Hersheypark

How many of you like chocolate? How many of you like chocolate and coasters? How many of you like chocolate, coasters, and an amusement park?! If you like one or all the above you will surely love Hersheypark in Hershey Pennsylvania! It really is a unique place. I will go ahead and say that out of the 22 parks I have visited Hersheypark ranks right in at #2 behind Cedar Point. That's right, number two out of all the amusement parks I have visited. In this blog I will try to document through words and pictures reasons why Hersheypark is the second best park I have visited.

In case you didn't know where you were.

This place looks like fun.

After many years of hearing how great this park was and looking at the parks incredible list of roller coasters I knew I had to visit. I finally had the opportunity so I made the 823 mile, 12 and a half hour journey to the park. I visited the park on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013. It was a beautiful day, partly cloudy, and right around 80 degrees. It wasn't hot at all which made for an incredible day. Also, the park wasn't crowded at all so I was able to wait no more than 15 minutes for most rides. There were a lot of people at the park but for some reason it didn't feel like the park was overly congested. Hersheypark was the first new to me park I had visited since 2007 so needless to say I was very excited (picture below proves this).

Yeah, I'm excited!

The park boasts 11 roller coasters (now 12), over 50 rides, Chocolate World, Zoo America, and The Boardwalk (water park). The layout of the park can be a bit tricky so having a map handy would help. When I visited I was too excited to grab a map let alone look at one. I already knew which roller coaster I wanted to hit first so I just asked people where to go and they were nice enough to let me know. I managed to ride all 11 roller coasters at the park and some of them multiple times. I was able to get a total of 36 rides in from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm while I was there. I would say that is a huge success. My trip to Hersheypark was strictly a roller coaster trip so I only rode the coasters and no other rides. Believe me, the coasters alone are worth a trip to Hersheypark and the other rides are just icing on the cake.

I mean even the lights are Hershey Kisses.

This band was awesome!

As I was wondering around the park I noticed some cool characters including the band playing tunes for the midway (which I thought was awesome by the way). But first let me introduce you to a couple of cool characters pictured below. When I saw these guys I thought instantly of Bri and how much she would love meeting these. They looked great and put a smile on my face. 

I see you Symphony bar and Payday!

This guy is a nut!

This is what my day looked like in order ride-wise (including how many times I rode each ride) when I visited Hersheypark:

4x Fahrenheit - This is a great coaster. It's smooth, has six inversions, a 97 degree drop, a great air time hill, and it's just plain fun. Word of advice: Visit this coaster when the park opens due to lower capacity and you can get multiple rides on it.  

97 degree drop

Twisty!

Sidewinder - This is a boomerang coaster that's just ok. It was good for one ride only (haha).

4x Stormrunner - Yeah, um, awesome! One of the parks best coasters and easy to ride. Smooth and fast. Zero to 72 mph in 2 seconds! That's all you need to know. 

0-72 mph in 2 seconds

Wow

Great Bear - Great inverted coaster with a helix style drop! Smooth, fast, and fun. I also love how it flys by the river at high speeds. 

Fly by the river

Helix Drop and Inversions

Trailblazer - Typical mine ride coaster with nice landscaping.

Great ride for younger kids but not for thrill seekers.

It sure does look pretty.

Mad Mouse - One of the best back and forth mouse coasters I've ever been on. I'm normally not a fan of these type of coasters but this one was thrilling and fun. Sorry no pictures of this one.

2x Wildcat - My first ride on this was in the front car and fairly smooth so I figured I would ride again since there was next to no wait. Yeah this time around I grabbed a seat in the middle of the train and it was pretty rough. 

Don't let its looks fool you.

4x Lightning Racer - This is a racing wooden roller coaster (which means two coasters in one) and honestly one of the best (if not THE best) racing coasters ever built. I'm not kidding. It is two wooden tracks. They have one side lightning the other side thunder and they are both equally as fun. It is very smooth for being a wooden coaster, with many air time hills, and, AND an incredible tunnel filled with moments of surprise. Yeah this coaster kicks some serious butt. I'm sad this is the only picture I have to showcase this great coaster. 

