Hidden Gems at parks...

I am pretty sure the Calico Mine Ride was Knotts very first attraction, and at the time was considered quite state-of-the-art. The log flume followed and still stands today.

I ,too, thought immediately of the Wildcat at CP. What a great fun little coaster. It scares the crap out of me at how fast it comes into the station and SLAMS on its brakes. :)

I really like Disaster Transport a lot, too. Although it is short, its fun! And really tucked away in a corner, enclosed in a building, and if you werent goint to it from the map or prior knowledge, you'd never know about it.

I'll add Goldrusher at SFMM too. Kind of corny, but it NEVER has a line and I find myself riding it 2-3 times per visit. The final helix is a rather surprising treat after the rides slow action throught.

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My other car is a Giovanola!

The Outlaw @ Adventureland in Iowa.

I went there while on business one time, and I was so disappointed with the park...until I got all the way to the back, where the Outlaw was hidden. It is small, and short, but it is a sweet ride. Leave it to CCI to make the best wooden coasters of any size large (The Boss), the small (Outlaw).

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
Visit: http://www.dynamicgroove.com

*** This post was edited by Joe Carroll on 1/23/2002. ***

CP: Cedar Downs, Lagoon Cruise Ride

PKI: Flying Scooters, Train

SFWOA: Bumper Cars

SFDL: Raging Seas

SeaBreeze:Bumper Cars, Sea Dragon

Wyandot: Bumper Cars (early season), Frolic

Lake Winnie: Fly-O-Plane, Bumper Cars

Camden: Bumper cars, Little Dipper

Americana: Scrambler that runs at 12.5 RPM

Those are just a few.......

One of my favorite rides that is not mentioned much is the 'Journey to Atlantis' ride at SeaWorld Orlando. This is a great ride that combines the water ride with the roller coaster. I remember the first time I rode it. You think it is over once you go down the big drop but you turn a corner and you are on a mini roller coaster. It is awesome. Probably does not get a lot of press because it is in a park not known for rides.

*** This post was edited by KoasterKeith on 1/23/2002. ***

Scorpion at BGT and Big Bad Wolf at BGW are two coasters that still make my top ten and probably always will, regardless of how many hypers are built. All coasters should be this much fun.
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Doesn't it seem as though morons always have the caps lock on?

anything at knobel's especially the flying scooters and the haunted house. the spinning house at dutch wonderland is worth the trip there.

KoasterKeith:

Atlantis got a ton of press when it first opened. It was a big deal, back then.

Werd to everyone that SooperDooperLooper. Also, i gotta agree with Gold Rusher! Its quite an extensive ride, in a wonderful, wonderful setting, i wish people would talk about it more. Actually, I wish people would talk about the whole mountain area of SFMM. Its truly one of the prettiest areas of any park in the country.

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Father Lucifer, you never looked so sane. You did always did prefer the drizzle to the rain

The whole town of Geneva On The Lake, Ohio was a hidden gem for me. The first time I went there, I was pretty much turned off by the shabby appearance of many of the buildings... but as I got older, I started to appreciate the "time warp" atmosphere that this town possesses. The small amusement area (Erieview Park) features Northern Ohio's only dark ride (the Bill Tracey-designed Fright Zone), an excellent set of Flying Scooters, an ancient looking Eyerly Roll-O-Plane, an Eli Ferris Wheel, a very old Octopus ride (one car per arm), a relaxing train ride along the edge of the park that overlooks Lake Erie, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and despite what Knoebels website says, Erieview has an Overland coaster called "The Brat', which is identical to the High Speed Thrill Coaster... but it doesn't seem to go as fast.

Add in "the nation's oldest miniature golf course", several video arcades, tattoo parlors, a Fascination house, a twin waterslide complex, several establishments that sell adult beverages (the Winery is a nice place to unwind), go-karts, and many tacky gift shops and you've got a day to remember. Feeling hungry? There's plenty of unhealthy food to choose from. Eddie's Grill is a local landmark and serves up decent hamburgers. The place is always mobbed. Times Square Grill has the best french fry deal I've ever seen. For $4, you get an entire plastic tray covered in french fries. It's a cholesterol-lovers dream come true. And next to the old mini-golf course is a Lemonade Shake-Up place that serves awesome lemonades. It's like a summer-long carnival.....

I highly recommend a trip to this unique town if you're ever in the Northern Ohio/Western Pennsylvania area. It may not look like much at first, but it's nostalgia and charm are something you won't find too often.

ProgRay

Myself I enjoy the cable cars at CP ...you get a nice breezes , A great view , and saves on some walking.
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You really need to get some more BRAN in your diet

The Cat in the Hat at IOA: I didn't even want to ride it and I left thinking it was one of coolest rides as far as theming goes.

