I want to talk about my most “Unique” Roller Coasters. Note: This is NOT a ranking of these Coasters. So no “First Place for Most Unique” or “Least Unique”. Some of these Coasters are on here for pure nostalgia, so heads up. You may see one or two Coasters on here that aren’t that “Special” or “Unique” to the average Coaster Enthusiast. With that in mind, here is my personal List of the most Unique Coasters I have ridden.
First up is the first Roller Coaster I ever rode outside the United States. This is DRAGON MOUNTAIN at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada. This Steel Coaster is long! The ride as a whole has 4 Inversions and is about 3 minutes in duration. That is EXTREMELY long for a Roller Coaster! The last 2 Inversions are actually the only kind in the World with the Bowtie Inversion.
Yes, DRAGON MOUNTAIN is tall and long (that’s what she said!) but it is not particularly forceful or fast.
Next is probably the World’s Most Famous Wooden Coaster: THE CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE. Even if you know nothing about Roller Coasters, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard of this ride. The CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE has been standing in Brooklyn, New York since 1927. It has been closed and was actually slated for removal and demolition in the 1970s until a coalition saved the ride due to its Historical Significance. This is the definition of an Old Wooden Coaster. The ride is a little rough around the edges, but the trains are so well-padded and you get SO MUCH AIRTIME that it really isn’t that bad. Really, to me, the only downside to the CYCLONE is the price. It cost $10 to ride when I rode it a few years ago! I rode it 3 times, so I spent $30 basically to ride one Roller Coaster. But it was worth every penny!
The next Coaster is at my pseudo-home park. This is TRAILBLAZER at Hersheypark. It’s not tall, nor long, nor fast, or thrilling. It’s essentially a kid’s Coaster. So as a Thrillseeker, not gonna lie, this ride is kind of boring. BUT TRAILBLAZER makes the list for one reason: Pure Nostalgia. This is the first Roller Coaster I remember ever riding.
Keeping with the Nostalgia theme, up next is ANACONDA at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. I haven’t ridden this Coaster in years, but it is the first Coaster I ever rode that went upside-down. Plus it has that “Cool” factor of diving underwater into a tunnel.
Next is a Roller Coaster I feel INCREDIBLY lucky to have ridden. This was ULTRA TWISTER at Six Flags Astroworld in Houston, Texas. And actually, I feel lucky to have been to Astroworld as a whole. I visited Six Flags Astroworld back in 2005, about a month before it closed down. ULTRA TWISTER was probably the weirdest Coaster I have ever ridden. It was the only one of its kind outside of Japan. The layout was simple. Lift, steep Drop, Airtime Hill, 3 Inversions. What made this ride so unique was how it was built. Look at this thing!
Yeah…there were ZERO Lateral turns! The whole layout was linear! So after the first Roll, you enter a Switch Track, roll backwards, and do 2 more Rolls. To my knowledge, only 4 of these Coasters exist, and they are all in Japan.
Next up is another “Historic” Coaster. This is MILLENNIUM FORCE at Cedar Point. This was the World’s First Giga Coaster, or Roller Coaster 300-399 feet tall. This ride is 310 feet tall, drops you 300 feet at an 80 Degree angle, hits a Top Speed of 90 mph, is over 6,000 feet long, and is-no joke-my personal favorite Coaster at Cedar Point. It’s not as intense as other rides, but it is just pure fun!
Following MILLENNIUM FORCE is another “First”, also at Cedar Point. (And Spoiler Alert, the one after this is, too). This is MAGNUM XL200, the World’s First Hyper Coaster, or Coaster 200-299 feet tall. This Coaster is rough around the edges. It feels sketchy as it was built in 1989 without the help of computers. So it feels borderline “dangerous”. Of course, it’s perfectly safe, but it feels kind of janky. The Airtime Hills are Triangular, not Parabolic like today’s Coasters. So it feels almost unnatural flying out of your seat that way with just a loose Lap Bar. I had legit bruises on my legs after 3 rides. That’s how insane the Airtime is on MAGNUM!
The last Coaster at Cedar Point I want to discuss was also a “World’s First”. This was TOP THRILL DRAGSTER. I say “Was” because the original DRAGSTER was shut down after a tragic accident where a piece of the ride flew off and actually hit someone. In its original form, this was as simple as can be. Launch, 420 foot Hill, Brakes. The whole ride lasted about 15 seconds. That Launch blasted you from a standstill to a whopping 120mph in 4 seconds! I got lucky enough to get a Rollback my first time riding this thing. That’s where the Train doesn’t have enough speed to make it over the Hill and rolls back. This was the Holy Grail Experience for DRAGSTER fans. Oh, and the only thing holding you in was a flimsy Lap Bar.
Let’s go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia for the next ride. This is LOCH NESS MONSTER. This is the only Coaster in the World with interlocking Vertical Loops.
Even though the Trains do not go through both Loops simultaneously, it is still cool to look at! AND the last time I rode this ride, I was fortunate enough to get a Solo Ride!
It was during the Howl-O-Scream event in the midst of Covid and it was rainy. So I have kind of a soft spot for this Coaster.
Let’s go further South for our next Coaster. This is LIGHTNING ROD at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Until the 2024 Season, this was the World’s Only Launched Wooden Coaster and it was RELENTLESS! A TON of Ejector Airtime! My thoughts might change once I re-ride it with a conventional Chain Lift, but until then, this ride is perfection!
Next up is BOARDWALK BULLET in Kemah, Texas. This thing is incredible just to look at!
It is over 3,000 feet long, goes 60mph, and yet takes up ONE ACRE OF LAND! That is astounding! And that’s just looking at the ride! The experience is even better! I rode this thing about 6 times in the course of an hour! And it feels like it never slows down and lasts awhile! So to say I have a borderline obsession with this Coaster might be kinda an understatement.
Lastly, we have 2 Coasters in New England. SUPERMAN at Six Flags New England is among my all-time favorite Coasters! It’s probably in my Top 5. Tall, fast, a long duration, Airtime Galore, and smooth! I know people complain about the U-Brick Lap Bar restraints, but I don’t care. I LOVE THIS COASTER TO DEATH! I had a full-on marathon on this Coaster! I rode the absolute Hell outta this thing!
The last Coaster I want to discuss is BOULDER DASH in Connecticut. Pro Tip: RIDE UP FRONT! It is kind of rough in the Back Row. Pro Tip #2: RIDE IT AT NIGHT! BOULDER DASH is literally built on the side of a Mountain and flies down the side of said Mountain at 60mph. At Night, it feels even faster! And since it’s in such a secluded area-it’s in the Woods-it’s Pitch Black! Like the “I Can’t See My Hand An Inch In Front of My Face” Dark. You can’t see the Track in front of you so this ride at Night feels totally out of control!
So that’s my abridged List. I have a TON more I have ridden that I adore, but if I went into detail about all of them, we’d be here all day. For example, MAKO at SeaWorld Orlando is my favorite B&M Hyper. STEEL VENGEANCE at Cedar Point is an INCREDIBLE RMC Coaster! These are not all the Coasters I have ridden, just some of the most memorable. Thanks for reading!
-Tom
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