This page is being done away with. You can still access it for now, but after that, you will need to visit my RollerCoaster Mania page on Tripod. This new site will contain all of the information here (updated, of course!) as well as some new stuff I've been meaning to post here. Please change your bookmarks to reflect this change. Thank you!

Usually the most well-known (or best-remembered) features of an amusement park is its roller coasters. This subject is so full of information I had to make it a separate page. You can find my coaster page here.

However, there are other rides there besides rollercoasters. These include "thrill rides" that either scare you to death or give you a rush as well as more "tame" rides.

Here are some notable thrill rides:

(Not that I advocate riding all of these, nor have I ridden all of these, but I'll list them anyway!)

• Drop Zone Stunt Tower, at Paramount's Carowinds

  Takes you up several stories high only to let you free-fall most of the way to the ground. Then the patented magnetic braking system slows your descent until you come to rest on the ground.

• Frenzoid, at Paramount's Carowinds (aka Berserker, at Paramount's Kings Dominion)

  This is a pirate ship that turns you upside down and lets you hang there for a while. Then it continues its flips until it slows down and stops.

• Motion-simulator rides (such as James Bond 007: A License to Thrill, at Paramount's Carowinds and Paramount's Kings Dominion)

  There are quite a few variations on this theme, from dozens of hydraulic-powered two-person seats in a large warehouse to vehicles where the seats are bolted down but the entire vehicle itself moves. Any way you look at it, it's a movie projected onto a screen while the viewer/passenger is battered around back and forth to simulate motion.

• The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear, at Paramount's Kings Dominion

  This is just as much a "thrill ride" as it is a coaster. Something you must experience at least once in your life. (as a fellow passenger once said about it, "That's the kind of ride you go on, say "I'M THE MAN!" and then get the #@!$^ out of there!!")

• The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror, at Walt Disnet World: MGM Studios

  Though I haven't ridden this personally, people have said it's an extremely good themed ride and thrill ride. I'll find out this summer.

• Xtreme Sky Flyer, at Paramount's Carowinds and Paramount's Kings Dominion

  I haven't ridden this one either, nor do I plan to in the future. Basically, you and up to two of your friends are strapped into a harness, lifted over 150 feet into the air, and dropped. Then you swing back and forth like a pendulum at up to 80 mph. Scares me just watching, and the extra cost (above and beyond the park's price) is enough to keep me away.

Some of my favorite rides aren't "thrilling" or heart-stopping. They're the slower rides, the more "nostalgic" rides, if you will. These rides stand the test of time and keep entertaining people (including myself) year after year. Many of these are usually found only at traveling fairs, but you may find an exception or two some places. Here are some examples:

• Carousel (Generally the authentic wooden ones are my favorite, but I'll take any)
• Double Ferris Wheel (Haven't seen one of these in a long time, though!)
• Ferris Wheel (Not the giant ones. The original kind with the 2 or 3 person seats)
• Fun Houses (Granted, some are better than others, but as a whole, not bad.)
• Glass Houses (Even more fun than fun houses, in my opinion.)

Of course, amusement parks aren't just about the rides. There's everything from the food to the shows to the themed areas and displays to anything else you can imagine. Words can't describe the experience. Here are some links to notable theme parks in the area. (Those with a star "*" beside them are ones I have personally been to.)

• Disney Parks:
  • Disneyland (Anaheim, CA) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Walt Disney World (Orlando, CA) *
    • Magic Kingdom * (World of Coasters' Site)
    • Epcot Center *
    • Disney-MGM Studios * (World of Coasters' Site)
    • Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Family Kingdom (Myrtle Beach, SC) * (World of Coasters' Site)
• Ghost Town in the Sky (Maggie Valley, NC) * (World of Coasters' Site)
• The Myrtle Beach Pavilion and Amusement Park (Myrtle Beach, SC) * (World of Coasters' Site)
• Paramount's Parks:
  • Paramount's Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Paramount's Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) * (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara, CA) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Paramount's Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) * (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Paramount's Kings Island (Kings Island, OH) (World of Coasters' Site)
• Six Flags parks:
  • Six Flags America (Largo, MD) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags AstroWorld (Houston, TX) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Darien Lake (Darien Center, NY) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Elitch Gardens (Denver, CO) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, TX) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, KY) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags Marine World (Valleyjo, CA) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags over Georgia (Atlanta, GA) * (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags over Texas (Arlington, TX) (World of Coasters' Site)
  • Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, MO) (World of Coasters' Site)