Ins & Outs: Riding roller coasters
Cedar Point, located about an hour's drive west of Cleveland in Sandusky, Ohio, has the most roller coasters of any amusement park in the world—a total of 16. More information can be found at cedarpoint.com or by calling (419) 627-2350. The world's fastest coaster, Kingda Ka, is at Six Flags Great Adventure, in Jackson, N.J. Find more info and a complete listing of Six Flags parks at sixflags.com. The country's longest, a 7,359-foot wooden coaster christened The Beast, is at Paramount's Kings Island in Kings Mills, Ohio. Learn more at pki.com or by calling (800) 288-0808.
Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pa., claims the world's oldest operating roller coaster, Leap the Dips, which opened in 1902. More info can be found at its website, lakemontparkfun.com, or by calling (800) 434-8006. If you've got a guilty pleasure for coasters and would like to take advantage of discount admission, special events, and ert or "exclusive riding time" in enthusiast parlance, you might consider joining American Coaster Enthusiasts. Annual dues are $50 ($65 per couple). Call (763) 765-2322 for more information.
The popularity of colossal amusement parks like Six Flags and Disneyland sunk many of the country's local amusement parks, but there are still some scattered around the country. For a comprehensive listing of coasters in your area and around the world check out the roller coaster database at rcdb.com. It lists the country's roller coasters and includes pictures, history, and news about your favorite rides.
Now for some practical advice. Remember that old maxim about waiting between eating and swimming? It applies to roller coasters too. And be warned, the forbidden fruit of the midway—funnel cakes, cheeseburgers, and cotton candy—may derail your digestive track while you're jetting around on the high-speed scream machine. Coaster enthusiasts scoff at queasy riders, but they say foods like yogurt, salads, and fruit are likely to stay down the longest.
Can't stomach a real coaster yet? Try a desktop scream machine. This June, video game maker Atari released the latest installment of its best-selling game Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Players can design their own coaster—wood or steel—and ride their digital rails with the game's "coaster cam." -Alex Kingsbury
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