Two of the monorails used to transport guests between Epcot and the Ticket and Transportation Center at Florida's Walt Disney World collided around 2 a.m. Sunday morning. According to the Orlando Sentinel, one of the train's drivers was killed as a result of the crash. Six passengers were aboard the late-night monorail and were evaluated and treated by EMTs at the scene. The operator of the second train sustained minor injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The monorail system is shut down today, but Walt Disney World parks are open for business.

It's a ritual that's repeated every time a new US president takes the oath of office: Disney Imagineers develop a new animatronic figure to round out The Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The 44th chief executive, Barack Obama, will take his place among the nation's leaders when the attraction officially reopens on Saturday, the Fourth of July. The new figure will have a speaking role, provided by Obama, as will a newly programmed George Washington and the presentation's longstanding orator, Abraham Lincoln. The Hall of Presidents will also introduce a reworked film and storyline.

• Disney's Free Admission on Your Birthday- Born on the Fourth of July? Learn how to get into a Disney park "on the Mouse."
• Walt Disney World Ride Guide 2009

Photo: Barack Obama, you just won the presidency. What will you do now? "I'm going to Disney World!"

I know that the Fourth of July will be celebrated here in the States this weekend. But let's turn our attention to another US holiday: Thanksgiving. The turkey-centric celebration is the focus of one of the lands at Indiana's Holiday World. The park's Thanksgiving section is home to The Voyage, one of Holiday World's three highly regarded wood coasters. The ride has been wowing visitors since 2006, but I only recently made a return visit to the park and got to book my own passage on The Voyage. And I have to say that the coaster lives up to the buzz. Read my review of The Voyage.

• The Voyage Photo Gallery
• Holiday World Overview

Photo: Towards the end of the ride, The Voyage sends its trainload of happy passengers back to the station. ©Arthur Levine, 2009. Licensed to About.com

What's more all-American than fireworks and amusement parks? This Saturday, the Fourth of July, oohs and ahhs will be heard among the screams at lots of US park as they do their patriotic duty and put on a pyrotechnics show. A sampling of what's in store:

• Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will debut its Saturday Night Lights synchronized music and fireworks production. Included with park admission, Six Flags will also feature LeAnn Rimes in concert.
• Sea World Orlando will present the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus on Friday, July 3 and a special fireworks display on July 3 and 4.
• Legoland California offers a Red, White and Boom! Celebration with fireworks, family games, and a special performance by The Jumpitz.
• Worlds of Fun in Missouri will be staging a Celebrate America Festival every weekend in July with fireworks every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday plus live music, classic cars, and other special events.
• Cedar Point in Ohio promises fireworks July 3 to 5 plus other special activities throughout the park.
• Lake Compounce in Connecticut will light up the sky over its lake on July 4.

You can search for more parks with fireworks by using my handy-dandy US parks locator. Wherever US park fans end up on the Fourth, here's hoping it's a blast.

Do you want to play a game? The Universal Studios parks in Orlando and Hollywood certainly hope so. They are already honing the themes for this year's Halloween Horror Nights, which will include the game-loving Jigsaw. The high-grossing and highly gross Saw film franchise should provide plenty of inspiration for the parks' haunted mazes and zones. The Florida studios will also tap the puppet-gone-bad Chucky movies, the Wolfman remake that will be coming to theaters this fall, and Universal's classic Frankenstein and Dracula films for its Halloween event.

• A Bloody Good Time at Halloween Horror Nights- An About.com exclusive interview with the creative director of last year's HHN 18 in Orlando.
• New Ride to Transform Universal Studios Hollywood
• Florida Halloween Horror Nights 2007 Photo Gallery

While he was best known as the King of Pop (and for his eccentricities), Michael Jackson, who died at age 50 yesterday, had a theme park connection as well. Befitting his Peter Pan personality, the performer enjoyed visiting the Disney parks. He was also the star of a major attraction, Captain EO, which was featured in the Magic Eye Theaters at Epcot, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Executive produced by George Lucas, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and also starring Angelica Houston, the big-budget, eye-popping, 3-D film included a couple of original Jackson songs. It opened at the US parks in 1986. Captain EO ended its run at Disneyland Paris in 1998. Read more...

Kings Island calls Diamondback, the hypercoaster that opened this season, its "tallest, fastest, meanest ride." I can't argue with the first two. But meanest? I think that S.O.B--er, the wooden coaster, Son of Beast--is King Island's unequaled and all-time champion in the mean department. Diamondback, however, is the opposite of mean. It's silky smooth. And what kind of a mean ride would deliver such a mother lode of airtime? Read my review of Diamondback.

• Diamondback Photo Gallery
• Kings Island Overview

Photo: Diamondback's first drop is a face-melting 215 feet at an almost-vertical 74 degrees. ©Arthur Levine, 2009. Licensed to About.com.

It's time for another About.com Travel Channel exclusive Blog Carnival. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, now boarding at About.com's Honeymoons and Romantic Travel site, it's Tracks, a collection of articles and other content about train travel. Pulled together by our quixotic conductor, Susan Breslow Sardone, along with the able assistance of my esteemed Travel Channel colleagues, you'll be able to make stops in North America, Europe, the North Pole, and across the globe. You'll even be able to hitch a ride on some roller coaster rails. All aboard!

Exhausted after spending a day at the "Happiest Place on Earth," real sleeping beauties have been bunking down at the Disneyland Hotel since 1955. While it's not exactly a Tower of Terror, the storied hotel is getting a bit dated. Disney recently announced that it would be giving the Disneyland Hotel a major overhaul of its interior and exterior aesthetics as well as its creaking and groaning electrical, plumbing, and other infrastructure systems. Work is scheduled to begin this August and be completed in 2012, and the hotel will stay open during the facelift. Read more...

To help keep their midways filled amid the economic downturn, theme parks are offering unprecedented deals. Just recently, for example, the Busch Entertainment parks announced this sweet deal: Buy a SeaWorld Orlando one-day ticket, and get a second day at either Busch Gardens Tampa or Aquatica water park. This offer is good for Florida and Georgia residents only. Planning a theme park trip to Florida? Don't fret. There are plenty of park promotions for out-of-towners as well. You can get the latest money-saving info on my Florida Theme Park Deals page. I just updated my California Theme Park Deals page as well.

• SeaWorld Orlando Overview
• Aquatica Water Park at SeaWorld Orlando Overview
• Busch Gardens Tampa Overview