Hold on to your hats, and your lunches! Keep your hands at your side until the ride has come to a complete stop! This week’s Top 10 list is comprised of our 10 favorite amusement ride attractions! Who doesn’t love a theme park? There is something for everyone at any age! So buckle yourself in for a list that might just have you hanging upside down or getting soaked, cause here we go!
Keith – Roller coaster
A roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained a patent regarding roller coasters on January 20, 1885, which were made out of wood, but this patent is considerably later than the “Russian mountains” described below. In essence a specialized railroad system, a roller coaster consists of a track that rises in designed patterns, sometimes with one or more inversions (such as vertical loops) that briefly turn the rider upside down. The track does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably wild mouse roller coasters, run with single cars.
David – Alpine slide
An alpine slide is a long chute on the side of a hill, usually built by ski resorts to supplement summer income. A wheeled cart is used to navigate the slide. The ride is similar to a bobsled ride, except that it rolls over a smooth track—generally concrete, stainless steel, or fiberglass—rather than sliding on ice. The cart accommodates one or two passengers and is controlled by a hand brake located between the rider’s legs. Pulling the hand brake handle causes the cart to stop; pushing or letting go of the handle causes the brakes to release, allowing the cart to accelerate. The ride is unique among amusement park rides in that the rider has complete control over his or her speed and ride experience. With this control comes responsibility: the rider must ensure the cart is not going too fast; otherwise the cart may overturn around curves, leading to possible injury or death.
Keith – Carousel
A carousel (American English: from French carrousel and Italian carosello), roundabout (British English), or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The “seats” are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gearwork to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music. This leads to one of the alternative names in American English, the galloper. Other popular names are jumper, horseabout and flying horses.
Carousels are commonly populated with horses, each horse weighing roughly 100 lbs (45 kg), but may include diverse varieties of mounts, like pigs, zebras, tigers, or mythological creatures such as dragons or unicorns. Sometimes, chairlike or benchlike seats are used as well, and occasionally mounts can be shaped like airplanes or cars.
In a playground, a roundabout or merry-go-round is usually a simple, child-powered rotating platform with bars or handles to which children can cling while riding.
David – House of Mirrors
A house of mirrors or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at funfairs (carnivals) and amusement parks. The basic concept behind a house of mirrors is to be a maze-like puzzle. In addition to the maze, participants are also given mirrors as obstacles, and glass panes to parts of the maze they cannot yet get to. Sometimes the mirrors may be distorted because of different curves, convex, or concave in the glass to give the participants unusual and confusing reflections of themselves, some humorous and others frightening.
In fiction, battles sometimes take place within a hall of mirrors. This is a great way to symbolically show the trickery potential of a villain.
The first known literary example is in Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of the Opera (1911), in which Erik has built one for the Shah of Persia as a trap and later uses a similar trap to protect his lair from his enemies. Perhaps the first cinematic instance of this was at the climax of the film The Lady from Shanghai (1948). Other notable examples include Woody Allen’s movie Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) which directly refers to The Lady from Shanghai; the CBS soap Guiding Light which, in 1980, featured a now famous sequence that depicted heroine Rita Bauer (Lenore Kasdorf) being pursued through a hall of mirrors by villain Roger Thorpe (Michael Zaslow); the show Macgyver, where Jack Dalton is brainwashed and is forced to fire on Macgyver; and the Teen Titans series episode “Betrayal”. Francisco Scaramanga’s “Fun House” in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun has a House of mirrors. In an episode of the Twilight Zone, “In Praise of Pip”, a bookie tries to tell his dying son how much he loves him while chasing him inside a house of mirrors; the 1984 movie Conan the Destroyer with Arnold Schwarzenegger contains a house of mirrors fight, and the 1983 Walt Disney movie Something Wicked This Way Comes (an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same title) culminates in a house of mirrors confrontation. In the fourth season of the show Leverage, in the episode “The Carnival Job”, Elliot has a showdown with Molly’s captors in a house of mirrors.
In John Boorman’s 1974 movie Zardoz character “Z” (Sean Connery) battles against “The Vortex” in a mirror maze.
Keith – Caterpillar
The Caterpillar ride is a vintage flat ride engineered by the inventor Hyla F. Maynes of North Tonawanda, New York who dubbed it the Caterpillar when it debuted in Coney Island, NY in 1925. It is a fast-paced ride that generates a decent helping of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the inside of the seats to crush the riders on the outside of the seats. It was once found at nearly every amusement park around the USA, but is now so rare that an original Caterpillar ride can only be found operating in two parks today. Though only two Caterpillars are known to be operating, there have been reports claiming there are additional Caterpillars in storage or standing (but not operating) at a few other parks.
