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2013's Hottest New Roller Coasters: Cedar Point's GateKeeper

According to Mother Nature it’s not technically summer for at least another month, but we go by the calendar and the season starts with Memorial Day weekend. Thankfully theme parks also seem to follow the calendar, so the last few weeks of May are always a good time to enjoy that new roller coaster smell. That’s especially the case over in Sandusky, Ohio, as once again Cedar Point is welcoming the amusement park season with a brand new ride.

This year it’s GateKeeper that’s taking up a permanent residence inside the park, as the new roller coaster breaks all kinds of records. With a 164-foot drop and over 4,000-feet of track it’s the best in its class, and that’s even before your get buckled in for a ride.

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Season Opening Dates for 10 of the United States' Best Theme Parks

The weather is starting to get a little bit warmer, and sooner than later it’ll be time for the calendar to flip over to May. That means theme park season will officially be underway, so here’s a quick rundown of when some parks across the country are set to fire up their coasters for the very first time:

· Carowinds – Charlotte, North Carolina - April 19

· HersheyPark – Hershey, Pennsylvania - May 3

· Elitch Gardens Theme Park – Denver, Colorado - May 4

· Holiday World & Splashin' Safari – Santa Claus, Indiana - May 4

· Kennywood – West Mifflin, Pennsylvania - May 4

· Six Flags Great America – Chicago, Illinois - May 4

· Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio - May 11

· Darien Lake – Corfu, New York - May 11

· Great Escape – Lake George, New York - May 18

· Michigan's Adventure – Muskegon, Michigan - May 22

[Photo: mgrayflickr]

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Where to Find the World's Craziest Wooden Roller Coaster

With the warmer weather comes theme park season, as parks across the country dust off the rides and attractions. In addition to bringing down the decorations from the attic and testing out all the old favorites, there’s also the opportunity to try out some new stuff.

There’s one coaster that we’re particularly intrigued with during this season, as we’re eager to check out the latest offering over at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

We’ve always had a spot in our hearts for the wooden roller coasters. Sure they might not go as fast as their steel siblings, but the twists and turns—not to mention the shimmies and shakes—more than make up for things. However, Outlaw Run is looking to change everything, as it’s going to be the world’s first wooden roller coaster to offer a double barrel roll. They’re not stopping there either, as the thing will also feature plenty of other firsts.

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At The Moment: Disney World's Most Popular Thrill Ride

Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom boasts the "most expensive roller coaster in the world" -- Expedition Everest. So what does $100 MM buy you? For starters, the mountain that houses the coaster is reportedly the tallest in Florida, how apropos. Furthermore, Everest is the first roller coaster to switch between forward and backward sections during a single ride.

However, most importantly, the ride feels smooth, not rickety and jerky, which is important seeing that riders are dropped 80 feet down the tallest mountain in FLA.

The coolest part of the coaster is when your train comes to an abrupt stop as the train track in front of you appears broken, falling off into the air of nothingness. Just when you think you might be stuck for good your train hurls you backwards, quickly, which makes you feel like you are going inverted, even though it is just your mind playing tricks on you.

Insider Info: You are an official Disney Denizen if you know why the Yeti you encounter mid ride is referred to as "Disco Yeti"

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Three Theme Parks Doing the Spring Thing Right

We’ve seen hints of the warmer weather here and there, but it must already be heating up at a couple of the country’s theme parks. Spring has arrived, as tulips and daffodils begin to dot the landscape that’s usually filled with rollercoasters and corn dogs. Not everyone gets in on the spring fun, but here’s a few amusement parks doing the spring thing:

Knott's Berry Bloom

They don’t exactly close for the winter, after all the southern California weather can’t be beat. However, Knott’s Berry Farm does welcome the change of seasons as only a theme park can. Beginning on March 23 they’re upping the ante on the existing offerings, as they’re promising a boost in live entertainment, plenty of games, and even a bunch of food and wine events.

They’ll be taking down the seasonal decorations from the attic as well, as the place gets “spring-i-fied”—their words not ours. Knott’s Towering Topiary Tasting Garden mixes oversized garden sculptures with some adult sips and samples, and the kids get in on the fun as they look for Snoopy and his friends during the park’s Search for the Easter Beagle. Most of the seasonal stuff is included in your admission—around $60 per person.

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We Want to Go to There: The Giant Roller Coaster Staircase

Is it a roller coaster? Is a staircase? Um, well, what you see above is actually a combination of both. Oh, and it's also an artwork.

