roller-coaster

World of PAW Patrol, now open at Chessington World of Adventures Resort!

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Paw Patrol at Chessington World of Adventures (Courtesy of Merlin Entertainment)

If you have young children you’re probably familiar with the Paw Patrol. The children’s cartoon series has had remarkable staying power having premiered on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. on August 12, 2013. New for 2026, Merlin Entertainment has brought the world of Paw Patrol to life at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK which opened on May 3, 2026. There have been Paw Patrol areas in theme parks before, such as at the Nickelodeon Universe locations at Mall of America and American Dream, but these have been more playground than rides. Paw Patrol at Chessington is a fully fleshed out theme park land complete with several rides and attractions. Paw Patrol at Chessington features a roller coaster, 3 flat rides and several other attractions including a play zone and pup meet & greet.

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Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom Opens May 28th and You Can Bid in a Charity Auction to Be One of the First to Ride!

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Kentucky Kingdom Flying Fox (Courtesy of Kentucky Kingdom)

Kentucky Kingdom Theme & Water Park has announced that their eagerly awaited Flying Fox roller coaster will open to the public on May, 28, 2026. The ride is a suspended family coaster by Vekoma that is similar to the highly successful Dragonflier at Dollywood. Flying Fox is inspired by Kentucky’s agricultural roots and aerial crop-dusters. The park’s website describes the experience of Flying Fox below and the theming on this ride looks great complete with a Kentucky farmland setting and a barn to house the ride queue. Kentucky Kingdom is also running a charity auction where winning bidders can be some of the first to ride Flying Fox!

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Holiday in the Park is Returning to Six Flags Over Georgia

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Six Flags is bringing back Holiday in the Park to Six Flags Over Georgia in 2026 after cancelling it for the 2025 season. Six Flags President and CEO stated, “We heard our guests loud and clear, Holiday in the Park has long been a cornerstone event at these properties, and we’ve taken everything we’ve learned to thoughtfully evolve the experience.” In addition to returning to Six Flags Over Georgia, Holiday in the Park will also be returning to Six Flags Great Adventure. The concept art below that Six flags released for this new incarnation looks ridiculously awesome.

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The Underappreciated Boomerang Roller Coaster with Potentially the Best Located at Wild Adventures

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Boomerang at Wild Adventures

The Boomerang roller coaster by Vekoma is an amazing ride that is probably underappreciated due to its commercial success. Boomerang installations are numerous with over 50 operating locations worldwide with most using Boomerang in its name. However, just because something is common doesn’t mean it isn’t good and with a Boomerang you’ll experience some of the most intense forces possible on a steel roller coaster. One of the best and most well kept is the Boomerang at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, GA. It even received some upgrades making it even better for the 2026 season.

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Former Ragin’ Cajun Wild Mouse Coaster From Shuttered Six Flags America Relocating to Six Flags Great Adventure for its Newly Reimagined Shoreline Pier Boardwalk Area

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Six Flags America in Maryland closed forever on November 2, 2025. There was much talk about which, if any, rides would be relocated to other Six Flags parks. The trains from Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder (formerly Mind Eraser) were quickly shipped to Canada’s Wonderland to upgrade their Vekoma SLC, Flight Deck. Also, Some of the rides were briefly listed for sale and quickly removed, but there hasn’t been much information since. Now it appears that Ragin’ Cajun, one of the rides thought most likely to relocate, will be headed to Six Flags Great Adventure for its newly reimagined Shoreline Pier Boardwalk area. This wild mouse coaster has gotten a new paint job and will now be called Barrels O’ Fun.

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New Lookout Safari Roller Coaster Coming to Lake Winnie in 2026!

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In a somewhat surprising development, Lake Winnie has announced it is getting a new roller coaster in 2026! The roller coaster will be called Lookout Safari and is actually the coaster formerly known as Kombo that was removed from the Indianapolis Zoo. Lookout Safari gets its name from the unique train cars that look like safari “jeep’ vehicles complete with seat backs that look like gas cans. This is a great family coaster that should fit in perfectly at Lake Winnie and will look great along the water across from Cannonball.

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The Lumber for Your Favorite Wooden Roller Coaster May Have Come From S.I. Storey in Armuchee, Georgia

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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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Wild Adventures Upgrading 3 Rides for 2026 Season

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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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Conflict in the Middle East and the Impact on Theme Parks

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Six Flags Qiddiya Theme Park Near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia via Saudi Press Agency (SPA)

New and significant military conflict has bean in the Middle East on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The United States and Israeli forces took action against Iran who retaliated with attacks on US facilities throughout the region. This included Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Several of these house major theme parks now popular with tourists including potentially your favorite theme park influencers from the United States. One of these is the brand new Six Flags Qiddiya City near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with its record breaking coasters like Falcon’s Flight. This conflict is expected to last at least 4 weeks, so anyone with a trip scheduled this month will have some decisions to make. The US State Department is currently recommending US citizens leave these Middle East countries ASAP and new travel is not recommended or even possible in many cases either in or out.

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Rampage at Alabama Adventure to Reopen in Summer of 2026!

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Rampage at Alabama Adventure Logo (Courtesy of Alabama Adventure)

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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