What's New at Theme Parks and Amusement Parks?

Indiana's Holiday World will boast a record-breaker in 2010 when it unleashes Wildebeest, the industry's longest water coaster, at its adjacent Splashin' Safari water park. How long? With 1710 feet, or one-third mile of track, Wildebeest will deliver a two-and-a-half minute ride featuring uphill surges powered by magnetically charged linear induction motors.

Cedar Point bills itself as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. With 17 thrill machines (more than any other park), it's hard to argue with the self-proclaimed designation. After hinting that coaster number 18 may have been on the way for the 2010 season, Cedar Point announced that it would instead be building a shoot-the-chutes water ride. But this is no ordinary splashdown ride. The $10.5-million Shoot the Rapids will feature two lift hills and two huge splashdowns. And one of the hills will feature a coaster-worthy drop.

With the stock market gyrating wildly, the economy taking a nosedive, and our rickety nerves taking a beating over the money woes, it's no wonder that pundits and headline writers often use roller coasters as an analogy for our troubled financial times. As the global economy goes on a roller coaster ride, how has it affected actual roller coasters? It turns out that, despite the troubling financial dips and turns, there will be quite a few new coasters debuting this season. Read about Terminator: The Coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Prowler at Worlds of Fun, the Carolina Cobra at Carowinds, and plenty more new thrill machines on tap in the Coaster Ride Guide 2009.

There are new coasters (including Terminator: The Coaster, a woodie, coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain) and other fun planned for Six Flags' 2009 season. But, in these austere times, the focus is more on the deals the park chain is offering. See what new stuff awaits bargain-seeking Six Flags park-goers this year in the 2009 Ride Guide.

The economy may have taken a plunge, but you and your family might still want to take a plunge--at a nearby water park. About.com's Slide Guide 2009 is your ticket to all the new, wet fun, including new outdoor water parks, new indoor water park resorts, and new water park rides.

The economy may be tanking, but that doesn't mean Florida theme parks will be keeping their wallets closed in 2009. Hoping to attract new and repeat visitors, even during difficult times, Florida parks are investing in their properties and will be debuting some impressive new features this season. The highlights include a couple of wild coasters and an attraction based on "American Idol."

Despite the roller coaster economy, there'll be plenty of attractions debuting at California parks in 2009--including a roller coaster. Let's take a park-by-park look at all of the new fun, including Disneyland's What will you celebrate? event, Legoland's new 4-D attraction, Universal's campy new musical, and Six Flags Magic Mountain's new Terminator-themed coaster.

The blockbuster film and toy franchise, Transformers, would seem to be ideally suited for a theme park attraction. It's flashy, it's part of the cultural zeitgeist, it's larger than life, and...it's GIANT ROBOTS! THAT CAN TRANSFORM! In early 2011, Universal Studios Hollywood will bring the changeable robots to life. The Transformers oeuvre demands an over-the-top attraction--the kind that Universal Studios, home of Terminator 2:3-D, Jurassic Park-The Ride, and Revenge of the Mummy, is more than capable of delivering.

Discover the new roller coasters, rides, and other goodies that theme parks and amusement parks have introduced through the years.