska (90 minutes north of Anchorage) in a very limited time window during the Alaska State Fair (this year happening from August 21 – September 7, 2026). The ride is pretty barren of any large signage or theming, but what it does have is breathtaking mountain views!

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:

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.

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.

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.