Pretzel and Drink Break - I had already spent probably over four hours at the park and I was getting a little hungry and thirsty. So here comes my word of advice to the park goer. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on food at the park but need something to eat I suggest getting a pretzel (cheese sauce optional) because they are usually very good and filling. They can also be bought for around $5 which is usually half the price of a full meal. As you can see from the picture below I was so hungry I started eating my pretzel before I took the time to snap the pic. Also, this park serves Pepsi products which is a win! That means Mountain Dew! "I'm all jacked up on Mnt Dew!"

2x Skyrush - It was time. Time to ride Hersheyparks newest and highly touted coaster. Let me start by saying this may be the most intense roller coaster I have ever ridden. Yeah, I said it. It's 200 feet tall and has an 85 degree drop while reaching speeds of 75 mph. The drop has ejector air (refer to my other post about what makes a coaster great for the defined term) and you feel like you are going to be thrown from the train. Now I know that sounds scary but really it's pretty fantastic (haha). The whole course of track is fast, fast, fast, and more fast with incredible amounts of ejector airtime everywhere. It's like a surprise moment on every turn. Before you know it you are hitting the break run with a look of shock on your face (as in did that just happen). 

Skyrush reaching towards the Sky

Towers over the front of the park.

2x Sooperdooperlooper - Just when you thought the coasters at Hersheypark couldn't still deliver. Well they do. This is a great ride and features only one inversion but it is smooth fast and has a unique layout with a neat tunnel. It would be a great ride for a kid who has never been on a coaster with an inversion. Wish I had some pictures of this.

4x Skyrush - The last coaster I rode was really close to Skyrush so I thought I would just get some more rides on this awesome coaster since there was next to no line. Earlier in the day (at park opening) everyone heads to Skyrush which makes the lines pretty long. During mid-afternoon on a day like today the line is no longer than 15 minutes.

Comet - This was the longest line of the day due to one train operations. I waited around 20-30 minutes for this coaster. It was built in 1946 so a great classic wooden out and back ride. It was very smooth and provided a great and fun ride. There were some nice hills and plenty of air time. I just wish I could have ridden it more. Yet another great roller coaster at Hersheypark.

Park Scenery - The park was really beautiful in most places. I was only in the park for eight hours so I didn't even get to tour the Zoo America section which I hear is very nice. The Boardwalk (water park) area is also looked nice. Here are some pictures of the landscape of the park.

Looks nice

Train ride and foilage

2x Great Bear - The line wasn't long and I wanted to get a few more rides in on this great (no pun intended) coaster. In the picture below you can see four of the parks roller coasters. Hersheypark does a great job utilizing space. The Comet's lift hill can be seen to the right as well as Skyrush's lift hill. You can also see a Sooperdooperlooper train on the brake run and Great Bear soaring over it.  

Four coasters in one shot!

Wildcat - This was a mistake (haha). I was on my way back to ride Lightning Racer again (located in the back of the park) and I stopped at this and rode for a third time since there wasn't much of a wait. Another rough ride and I ended up not riding Lightning Racer again because it was getting late and I wanted more rides on Skyrush.  

6x Skyrush - I closed this incredible day with six straight rides on this. It would have been more if I didn't have to leave and journey to another park. This coaster is number five in my rankings. I loved it. It was so intense that it was almost as if it couldn't be possible. The outer wing seats were spectacular and if you didn't have the restraint holding you in you would be thrown into the parking lot.  

Skyrush station and winged trains.

I was very fortunate to visit this park on an uncrowded day with amazing weather. I have already been urging Ashley for us to plan a trip with Bri to the park next year. I would like to experience more of the park like Chocolate World (which I hear is awesome), Zoo America, and The Boardwalk. Eight hours is just not enough time in this park. I will say it again. This park has one of the best overall collections of roller coasters out of any park I have been to. The only park that can even compare to it is Cedar Point. They have seven coasters in my top 50 rankings if that is any indication. So, if you like chocolate, riding great rides, meeting Hershey characters, listening to the Chocolate Covered Band, riding some thrilling roller coasters, then this place is for you. It is a must visit park.    

I had a wonderful visit!

