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As a roller coaster enthusiast, one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off a ride they've never ridden before. That's what I want to share with you. Coaster Redux is a different kind of roller coaster podcast. It's part trip report, part on-ride experience, part ride review, and all storytelling. So, join me on this journey as tell my roller coaster story, from how I became an enthusiast to my thoughts on some of the most elite roller coasters at buc ...
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The seventh stop on my summer road trip was Kentucky Kingdom. Located in Louisville, this park's had a roller coaster of a history, being operated by local businessman Ed Hart, Six Flags, then Ed Hart again, and now Herschend Family Entertainment. Rides have come and gone from this state-owned property, but it's now home to a triple-threat of small…
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Kings Island was a perfect stopping point on my drive from Cedar Point to Kentucky Kingdom and I spent an afternoon enjoying one of my all-time favorite amusement parks. I got my first ride on the Bat Arrow suspended coaster, the refurbished Adventure Express, and the new-for-2024 Snoopy's Soapbox Racers Vekoma Family Boomerang. And of course, I go…
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The southbound run on my summer road trip began with two full days at Cedar Point, home to many of the greatest thrill rides ever, and that's even with their new for 2024 Top Thrill 2 being closed! I was joined by my dad, an Ohio native, who hadn't been to America's Rockin' Roller Coast since 1999 when he brought my family and I for the first time.…
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The halfway point on my two-week summer road trip was Six Flags Great America. One of the biggest legacy parks in the Six Flags chain, Great America boasts 15 total roller coasters. Top on my hype list were Maxx Force, an S&S compressed air launch coaster with America's fastest acceleration, Raging Bull, B&M's only hyper with a twister layout, and …
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My third stop on my 2024 road trip brought me to Kansas City, MO for my first ever visit to Worlds of Fun. They opened Zambezi Zinger last year, their first new roller coaster since 2009. It's a GCI family thrill coaster that sits right next door to Prowler, a highly praised out and back terrain coaster also from GCI. The Mamba hyper coaster from M…
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Stop number two on my 2024 road trip was Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Dollywood's sister park is one I've wanted to visit for years! It's got a gorgeous setting in the Ozark mountains, and some super unique roller coasters. Powder Keg is a mash-up Premier water ride and S&S launched coaster, Outlaw Run was the first RMC wood coaster with mult…
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Season 3 begins with the first of eight stops on my 2024 summer road trip, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. This is my second visit to this beautiful park, and since I was here two years ago, they've added Big Bear Mountain, a Vekoma launched family coaster, replaced the launch on Lightning Rod with a high-speed chain lift, and completed more trackwo…
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It was a delight to share my 2023 theme park adventures with you, and it was my best year ever as a coaster enthusiast! I'm currently knocking on the door of my 200th credit and preparing for my 2024 road trip. I wanted to wrap up this season with my current Top 25 roller coaster list, and spill the beans on my plans for the first part of the next …
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The second stop on my SoCal trip was Knott's Berry Farm. I'd briefly visited this park back in 2006 when I was in town for a wedding, and I wanted to get a better feel for it. The Xcelerator Intamin hydraulic launch coaster had just re-opened after being closed for over a year, the Hangtime Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster had opened since my last visit…
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My final coaster trip of 2023 brought me to Southern California to check out the next park on my must-visit list after Cedar Point and Hersheypark: Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's home to 20 roller coasters, more than any park in the world, including X2, Twisted Colossus, Tatsu, and Full Throttle. Join me for two full days at one of the world's grea…
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My second theme park road trip concludes with two full days at Hersheypark joined by my brother Karl and his husband Marcus. After visiting Cedar Point last year, this was next on my list of must-visit parks owing to its top-heavy coaster line up. Join us for our first-time reactions to their three Intamins, Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, and Skyrush, a…
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The fifth stop on my August roller coaster road trip was Knoebels Amusement Resort, a quirky family-operated traditional amusement park in Elysburg, PA. It's home to the one-two punch of Phoenix and Twister, two world-class wood coasters, an unbelievable collection of antique flat rides, and excellent food. Join me for my first-time experience at t…
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My fourth stop on my summer road trip was my former home park, Six Flags New England. I grew up visiting this place, and when Riverside Park became a Six Flags in 2000, my first rides on the brand-new Superman: Ride of Steel catapulted my teenage coaster enthusiasm into the stratosphere. This would be my first time returning to the park since 2005,…
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My third stop on my summer road trip was Six Flags Great Adventure. I last visited in 2014 and loved the El Toro Intamin pre-fab wood coaster. Unfortunately, Kingda Ka, the world's tallest roller coaster was closed that day, and I badly wanted to ride one of these Intamin hydraulic-launched stratacoasters. The park has since added the Jersey Devil …
