Friday, February 6, 2015

Rollercoaster

I was talking to my mom the other day about a theme park that we use to love going to when I was a kid. It started bringing up the fun memories of going there with my family. It made me smile. Sadly they tore it down to build a large hotel complex in the late 90's. What theme park? It was Opryland! 

Now what stands on the site is the Gaylord Orpyland Mall and Resort. I've never been back since they tore it down and built the mall. I probably won't return. Anyways, that got me to thinking about my all time favorite roller coasters. Not just at Opryland but everywhere I've rode rides at so without further ado, here's my top five roller coasters that I remember fondly...

1. Chaos.
 
Choas was an indoor rollercoaster at Opryland. It didn't go upside down but it was indoors and completely in the dark. They played crazy music and used tons of different lights but it made you feel like you were in an inspector gadget episode. Loved it!

2. The Hangman.

This ride was also at Opryland. It was one of the first rollercoasters that I went on that your feet had to dangle. After Opryland closed the Hangman found a new home in Vallejo, California which isn't far from me! It's now there but as the Kong ride. I'm only about an hour from this park but I still haven't went to it. Hopefully, I will soon now that I know one of my old rides is there!

3. Raging Bull.

I rode the Raging Bull when I was in Chicago visiting my uncles. My mom, my uncles and I drove over to the Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. My mom to this day is still scared of this ride. In her defense it was pretty scary. It's top speed was 73mph. It's still at Great America so if you go, ride it and you'll know why she's still scared.

4. The Pirate Ship and Ghost Town in the Sky.
Ghost Town in the Sky was only accessible by riding a sky lift. Once you got up the mountain you were in a ghost town. They had it set up like a creepy ghost town with fun carnival rides. The best one for me that I remember was the Pirate Ship. Not only was it fun but scary. It was literally positioned right beside the mountain drop off. When ship went into the air all you could see was straight down the mountain. The ride literally sat on the edge of the fence that kept people from falling down the mountain. Sadly this place is closed too!

5. Blazing Fury.

This ride has been at Dollywood for as long as I can remember. It's nothing super special. It's an indoor roller coaster ride that doesn't go upside down. This ride however, takes you through a town that is on fire. The fire is literally above and around you as you ride. At the end of the ride you find out if you've got the fire out!

So there you have it. Some of my favorite rides!

2 comments:

Lindsay said...

I love roller coasters. I live in Ontario, Canada and they have a park called Canada's Wonderland and they have some pretty awesome rides there, some old wooden ones too. The wooden ones are the best, they're so bumpy you feel like you're going to be ejected from your seat.

Anonymous said...

The Raging Bull looks C.R.A.Z.Y.

I'm not big on roller coasters, some of our iconic ones have been ripped down and replaced in our theme parks which is sad. I think the only rides like what you mentioned that I've been on was the Pirate Ship and The Mad Mouse, which is a mini roller coaster more for kids and adults who don't want to go upside down or in loops.