Numbers

I know you are thinking, what do numbers and coasters have anything to do with one another? I was thinking the same thing and figured I would share my thoughts on the subject. Let's hope I don't bore you too much. My guess is, if you are still reading this blog you can't be too bored (insert winky face here). Also, I must say I do appreciate those of you who do come here to read my blog. I know it's not much and I sometimes stumble through my writing but this subject of roller coasters really is a passion of mine and I enjoy sharing my thoughts with everyone.

My 100th Coaster Ridden

So, numbers. I was thinking about what my next blog post would be, related to roller coasters, and the thought of numbers popped into my head. When I was thinking of numbers I realized that everything we experience in life involves numbers. As Chuck Noland from Castaway once said, "We live and we die by the clock, that's all we have." It does seem like life is one big numbers game. When you look at the time you see numbers. When you go to the bank or look at your bank statements you see numbers. When you go on trips (hopefully to amusement parks) you see numbers, on the highways, on your speedometer, on the radio/CD player, and on the clock in your car. You can even count down to how many miles or hours it will take you to get to your final destination. You go to work to earn money which turns into numbers in your bank account that you use to live life. Numbers are everywhere in our lives and sometimes we rarely think about them because we get so used to dealing with them every day. There are people out there like accountants, math teachers, and engineers that deal with numbers in a more extreme manner than others. So, how do numbers relate to coasters?

Coaster Numbers on Coaster Sign

Let me explain why numbers relate to roller coasters. I'm not an engineer so I can't tell you specifics in this area but what I can say is that numbers are a huge part of the building of roller coasters. You cannot just draw a layout on paper and then build a roller coaster. There is much more planning involved than that. It sometimes takes many years to design and build a coaster. I have seen blueprints online of coasters that have not been built yet and you see numbers everywhere on the blueprint. It really is amazing how detailed they are. They end up fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. They are there to complete the ride with all types of variations on height, drop, speed, length, and inversions.

See more Numbers and a Steal of a Parking Deal

Here are some numbers to think about before I continue to explain this crazy blog post: 8133, 7359, 456, 156, 149, 128, 121, 97, 95, 22, 14, and 7. These numbers all deal with these items: Length, Height, Coaster Count, Speed, Degree of Drop, Number of Parks Visited, and Inversions. There of course can be other numbers like coaster rankings and so forth that I will show at the end of the blog so keep reading.

Coaster Rankings for Bizarro at Six Flags New England

Ok, ok, onto the good stuff. What numbers on coasters are important? To some when they look at a roller coaster they may think, how tall, fast, and long is that ride? All three of those elements involve numbers. There are other numbers to think about when talking about a roller coaster as well which I will discuss in the rest of this blog post. Most of these numbers deal with the suffix -est which equates to world records.

Worlds Longest Inverted Roller Coaster at 4124 feet long

The tallest coaster in the world is Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. It is 456 feet tall which is over 40 stories high. That is taller than any building in downtown Birmingham, AL where I live. Yes I have ridden that coaster and I will say it is intense and a blast. The shear height is impressive beyond words and is a coaster that should be experienced. There is already a coaster announced to surpass the 500 foot barrier that will open in 2016.

Kingda Ka Into the Clouds at 456 feet Tall

What is the fastest coaster in the world? That award goes to Formula Rossa at Ferrari World which goes 149 mph in a mere 4 seconds. Yeah wrap your head around that one! It is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates so no, I have not ridden this coaster. Ashley, I think it is time to plan a trip to Dubai. The fastest coaster in the United States is...drumroll...Kingda Ka! That's right the highest coaster in the world is also the fastest coaster in the USA. It reaches speeds of 128 mph in just 4 seconds so hold onto your butts (lame Jurassic Park reference). It is mindblowingly (yes I know not a word) fast. I just realized that I have ridden 4 of the worlds top 10 fastest roller coasters. I wish I could ride them all. 

What is the longest coaster in the world? That title goes to Steel Dragon 2000 (yes, some coasters even have numbers in their name - also looking at you Intimidator 305) at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. It is 8,133 feet long and I have never been to Japan which means I've never ridden this ride (sad). The longest coaster in the USA is the Beast at Kings Island Ohio. It is 7,359 feet long and most of it is located back in the woods. Remember the last blog post about Steel vs. Wood and how I mentioned wood gives an out-of-control ride? That would be the Beast especially at night! So. Much. Fun. (yes I know that wasn't a sentence) Refer to the picture below and don't feed the beast.

