Roller Coaster Ride Guides

A Year-by-Year Overview of New Roller Coasters at Theme Parks

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.

Highlights include Evel Knievel at Six Flags St. Louis, Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, X2 coaster makeover at Six Flags Magic Mountain, The Dark Knight themed indoor coasters at Six Flags parks, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge at Nickelodeon Universe, and Fahrenheit at Hersheypark.

Highlights include Griffon, a floorless, diving coaster at Busch Gardens Europe, Starliner at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Renegade at Valleyfair, Maverick at Cedar Point, and Mystery Mine at Dollywood.

Highlights include El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Tatsu, a record-breaking flying coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World, Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia, and The Voyage at Holiday World.

Highlights include Kingda Ka, the record-shattering rocket coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure, SheiKra diving coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, Powder Keg at Silver Dollar City, and Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm.

Highlights include the twin Revenge of the Mummy rides at Universal Studios parks in Hollywood and Florida, Storm Runner at Hersheypark, The Thunderhead at Dollywood, and Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld San Diego.