What parks in Florida for roller coasters?

I'm in NC and it's 70s, so Nya!

Florida is too hot for me. NC is blazing from March to October (Usually, this year it rarely reached 90 and humidity wasn't bad at all, this has been my most favorite weather ever anywhere), and it's miserable to go outside June-Sept. I avoid outside as much as possible.

I thought I wouldn't like Texas this past summer, but even though it was in the hundreds in San Antonio, and the sun was brutal, it was dry, and by day 4 I was actually used to it. Almost 4 years in, and I still don't like (normal) NC Summers. But the free house and good job make up for it :).

Well the average high temperature in Florida is 90 degrees or hotter from June-Sept. So says the weather channel:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/vacationclima...y/USFL0372

Where as Sandusky's hottest month (July) the average high temperature reaches only 82.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USOH0855

Jeff said:

I live here, dude... It almost never hits 100 here... it's too well regulated by the gulf and Atlantic.

I've lived (short stays longer then a vacation) in Florida too.

As long as the air is moving, it is tolerable, maybe even nicer then tolerable.

When the air gets stagnant, and if you had a candle outside it wouldn't even wiggle, ... well that can be down right HOT; yes so HOT that even the O and T are capitalized also. I cut one stay very much shorter to run to Alabama on my way to Wisconsin.

If someone were working and living inside climate control for most of the day/night they would have never noticed; I was mostly outside though, and I noticed it.

I like Florida overall. I'm not done with ideas for trips back for things I'd like to do as a tourist.

Read a joke, if memory serves me right it went something like this:

Sometime a few days before Christmas, a guy from Chicago is duct taping a snow shovel to the front bumper of his car, fashioned in such a way to look much like a hood ornament.

His curious neighbor sees this going on and wonders what this is all about. So, he asks.

"Well, I figure I'll head south until someone asks me what it is", is the reply.

Enjoy Florida.

In Florida, it is probably your best bet to go to BGT if you want credits, as someone said. However, it is also a beautiful park heavy on foliage and animals. It is one of my very favorite parks in terms of scenery.

Universal isn't a coaster-heavy park, but if you miss The Mummy, you'll be sorry. Not to mention the Harry Potter and Spider-Man rides. Oh, and I almost forgot about Transformers!!

Also, I really like Sea World. There are not that many coasters there either, but if you're a fan of animals, it is a great park. Plus, the coasters that ARE there are some of the best of their type (that I've ridden).

<bias>Yes, SeaWorld and BGT are the best parks in Florida!</bias>

What exactly are you looking for?

Are you looking at going to the second best "regional theme park" (the best of course being its sister in Virginia) that also happens to have an impressive zoo on top of a fabulous coaster line up? Then go to BGT

Are you looking at experiencing marine life in way you simply cant anyehere else in the world, and also get to ride one of the best flying and floorless coasters outthere (not to mention a fantastic water coaster,) then go to SWO.

You ready to experience the movies like you never have before? Ready to go on rides themed like you have never experienced, and will never experience again unless you go to another Universal or Disney park? The coasters are good, but you're going to be far more impressed with Spiderman, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, the Mummy and Men in Black then you will be with the Hulk or Dragon Challenge. If this is the experience you want then buy a hopper ticket to Universal.

Oh, and dont go to Disney World, one day is not enough to experience the pure awesomeness of this resort, save it for a time when you have a week to enjoy this resort.

(S)he specifically said most rollercoasters, so I'm assuming that the other stuff is not important to them.

With that said, Disney is right out. Their coasters suck standing on their own. Depending on time, I'd go Busch if you only have one day, Universal if you have two, and both if you have three. Side trip to Fun Spot if possible.

Just trying to make the point that if you are going to a FL park for the coasters you are at best missing some of the best parts of those parks and at worst going to be horribly disappointed in them. If you are only going to a park for the coasters you are better off checking if SFoG is open or returning to SFMM

Well, BGT and IoA each have some pretty decent coasters, and SWO's pair of B&M's is right up there, but if you're paying that much to just ride the coasters at any of those parks, you are doing it wrong.

I dunno... BGT's weekday tickets are $50. I think you get your coaster money's worth.

There's still only 4 "major" coasters (sorry Gwazi), one of which is Cheetah Hunt (which I loved, but I could see it not impressing most). For that same $50 you could get more than 13 coasters, 5 or 6 of which are "major" at most of your local/semi-local regionals.