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My second stop on this year's summer road trip was Six Flags America. It was a perfect midway stopping point between Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Six Flags Great Adventure. I was particularly excited for Superman: Ride of Steel, their Intamin hyper, and the Wild One, a classic wood coaster that was moved to Maryland from its original location mer…
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My second road trip begins with my return to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Since my last visit in 2018, they've added the new Intamin multi-launch Pantheon roller coaster, and the new-for-2023 DarKoaster, an enclosed Intamin family attraction. Of course I was excited to ride old favorites like Griffon, Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, etc. Join me for a…
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Shortly after dropping the Phantasialand episode, my brother told me he had another layover coming up. This time he visited Seoul, South Korea and headed to Everland, home of T Express, the newest and longest Intamin pre-fab wood coaster. With El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure being his #1 ride, he and I were psyched that he got the chance to ri…
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My brother has always been my coaster riding partner in crime. As a pilot, he recently had a layover in Cologne, Germany, and got to visit a park that ranks near the top of my international bucket list, Phantasialand. Join my brother and I as he tells us all about Taron, Black Mamba, F.L.Y. and his impressions of one of Europe's best theme parks. I…
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It's no secret that Florida is home to some of the world's best theme parks, so there's always a new roller coaster to look forward to. The most recent to open was Pipeline: The Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, a re-imagined stand-up from B&M. While this new attraction was far from my most anticipated for 2023, I was curious to try it out. Meanwhi…
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I headed north to the Peach State Easter weekend for my first visit to Six Flags Over Georgia, and to ride the brand new ArieForce One at Fun Spot America Atlanta. Weather forced me to visit both parks on Easter Sunday, and I had a blast! Join me for my in-depth first-time reactions to Georgia Scorcher, Goliath, Twisted Cyclone, and of course ArieF…
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Season 2 kicks off the weekend after New Years when I flew into San Antonio, Texas to visit SeaWorld San Antonio and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It was a perfect off-season long weekend trip filled with outstanding roller coasters and thrill rides. Join me for my in-depth reactions to my first rides on Texas Stingray, Tidal Surge, Iron Rattler, Wonder …
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The final stop on my road trip brought me to the Great Smoky Mountains to visit Dollywood. This beautiful park is home to one of the most unique roller coaster collections in the country. Join me for my first time reactions to Lightning Rod, Thunderhead, Wild Eagle, Tennessee Tornado, and more! Lightning Rod sounds credit: Gotcha Thrills - YouTube …
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My third stop on my week-long roller coaster road trip was another beloved Ohio amusement park, Kings Island. Join me as I share my first time experience in this beautiful park where I rode the Beast, Mystic Timbers, Orion, Diamondback, and more! If you enjoyed this episode, please help me out by rating, reviewing, and following. You can also follo…
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My second stop on my week-long road trip was Cedar Point, America's Roller Coast, and what I call the coaster enthusiast's Holy Grail. I visited this park way back in 1999, but so many roller coaster superlatives had been added since then, it would almost be like a brand-new park for me. Join me for my first-time reactions to five new-to-me roller …
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In June 2022, I embarked on my first week-long road trip to visit four bucket list parks and see how some of the most elite roller coasters in the United States compare to Florida's latest additions. Join me for my reactions to the likes of Copperhead Strike, Afterburn, Intimidator, and my 100th roller coaster, Fury 325 on my first visit to Carowin…
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With the pandemic on the decline, many anticipated new rides finally opened in Florida, and I needed to escape the daily grind and ride some new roller coasters. I made a trip to Orlando in fall 2021 to visit SeaWorld for the first time, and also returned to Universal to ride Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. I also …
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This episode documents the time when I was a seriously lazy coaster enthusiast. From 2005 to 2014, I only made a handful of visits to my local Florida parks including Busch Gardens Tampa and Universal Orlando. My brother and I went to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2014, and then four years later, we did a two-day roller coaster trip to Kings Dominio…
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Welcome to the first episode of Coaster Redux. My name is Erik and I'm a life-long roller coaster enthusiast, but up until lately, I've been kind of a lazy one. Through high school and college in the late 90's and early 2000's, I was a full-on coaster nerd, then I entered the working world and went on a lengthy hiatus, only visiting parks every few…
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Welcome to Coaster Redux. My name is Erik, and I am a life-long roller coaster enthusiast, but up until lately, I've been kind of a lazy one. Through high school, and college in the late 90's and early 2000's, I was a full-on coaster nerd. Then I entered the working world and stopped visiting parks for a number of years. I am now re-discovering my …
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