Inspiring Travel

Ok, this may be a bad road to head down, so I'm hoping it doesn't go that way, but since I'm tired of reading illogical arguments on what CP is building ... Moosh has stated in the CP thread that nothing CP's built since Millennium Force has inspired him to travel to the park.

So, for you, what coasters, past or future, or maybe non-coaster park features have you seen press releases or seen pictures of and it inspired you to plop down the cash for a lot of gas, maybe even a plane ticket, a night or two's hotel stay, and a few night's eating out? I'm not talking anything that's within "day trip" distance, say 3-4 hours drive one-way, and we'd all like to travel to Europe, so no wish lists, unless it's already happened or you have hotel reservations, don't wanna hear about it ;) Here's hoping this isn't a stupid thread ...

Might as well make my own contribution, although mine are rather obvious:
- X finally got me out to the West Coast a couple of years back. But, if I hadn't had a free plane ticket, and hadn't visited a number of other Cali parks on the trip, the trip alone would probably not have been worth it.
- Last year SRoS at SFNE got me to make the road trip up to Boston. That one came closer to one ride justifying a large expense, but still no cigar - if I hadn't hit a couple of other parks during that trip, I probably would have been disappointed in my cost/benefit analysis ;)
- The plans are set for a trip to Holiday World this year for Voyage, although the date could change, but I'm headed out there this year for a day or two.

Brett,

Good topic. I will also say X at SFMM and Xcelerator at Knott's.

Last year it was Storm Runner at Hershey, Kingda Ka at SFGAd (but it was closed) and Hydra at Dorney.

This year it will be Beast, SOB, and all the great coasters at Holiday World (thanks to my wife I get an added bonus, we were only going to do SFKK and PKI but I think she chose HW too for the fudge, so I hope it is that good)

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Impulse-ive said:
and we'd all like to travel to Europe

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Some of us live there...

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crazyforcoasters said:
This year it will be Beast, SOB, and all the great coasters at Holiday World

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Look forward to Beast and SOB, and you will be unhappy after you get off.

In the last six years or so, I've usually managed to cram a park visit or two into a trip I'm ostensibly taking for other reasons. And I've crammed in a LOT of park visits that way. It doesn't hurt to have friends and family spread out all over the country. BGW and all the Florida parks are the only ones I've made an effort to visit without really having any other reasons to visit the area.

This year, however, I'm planning on traveling to the Louisville/Cincinnati area solely to ride The Voyage (and its HW siblings) and to get in some night rides on The Beast (something I missed the first time I went to PKI).

At this point, the only rides that are really inspiring me to travel are good wooden rides. I've been on almost every permutation of steel ride there is, but I've still only ridden a few dozen wooden rides... most of them mediocre or downright bad.

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Richard Bannister said:

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Impulse-ive said:
and we'd all like to travel to Europe

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Some of us live there...

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True, but surely there are rides on this side of the pond that inspired you to travel to North America? :)

As for me, there are a TON of rides that have inspired me to travel a fair distance (keeping in mind that I live in PA and don't consider anything in PA or Ohio to be "too far" :) )

• Grand National (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
• Tremors (Silverwood)
• Coaster (PNE)
• Superman: Ride of Steel (SFNE)
• XCelerator (Knott's)
• X (SFMM -- biggest anticipointment EVER)
• Raven (HW)
• Cornball Express (IB)
• Georgia Cyclone (SFoG)

The list goes on and on. This year, one of the main reasons I'm going to Germany (which is admittedly going to be a cool trip regardless) is Expedition GeForce (Holiday Park). I'm returning to Disneyworld for the first time in over a decade because of Expedition Everest.

Hmm, you might say I'm going for the Expedition's this year...

(Last year's huge trip to Japan wasn't triggered by any one ride or even set of rides, but rather the country itself. I'd ALWAYS wanted to see Japan, long before the coaster bug bit me, I just combined the interests...)

I've never gone to a park for the specific purpose of riding anything, but rather just to hit that park. Granted, I don't have the travel history that many of you have, so a lot places are "first time" for me.

One coaster that inspired a trip for me was Timber Wolf. We also hit Silver Dollar City during our journey and admittedly was much happier at SDC than Worlds of Fun. Timber Wolf was the reason for the entire trip and it was the biggest disappointment (luckily, though, I got to ride Orient Express before it's demise).

