Shuttle Roller Coasters
A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster that ultimately does not make a complete circuit, but rather reverses at some point throughout its course and traverses the same track backwards. These are sometimes referred to as boomerang roller coasters, due to the ubiquity of Vekoma's Boomerang coaster model. Early history The first shuttle coasters were in fact the first roller coasters ever built. Inspired by the so-called "Russian Mountains," these wheeled cars built on tracks found popularity in the early 19th century in Paris. In 1884, Switchback Railway opened at Coney Island, and consisted of a car that traveled on two tracks between two towers. It was the first roller coaster designed as an amusement ride in America. The next shuttle roller coaster to be built was Backety-Back Scenic Railway, built in 1909. First launched shuttle coasters The first two launched shuttle coaster designs were introduced in 1977 by competitors Arrow Development and Anton Schwarzkopf ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Afterburner (Fun Spot)
Afterburner was a roller coaster at Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo in Angola, Indiana. History It was the only operating roller coaster with an inversion in the state of Indiana until 2008 when Steel Hawg opened at Indiana Beach. It was also notable for formerly using an elevator to transport disabled passengers to the loading platform. Afterburner is the original prototype of Arrow Development's " Launched Loop" shuttle style coaster. From 1977 to 1990, it was known as "Zoomerang", first at Circus World, then at its short-lived replacement, Boardwalk and Baseball. Both parks were located in Haines City, Florida Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Its population was 13,174 at the 2000 census and 20,535 at the 2010 census. It is the third most populous city in Polk County. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan S .... The Afterburner was taken down in February 2017. References Roller coasters in Indiana Buildings and structures in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Walibi Belgium
Walibi Belgium is a Belgian theme park located in Wavre, close to Brussels. It is one of the largest theme parks in Belgium, attracting 1.45 million visitors in 2018 (including visitors to adjoining water park Aqualibi). The park was originally called Walibi, then Walibi Wavre, and then Six Flags Belgium, until the current name was affixed in 2004. Between 1998 and 2004, the park was owned by Six Flags, Inc until Six Flags sold it to Palamon Capital Partners (which operated the park under its StarParks Group division). Palamon sold the park in 2006 to Compagnie des Alpes, which has owned it since. Walibi Belgium is the first of the Walibi chain of parks, and the Walibi name is a syllabic abbreviation of the three nearby towns in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, where the park is located: Wavre, Limal and Bierges, History The park was founded in 1975 by Belgian Eddy Meeùs under the banner "Walibi," using the local towns Wavre, Limal, and Bi erges as a naming device ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cliff's Amusement Park
Cliff's Amusement Park (previously known as Uncle Cliff's Amusement Park prior to 1991) is a combination amusement park and water park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It opened in 1959. It features 24 rides for all ages, food, and carnival style games. It also features a water attraction, WaterMania!, which operates Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. It also has the only wooden-hybrid roller coaster in New Mexico, the final coaster designed by Custom Coasters International, called the New Mexico Rattler. Early beginnings (1959–1962) Cliff and Zella Hammond built a small kiddie park located at 7600 Lomas Blvd in 1959 and named it Uncle Cliff’s Kiddieland. After a few years at this location, the neighbors started a petition to have the park shut down. They relocated for a very short time to Little Beavertown in Tijeras Canyon Tijeras Canyon (sometimes also referred to as Tijeras Pass) is a prominent canyon in the central part of the U.S. state of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Six Flags AstroWorld
Six Flags AstroWorld, also known simply as AstroWorld, was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of I-610. The park opened on June 1, 1968, and was developed originally and constructed as part of the Astrodomain, the brainchild of local philanthropist and former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz, who intended it to complement the Astrodome. The Hofheinz family sold AstroWorld to Six Flags in 1978. Notable rides featured at the park included the Texas Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster built in 1976 that was modeled after the well-known Coney Island Cyclone, and Thunder River, considered the world's first successful river rapids ride when it opened in 1980. WaterWorld, an adjacent water park, was acquired and added to AstroWorld in 2002. Following declining revenue, rising property value, and other issues facing Six Flags, the company closed AstroWorld perm ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Greezed Lightnin' (Cliff's)