The ride features a complete circuit of motorized vehicles which are connected end-to-end all the way around the ride, in a manner similar to a Music Express. Also, the cars travel a circular, undulating (wave-like) track very similar to that of a Tumble Bug. This ride is famous for its green canopy that automatically, or manually in the case of Heritage Park’s, begins to slowly surround the cars and fully encapsulate them once the ride reaches its maximum velocity, though DelGrosso’s operated without it. When covered with the canopy, the ride tends to look like a caterpillar, which is probably how Mr. Maynes got the name for his ride. A high powered fan located at one point under the carriage of the ride, was traditionally used to surprise riders with a blast of air as the cars go around the track.
The Caterpillar most likely served as Moser Rides’ inspiration for the popular Music Express (sometimes Musik Express or Himalaya) style ride. Without the canopy, the ride does basically look like a stone-age Music Express minus the theming, lighting, and loud rock music.
David – Haunted House
A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, witches, serial killers, or humorous characters including The Addams Family or The Munsters. Haunted attractions can take place in many locations, including dilapidated homes, abandoned asylums, old prisons, ships, boats, run down grocery stores, semi trucks, factories, shopping malls, fields, farms, and parks.
Haunted attractions (also known as “haunts” or “mazes” within the industry) use many effects, intense lighting (strobe lights, black lights, and so forth), animatronics, CGI, scent dispensers, fog machines, air blasters, old antiques, gory images, and intense scenes of terror, torment, crime, mischief, or comedy. Visitors often come in contact with various actors dressed up in elaborate and often scary costumes, masks, and prosthetics; these actors perform skits or hide and jump out unexpectedly to scare, shock, disturb, or amuse the customer.
The typical haunted attraction starts operating during the week/weekend of late September or early October all the way up to the last week/weekend in October or first week/weekend of November. In particular, they are especially active during the triduum of Allhallowtide. There is even a sub culture of haunted attractions that are open year round and a few that open during special occasions such as haunt conventions or Spring Break (aka Scream Break). Haunted attractions range in price from $5–$40 (excluding possible parking charge) and may include a discount or coupon available on the haunt’s website, at the haunt, a restaurant or an entirely different location.[1] There are some attractions that may even offer the option for a fast pass which will allow customers to skip the line for an additional cost, usually $10 or more. Some attractions are run by Jaycees associations or charities, while many are for profit.
Keith – Ferris Wheel
A Ferris wheel, named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., (sometimes called a big wheel, observation wheel, or, in the case of the very tallest examples, giant wheel) is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, capsules, gondolas, or pods) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity.
Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These wheels are sometimes referred to as observation wheels, and their cars referred to as capsules, however these alternative names are also sometimes used for wheels with conventional gravity-oriented cars.
The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The term Ferris wheel is used generically for all such structures, which are now the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the United States.
Since the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel, there have been nine world’s tallest-ever Ferris wheels. The current record holder is the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, US, which opened to the public in March 2014.
David – Starship 2000 (a.k.a The Gravitron, The Rotor)
The Rotor is an amusement park ride, designed by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in the late 1940s. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949, and was exhibited at fairs and events throughout Europe during the 1950s and 1960s. The ride still appears in numerous amusement parks, although travelling variants have been surpassed by the Gravitron.
Keith – Monster
The Monster is an amusement ride manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company. The ride spins while moving up and down at a slow pace. Each car spins while giant arms move up and down in a circular motion. Riders may experience the feeling of weightlessness when going in the air and coming back down to ground level.
David – Pendulum ride
Pendulum rides are amusement rides based on the motion of a fixed pendulum. The configuration of the ride consists of a gondola, arm, and an axle. One end of the arm is fitted with a passenger-carrying gondola, while the other is attached to the axle. On some models, the arm extends beyond the axle and is fitted with a heavy counterweight. The counterweight is often used when the gondola swings through an inversion. In addition to swinging back and forth, some designs incorporate rotating gondolas and may send riders through a complete inversion. Pendulum rides are propelled by one of two methods: a series of DC motors driving the axle, or wheels at the base of the station pushing the gondola as it swings by.pirate ship is a type of amusement ride, consisting of an open, seated gondola (usually in the style of a pirate ship) which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. Rides that can be considered pendulum rides include: Ali Baba; Booster (Fabbri ride); Frisbee; Kamikaze; Looping Starship; Pirate Ship; Ranger; Screamin’ Swing; Sky Flyer; Speed; Swing boat; Topple Tower.
Keith – Pirate Ship
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride, consisting of an open, seated gondola (usually in the style of a pirate ship) which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum.
The first known predecessor of the ride was invented by Charles Albert Marshall of Tulsa, Oklahoma between 1893 and 1897. This ride was originally called “The Ocean Wave”.
The Ocean Wave was first used in the Marshall Bros Circus in 1897. The circus was run by Charles and his brothers Mike, Will, Ed, friends, and family.
