A brief overview of some of the most anticipated new amusement and theme park offerings for the 2014 season.

1. Seven Great New Rides for 2014
John Hensler
sunkenanchor.com

2. Rides to Anticipate for 2014
2014 features a bunch of great
rides to look forward to;
here’s seven of the most
anticipated. From the
shores of Lake Erie to the
outskirts of Paris, from
high-tech thrills to a
throwback from almost 100
years ago, the lines will be
long for thrillseekers this
summer.

3. Pipe Scream, Cedar Point, OH
Notable because it anchors a
newly revitalized Gemini
Midway, Pipe Scream is a
hybrid coaster and twirling
spin machine reaching 43
mph and twisting 43 feet
above the midway at the
amusement park with the
most rides in the world—72!

4. Flying Turns, Knoebels, PA
A full seven years in
development, this labor
of love for coaster geeks
is an authentic
recreation of an historic
(1920’s) free-wheeling
coaster that slides
through sloping,
twisting wooden track.
Flying Turns is sort of
like a warm-weather
bobsled.

5. Ratatouille, Disney Studios Park, Paris
A ride inspired by the Pixar hit
Ratatouille makes perfect sense
for Disneyland Paris. An even
better bet is utilizing Disney’s
leading-edge “trackless” ride
technology that wowed guests at
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic
Manor. Bonus: there’s also a
restaurant—Chez Remy—to
continue one’s culinary adventures
after the ride is over.

6. Banshee, Kings Island, OH
From the ashes of the dear
departed Son of Beast,
Banshee has risen to terrify
visitors to Kings Island this
summer. The longest ride of its
kind – an inverted coaster –
Banshee sends riders through
over 4,100 feet of track, with
seven inversions and a
blistering top speed of 68mph.

7. Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Magic Kingdom
It won’t earn any nods for speed or
daring, but the centerpiece of
New Fantasyland at Walt Disney
World’s Magic Kingdom is a
stunner nonetheless. A sight to
behold inside and out, this ride
features signature Disney
attention to detail and
advanced audio-animatronics
to entertain the young and
not-so-young alike.

8. Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts,
Universal Studios Orlando
The competition for your vacation
cash hits a new high in June with
the opening of Diagon Alley at
Universal Orlando. The expansion
features a Hogwarts train that
will take you to Hogsmeade, as
well as a trip inside Gringotts
Bank. All signs indicate that
Universal Creative is pushing the
envelope of ride technology &
design once again.
In a clever move by Universal,
guests will need a park-to-park
ticket to experience both halves
of Potter’s world.

9. Goliath, Six Flags Great America, IL
Saving the best for last, our last
stop takes us just north of
Chicago, where Six Flags is
creating a monster of a
wooden coaster, with slick
steel rails for track, three
inversions, and speeds
expected to top 72 mph–the
world’s fastest. Goliath will
also boast the tallest and
steepest drop on earth.
It’s scheduled to open
late spring.

10. Thanks for reading!
John Hensler
sunkenanchor.com
@johnhensler
IG: jhensler