Bring on the snow and cold, winters don't last long enough as I never get my fill of skiing before the resorts close for the summer. Also, some of the most beautiful sights to see are a nice crisp, sunny winter's day with everything coated with a fresh layer of snow, especially in the mountains.

I like the change of seasons up north, Christmas in shorts is just weird, for me at least.

Busch Gardens is by far the best place in Florida for coasters. You have Montu- Florida's best inverted coaster, Sheikra- America's first dive coaster and floorless, Cheetah Hunt- family friendly coaster with 3 launches and upside-down inversions, Kumba- large steel coaster with nice airplane stunt feeling maneuvers, Gwazi- wooden coaster, Scorpion- family looping coaster with 42 inch height minimum, Sea Serpent- family wild mouse style coaster w/ 46 inches minimum, and Air Grover- kiddie/family coaster with 38 inches minimum. The park also offers much more for your $! BG is also best animal park, way better than Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Sea World comes in 2nd place with 2 great coasters: Manta- Florida's only flying coaster and probably America's best flying coaster! Awesome ride! Kraken- a fun steel coaster with inversions that's built near the pond with nice views.

Universal Studios has a nice inside coaster The Mummy that's fun and their Rip Ride Rockit coaster plays music while you ride is fun with an unique loop, but most the rest of park would probably bore you. You'd need to buy a 1 day/2 park pass and over at Islands of Adventure ride the Hulk Coaster- it has a launch going up the lift that's cool, but after the first 30 seconds the rest of the ride just twist in a tiny little area, and they have dueling dragons or I think they changed it's name- 2 inverted coasters that take space in a cluster area, they're fun, but Montu at Busch Gardens is so much better.

Disney- Animal Kingdom has a pretty neat family coaster called Everest, and they also have a fun wild mouse family coaster, but after that the park is boring and the animals exhibits are not near what Busch Gardens is. Space Mountain is still a classic for being so old and it's still well loved.

If you go anytime other than the week of Thanksgiving and the Christmas/NYE 2 weeks the crowds are pretty mild.

Coaster open year round in Florida, they close due to lightning and heavy rain.

Jeff said:

I live here, dude. The highest temperature in all of July was 93, average 89. The highest in August was 96, average 91. It almost never hits 100 here... it's too well regulated by the gulf and Atlantic. And with the normal summer 3:30 p.m. thunderstorm, the temperature typically drops 15 degrees for a period of time.

I thought you lived in Washington working for some fancy company like Microsoft or something.

Anyway, I was there for two weeks in July/August a few years ago and it was intolerable. And it was 100 every day. Plus the schools are terrible, I would have stayed in Washington or wherever you lived.

Jeff's recent move was from Ohio. Where the schools are much MUCH better...

The record high for Orlando is 102, in June of 2000. It hasn't been there since.

Humidity just makes it feel like its 110 degrees. Opposite of Arizona which actually is 115 degrees but its a dry heat -- like putting your head into an oven.

As much as Florida is the most horrible place in the world, I gotta come to Jeff's defense here.

Check this out:

"It might be surprising to some, but 100 degree days are relatively rare in Orlando. Since 1892, the city has only had about three dozen days when the temperature reached or exceeded 100 degrees." (source)

The humidity/dewpoint is what makes The Sunshine State a sweltering, stale bucket of sticky death. It's subtropic swampland and it's just the worst, but it rarely reaches 100 in Orlando.

With that said, you guys can argue all you want about it feeling like 100+ degrees, which it does a lot.

"The problem is that not much sweat evaporates when the air is already sweaty, as if you didn't know.

That's why the Heat Index provides more than bragging rights for who has the most-oppressive weather.

When the temperature hits 91 in Orlando on Sunday, it will abuse the body like it's a desert-hot, 101-degree day in Las Vegas — slightly more so, in fact.

"If you are sweating and it's not evaporating — and that often happens in Central Florida where the humidity is so high — you are not cooling your body as effectively or maybe even not at all when the humidity is high enough," Bergeron said." (source)

So yeah.

Heat? Not so bad. Swamp Ass? The worst.

Fortunately, a/c is everywhere, even outside in some places.

Gonch droppin science like galileo dropped the orange.