Rides

Ride a Roller Coaster at your Local Arcade with the Rilix Coaster

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The Rilix Coaster VR at the Strand Adventures Arcade in Manitowoc, Wisconsin
The Rilix Coaster VR at the Strand Adventures Arcade in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

On a recent trip to Strand Adventures, a family entertainment center in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, I ran across the Rilix Coaster in the arcade. It was quickly obvious it was a VR experience, but with the twist of being coaster themed. I’ve ridden virtual reality coasters before, but they’re not usually in the regular arcade and instead are more of an upcharge experience, usually with an attendant. There are other arcade VR experiences too like Virtual Rabbids, but not with a complete coaster theme, so the Rilix Coaster is unique in its offering.

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The Closing of La Vibora at Six Flags Over Texas Ends the Era of the Intamin Bobsledding Coaster

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La Vibora at Six Flags Over Texas. An Intamin Swiss Bob Roller coaster.
La Vibora at Six Flags Over Texas by Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

I was sad to see the closure of La Vibora at Six Flags Over Texas on November 4, 2024. As far as I can tell it was the last standing of what was known as the Swiss Bob roller coaster by Intamin. On a Swiss Bob a bobsled like vehicle is taken up a lift hill and then released into a tubular track to free roll and mimic the action of Olympic bobsledding. Most classify this style of ride as a roller coaster even though it lacks traditional track. La Vibora is being removed to make room for a new dive coaster for 2026 (here’s a video of the demolition from Amusement Source), which no doubt will be a great addition for the park, but the uniqueness of the Swiss Bob will surely be missed.

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Aerie’s Alpine Coaster Review at Aerie’s Resort in Grafton, Illinois

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Aerie's Mountain Coaster rider camera

Just over the Missouri border outside St. Louis in the southwest corner of Illinois you’ll find the town of Grafton with Aerie’s Resort and Aerie’s Alpine Coaster. This Wiegand mountain coaster opened in September of 2022 and is currently the only mountain coaster in Illinois. The coaster sports 3,885 feet of track in a beautiful resort setting that offers insane views of the Mississippi River below.

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Watch Ryan the Ride Mechanic Videos and Help Toys for Tots at the Same Time

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One of my favorite creators, Ryan the Ride Mechanic, is donating 100% of the proceeds from his YouTube channel for one month to Toys for Tots. The month runs from October 13th until November 13th, meaning you’ve got about a week left to help participate. Ryan’s stuff covers everything from deep dives into how things like the upcoming Siren’s Curse tilt coaster will work to analysis of ride issues like the crack on Fury 325 last year. Ryan uses his years as a ride mechanic, a great sense of humor and CAD (cardboard-assisted design) to explain the engineering behind some of your favorite rides. The money goes to a great cause and it’s great content, so head on over to the Ryan the Ride Mechanic YouTube Channel and watch a video or two!

A Halloween Pumpkin Patch with a Roller Coaster?

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Happy Bee Coaster
Happy Bee Coaster (pic courtesy of@one.click.gang)
Happy Bee Coaster
Happy Bee Coaster (pic courtesy of@one.click.gang)

Dynabrook Greenhouse & Pumpkin Patch in Harrodsburg, KY looks like an amazing place to spend a fall day. However, unlike you standard pumpkin patch that may have a hayride, corn maze or maybe a small flat ride, this place also has a roller coaster! The coaster is called “Happy Bee” is a powered coaster made by Chinese manufacturer Henan Beston. The roller coaster isn’t anything huge of course, but the fact that they have a permanent coaster at a pumpkin patch is pretty cool.

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Have the Real Zombieland Experience at Wild Adventures this Halloween Season!

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Blazer Blast Off at Wild Adventures
Blazer Blast Off at Wild Adventures

Halloween is approaching when people like watching their favorite scary movies. One of my favorites is Zombieland with its great blend of action, horror and humor. I recently saw some online buzz about the “real Zombieland experience” at Dubai’s Motiongate theme park with their “Zombieland Blast-Off” launch tower ride based on the Blast Off ride seen in the movie. The park even launched a “fears becoming reality” advertising campaign. There’s just one problem, the only place to get the real Zombieland Blast Off experience is at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia!

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Stardust Racers and Epic Universe to Open May 22, 2025! Single Day Tickets Available to Pass Holders October 24, 2024.

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Universal has announced the opening date for Epic Universe as May 22, 2025 and details are now coming out about who, how and when people can get tickets. They’re also releasing details and rates for the signature Helios Grand Hotel. There are are two ways you can get access to Epic Universe in the early days. If you’re a current Universal pass holder starting today (October 24th) you can purchase single day tickets to the park!

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Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia to Get a $1 million Paint Job for the 2025 Season

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Goliath Repaint from SFOG Coaster Fest 2024 (pic courtesy of u/CoasterGuy95)

Six Flags Over Georgia GM Greg Fuller announced at Coaster Fest 2024 that it will repaint its iconic Goliath roller coaster. The ride will sport a completely new color scheme or turquoise blue and tarpaulin grey. At a price tag of $1 million this will be part of the park’s 2025 capital investment (along with the delayed Georgia Surfer). The paint job will begin after Fright Fest and will be ready for the 2025 season. The colors are hard to make out from the slide from Coaster Fest, but the RAL Colour samples below should give a better idea of the new colors.

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Could Virtual Reality Allow you to Experience Roller Coasters From Around the World?

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The "VRoller Coaster" at Virtual Reality Adventures in Las Vegas
The “VRoller Coaster” at Virtual Reality Adventures in Las Vegas

I had the chance to experience the “VRoller Coaster” at Virtual Reality Adventures in Las Vegas and came away extremely impressed. Virtual Reality Adventures is located in the LINQ Promenade near the High Roller Ferris Wheel on the Las Vegas Strip. They offer several VR experiences with one simply called “Roller Coaster” that looks unassuming enough, but really packs a punch. During this experience you experience 3 coasters with first what I believe is Goliath at Walibi Holland, second being Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios in Florida and finally the Big Apple Coaster located at the New York New York Resort in Las Vegas.

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Wild Surge Rising? Busch Gardens Announces “Wild Oasis” Realm for 2025!

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Busch Gardens Tampa announced it will be opening a new area of the park called “Wild Oasis” in Spring of 2025. This appears to be a retheme of the old Tree Top Trail area in Jungala which by no means is a bad thing! We reported months ago about construction walls being up at Tree Top Trails with speculation of what was to come and now we know the reason. The area is set to be called a “realm” which is interesting and will contain climbing areas, water features, new animal habitats and a reimagined drop tower.

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