Blog Spot Cool Stuff spotted this...cool stuff...and now we're obsessed.

Sitting in the German town of Duisburg, about an hour outside of Düsseldorf, this interactive sculpture encourages the public to get up and walk its rails. There'll be no roller coaster cars barreling down the track towards you, as the entire thing consists of good old steps. In fact, the piece's name, "The Turtle and Tiger," plays with this:

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Cedar Point's Already Psyching Up to Break Roller Coaster Records in 2013

The summer season is quickly coming to a close and that means only a few more chances to ride your favorite roller coaster this season. Even though time’s running out for some theme parks in 2012, we like to stay optimistic and look forward to 2013. Already we hear that Cedar Point is cooking up something spectacular for next season, and now the details have been revealed.

It’s name will be Gatekeeper, and it’ll be all about breaking records as it scares riders silly. As a "winger coaster," it will kind of hang riders off the sides as the main part of the car maintains a connection with the track. There’s still plenty of pieces to put together—we imagine it’s much like assembling a piece of IKEA furniture; however, when the final screws are set into place the thing will be over 4,000-feet long with a drop of around 164 feet.

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A Leaked Memo Reveals Cedar Point's Mega Coaster Plans for 2013

The 2012 roller coaster and theme park season is just getting underway, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t too early to start thinking about what’s arriving in 2013. Over at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, park officials are trying to ensure that the park maintains its reputation as the top coaster park in the world, so that’s why they’ve already allocated around $25 million towards a brand new roller coaster.

An official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but it sounds like the project has been code named “CP Alt.Winged.” The new roller coaster will be touch all the superlatives necessary to make it big news: fastest, longest, with one of the highest drops. This is all being reported thanks to a leaked corporate memo from the park’s CEO. All the funds aren’t just going towards the new ride, as it appears that the park will be reworking their entrance as well as moving and removing some existing stuff to make room for the arrival of a fresh ride.

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Screaming Starts This Week on Canada's Newest, Largest Roller Coaster

We knew that our neighbors to the north were up to no good with their latest roller coaster, and now the time has finally arrived for coaster crazies to take it for a spin.

It seems like quite some time since we first heard of the country’s biggest and baddest coaster, but it’s all going to be worth it when it makes its debut later this week. Christmas comes early for coaster fans this year—May 6 to be specific—as that’s when Leviathan is set to debut at Canada’s Wonderland.

CBC News got a sneak peek at the new ride—see the video above—and it’s clear that this thing means serious business. The roughly 306-foot drop looks pretty intense even from the comfort of your couch, and let’s not even begin to discuss the 80-degree drop angle.

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Cedar Fair Pumps Loads of Cash into Their Theme Parks for 2012

Whether you like it or not, the winter is pretty much upon us, but that doesn’t mean that theme parks aren’t hard at work. Cedar Fair—owners of parks like CedarPoint and Canada’s Wonderland—are already hard at work in preparation for wowing visitors when the warmer weather of 2012 rolls around.

Ticket sales must have been strong in 2011—or they had a good hand at the casino—because the company is looking to invest around $90 million back into their parks. Thankfully they’re not just adding new signs and trash cans either, as it’s all about coasters, attractions, and other thrill rides.

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Paramount Park Murcia Might Be the World's Next Great Theme Park

Theme park junkies might need to cross the Atlantic to get their next fix in the future, as the newly announced Paramount Park in Spain might just be the next big thing. The corporate wallets are open wide, as organizers and officials are thinking about spending around $1.5 billion to get the new place up and running just outside Murcia along the country’s coast.

There’s a lot of stuff still on the drawing board, as bulldozers and backhoes probably won’t start rolling around until 2012 at the earliest. However, if all goes well it could be welcoming tourists from around the globe in 2015, as it looks to compete with Disneyland Paris as the amusement park hotspot in Europe.

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Each and Every Six Flags Getting Sick New Rides

There’s still plenty of 2011 left, but we can’t stop looking forward to the new theme park options set to debut next year. We mentioned some of the best rides to hit the parks in 2012, and now it looks like Six Flags is outlining their plans to thrill visitors at their parks next summer.

Six Flags wants everyone to be excited to visit each and every year, so they’re going to start ensuring that there’s at least one new ride and attraction at each Six Flags every year. Obviously, every addition can’t be a world class coaster, but we’re certainly not complaining.

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