Florida is the theme park capital of the world. Sorry, Cedar Point! Yes, you have the most roller coasters in a single location, but the state of Florida has you beat in terms of quantity and quality. Don’t worry! Everyone still loves you!
Now that I’ve apologized for any potential hurt feelings (you’re good too, Knott’s Berry Farm!), let’s get back to the point. Florida has an amazing assortment of roller coasters throughout the state. Many of the best ones are in two places, though. Let’s be honest that Orlando and Tampa are the unofficial theme park capitals of Florida. The list will reflect that. Similarly, I prefer thrill rides that also have themes, which means that something undeniably wonderful like The Dragon at Legoland Florida or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train won’t make the cut here due to velocity limitations. The Incredible Hulk narrowly misses because it’s not very…Hulk-ish. Keeping these criteria in mind, here are the best roller coasters in Florida!
9. Test Track
Test Track is undeniably a masterpiece, an immersive ride experience. A replacement for World of Motion, it’s a fascinating exploration of car engineering. Disney and Chevrolet, the ride sponsor, show what a manufacturer has to evaluate in building a new vehicle. It does this in a manner so seamless that many riders don’t even realize that they were a part of such a simulation.
As an attraction, Test Track is the gold standard. It’s an amazing, engaging ride that satisfies on every level. As a roller coaster, it’s harder to judge. The stop-and-start elements of the attraction aren’t what people have come to expect from roller coasters. And those blinding few moments of daylight when the doors open, thrusting the rider into sunlight, are only a small portion of the ride-time. Yes, the rush of surging from 0 to 64.9 miles per hour is invigorating, but it only lasts for about 40 seconds. As much as I love Test Track (it’s probably my favorite attraction on this list) I don’t think that’s enough to slot it higher on the list of best roller coasters.
8. SheiKra
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is quietly a powerhouse in the field of roller coaster design. Several of their attractions merited consideration for this list. In the end, I settled on two for this list (sorry, Montu!). SkeiKra is the inferior of the two in the same way that one of Paul McCartney or John Lennon is the inferior Beatle. People harbor strong feelings about each one, and the same is true of the best two attractions at this park.
SheiKra is a dive coaster that effectively takes a section of stadium seats, connects them together, and then races the whole group through 3,188 feet of track at breakneck speeds. The theoretical maximum velocity is 70 miles per hour, but due to the design of these seats, you’ll feel like you’re going much faster. It offers one of the most exhilarating, out of control sensations possible on a roller coaster. The only reason why I didn’t slot it higher is that the ride is a bit uncomfortable for some. The unique design definitely isn’t for everyone.
7. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Look, anything that’s good enough for Sharknado 3 is good enough for me. Okay, that shameless bit of cross-promotion was a misstep, but in terms of explosive roller coasters, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit delivers one of the coolest ride experiences available in Florida.
The attraction is an x-coaster with a 90-degree vertical drop. You don’t have to know a lot about geometry to understand that a 90-degree drop is straight down! With a top speed of 65 miles per hour and a lot of breaks, turns, corkscrews, and faux inversions, Universal delivers one of the most inventive coaster rides yet created. And you even get to pick your choice of tunes for the ride!
6. Mako
SeaWorld Orlando has experienced some controversy in recent years. Maybe you’ve heard. In order to move past all the negative headlines, the park has prioritized roller coasters in recent years. Mako is the most recent one, debuting in 2016. It instantly became the fastest coaster in Orlando, with a top speed of 73 miles per hour. It’s also the tallest and longest coaster in the area, at 200-feet tall and 4,760 feet of track.
The Mako is considered one of the apex predators of the ocean, a dreaded shark that’s also the fastest of its species. The ride shows deference to this behavior, emphasizing sustained velocity from start to finish. As far as adrenaline junkie attractions go, it’s probably the best one in Florida today.
My only criticism is that it’s just not special or distinguished in any way. People who want a pure thrill will have a great time on Mako. I’m just not sure they’ll remember much about it afterward. The top five entries on this list are all unforgettable ride experiences. Mako is more about the numbers than a cohesive themed attraction.
5. Kumba
Almost 4,000 square feet of track. A top speed of 60 miles per hour. Three full minutes of ride time. 3.8 Gs of force. Seven inversions. A 114-foot vertical loop. More than a quarter century of status as a landmark achievement in roller coaster design. All of these statements are true of Kumba, the best and most enduring roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
When built in 1992, this attraction held every major record possible in Florida. It was the tallest, fastest, longest coaster in the state. It also held a world record for the world’s tallest vertical loop for several years. Busch Gardens swung for the fences with Kumba, and they connected. It’s a grand slam of coaster design, one whose impact has fundamentally changed the industry. Ride elements like dive loops and corkscrews are standard today, but their origin dates back to Kumba. Only one other roller coaster listed here is as iconic as Kumba, and that’s why it holds such a lofty ranking. This attraction has earned its revered status due to its inventiveness and timelessness.