I will break this down by park also starting with my home park:

SFGAm: Condor (this is actually a pretty scary ride despite the looks of it), Logger's Run (I just love the double drop on this ride)

SFWOA: I only rode the coasters there so I would have to go with Big Dipper. I just love the classics.

Big Chief: Biggest gem of all and hardly anyone ever talks about it, Cyclops, the best, IMHO, wooden coaster out there. This thing is an airtime machine and has some of the best ejector air to be had.

Little AMerrickA: The whole darn park! If you are in Wisconsin anytime, you have to check out this cute little park.

Busch Tampa: Scorpion. With it's two big brothers Kumba and Montu out there, Scorpion does not get the respect it should. This is a wonderful Schwartzkopf design.

Cedar Point: Cedar Downs(gotta love a carousel that does over 10 MPH), Blue Streak (I thought it was a kiddie coaster when I first saw it from the parking lot), Gemini(only ride that I rode more than 5 times on my only two day visit)

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Bob Hansen

"Excuse me while I kick the sky!"
kickthesky@hotmail.com

Grizzly at PKD is truly a hidden gem. It's back in the woods with a sign and entrance so small that I usually walk past it the first time. On a good day it's a great woodie. I've gotten air big enough that I've wound up sitting on the seat divider. (Painful) It does have its bad days though when it is sluggish..

I personally think all Arrow suspendeds (that I've been on) are quite the gems. Since the intro of the B&M Inverted, they've been neglected way too much.

Iron Dragon @ CP - I love the pretzel at the end, especially when they've got the fog going. Unfortunately, it's lost some intimacy due to a lot of tree removal

Big Bad Wolf @ BGW - The shining example of what a suspended should be! The run through the village, the climb through the trees, and the dive down to the river show how placement, terrain, and theming can bring a ride alive. This is how good ALL coasters should be, not just suspendeds (BBW is on my perosnal Top Ten)

Top Gun @ PKI - A fun ride, albeit too short. I love the carrier deck theming for the station.

Ninja @ SFMM - I think the gem of the mountian section (LoadedG and ravenguy98 - Agreed!) at SFMM. The walk up with all of the Japanese theming is culminated by a great ride through the trees.

And in case you were wondering, I AM really excited about the concept of floorless cars enhancing what I think are already great rides.

Later,
EV
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"Just remember, wherever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai

Viper at SFGAm is definetly a treasure. aging very nicely so far. whoever designed and built this thing really knew what they were doing...

Cedar Downs @ CP...never miss it. never. love this ride.

and the classic cars @ CP over by Mine Ride. a nice setting and in May, you get TONS of baby ducks and geese waddling around the lawn that surrounds the track...

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Just call me MPG...

I think Cedar Point's Fronteer Town in general is kind of a hidden gem - it's never as crowded as the rest of the park, and it has some fun rides that rarely have a line...
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Dustin -Cedar Point ride host
2000 - Cedar Downs crew, WildCat crew
2001 - Cedar Downs crew, WildCat crew, Magnum crew, Gemini crew
2002 - Wave Swinger/Swan Boats Team Leader

CP-Gemini: I went to CP for the first time this summer and as my family and I were about to leave, my dad and I decide to ride Gemini seeing as how we've ridden ALL the other rides that day. Thinking it was gonna be pretty puny since I never heard about it that much, I was just talking and looking at Lake Erie all the way up the lift but when I started down the hill I had the greatest thrill of my life. Dad and I decided to sit in the very back seat and the whole time we were being banged around out of our seats, our stomachs were in the air the entire time, and we thought our heads were going to be chopped off about 8 times. Dad and I couldn't stop laughing for about a half an hour after that!

PKI- Deffinetly one of my favorites:Adventure Express. It's a great little ride that packs a lot of PUNCH. Plus, you can keep getting off and then get right back on, there are never any lines. I just think it's a great little ride when you wanna sit down and rest your feet for a bit and have a few laughs. This ride is also WONDERFUL for first time riders. I always get a kick out of the last Tunnel/Lift!:):):)

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ok for me
BGT it would have to be scorpion I thought it would be very boring but I found it to be quite fun

CP I know most of you dont agree but Iron Dragon is still one of the best rides to me that and the Gemini

SFWOA Big Dipper like someone already said major air and we rode twice that day first when it was sunny and then when it just finished raining two completly different rides

DW Barnstormer for a kiddie coaster it is very exiciting

Thats all I can think ofright now

Morey's Pier's Flitzer i dont know what it is but its so fun for being so short. Schwartzkopf is amazing.
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3.2.1 launch

Ninja at SFMM is a hidden treasure....literally.
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"Conviction is a luxury for those who sit on the sidelines"-A Beautiful Mind(best film of 2001)

Martling said:

3. Dragon Mountain at Marineworld, Niagara Falls, Canada. What a fantastic Arrow looper and long, yet the crowds to this park are small.

I must agree that ride is off the hook. It has one of the most interesting stations!!!