David – Ferris Wheel
A Ferris wheel, named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., (sometimes called a big wheel, observation wheel, or, in the case of the very tallest examples, giant wheel) is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, capsules, gondolas, or pods) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity.
Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These wheels are sometimes referred to as observation wheels, and their cars referred to as capsules, however these alternative names are also sometimes used for wheels with conventional gravity-oriented cars.
The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The term Ferris wheel is used generically for all such structures, which are now the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the United States.
Since the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel, there have been nine world’s tallest-ever Ferris wheels. The current record holder is the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, US, which opened to the public in March 2014.
Keith – Motion Simulator
A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that encapsulates occupants and creates the effect/feelings of being in a moving vehicle. A motion simulator can also be called a motion base, motion chassis or a motion seat. The movement is synchronous with visual display and is designed to add a tactile element to video gaming, simulation, and virtual reality. When motion is applied and synchronized to audio and video signals, the result is a combination of sight, sound, and touch. All full motion simulators move the entire occupant compartment and can convey changes in orientation and the effect of false gravitational forces. These motion cues trick the mind into thinking it is immersed in the simulated environment and experiencing kinematic changes in position, velocity, and acceleration. The mind’s failure to accept the experience can result in motion sickness. Motion platforms can provide movement on up to six degrees of freedom three rotational degrees of freedom (roll, pitch, yaw) and three translational or linear degrees of freedom (surge, heave, sway).
David – Go-Karts
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports.
Karts vary widely in speed and some (known as Superkarts) can reach speeds exceeding 260 kilometres per hour (160 mph), while amusement park go-karts intended for the general public may be limited to speeds of no more than 25 kilometres per hour (16 mph).
Keith – Log Flumes
Log flumes (colloquially known as log rides) are amusement rides consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats. Passengers sit in the logs, which are propelled along the flume by the flow of water.
The ride usually culminates with a rapid descent and splashdown into a body of water, which may happen more than once (normally the largest drop being just before the end). It provides people with an entertaining way to get wet and cool off on a hot summer day, with certain seating sections usually being splashed with more water for a more exciting and wet ride. Most log flume rides have a height restriction.
David – Bumper Cars
Bumper cars (US English) or dodgems (British English) is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as bumping cars and dashing cars’. The inventor was Victor Levand, who worked for G.E.
Keith – River Rapids ride
A river rapids ride (or river rafting ride) is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting.
After leaving the station, the raft will enter relatively calm waters. After travelling a safe distance (usually 5–15 metres), the raft will enter more turbulent waters. Usually rapids are made by the amusement park having large cylinder tubes underneath the water. The bigger the tube, the bigger the rapids. Along with the rapids, there are often waterfalls.
Finally, there may be pressurized water jets. An automated system may spray streams of water through a nozzle directed toward a passing raft, or on other rides, large amounts of water may shoot from a jet or cannon, often pointed upward so that the falling water will douse riders. Some parks (for instance, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay), have coin-operated water jets and cannons so that passersby can pay to attempt to soak riders.
David – Log Flumes
Log flumes (colloquially known as log rides) are amusement rides consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats. Passengers sit in the logs, which are propelled along the flume by the flow of water.
The ride usually culminates with a rapid descent and splashdown into a body of water, which may happen more than once (normally the largest drop being just before the end). It provides people with an entertaining way to get wet and cool off on a hot summer day, with certain seating sections usually being splashed with more water for a more exciting and wet ride. Most log flume rides have a height restriction.
Keith – Bumper cars / Bumper Boats
Bumper cars (US English) or dodgems (British English) is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as bumping cars and dashing cars’. The inventor was Victor Levand, who worked for G.E.
Bumper boats are an amusement park ride that uses inner tube shaped watercraft that can be steered by the rider. Some are driven by electric motors, some by gasoline engines, and some require the rider to propel the craft by pedaling. Most are equipped with water guns for duels with other riders. Bumper boat attractions can commonly be found in places such as amusement parks, carnivals, fairs, family fun centers, and theme parks.
David – Roller coaster
A roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained a patent regarding roller coasters on January 20, 1885, which were made out of wood, but this patent is considerably later than the “Russian mountains” described below. In essence a specialized railroad system, a roller coaster consists of a track that rises in designed patterns, sometimes with one or more inversions (such as vertical loops) that briefly turn the rider upside down. The track does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably wild mouse roller coasters, run with single cars.
And there you have it! What a ride it was! We love giving you these lists, and talking about what our top 10’s are, and we want to know what you think. What is on your list? We also want to know what top 10 lists we should do in the future. So email us, or write it in the comments below! To listen to this, you can hear it in our archived podcast listening list. Just look for podcast #81! We hope you enjoyed this list, and had ask much fun reading and/or listening to it, as we had putting it together! To see our list of honorable mentions, you can check out our sister blog site here.