4. Space Mountain
Quick! Name the slowest coaster on this list! Yes, diehard fans know the secret of Space Mountain. It has a maximum velocity of less than 35 miles per hour. In fact, Disney ordinarily runs the machines at 28 miles per hour. Just think about that for a moment. When you’re annoyed in city traffic that you have no choice but to drive at the speed limit of 35 miles per hour, you’re going faster than Space Mountain!
Why does this iconic attraction feel so much faster? Disney uses the sensory deprivation of darkness to separate riders from their bodies for a time. In the empty void of space, you have no idea where you are or how fast you’re going. Space Mountain simulates that sensation in sublime fashion, which is why it has stood the test of time as arguably the greatest roller coaster design ever. And as Disney fans know, it was also one of the final projects Walt Disney discussed, even though it didn’t open until roughly a decade after his death.
3. Revenge of the Mummy
Okay, The Mummy isn’t the freshest intellectual property today. Brendan Fraser’s third outing was forgettable, and the Tom Cruise reboot largely failed. Don’t let your apathy toward the film franchise dissuade you from riding this coaster, though. It’s brilliant!
Revenge of the Mummy is one of the best themed coasters in North America. It goes all-in on the premise that you’re in Imhotep’s tomb, and you are the most unwelcome of guests. You’ll go down what seems like a linear path, only to discover that you have to change course to avoid the wrath of an undead Egyptian. A clever implementation of fire will accentuate the sensation that your mortal soul is in peril if you don’t escape. And the ride also flips directions at one point, a clever surprise that still elicits screams of terror almost 15 years after the ride’s debut.
Universal rarely goes toe to toe with Disney in the realm of theming, but this attraction proves that they can more than hold their own when so inclined.
2. Expedition Everest
Do you ever have that sinking feeling that the tracks up ahead are broken? Do you worry what will happen if you’re right? With Expedition Everest, Disney deduces the fear of every train (or maybe I should say monorail) rider and turns it into an explosive roller coaster adventure.
The theme here is that the villagers of Serka Zong need a shortcut through the Himalayas. So, they build a transportation system that cuts straight through the mountains. Too late, they realize that their construction has awoken a presumed mythical creature…and this beast wakes up cranky. Clearly not a morning person, the Yeti disrupts the journey, forcing the train operator to thrust the vehicle backwards into darkness. In this manner, Expedition Everest uses some of the best ideas from Revenge of the Mummy and Space Mountain to create something truly special.
For years, Disney has fought back against the argument that it’s sorely lacking in true thrill rides. Expedition Everest is the creation that refutes those assertions. It’s a masterpiece of ride design.
1. Kraken Unleashed
To stand above the others as the best roller coaster in Florida, you have to do something special. You have to offer some originality that nothing else on the list can match. The 2000 version of Kraken did that when it debuted. The SeaWorld Orlando attraction offered a floorless roller coaster experience that was inimitable at the time. Kraken offers 4,177 square feet of track and a top speed of 65 miles per hour, both of which skew toward the top of the coasters listed here. It also offers seven inversions and a 144-foot drop, both of which are fantastic.
Still, the Kraken of 2000 isn’t good enough to lord above the other roller coasters in Florida. It’s only the recent refurbishment that has put this ride on top. In the summer of 2017, Kraken Unleashed introduced a previously unknown element to Florida roller coaster design. It added virtual reality.
Riders strap on headsets as they wait to depart on their journey. The imagery in these headsets matches the ride that the person is receiving. SeaWorld engineers have added timing sensors around the track to make sure that the timing is correct everywhere. This attention to detail guarantees that the rider believes that they are fully submerged underwater, engaged in a life and death struggle to escape the legendary Kraken.
If you study the video above, you’ll see the stark contract between the previous version of Kraken, the one without virtual reality, and the current one. The difference is staggering. While some riders choose not to use the headsets, a viable choice for people with sensitive stomachs, those who are brave enough to add VR to the mix earn a historically unprecedented ride experience. Virtual reality may not be ready for prime time quite yet, but Kraken Unleashed offers proof of concept about how much this technology will advance the field of roller coaster engineering. Kraken is unquestionably the best and most original coaster in Florida right now.
Other coasters that received consideration but didn’t quite make the list are the aforementioned The Dragon at Legoland Florida, Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure, Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
What’s your favorite Florida roller coaster? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