Beast Station

Like I said, Don't Feed the Beast!

Some of the more not so known records people might think about would be number of inversions, length of drop (which is very similar to tallest), and degree of drop. What coaster has the most upside down (inversion) moments? The Smiler with 14 located at Alton Towers in England. Yeah you read that right, FOURTEEN inversions. I can't even imagine how I would feel after riding that but I would not mind finding out. Something I did not realize until now is that apparently in the USA no coasters have more than 7 inversions. I guess coaster engineers figure us Americans can't handle more intensity (don't take offense to that as it was a poor attempt at joking). Both of the coasters below have 7 inversions.

Hydra at Dorney Park

Bizarro at Six Flags Great Adventure

Then you have the degree of drop. What is that? Well if you ever took geometry in school you may know that 90 degrees basically forms an L or |_ (poor attempt at computer straight edge). On a coaster a 90 degree drop would equal a drop that goes straight down vertically. If you have a 95 degree drop like Maverick at Cedar Point or a 97 degree drop like Fahernheit at Hersheypark you go beyond vertical. Yes I have done this and it is amazing. You will come completely out of your seat and your mind will be blown. The coaster with the steepest degree of drop is Takabisha at 121 degrees. It is located in Japan so I have yet to ride. It looks crazy though which would be right up my alley. 

Fahernheit at Hersheypark 90 degree lift 97 degree drop

Well, I see this blog post has gotten quite long in fact 11 paragraphs. It's amazing to think about all the numbers we use and see everyday. It's even cooler when you put those numbers in context of roller coasters. It's cool to me at least. Whether you like roller coasters or not you have to admit that coasters that break records and push elements to the extreme are awesome. Now it's time to get out there and enjoy them! So many numbers and too little time to ride coasters.        

Number of Coaster Blog Posts: 9
Number of roller coasters in the USA: 676
Number of roller coasters in the world: 3467
Number of total rides ridden in one coaster trip: 88
Number of most rides on a ride in one day: 19
Number of most amusement parks visited in one day: 3
Number of ranked coasters/coasters ridden: 156
Number of the cost to enter Magic Kingdom at Disney World: 99 
Number of highest score set on arcade game in amusement park: 108
Number of miles to best amusement park from where I live: 708
Number of most miles driven round trip on a coaster trip: 2600
Number of miles driven to furthest visited park: 1115
Number of years married to wonderful Ashley: 7
Number of numbers in this blog post: 54





   

Wood vs. Steel

I am back to post more about roller coasters! Get excited people! Ok, I have been thinking extensively, well kind of, about what I need to post next. I have given you some topics in this blog about my favorite coaster and amusement park. I have also described some details about roller coaster enthusiast events. Now I would like to talk a little bit about the two different types of roller coasters out there: wood and steel. 

El Toro (wood) & Kingda Ka (steel)

Thunderhawk & Steel Force

I think most people when they think of a wooden coaster versus a steel coaster think rough verse smooth. They both give you a different style of riding experience. I have ridden more steel coasters than wooden ones because honestly there are more steel coasters out in the world to ride. In the world of roller coasters there are 3293 steel coasters to just 177 wooden coasters. Can you believe that? There are over 3,000 more steel roller coasters in the world than wooden ones. Why is that you might ask? Honest answer is because wooden coasters cost more to maintain and if they aren't maintained well enough they become a headache inducing ride. Also, I think most of the general park-going public would rather have a big steel coaster and or looping steel coaster in their park allowing parks to spend more money on steel. That is the consensus that I have gathered anyway.

