Driven by technological advances and intense competition among theme parks for Americans' discretionary dollars, there's a boom underway in the development of ever taller, faster and more tummy-tightening thrill rides.
Here's a look at the bumper crop of new roller coasters — and clever variations thereof — popping up around the country.
1. Goliath at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois
Screams of joy — and probably fear as well — sounded out with the June debut of Goliath, a wooden roller coaster that breaks three world records. It has the longest drop (180 feet), steepest drop (85 degrees or nearly vertical) and highest speed (72 mph) of any wooden coaster. The 3,100-foot ride also flips riders head over heels with two complete inversions.
2. Thunderbolt at Coney Island in New York
Another new coaster came online in June at Coney Island. This $10 million scream machine lives up to its name, shocking riders with a 115-foot drop at a terrifying 90-degree angle as it zips through loops and corkscrews for 2,233 feet at more than 45 mph.
Interestingly, it harkens back to the origins of thrill rides in America as the country's first roller coaster appeared at Coney Island in 1884. It towered some 50 feet and reached a hair-raising speed of 10 mph.
Kings Island
3. Banshee at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio
Inversion, which means riders are upside down, is the major selling point for Banshee, a new $24 million coaster at Kings Island. Billed as the longest inverted roller coaster on the planet, it also features a curved drop and a zero-G roll that creates a sense of weightlessness.
Furthermore, and in lingo that perhaps only dedicated thrill riders can understand, it also has a dive loop, a batwing, an outside loop spiral and an inline roll. Go for it, kids! I'll watch.
4. El Loco at Circus Circus in Las Vegas
Engineers continue to design coasters that push the limits of Newton's laws of motion. Such is the case with El Loco, unveiled last February as the world's largest indoor roller coaster. It's housed in the Adventuredome, a five-acre enclosed theme park at Circus Circus Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
The seemingly insane aspect of this one is a turn that banks to the outside — not just slightly — but at a gravity-defying 45 degrees. That seems to be about 44 degrees beyond the comfort zone of most humans. Riders say they're out of their seats more than in them. Maybe they're just out of their minds.
5. Falcon's Fury at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida
Florida is the nation's epicenter for theme parks, and consequently there are more thrill rides in the Sunshine State than you can shake a magic wand at. Notable and newest of them is Falcon's Fury, expected to open in September following more than a year in the building and testing at Busch Gardens.
This innovative new spine-tingler plunges 335 feet from atop the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America. The ride features a five-second, 60 mph vertical drop designed to simulate the headfirst dive of a falcon as it strikes its prey. Riders do indeed experience a face-down, gravity-induced drop that concludes — one can only hope — with riders' seats swiveling to an upright position before a stop at 3.5 times the force of gravity.
Universal Studios
6. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida
Not all new rides are aimed at terrifying riders by challenging the laws of physics. Some are classified in thrill ride parlance as "family rides." Among recent arrivals is Universal Studios' Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
Universal's creation is rather slo-mo as thrill rides go. It aims to excite by employing an elaborate set that transports kids of all ages on a multidimensional 3-D ride through cavernous underground passageways from Diagon Alley through the vaults of Gringotts Bank. Along the way there are encounters with Harry, Ron and Hermione and a number of malicious villains who threaten a safe return to Diagon Alley.
7. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Disney's Mine Train coaster at Fantasyland also classifies as a family ride. The train features music and a variety of interactive elements as it trundles riders through an outdoor forest and then inside through the dwarfs' mine. The car's platform rocks back and forth, adding to the motion effects.
Florida also looks ready to produce thrill riding's next new biggie. Construction is set to begin in 2015 on the Polercoaster at a site on International Drive in Orange County near Orlando. Based on a design that will clearly make it the world's tallest coaster, this one will launch from atop 50-story, 570-foot-tall tower, spiraling to earth at 65 mph.
Seems hard to top the Polercoaster — but no doubt someone will try.
