Are you afraid of heights? If no, maybe you are of those people who love the thrill adventures; the scarier, the better. The attractions are becoming much taller, faster, steeper and wetter than ever. Are you ready to take on these all-new mega extreme experiences?
1. Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J.
Get ready for an “Oh no, we’re gonna die!”
New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure has just opened the world’s tallest drop tower. The Drop of Doom is part of the iconic Kingda Ka which is ranked as the world’s tallest and second-fastest roller coaster as well.
A floorless eight-seat gondola takes you up to the top of the 415 feet tour in 30 seconds and then, after a few seconds pause in the air, gravity pulls your gondola back to earth at 90 mph, reaching ground level again in 6 seconds. This brand new scream machine offers an adrenaline rush like no other. Who’s brave enough to try it?
2. Falcon’s Fury, Busch Gardens, Tampa
Falcon’s Fury’s tower, the latest thrill ride addition to the Busch Gardens Tampa amusement park, is the tallest free standing drop tower in North America and they say it is the most frightening drop tower in the world. The 32-seat gondola has eight sides, each seating four riders. The riders are taken up almost to the top of the 335 feet tower. The seats rotate 90 degrees facing riders straight down in a falcon-like dive position. And the scariest part is when they are dropped out of the sky at 60 mph just like the namesake bird of prey. The feeling is like a free fall without jumping out of a plane. Falcon’s Fury is the first-of-its-kind thrill ride offering a unique experience. The grand opening is approaching. What about a free fall?
3. High Roller Wheel, Las Vegas
The view of the Las Vegas valley will never be the same.
High Roller Wheel isn’t an amusement park ride. It is a giant Ferris wheel which opened just a month ago. The 550-foot tall, 520-foot diameter High Roller Wheel is the tallest observation wheel in the world, overtaking the 541-foot Singapore Flyer, which has held the record for the last six years.
Each of the 28 enclosed and air-conditioned transparent pods holds up to 40 people. The ride takes about half an hour. Besides in-cabin video and music shows, enjoy the breathtaking views from 550 feet above Las Vegas.
4. Goliath roller coaster, Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Ill.
Set to open on May 24, Goliath will break three world records. It will be the longest, the steepest and the fastest wooden roller coaster and it ranks the most extreme coaster of its kind on the planet.
Two trains, each made up of 6 cars, 24 riders per train. The trains take riders up to the top of the 165-foot lift hill; then plunge them down at an unbelievable 180-foot, near-vertical 85-degree drop, speeding up to 72 miles per hour. Get ready to face your fear!
5. Banshee roller coaster, Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
The world’s longest inverted roller coaster opened on April 18. The blue and pink Banshee is 4,124 feet long and 167 feet tall. It speeds up to 68 miles per hour on a 2-and-a-half minute trip of terror. Banshee features seven inversions including a zero-G roll, a dive loop, an inline twist and two vertical loops. It is definitely the best experience for thrill-seekers. It’s going to be a wild ride!
6. Verrückt Meg-a-Blaster water slide, Schlitterbahn, Kansas City, Kansas
If you are seeking for a new adrenaline fuel, this challenge is for you. Keeping in mind that Verrückt in German means ‘insane’, the 17-story high waterslide called Verrückt Meg-A-Blaster is taller than Niagara Falls. The slide features 264 stairs climbing to the top, then three slides and 360-degree spirals. Four riders will fall at 65 miles per hour from the almost 170-foot tall slide which makes the Verrückt Meg-A-Blaster the world’s tallest and fastest water slide. It is scheduled to open on May 23.
7. Tsunami Surge, Hurricane Harbor, Austell, Georgia.
Hurricane Harbor, is the largest expansion of Six Flags Over Georgia with several water attractions including Tsunami Surge, the world’s first zero-gravity slide, a two-slide complex where riders are sent down an enclosed five-story drop tunnel, whirled around a 40-foot-wide bowl and then they experience a zero-gravity plunge out the bottom. Hurricane Harbor is scheduled to open in summer 2014. Who dares to take a ride?
8. Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark, Orlando
If you are brave enough, then take a ride on the brand new drop slide and try the watery free fall. Aquatica’s new ride makes its debut on May 9. Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, nearly 104 feet tall with four different slide options, is the only multi-drop tower of its kind, the tallest and the steepest in the South and offers one of the scariest rides.
Feed your adrenaline and get to the top of the 80-foot platform, step into one of three clear breakaway boxes and when the floor disappears, you will drop with 24 feet per second. This is an almost vertical drop for nearly 40 feet, the steepest in the southern part of the country. The adventure is unique through the tallest and steepest 360-degree spirals. Each slide is different color and offers you a different experience.
9. Glacier Skywalk, Jasper National Park, Jasper, Alberta
Another adrenaline-fueled attraction is opening this month.
How about a walk in the clouds? Hold on your breath and step on the glass-floored circular observation platform of the all-new, one-of-a-kind Glacier Skywalk. Welcome to a marvelous world 918 feet above the Sunwapta valley and soaring birds below in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Walking along the barrier-free path, take your time to explore one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, feel the power and tranquility, and enjoy the most stunning views of mountains, wildlife and glaciers in the Columbia Icefield area.
The Glacier Skywalk is higher than the Eiffel Tower’s top observation deck and features an impressive design. The construction hadn’t even started when the Skywalk won the World Architecture Festival Award in the Future Projects Category in 2011 and it was acclaimed as the world’s leader.
10. TILT, 360 Chicago
360 Chicago, the iconic John Hancock Observatory is offering a new attraction to the visitors of the city. It’s called TILT and has a big glass and steel platform that slowly tilts over the city providing downward-facing views of the city from 1,000 feet. Take a look at Chicago’s streets at a whole new angle. Although the 360 general manager says that the movement in and out of the building is controlled and they only want it to be memorable and thrilling, people with heart conditions should skip this experience.
These are the ten most extreme new attractions in the world for 2014. Which one will you dare to try?