I'm still waiting to take the trip to the Texas parks only because I want to ride Texas Giant.

Shivering Timbers also is another coaster that inspired a trip (for it's grand opening during ACE's Spring Conference in spring 1998).

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GregLeg said:
True, but surely there are rides on this side of the pond that inspired you to travel to North America? :)

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Aye, in my pursuit for completeness - by the end of this year I'll have ridden something approaching two thirds of the coasters in North America. Not at all bad given I live on the other side of the world :)

Most of my visits are as either a side-effect of a business trip, or sometimes a family vacation. If I'm in some new place, I'll usually look at rcdb to see what's nearby.

I'm considering making a trip to Holiday World this year, but that's just to (finally) visit HW more so than to ride Voyage. I've also wanted to visit Dollywood for a while, but Thunderhead has made it more of a priority---if I can catch a fare sale this summer I might make it down, but for some reason Knoxville isn't cheap from DTW.

Holiday World... I will be working at CP this summer and specifically asked off for a few days in my contract just for The Voyage. Hopefully Thunderhead can fit into that trip as well.

That is the furthest I will have ever drove for a park or coaster, not counting when my friend and I moved to Orlando in 2000. We passed up Orlando and went straight to BGT, before unpacking, before even calling the people I was going to be living with, before anything.

BGT took a good 20 hours to get to...lol.

Like jeff, I really think of the whole package when visiting a park. I never really go for a specific ride, with a few exceptions like The Dania Beach Hurricane.

This topic sounds promising, Impulse-ive.

*** Edited 3/26/2006 8:11:47 PM UTC by dexter***

I don't if I've ever been inspired to go to a park for one particular ride. It has been more of going to a park to check out the now fantastic collection of coasters they have. With that being said I can't wait to ride Voyage on my first trip to Holiday World this June.

I know, people are bashing SFMM a lot, but still, it's always one of the reasons for me to go back to Cali -
ironically, I was there in December on a "business" trip, but the only time I came close to SFMM was a day when it was closed, so I got to see X from the driveway, but got no ride on it - duh!

Apart from that, I practically HATE theme parks or fun fairs, I'm only interested in riding the coasters, and my tolerance for long lines or getting stuck in a park between all these cheesy themeing elements is pretty low - unless I am with a bunch of people that it's just fun to hang around with who make me forget.
I gues for me riding coasters is somewhat of a sports thing like parachuting is for other people.

I am not the kind of coasterfreak who would take a long journey just to ride coasters - but the presence of specific coasters is definitely a consideration when it comes to travel planning - mostly B&Ms would make me travel.
I'm continuously looking for a reason to travel to the U.S. to go to Cedar Point, or to go visit Heidepark back here in Germany.
And I always look for a way to get myself down to Porta Aventura in Spain as well.

I have to say that if it weren't for the people on this site, I never would have considered last summer's trek to Kennywood and K'nobles.

When we left Long Island a few years ago, I remember passing a sign for K'nobels on route 80 west on my way to Cedar Point. My wife asked what it was and I foolishly and wrongly said "A Small Kiddie Park."

After logging on to CoasterBuzz and reading about what you guys (and girls) have said about Kennywood and K'nobles, we decided to give it a try and we based most of last year's summer vacation around it.

Not only was I instantly impressed with the offerings and the "flavor" of these parks, I came to realize that I didn't have to go to a crowded MEGA PARK in order to have a good time. I also learned that there were more family and thrill rides that were in the 42 inch height range that my son could ride with me than there were at Great Adventure.

Ironically, I am now excited about returning this summer because of Flying Turns and the new swing ride at KW.

I thank both parks and everyone on this board who helped to make it happen and for pointing me in the right direction.

By the way, when Jr. Reflux hits 48 inches, we're going to Holiday World.

I've never been drawn to a park for one particular ride. I'm more interested in the whole package. Rides, food, atmosphere, etc. That's what first drew me to Holiday World, but it's close enough for a day trip, so I guess it doesn't count.