Wildcat @ Hersheypark

Fahrenheit @ Hersheypark 

The wooden roller coaster is traditional and the oldest known type of coaster built. A wooden coaster can give a fast, hilly, rougher (sometimes smooth), and wild ride. The oldest coaster
operating in the world today is a wooden coaster built in 1902. As I have stated earlier in this blog post often people think of wooden coasters as being rough. I like to change the word rough to wild or crazy. Now don't get me wrong I have been on a few rough wooden coasters that will shake your body and give you a headache. These rough wooden coasters should either be entirely retracked and or at worst torn down. I have also been on very smooth wooden coasters which deliver airtime, intensity, and quick transitions. I have had however more out-of-control experiences on wooden coasters than I have on a steel one. If you get the privilege of riding a wooden roller coaster after it rains or when it is raining it is one of the most superb riding experiences you will ever have. Trust me. I've been there and done it and it is simply mind-blowing. 

Kentucky Rumbler @ Beech Bend

Amusement parks with the best wooden coasters are as follows: Holiday World, Kennywood, and Knoebels. Each of these parks have three really good wooden roller coasters and are each worth a visit if you like a solid wooden coaster. Kennywood offers great wooden coasters all built in the 1920's. They are historic and fun from what I have read about peoples experience online. Knoebels offers three very unique wooden coasters designed and built specifically for their park with special layouts and criteria. You would have to see them and ride them to understand what that means. The two that I have ridden there are phenomenal rides. Then there is Holiday Word. They offer three incredible wooden coasters that all display different riding experiences. Most enthusiasts say their three wooden coasters are the best trio of any park out there. I would tend to agree with that sentiment. I am sure there are other parks with multiple wooden coasters that are great but these three parks instantly come to mind. 

Twister @ Knoebels

Phoenix @ Knoebels

The steel roller coaster offers a smoother ride and has more elements. They can also be higher and faster than wooden coasters. You won't see any wooden coasters going close to 200 feet high with speeds around 75 mph. If you do, and you ride one (which I have and don't recommend), then it will most likely not exist anymore (RIP Son of Beast) due to people getting injured or the track starting to fall apart (looking at you Son of Beast). This is because wood coasters tend to take a beating the taller and faster they are. You will see many steel coasters at 200 or more feet high with speeds in excess of 75 mph. Steel coasters are easier to maintain and tend to appeal more to the general public. It's a lot easier to increase crowds during the season at an amusement park when you market a 200 or 300 foot steel coaster that goes over 75 mph. Or in the case of Kings Island open the worlds longest inverted steel roller coaster which translates into huge crowds. Steel gives you upside down moments as showcased in the left picture below (Hydra @ Dorney Park) and big hills in the right picture (Lightning Run @ Kentucky Kingdom). I must also note that the technology has gotten so much better now that wooden coasters can be built with an upside down element (see Outlaw Run).

Amusement parks with the best steel coasters are as follows: Cedar Point, Hersheypark, and Kings Dominion. Hersheypark showcases five really good steel roller coasters which all offer different experiences. I have seven coasters from Hersheypark rated in my top 50 if that tells you anything. Kings Dominion offers three solid steel coasters one of which is over 300 feet tall and goes over 90 mph. Cedar Point is by far the best steel coaster park out there in my opinion. You have coasters at over 400, 300, and 200 feet tall. In fact four of their steel coasters are over 200 feet high. Six of their coasters are currently in my top 30 rated rides. They have eight steel coasters that deliver an awesome, fun, and thrilling ride. That is why they are the best. 

Great Bear @ Hersheypark 

Millennium Force @ Cedar Point

Intimidator 305 @ Kings Dominion

I have ridden 41 different wooden roller coasters with 14 of those being in my top 50 rated roller coasters ridden. I have 3 wooden coasters in my top 10 so it's safe to say I slightly prefer the steel coaster to a wooden one. However with that being stated I do love a good wooden roller coaster. In fact some of the best night rides I have ever had on roller coasters have involved the wooden coaster. Reason being? Well, for me, a wooden coaster gives a much more out-of-control wild and crazy ride at night than a steel coaster does. It's really hard to explain until you have actually experienced it. Riding the Beast and Voyage wooden coasters at night are not to be missed. They are out of control and so much fun. It is very hard for me to actually say which coaster is better since they both offer fun experiences in their own way. I find it easier to ride steel coasters over and over again due to the smoothness but there is just something about getting slightly roughed up on a nice wooden coaster. In the meantime ride them both wood and steel and be sure to scream while doing so. Which do you prefer: wood or steel?