On May 15, 2022 I shared a 2003 article I wrote called, “Tales From the Track, Tales of Terror!” while serving as the arts & entertainment editor for The Avenue News – a weekly newspaper out of Baltimore County, Md. I recently found the article and its cover page layout on an old CD-ROM. On that same disc were a few other articles I wrote, including this one – a ranking of my favorite roller coasters at four area amusement parks – Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Hersheypark, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, and Six Flags America. I thought it would be fun to share my views with all of you from almost 20 years ago.
Note: The photos found below are not original to the article. They were added here for visual appeal and reference. I was only able to locate the original ClarisWorks text document and do not recall what photos, if any, accompanied the printed version.
In the July 16 Relaxer feature, “Tales From the Track, Tales of Terror,” I interviewed several members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and asked each, “What is your favorite roller coaster?” Answers varied, but it made me start thinking about the roller coasters which I love the most.
On a recent trip to Hersheypark, my girlfriend, Vanessa, and I were comparing our favorites while waiting in line for Great Bear. That discussion gave me the idea for this article. Below is a rating of the coasters found at four different amusements parks I’ve visited recently. These include: Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), Hersheypark, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, and Six Flags America (SFA). Here is what I came up with for each park.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Just about every one of the park’s coasters winds their way through the captivating landscape of BGW. The Loch Ness Monster makes the best use of its surroundings. It’s an amazing ride at night too, dipping over the Rhine River Valley with its interlocking loops.
That said, Alpengeist is my overall favorite coaster, and not just at BGW, but from any park I’ve visited. An inverted coaster, Alpengeist rushes through multiple inversions, all while leaving your feet dangling below, or above, when you’re upside down. Alpengeist, like Loch Ness, makes great use of its surroundings and is an extremely smooth ride.
Coaster Rankings
- Alpengeist
- Loch Ness Monster
- Apollo’s Chariot
- Big Bad Wolf
- Wild Maus
Hersheypark
Hershey certainly has two historic coasters in Comet and Sooperdooperlooper. However, in my recent trip to the park, I found myself enjoying two of the newer coasters. Lightning Racer, a wooden dueling coaster, gives you the chance to ride on two different tracks called Lightning and Thunder. The trains race through hills and helixes and look as if they could collide when speeding by one another. Lightning Racer has recently become my new favorite wooden coaster.
Great Bear hangs riders high above Hersheypark and swoops in and around the Coal Cracker log flume, Sooperdooperlooper, and the Comet. The two twisting inversions on this coaster make you feel as if you’ll be tossed out the side of the train. And oh yeah, did I mention Great Bear is also an inverted coaster like Alpengeist? Ride this coaster at night for an added thrill element.
Coaster Rankings
- Great Bear
- Lightning Racer
- Comet
- Sooperdooperlooper
- Wildcat
- Sidewinder
- Wild Mouse
- Trailblazer
- Roller Soaker
Paramount's Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion is a coaster-lover’s paradise. There is a wide variety of coasters, including the stand-up Shockwave, Flight of Fear, an indoor coaster which blasts riders through several inversions in pitch black darkness, and then there are several other typical wood and steel offerings.
Anaconda was an instant favorite of mine years ago and continues to be. The entire ride takes place over water and even includes an underwater tunnel. It’s initial loop, sidewinder, and a double corkscrew ending will keep you put upside-down several times throughout the ride.
Volcano The Blast Coaster is one of the more creative coasters I’ve seen and certainly one of my favorites. Built inside the mountain which used to be home to Haunted River, Smurf Mountain, and Time Shaft rides prior to 1998, Volcano is the world’s fastest inverted coaster and boasts one of the tallest inversions found on a coaster today. Volcano is a must ride.
Coaster Rankings
- Volcano The Blast Coaster
- Anaconda
- Grizzly
- Rebel Yell
- Hurler
- Flight of Fear
- Hypersonic XLC
- Shockwave
- Ricochet
- Scooby Doo’s Ghoster Coaster
- Avalanche
- Taxi Jam
Six Flags America
Just an hour or so away from this paper’s circulation area is SFA, which is home to several great coasters. Well, when they’re not closed because of technical difficulties.
Joker’s Jinx is the same ride model as Flight of Fear at Kings Dominion, but is an outdoor version. This visibility makes the ride so much fun not only to ride, but look at from the sidewalk. It resembles a pile of spaghetti noodles, looping and dipping over and under its own tracks.
Superman Ride of Steel captures what many coaster lovers dig – big drops and helixes. You’ll surely love the airtime on this too. My favorite aspects of this coaster are the first drop, a staggering 205 feet, and the amount of time you spend on the ride. It takes over two minutes to complete.
Coaster Rankings
- Superman Ride of Steel
- Joker’s Jinx
- Batwing
- Roar
- Wild One
- Two Face: The Flip Side
- Mind Eraser
- Great Chase
Other Parks to Consider
Two other parks, Dorney Park in Allentown, Pa. and Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) in Jackson, N.J. both offer several coasters too. I haven’t been to either in several years and both have added new coasters since. They’re both worth checking out, however.
