My Top 5 Favorite "Stock" Rides that are non-rollercoasters

In Celebration of Opening Day of Amusement Parks across the country, I present my top 5 amusement park rides. In a previous post, I highlighted my top 10 roller coasters, but most coasters are unique to the park they are built in. The other rides tend to be "off the shelf rides" or "stock" rides that several parks can purchase to give guests thrills.  Here are some of my top 5 "stock" rides, most still can be found across the country, but one is now a ride that is quickly going into extinction.

Rest in Pieces

5)  The old school Rotor - This great ride would spin and have centrifugal force stick you to the wall. When ride got up to speed, screams would fill the air as the floor was dropped out from beneath you. This would leave you stuck to the wall a good foot or two off the floor. If you can find one of these, take the chance to give it a whirl. These are becoming quickly extinct from amusement parks across the country. The last one I rode was the Cajun Cliff Hanger at Six Flags Great America, it has since met it's demise. Now there are some rides that travel with carnivals that are called Gravitons, these work on the same concept but in no way compare to a Rotor.

Viking Fury at Kings Island placement over the water gives it more character

4) The Pirate Ship or Swinging Boat-  A classic ride usually themed to a ship of some sort, designed to make you "loose your stomach".  Back in the day, and occasionally nowadays,  rides would ended up with one end of the boat at it's pinnacle declaring "Taste great" then the other at it's pinnacle "Less filling". Fans of this ride, like myself, will seek out the the bow or the stern of the ship to get the most height and thrill from this ride.

Simple yet fun

3) The tilt-a-whirl- This ride can get you dizzy and make you giggle at the same time. Once you get that sweet spot and start spinning you will be hooked. Watch out for protein spills(google it), especially if spinning rides do you in.

The octopus  lights up a midway nicely

2) The Octopus (also known as The Monster or The Spider). The thrills of losing your stomach from sudden dips combined with the spinning you get from a tilt-a-whirl equals great times. Many of these rides have nice lighting packages that add more character to them at night.

1) The S&S Screamin' Swings- A twist on the pirate ship concept. This is a swing on steroids, nice open air ride experience, and it is a LOUD ride that is powered by large air compressors. Cedar Point has the largest, SkyHawk, towering in at 125 feet with two giant arms, each holding 20 riders, swinging at 60 mph. Dollywood has heavily themed one, that slices through a barn. They start out tame and then ramp up taking you to extreme heights. This ride is definitely not for people who like tame rides.

What are your favorite Amusement Park Rides? 

Coming Soon....My Top Central Florida rides.