roller-coaster

Six Flags Buys ArieForce One!

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Six Flags teased a major announcement for today and it did not disappoint, SIX FLAGS HAS ACQUIRED ARIEFORCE ONE! We’ve known for about a week now that ArieForce One was sold because of Fun Spot’s Announcement, but to who was a mystery. There was much speculation that today was going to be an ArieForce One announcement, but there was a possibility it was something else (like the new Magoc Mountain coaster). Six Flags announced on social media, “Some roller coasters become rides. Others become legends. We’re excited to share that ArieForce One has officially joined our family.”

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NightFlight at Dollywood to Reopen August 31st and Continue Technical Rehearsals

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Dollywood’s social media has posted that NightFlight Expedition will operate on Monday, August 31, 2016 from 2pm to 8pm. The ride has been shut down for several days as Dollywood said the manufacturer had asked for additional time to adjust the timing of the ride’s turntable in the flying simulator section. The park hasn’t made any promises after Monday, but the park is scheduled to be closed on Tuesday, September 1st anyway. Dollywood considers the ride in “technical rehearsals” so we can expect the schedule to be fluid, although I’m sure they’d love it operating 100% for Labor Day weekend. I had a chance to experience NightFlight and it’s an extremely ambitious ride with simulator, boat, roller coaster and dark ride elements all together. None of the ride elements of NightFlight themselves were revolutionary, but having one single Mack vehicle do them all in a 5 minute experience was pretty amazing! 

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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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Busch Gardens Announces Kumba will Close August 2nd, but Surprises with Simultaneous Announcement of Kumba’s Revenge!

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As rumored earlier, Kumba is indeed closing forever on August 2, 2026 and silencing the iconic roar forever. The park made it official with a release on social media today. This is sad for sure and August 2nd will be a dark day in the coaster community with the closure of both ArieForce One and Kumba on the same day. However, in the sadness there is some intrigue as the park simultaneously announced a new attraction to replace it called Kumba’s Revenge as part of a $100 million project. Could this be the much rumored Giga Coaster for Busch Gardens? Time will tell I guess, but today is a time to reflect and enjoy what we’re losing, we can focus on the future after August 2nd. Kumba was a beast and provided kinetic beauty and iconic sound to the back of the park. Enjoy these last few weeks with Kumba and hope to see you at the park!

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Will Busch Gardens Close Kumba and Silence the Roar Forever?

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Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa
Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa

Update 7/14/26: Unfortunately the rumors were true and Kumba will close on August 2, 2026.

Rumors are flying online that Kumba may be closing, perhaps as soon as August 2nd! The demise of the iconic B&M coaster has been feared for years now, but this time feels real. There is no official word from the park yet, but my information comes from sources in the know that have essentially always been right (which is unfortunate in this case). It seems crazy to not announce anything in advance, but the same thing happened with Kingda Ka, so anything is possible. The last time Busch Gardens closed a roller coaster was Scorpion and they announced a September 2, 2024 closing on August 23, 2024. Therefore I’m not expecting a long runway once the announcement is made. The hope is of course that the only announcement we get is a retrack (like Hulk at Universal).

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Is Kid Flash From Six Flags Over Georgia Moving to C.J. Barrymore’s in Detroit, Michigan?

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Guests have noticed that Kid Flash Cosmic Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) was being removed the last several weeks. It appeared to be carefully disassembled as opposed to demolished (reportedly by the manufacturer themselves) and we may now know where it’s headed. In a bit of a footnote to a July 8, 2026 Detroit Free Press article about the debut of another new coaster at C.J. Barrymore’s (ironically called “The Coaster”) there was a quote from the owner mentioned they were getting a, “family-friendly dueling roller coaster”. The owner’s description of the two trains of 12 riders each and other details appeared to perfectly describe the P’Sghetti Bowl model by Skyline Attractions (AKA Kid flash from SFOG). The new coaster at C.J. Barrymore’s is not definitively the former Kid Flash at SFOG, but we can hypothesize it’s a strong possibility

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A Little Love for Hurricane and Sea Serpent: The Other Roller Coasters Not Named ArieForce One that are Also Closing at Fun Spot Atlanta

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Fun Spot America Atlanta is closing August 2, 2026 with ArieForce One and its future are getting the most attention. This is well deserved as ArieForce One is a World-Class ride, but it’s not the only roller coaster closing next month. Fun Spot Atlanta actually has 3 roller coasters along with a bunch of great flat rides and go-karts. The two other coasters are a kiddie coaster named Sea Serpent and a family coaster named Hurricane. Neither of these coasters is as unique as ArieForce One, but they do each have a story and are deserving of some recognition as well and perhaps a ride on your last visit to Fun Spot Atlanta.

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LEGOLAND Florida is a Great Place to Celebrate America 250 and Surprisingly LEGOLAND Billund is too!

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July 4th, 2026 is America’s 250th birthday and it’s been a year long celebration. If you want to get in a patriotic mood, LEGOLAND Florida is a great place to go. You’ll get to see some of the nation’s most iconic structures all created as LEGO brick builds. From the Statue of Liberty to the National Mall to an American Eagle, they’re all represented in LEGO. However, what’s perhaps even more surprising is that if you head over to LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark you’ll also see a tremendous amount of Americana!

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

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

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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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