Shuttle Loop is a type of steel launched shuttle roller coaster designed by Reinhold Spieldiener of Intamin and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf. A total of 12 installations were produced between 1977 and 1982. These 12 installations have been located in a total of 22 different amusement parks. History The first installation of a Shuttle Loop dates back to 1977 when King Kobra opened at Kings Dominion. Two other rides were also installed that year: White Lightnin' at Carowinds and Tidal Wave at Marriott's Great America (California). Tidal Wave at Marriott's Great America (Illinois) opened in 1978 and was the last to feature the weight drop launch system. Also that year, Knott's Berry Farm opened Montezooma's Revenge and Six Flags AstroWorld opened Greezed Lightnin' as the first installations to feature the flywheel launch system. A number of installations followed across the world. Twenty-two theme parks have operated Shuttle Loops, with half of the twelve original inst ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 rides including roller coasters A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ..., Family-friendly, family rides, dark rides, and water rides. The park began in the 1923s as a roadside berry stand run by Walter Knott along California State Route 39, State Route 39 in California. By the 1940s, a restaurant, several shops, and other attractions had been constructed on the property to entertain a growing number of visitors, including a replica ghost town. The site continued its transformation into a modern amusement park over the next two de ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Montezooma's Revenge
MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, previously known as Montezooma’s Revenge, is a shuttle roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. Designed by Anton Schwarzkopf, the ride opened on May 21, 1978, and is one of eight flywheel-launched units manufactured for theme parks around the world. It is also the oldest looping shuttle roller coaster still operating in its original location. The ride was closed in February 2022 for a major refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in 2023. History Montezooma's Revenge was named after the bluegrass group, Montezuma's Revenge, a musical act that performed regularly in the wagon camp at Knott's Berry Farm. Based on the launch mechanism for aircraft carriers, the flywheel-launched shuttle loop is a successor of the drop-tower launch shuttle, and predates modern LIM and hydraulic launch systems by over 15 years. The drop tower models had a large silo with a weight inside connected to a similar laun ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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California's Great America
California's Great America, often shortened to Great America, is a amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. California's Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, and one of its most notable is Gold Striker, which has been featured as a top-ranked wooden roller coaster in '' Amusement Today's'' annual Golden Ticket Awards publication. Other notable rides include RailBlazer, a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and Flight Deck, an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. The park appeared in the 1994 films ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' and ''Getting Even with Dad''. Ownership of the park transitioned several times, beginning with the city of Santa Clara's acquisition from Marriott in 1985. It was then sold to Kings Entertainment Company in 1989 while Santa Clara retained ownership of the land. Paramount Parks acquired the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Carowinds
Carowinds is a amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an official Charlotte address, and its business offices are located on the Charlotte side of the park. The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million. It is the result of a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, Carowinds also features a water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission. The park has a Halloween event called SCarowinds and a winter event called WinterFest. History Early history Carowinds was announced on October 10, 1969, and originally planned on being a large resort which would include a Amusement park, theme park, Hotel, hotels, a shopping center, a golf course, and an National Football League, NFL stadium. The nam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gold Reef City
Gold Reef City is an amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa. Located on an old gold mine which closed in 1971, the park is themed around the gold rush that started in 1886 on the Witwatersrand, the buildings on the park are designed to mimic the same period. There is a museum dedicated to gold mining on the grounds where it is possible to see a gold-containing ore vein and see how gold is poured into barrels. And multiple shops around the park can be located. There are many attractions at Gold Reef City, including water rides, roller coasters and the famous Gold Reef City Casino. Gold Reef City is located to the south of the Central Business District off of the M1. It is also the site of the Apartheid Museum. Rides and attractions Some of the popular rides at the theme park include: * The Anaconda, the world's only Giovanola inverted coaster. * Golden Loop, originally White Lightnin' at Carowinds. It is a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop. * Jozi Express, a high-speed roller co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |