Summer has just begun, and for the thrill junkies among us, there’s no better place for a summer adventure than a theme park. So, whether you’re in search of man-eating dinosaurs, a heart-pounding ride through a dark and foreboding forest, or just looking for enough twists, turns, and drops to make you question your life choices, we have something to make your next summer getaway utterly unforgettable.
BATMAN: The Ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Image: Six Flags
Opening date: May 2019
Other than the name, a bright yellow-and-black logo affixed to the side of the track, and a very basic queue building, there’s not much to recommend the theming of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s brand-new BATMAN: The Ride. But here, riders will spend too much time spinning backwards, forwards, and upside down to worry whether the landscape flashing before their eyes looks more like Gotham City or Vallejo, California.
There’s no doubt BATMAN packs a punch in its 35-second runtime. After ascending a 120-foot, 90-degree lift hill, the wing vehicles tumble along an I-box track frame that brings its riders closer and closer to the ground. In other words: it’s the kind of thing that needs to be seen to be believed.
Though it bears the same name as the nine other Batman rides scattered around Six Flags’ various theme parks, Discovery Kingdom’s version takes the attraction to new heights (pardon the pun). It’s only the second to be developed as a 4D free-fly coaster since Six Flags Over Texas premiered the ride in 2015, and its face-off seating means that half of all riders will tumble head-over-heels backwards along each raven drop.
At this point, the only thing that might make BATMAN: The Ride even more thrilling—and something we wholeheartedly do not recommend—is chowing down on a Paddle Handle corn dog before you embark on your flight.
Jurassic World: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood
Image: Universal Studios Hollywood
Opening date: TBD
Bigger and better things are headed to both Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood this summer, perhaps none more impressive than the reimagined Jurassic Park water ride currently in development in Los Angeles, California. Fans of the original Jurassic Park: The Ride will remember its slow buildup to a terrifying climax: the lunge of a ravenous Tyrannosaurus rex toward a raftful of riders about to plunge down an 85-foot drop.
Though no opening date has been officially released just yet, Jurassic World: The Ride promises to take that experience to the next level. Instead of one escaped T-rex, riders will have to contend with the fearsome Indominus rex, as well as the aquatic Mosasaurus and Owen Grady’s favorite raptor, Blue.
During a behind-the-scenes peek at the animatronics for the ride, Senior Director and Executive Producer Jon Corfino revealed an intriguing detail:
“We’ve actually created the world’s largest aquarium, where we will see the Mosasaurus up close and personal,” Corfino told Jurassic Outpost. “She’s pretty busy, so we might actually get a little wet in there.”
It’s not yet clear how the Mosasaurus will be incorporated in the ride, and the overall format and track layout doesn’t seem likely to change very much, but riders should still expect a spine-tingling set of psychological thrills in addition to its infamous drop. And those who may feel nostalgic for the 1990s charm and characters of the original Jurassic Park can head out toward Universal Studios Orlando, where no changes are currently rumored for the classic ride.
Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America
Image: Six Flags
Opening date: July 2019
Six Flags has cultivated a reputation for producing some of the most intense and ambitious roller coasters in the country, and Great America’s highly-anticipated Maxx Force might just top the charts.
Okay, so it’s nowhere close to the fastest launch coaster in the United States—that honor goes to Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, which goes from 0 to 128 m.p.h. before hurling its riders toward a 456-foot tower. But with a launch speed of 0 to 78 m.p.h., Maxx Force is poised to become the second-fastest launch coaster across any U.S.-based theme park, which is still a fairly notable designation.
Once riders are zipping along the track at 78 m.p.h., they’ll rocket 175 feet into a world-record double inversion (one of five total inversions), drop down into a barrel roll, and get flipped upside down in a 60-m.p.h. zero-gravity roll. In other words, it’s about par for the course with some of Six Flags’ other thrill-makers, and undoubtedly one of the fastest and most thrilling roller coasters to debut across any park this summer.
Tidal Twister at SeaWorld San Diego
Image: SeaWorld
Opening date: May 2019
The more complex and stomach-twisting the roller coaster, the less you want to hear the words “operational issue” right after its release. But SeaWorld San Diego’s newest ride, Tidal Twister, apparently ran into a technical snafu just two weeks after its Memorial Day weekend debut, causing a brief flurry of understandable consternation among parkgoers.
SeaWorld didn’t release an official statement on the temporary closure, but whatever issue was hampering the coaster’s operation has since been resolved. And though it’s not exactly slated to break any existing world records (the way, say, Maxx Force might), it’s definitely a unique addition to SeaWorld’s more family-friendly attractions. The compact 300-foot-long track dips, weaves, and crisscrosses in order to simulate the feel of ocean waves, while dueling trains execute perfectly-timed inversions to miss each other by mere feet.
Perfect for those who may not enjoy an ultra-fast launch or skyscraper-level drop—or, as early reviewers pointed out, those who may be a tad too short for adult coasters—Tidal Twister still delivers thrills with each lap around the track. And now that the safety issued have been completely ironed out, riders should be able to take advantage of its tidal-like loops all summer long.
El Diablo at Six Flags Over Texas
Image: Ryan9270144, Wikimedia Commons
Opening date: May 2019
We’ve seen everything from super-speedy launch coasters to creative eight-figure tracks to prehistoric monsters on this list so far. El Diablo, the newest addition to Six Flags Over Texas’ impressive 13-roller coaster spread, delivers a staggering 10-story loop. And yes, that’s a world record.
Like Discovery Kingdom’s BATMAN: The Ride, El Diablo also incorporates face-off seating so you can get a good look at your friends’ faces when they start flailing on the coaster’s 360-degree revolutions. It’s not for the faint of heart—or for those who hate the peculiar flavor of nausea that’s often triggered by long stretches of hang time.
The design of the ride doesn’t offer any surprises or revolutionary features in and of itself. In fact, it should be pretty familiar to anyone who’s braved the Super Loops, Ring of Fire, or Fire Ball at their local carnival or state fair over the last 40-some years. But the sheer size of the ride and the delicious way it lingers at the very top of the track is intense enough to generate some serious thrills and chills… whether you’re a seasoned roller coaster fanatic or a courageous newbie.
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Have you tried any of the roller coasters or drop rides on this list? What other thrill rides made the cut for your summer bucket list this year?
