But we're not going to talk about haunted houses, mazes or scarezones. Nope. Today, we're talking about something far worse than those staged frights. We're talking about the most painful theme park attractions ever built. (Okay, the second most painful, after getting stuck on "It's a Small World" when ride attendants forget to turn off the soundtrack.)
We're talking about the worst roller coasters in America.
Yesterday, I asked Theme Park Insider's fans on Facebook and on Twitter to identify the worst coasters they ever ridden, and why they thought them so bad. And you responded with tales of pain, anger, and frustration. Many of you cited rides so unpopular that their parks have closed them, notably Son of Beast at Kings Island, Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure and Flashback and Psyclone from Six Flags Magic Mountain.
I asked my children if they wanted to make a pick, too, and my son raised an interesting point. Some fans like rides that beat them up. They're looking for the most extreme thrills available in a park, and would love the chance to ride something with a reputation for brutality. The rougher, the better.
So you can look at these lists as rides to avoid, or rides to rush to. Your choice. But you can be assured that these roller coasters have left their mark, sometimes literally, on many other visitors before you. From our Theme Park Insider reader ratings of attractions at highly-attended theme parks around the country, here are the lowest-rated coasters in the country.
In addition to the coasters listed above, our fans on Facebook and Twitter also panned The Roller Coaster (formerly Manhattan Express) at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa, Viper at Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Apocalypse at Six Flags America, which is the former Iron Wolf from Six Flags Great America.
What's your pick for the worst roller coaster you've ever ridden? Let's open this up beyond America's borders, too, so go ahead and warn us in the comments about really nasty coasters elsewhere in the world, if you'd like.
Tomorrow, we'll look at the flip side and list readers' picks for the best coasters in America. And this weekend, we'll reveal our readers' pick as the top roller coaster park in the United States in 2013.
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Good to see your son is already familiar with the concept of masochism, too.
My opinion of Mean Streak differs somewhat from James Koehl's in that I didn't find it inordinately rough, just very bumpy. I agree with the general consensus that this is one of the worst roller coasters in America but my reason for disliking it is that it's boring, boring, boring! How can a coaster with a 155-foot drop be so lacking in airtime?
I happen to like The Dark Knight at Six Flags Great Adventure and am surprised to see it show up on this list. True, it gives the riders a few jolts but I'm prepared for this and position myself accordingly. With the hairpin turns and drops in the dark, I find this ride vastly entertaining.
Two I could add are Flashback at Six Flags New England and Anaconda at Kings Dominion, as these are real headbangers.
What earns a roller coaster the dubious distinction of being among the worst? If it's roughness, the Coney Island Cyclone would be near the top of the list. I actually think that the Cyclone is one of the best wooden coasters ever built but suffers from less than optimal maintenance. It was OK when I rode it 40 years ago but not when I rerode it 2 years ago. If you can't get in the first or second row, forget it. In the 4th row I sustained an injury to my arm which prompted the ride ops to call a doctor. For two days after the incident I was unable to close a door with my left hand and it took an entire month to recover from my injury.
And, on my first trip to Cedar Point, I had the misfortune to ride the abomination known as Mean Streak. This is probably the best looking awful ride in the country. It looks beautiful, but it shakes you so violently I had a headache after. I ride every single coaster I can, I love them, but I will never, ever ride this again. This thing should be torn down and replaced with bumper cars, they are not as violent.
Honestly, (and I know this might be heretical) but I'm not a big fan of Space Mountain at WDW. I get very nauseous after getting off of it. The main reason is probably because its SO dark, I can't see the track at all. And so, I get pushed left, right, up and down with no warning at all, and all the lights get quite dizzying to look at when you feel like you're also being thrown every which way without any idea whats about to come next.
You might want to check that list again, Mitchell. Anyways, my vote goes to Apocalypse in Six Flags America. I've only had the "pleasure" of riding it as it's former name Iron Wolf at SF Great America, but I remember it being one of the most brutal coasters I've ever ridden. Both times I rode it resulted in a whiplash and headaches.
However, I will submit that the Dark Knight is also very painful, just psychologically.
Two other rough / headache inducing coasters are Batman (SFGA) and of course Iron Wolf.
Since we're going over the worst roller coasters today, do I have a good idea on what we're doing tomorrow?
As rough as these rides are, this may end up being a good thing for SFoG. With the GA park's 50th birthday just around the corner, one of these rides will likely make way for something new. And with the park's president claiming in a press release, 2014 is the just the first year in a huge multi-year expansion plan with the new Hurricane Harbor being added next season, one can only dream about what may be coming over the horizon....
Of course it is rough but hey it is a Woodie and they don't make them like this one no more.
I enjoy it every time I ride it!
Just my input.
Shawn
The worst ride that I have ever been on, hands down, was Viper at SFGAdv. That was painful beyond words. The best way that I could put it was that you were spun all around way too forcefully, just to end the ride with Mike Tyson punching you in the jaw. Simply terrible.
The Roller Coaster at New York New York isn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I thought that it would be a pain machine since it's a Togo, and it had a bad reputation, but my friend and I were pleasantly surprised by it earlier this year.
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