Thrill seeking families looking for adventure may want to check out this list of new rides and attractions at U.S. theme parks for 2011. The Orlando Sentinel has listed their top 10 and it looks like it will be a great Summer for vacationers!
10. Mach Tower at Busch Gardens Williamsburg – When Busch Gardens Williamsburg opens this Spring visitors will be able to experience it’s newest ride – Mach Tower. “The massive spire will lift you 240-feet into the stratosphere, offering a spectacular view of the park and surrounding countryside. But don’t get too caught up in the scenery before, amidst a rush of wind and screams, you’ll experience a sudden, pulse-pounding drop.”
9. Wooden Warrior at Quassy – Dubbed the Wooden Warrior, this 12 person coaster has a T-shaped layout, with twists and turns and airtime hills for everyone. After boarding the train dips and turns slightly to the left before immediately starting its climb up the 35 foot tall lift hill. Cresting the lift hill, the track banks to the right and drops down through a horseshoe shaped turnaround, before rising up for the rides big drop. Plummeting to the ground, the tiny trains will hit their top speed of 35 mph as they fly over 1200ft of track.
8. Alabama Adventure – Opening this Spring, Buzzsaw Falls is sure to keep guests both cool and thrilled, as riders plunge down a five story, heart pounding chute for a massive splash. Enormous sheets of water will shoot in the air as riders make their final descent splashing into a pool of water soaking both riders and on lookers.
7. SkyScreamer and Windseeker – The tower swing will be the most popular new ride of the year by a landslide, debuting at six North American theme parks in 2011. Ranging in height from 150- to 300-feet-tall, the ride will be called SkyScreamer at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ( California) and Six Flags St. Louis and will be known as Windseeker at Knott’s Berry Farm, Cedar Point ( Ohio), Kings Island (Ohio) and Canada’s Wonderland ( Ontario).
6. Barnstormer at Dollywood – The Barnstormer giant swing debuting at Tennessee’s Dollywood in 2011 will soar 80 feet in the air at speeds reaching 45 mph.
5. Dare Devil at Six Flags Over Georgia – Dare Devil Dive’s mission begins as you’re pulled straight up to the sky on a special vertical chain lift, then slowly roll to the top of the tower nearly 100-feet in the air. After an agonizing pause at the crest of the summit, you plummet downward at an angle that is beyond straight down — it actually angles inward at a blistering 52 mph. It is the country’s first PAUSE element before the beyond vertical drop. Then you careen through a thrilling combination of diving loops while executing three inversions before you catch air on a zero gravity hill and swoop across the dreaded Immelman vertical U turn stretched high above the ground. The crescendo builds as the car dives toward the ground and up into a Heartline roll before being slowed by the magnetic brakes.
4. Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa – The Cheetah Hunt triple-launch coaster debuting in 2011 at Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida will feature a 130-foot drop into an underground trench.
3. Green Lantern at Six Flags Magic Mountain – Debuting at Six Flags Magic Mountain this Spring The Green Lantern vertical coaster features a never-been-done-before completely vertical zigzag pattern track, this new spinning coaster takes coaster riding to another galaxy. Fearless riders will brave the ride sitting in eight-person vehicles — four abreast and back-to-back,
each rotating independently. The two minute thrill begins with riders going up the 107-foot left hill before spinning their way down through 828-feet of twisted vertical track, featuring three, 360-degree head-over-hill spins.
2. Star Tours at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Riders aboard the reboot of the Star Tours attraction coming to Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in 2011 will have the power to change the storyline throughout the simulator ride, resulting in a different beginning, middle and end for virtually every journey.
1. Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney California Adventure – Scheduled to debut on June 3, the $100-million Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney California Adventure will take riders in 2011 on a family-friendly musical underwater journey themed to “The Little Mermaid” animated movie. A similar version of the ride will open in 2012 at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.
From the unbelievably gorgeous thatched roof to the gazelles that adorn the balconies, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a beautiful resort that feels like it was dropped in the middle of a game reserve. Entering the 4 story lobby is awe-inspiring. The wide-open space is filled with authentic artifacts including hand-carved furnishings, rich wood and a mud fireplace.
We opted for a Savannah view room so that the kids could enjoy the wildlife from our balcony and it was a hit with both my boys. To their excitement Zebras and giraffes milled about outside of our room unaware of the frenzy they put my two into. In our room Disney provided us with a checklist so that we could keep track of all of the mammals and birds we spotted.
The room itself had 2 double beds, a big TV, a desk and for our youngest, a pack and play playpen. While the layout is similar to rooms we have stayed at in at many hotels, Disney, once again, excelled at the details. The beds had curtains overhead, the light covers looked like wooden tiki’s and the massive wooden headboard resembled a piece of art that had been carved by an artist.
Families who choose a standard room shouldn’t worry about not being able to see the animals. The resort has quite a few lookout balconies complete with wooden rockers. There is also a walk out area that features the Arusha Firepit and a full view of the Savannah.
The pool area at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is great for kids of all ages. We liked that there was a large walk in area for our toddler to play in while my oldest enjoyed the waterside. Because we visited in January the weather was a little chilly but the pool was still heated to the perfect temperature (82 degrees, a standard across all of Disney’s hotels).
To make the trip easier I purchased the meal plan – 1 snack, 1 fast dine option and 1 sit down meal/ per person per day. The ‘meals’ include a drink, entree and dessert. The snacks can be purchased throughout Disney’s parks and hotels and are items like popcorn, ice cream, a 20 ounce bottled beverage or 22 ounce fountain drink.
While traveling with our boys I don’t like to have to go far for dinner so it was nice that The Animal Kingdom Lodge had 4 dining options. For lunch on our first day we chose the Mara. Located close to the pool, this Fast Casual dining restaurant has a good selection of quick food choices for those of all diets. We had the burger, a pita and chicken fingers. Dessert choices are plentiful – we chose a brownie, chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake.
For dinner we decided on BOMA. This African marketplace is served buffet style with many authentic dishes . As a rule, I am a very simple diner. I love classic food but don’t dine outside of my ‘box’ very often because there are so many foods I don’t like. I was pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few items that I really enjoyed. A couple dishes that I loved were the salmon, the Durban-spiced roasted chicken and the cilantro chicken salad. My husband was very fond of the prime rib, hummus dips and stew. Also on the menu were kid friendly options like mac & cheese, chicken fingers and pizza. Not to be missed is the dessert table. Homemade cookies, tarts, tiny cheesecakes and their signature Zebra Domes are a nice way to end a good dinner. After wards our boys and some of the other guests danced along with the staff to the live African drum music.
