The 2025 season and Dollywood’s 40th anniversary are underway. For 2025 there’s no big new ride or attraction, but instead we’re getting a new restaurant, a bunch of refreshes/refurbishments and improvements to the guest experience. The park is already looking forward to 2026 with a reported $50 million expansion, the largest in the park’s history, and a major new attraction. An announcement this year teased a “Take Flight” theme with rumors of an indoor suspended roller coaster or flying theater coming to the back of Wildwood Grove. However, the additions for 2025 still represent millions of dollars in significant improvements that will make the park more enjoyable for years to come and help put the “theme” in theme park.
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Will the New Pope be a Roller Coaster Fan? Will he Crave Both Airtime and Prayer Time?
May 8,2025 Update: So we have a new Pope and he’s American Robert Prevost of Chicago, now known as Pope Leo XIV! What is shocking is that we could actually have sort of been right about this? There’s no word on if the Pope spent any time at Six Flags Great America outside Chicago, but in a video produced about him it has roller coaster and amusement park images! At the 1:20 mark of a Catholic News Service interview with the Former Cardinal Robert Provost (now Pope Leo XIV) there are a bunch of video from what appears to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk rides and coasters! The Catholic News Service is anews agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that reports on the Catholic Church, so you can view this more as a promotional piece where the former Cardinal Prevost probably had a lot of influence on the look and feel. Maybe the new Pope does love roller coasters!
Continue readingThe Kōmbo Family Coaster at the Indianapolis Zoo is Unique and Themed Perfectly
The Kōmbo Family Coaster at the Indianapolis Zoo is a highly unique family coaster by Zierer opened in 2001. At 24 feet in height and 21 mph on 656 feet of track Kombo’s stats from the zoo’s website won’t wow anyone, but it’s spectacular attention to theme and a few neat quirks make it a unique and fun offering in a surprising place. The day I went was a “school” day and so the park was pretty empty meaning I got one of the first “zen” rides (only rider on the train) I can remember in a long time.
Continue readingKumba’s Roar Returning to Busch Gardens Soon!
Busch Gardens Tampa announced on its social media on April 21, 2025 that Kumba would be returning this summer! This announcement came on the rides 32nd birthday and it’s currently the oldest roller coaster at Busch Gardens. The ride’s future had been in doubt for just this reason after sitting idle for months with no official word from the park about its future. However, with this announcement it appears rumors of its demise were greatly exaggerated.
Continue readingThe Turnstile: An Underappreciated Theme Park Staple with Fascinating History
There’s a characteristic ratcheting and gear sound you hear as you go through a turnstile. It’s the sound that you hear when many theme parks open and you go through the front gate or when you move from the queue onto the loading platform. It’s a sound that’s filled with excitement and anticipation for most of us, but have you ever wondered about the history of the humble turnstile? I’m a bit of a nerd and so I think about such things. Here’s a brief history of this common theme park device with beginnings in ancient farms and modernized at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
Continue readingAnything for a Credit? Adult Review of Going to Peppa Pig Theme Park to Ride Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster.
I was in central Florida for business and happened to be working and staying about 5 miles away from LEGOLAND Florida and the new Peppa Pig Theme Park. I mentioned to my guests about my roller coaster habit and adults visiting Peppa Pig just to get the “credit” (number of unique coasters ridden). They asked if I had done that yet, which I hadn’t, and they kindly arranged for me to visit and ride the surprisingly great Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster by Zamperla.
Continue readingVertical Lift on Monsters, Inc. “Door” Coaster Revealed!
Disney has been releasing a bunch of new information, images and video about upcoming attractions the last couple weeks. Could it have something to do with all the Epic Universe buzz? Perhaps. However, it has been neat to see some of the technology they have planned, some of it at the earliest level of R&D I remember seeing it. One of the coolest releases was this video showing the vertical lift on the Monsters Inc. suspended “door” coaster!
Continue readingGet Your Engineering Cub Scout Adventure Loop at Fun Spot America Atlanta with ArieForce One!
The “Engineering” adventure has the potential to be one of the most fun and exciting in scouting as one of the handbook recommended activities is to have scouts build their own roller coaster! A trip to a theme park is a great way for the scouts to explore and learn about engineering and Fun Spot America Atlanta is perfectly suited for this adventure. Earning the “Engineering” Adventure Loop at Fun Spot can be as simple as watching a few YouTube videos, having a discussion, riding a great roller coaster and participating in the park’s “build your own roller coaster” activity.
Continue readingCould Regular Visits to a Theme Park Save Your Life? Study Shows 150 Minutes of Exercise a Week Reduces Mortality by 31%!
If you spend time at a theme park you know it can be a lot of walking. In some cases it’s 5-10 miles in a day complete with stairs and hills at some parks. That can be a serious workout and a new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that it could actually be incredibly good for your health. The study showed that older adults who got 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week lessened their mortality risk by 31% compared to those who do not exercise. This means that the weekend trip to your local park with your season pass is “healthcare” if it gets you off the couch and away from screens.
Continue readingReview of Georgia Gold Rusher at Six Flags Over Georgia, a Coaster Full of Story and Airtime Fun!
I won’r bury the lead, Georgia Gold Rusher is an airtime machine! I had a chance to ride the new Georgia Gold Rusher at Six Flags Over Georgia as part of the March 13, 2025 media event. I was able to score my invite through my ACE membership and got 12 rides on the new Intamin Ultra Surf Coaster. The first thing you’ll notice is the high level of theming Six Flags Over Georgia has installed since last season, really unprecedented for the park since Batman. The mining theme is everywhere with flowing water features, machinery and beautiful wood decking greeting you in line. The ride itself is spectacular fun. The launches feel forceful and there is a surprising amount of airtime on the bunny hill between the two spikes. The weightless on the spikes is awesome too, but it’s really about the airtime on GGR (the abbreviation for Georgia Gold Rusher) that is so crazy good and way more than expected. This is a 10 out of 10 and will surely be a hit for Six Flags Over Georgia as its only launch and spinning coaster.
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BGT Safari 