With the price of gas draining the wallets of drivers from coast-to-coast, travel experts are predicting that many families will be sticking close to home this summer. This comes as good news to theme parks that are located near several major cities. For example, Six Flags Great America practically straddles the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. Located in Gurnee, Illinois, its close proximity to Milwaukee and Chicago make it an easy and affordable day trip for tens of thousands of summer travelers, including my own family.
However, Great America is not the only amusement park situated in a convenient locale. The following theme parks also offer prime accessibility. What’s more, they are introducing new and refurbished rides this month for thrill seekers looking to scream into summer.
Belmont Park
San Diego’s mega-popular beachfront amusement park is debuting the Octotron later this month. The new ride doesn’t take passengers high into the air nor does it blast them along vertical tracks at 70 mph. In fact, the ride never leaves the ground, yet it still classifies as a scream-a-minute thriller. It is described by some as a mutation of the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Scrambler. Octotron features individual cars that circle around a curvy track while spinning the cars forward and backwards. Passengers control how many times they want to spin upside down, but the rest is left up to the high-tech ride’s guts.
Six Flags Over Texas
The Arlington-based, 212-acre park features incredible rides, amazing live shows, and a host of other attractions. However, the Texas Giant is getting most of the attention these days. The 21-year-old wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas just underwent a $10 million refurbishment that integrates steel and wood tracks. The unique hybrid reaches speeds of up to 65 mph. It also features super steep drops up to 79 degrees and breakneck banked turns of 95 degrees.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
It doesn’t matter whether or not you are a fan of Marvel comics. If you like to scream your head off, then you won’t want the chance to ride Superman: Escape from Krypton at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Located in Valencia, California, the newly renovated 14-year-old coaster, which used to launch riders straight up an L-shaped, 415-foot-high track, has just been reengineer, so now the front-facing cars take flight facing backwards. As for the speed, engineers tweaked it so the ride now rockets from zero to 100 mph in seven seconds allowing you to experience 6.5 seconds of weightlessness in the process.
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