Most of my visits that aren't day trips come from family vacations or church trips. In fact, the only park I've gone a long way to visit is SFOG. Sure, S:UF was new and a big draw, but it was more about visiting a new place and having a fun with a good friend. And I liked Mindbender more. :)

C4C,

I have to agree with PKIDelirium on Beast & SOB. Don't put too much hope into these two coasters. IMO, the Beast has lost some steps, it almost seems like it's been castrated over the years...not very intimidating anymore. And if you look too forward to SOB, you can also look forward to being sore the next day...IMO. There both good rides, but if you go in with too high of hopes...well PKIDelirium covered that.

If you can hit 'em all you do have a lot to look forward to on the trip. Remember, these are my opinions, but at SFKK I absolutely love Thunder Run, and Chang is a great stand-up, as well as, Greezed Lightnin' being a great Schwarzkopf. And HW, all-around great, great, great! And the fudge...won't disappoint you either. The Chocolate & Orange Cream were awesome.

Too answer the original question. The Voyage has me at HW. Even if I'd never been before, I believe I'd come cross-country to ride this coaster. Apollo's Chariot got me to BGW, and it didn't disappoint. Hypersonic XLC got me PKD...but it was a BIG letdown. Thankfully Volcano saved the day in a major way. And Spider-Man & Hulk got me to Universal, and they were well worth the trip. Discovery Cove brought me to Sea World, and Kraken, Atlantis, the Dolphins, and Shamu made me a fan for life. Kraken also began my love with Floorless coasters. *** Edited 3/27/2006 2:44:07 AM UTC by Floorless Fan***

It's usually a cluster of parks that all add new attractions (within a season or two) that inspire me to book a flight. This year it will be Holiday World, Beech Bend and Six Flags St. Louis, which have all added new rides.

Last year I did Hershey, Dorney and SFGadv, with a half day trip to Lake Compounce (because it's my favorite place on earth).

Ghostrider got me to fly out to SoCal back in '02 and again for Solace this year.

Tremors and Timber Terror got me to fly out to Silverwood for CAC last fall.

Twister and Phoenix got me back to Knoebels last fall for PPP. Flying Turns excited me from the moment I heard about it (even before it was publily announced). I plan to be back for PPP this year, KFT or not.

AstroWorld closing got me back to Texas last fall for the first time in over 20 years. Specefically, I'd give Texas Cyclone credit for that, but Texas Giant and Shockwave had been calling me for 15 years as well, so...

Thunderhead got me to Dollywood in '04, although it was along the way on my trip out to North Carolina to see the first show of the Van Halen tour. :)

I once drove from Iowa to Michiga and back for 2 hours of Timbers (18 hours of driving) and I had already ridden Timbers many times before.

I drove all the way to PKI for SoB back in 2000

In 2001, a buddy and I drove all the way from his house near Peoria, IL to The Great Escape, SF New England and Lake Compounce, also stopping at SFWoA, Kennywood (only to get back in the car after seeing Thunderbolt was closed), Hershey, Knoebels, SFA, SFGAdv and a couple of stops in NYC along the way. The driving force behind that trip was Lightning Racer, Knoebels Twister, Nitro, TGE Comet, and Boulder Dash. The other coasters were certainly conveniently located, but we had no idea how great Supes at SFNE would be. Actually, that park was a spontaneous add-on as we got bored at The Great Escape and left early.

Ozark Wildcat has gotten me down to Branson several times. Powder Keg convinced me to return last year, but I'm happy going down there just for OzCat.

This year:
The Voyage (duh!) amd Rumbler.
I am planning to return to Jersey this summer for El Toro. This is the first new coaster at SFGAdv since Nitro that appealed to me.
Goliath at SFoG pushed me over the top to finally make it down to SFOG this year--Spring Fling!

Voyage and KY Rumbler are doing it for me this year, but I grew up in the central KY area and most of my family is in Lexington. So I have a few good reasons to go down.

My last trip and only trip to So Cal was 100% highlighted by Disneyland, but certainly X and Ghostride sweetened the pot quite a bit. But really you just can't top Disneyland.

I have been trying to get to PKI for years ever since I saw The Beast on one of those amusement park shows. Now that I have the time and resources, barring a catastrophe, I will make it to Beastbuzz this year and hit HW (Yessss!), SFKK and Beech Bend in between.

After watching the 'Golden Ticket Awards Show' on the Travel Channel yesterday, I'll definitely make plans to hit the Dells in the forseeable future. Hades got me drooling!