Frequent Park Traditions: Last Ride of the Day

We enthusiasts tend to be creatures of habit, especially at places we frequent. Just wondering if I’m alone on this personality ticks, at parks you have visited so frequently that you have lost count do you have an end of night last ride that you always do and if so what is it? Here’s my list:

Dollywood-Thunderhead, never has a line at the end of the night, and near the entrance, the last 30 min I’m marathoning my favorite GCI to end my day.

Silver Dollar City-PowderKeg, I love this quirky ride to death, and it also usually doesn’t have a line at the end. A lot of SDC’s heavy hitters are too forceful to be marathon rides, but I can do this one. Even better, I’m usually an there at Christmas and I can watch the last tree show as I climb cardiac hill.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg-Lockness Monster, my first looping roller coaster is always my first and last ride when I go here for my annual week trip to Williamsburg (I’m a history nut, so between Colonial Williamsburg, BGW, and Water Country I’m never bored.) It’s also fantastic in the dark.

Cedar Point-Magnum XL 200. From the days when my family stayed at Breakers, through my Toledo days where I would park in the Soak City lot back to today when I’m again staying at the Breakers, this is the ride nearest my exit, still my sentimental favorite ride and yet again a ride that usually has no wait at the end of the night.

Kings Island-The Beast, cliche, insanely crowded so un marathonable most nights? Yes, Yes it is, still don’t care this is the only last ride choice at KI.

Those are the parks that are on my yearly rotation, in addition, for the past few years I’ve also gotten one “premium” AP on rotation to WDW, Universal Orlando and Disneyland. As they are longer trips I fly to, my first day I’m arriving in the middle of the day, I can also have traditional first and last rides of the trips:

Disneyland: I always go to DL first, and hit up the Plaza Inn for a late lunch Fried Chicken Dinner, then go and ride Pirates. On my last day (and anyday that park closes at midnight) I watch the last Fantasmic and then immediately ride Pirates. After that I’m more fluid, Haunted Mansion will always be ridden before close, but besides that it’s usually Indy, Big Thunder and if I’m lucky the sweeper train (DL has a tradition where the final train of the night departs Main Street at close and will pick up only at the other stations and carry you back to Main Street.). But occasionally I will go to the right side and do a night ride on Alice, Matterhorn, or Small World Holiday (so much better then regular version and stunning at night.)

Universal Orlando-Arrival tradition lunch at Minion Cafe and then a spin on the Mummy. Mummy is almost always the last ride of the trip as well, but if for some reason IOA is open later it’s usually Jurassic Park River Adventure.

WDW-Arrival day it’s hopping on the monorail to Epcot, riding Spaceship Earth and then lunch at the festival booths. Last day I only go to MK and Epcot, if I’m ending at Epcot, I’m having Le Celier for dinner and I don’t really have a traditional last ride. If it’s MK, post fireworks, I’m trying to hit Pirates, Splash (It’s been a few years,) Big Thunder and Mansion, if the park is open more then an hour after fireworks, Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs get added as well.

Bayern Kurve used to be my last ride of the night at Kennywood before it was removed. When I was younger, I visited Kennywood at least once a year. I usually visit about four of five different parks a year, each different than the previous year, so I don't have very many traditions. I go wherever is convenient or has something new. Sounds kind of boring doing the same parks every year, and the same things every time you go. I don't mean to be putting you down. Everyone is different.

I don’t just do those trips, I have variety too. I do shift work, 7 12 hour shifts then 7 days off, plus 3 additional weeks of vacation. It’s pretty great. In the past I’ve restricted myself to domestic trips (not just to theme parks, national parks, beaches and cities) but I am branching out this year. I’ve got a non coaster trip to Ireland, Scotland and England this summer (with a pre trip to Disneyland Paris to make it an even 2 weeks.)

You know, I've never really thought about this. But after considering, I actually do have coasters that I usually ride last.

Cedar Point: It's almost always Maverick, which seems odd because it's at the back of the park. But I'm almost certain it's because I usually want one more ride on Steel Vengeance and Maverick and I always do Maverick second because it's on the way out of the park. And I typically get a nice shot of the sunset exiting Maverick too!

Kings Island: ...yeah, it's The Beast. I've said it before that The Beast during the day is a weird, fun ride. At night, it'll change your life. I will likely never see the drone show because I have to ride this thing.

I always want the last ride to be "meaningful" (as much as anything at an amusement park is meaningful). Often that's a merry-go-round. The last time I was at Cedar Point it was the Blue Streak. At Great Adventure, which I visit more frequently, it's likely to be Nitro.

It used to be fun to marathon a coaster or two during the slower, last hours of a park’s day. CP and KI are my home parks and I often closed out visits by riding one or more of their best rides as many times as I could. But I find at my age I have less desire for that, so it’s a good thing that I also love carousels. KI’s Grand Carousel is usually my last ride there, and at CP I’ll hit all three on my way to the main gate with Midway Carousel being the last. IMO, Knoebel’s has one of the finest machines in the country, and I love it so much that I can’t bear to leave for the evening without one more ride, so it’s usually my last. I know I’ve done the same at other parks too.
This is a fun thing to think about, I guess enthusiasts are creatures of extreme habit, right?

A carousel got me into this business. and now into my seventh decade, I live fifteen minutes from that machine. I have an annual pass to Kennywood. First ride when I enter the park, the last one before I leave.