21 replies to this topic

[Coasterholic14]

DAY ONE – HERSHEYPARK

First day of the trip (excluding the travel day) is Hersheypark!  Haven’t been there in about 10 years, 3 new coasters since I last went, and this trip reminded me why it’s amongst my favorite parks (and places…mmmm Hershey’s Chocolate anyone?).  Below is all the rides and such we did in order throughout the day, and some pics and thoughts on each:

Skyrush
Started the day off with the new coaster, because we knew only running one train the line would back up quickly.  About a 45 min wait (mostly because the ride is so quick, unlike the crew), and we were on the 5th row.  For a more detailed review, see the Skyrush Review thread.  Basically, potentially great coaster, experience hurt some by the restraint system.  It’s still wickedly awesome, couldn’t get many good pics though without going behind the park there (which we never had any time or chance to do).

Boy, what a nice...VIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!


Woosh!  Airtime!  Ow :-(

SooperDooperLooper
First, SDL holds a special place in my heart as the first coaster I went on with an inversion, with my dad probably 16+ years ago (first trip to Hershey).  With the new trains, SDL is literally running better than ever!  I don’t remember if that trim halfway through was there last time or not, and it sure scrubbed off some potential airtime, but it’s still a classic!  Front row was a must.

SooperDooperLooperLoop


Through the SooperDooperLooper Loop!

Great Bear
Still a very underrated invert.  It has one of the best and most unique starts with the drop-helix before the full drop.  Still rates highly overall, but perhaps lower on my B&M invert list just because they’re all so good for the most part.

Loved this shot, just wish they had trains going more often (had to move forward in Skyrush line)


Pretty B&M invert


Very photogenic coaster

Antique Cars & Speedway
I am a total sucker for true antique car rides…not the modern electric ones, but the old school, gas powered, drive and steer yourself antique car rides.  I don’t care if I’m the biggest kid in line on them, my head hits the roof, and my knees are in my chest, I have to go on them whenever I find them.  They’re a dying breed that don’t get enough love, neither is super long here, but still enjoyable.

Antique cars just look so cool


Speedway was fun too, but the classic cars are better

Lunch at Mixed Grille Express
Stopped for lunch at the nearby Mixed Grille Express and I must say, it was a perfect choice.  They had everything from salads/wraps, to Italian, to some Mexican, and your standard fare, a bit of everything.  I was quite satisfied with my Chicken Quesadilla…even if (expectedly) overpriced.  I would definitely stop there again.

Kissing Tower
You can’t go to Hersheypark without going on the Kissing Tower…even if you don’t kiss.  Great views of the park and historic town.


Flying Falcon
I swear, Hersheypark is the ONLY place I’ve ever seen one of these things, and I’m not sure why.  It’s like an elevated scrambler mixed with a suspended coaster-style ride.  I found it quite fun, and I hate heights.  Quite a unique attraction, I’m glad to see it’s still going and that I could get my first ride on it (finally)…last time I was too scared to ride it (10+ years ago?).

Why don't more of these exist?

Showdown at Cocoa Canyon
We just happened to walk by at 2:15, with the show at 2:30, so figured we might as well go and see it.  Very cheesy (like, cheesier than Disney cheesy), but it was kind of fun.  I love sea lions, so I enjoyed it.

Round of applause!


Neener neener neener! (sticking tongue out)


Dun dun…dun dun…dun dun dun dun dun dun………JAWS!?!?!?!?!

Trailblazer
More fun than I remember last time, and I really like the newer black paint job compared to the old red/yellow.  I like old arrow mine trains, if for nothing more than the nostalgia, it went up a few notches in my book.



Storm Runner
I’ve heard both good and bad things about Storm Runner.  My mom rode it first, she wasn’t a huge fan, then my brother and I went, and we were both pleasantly surprised with it.  Didn’t experience any discomfort or any rattling, great launch, fun top-hat, loved the hang-time in the snake-dive-rollover-twist-etc-etc element.  Another example of a quick and short but sweet ride.

Flying-Snake-Twist-Turn-Rollover-Barrelroll-Dive inversion


Storm Runner!


Wish I could have gotten a train in the shot, but no time to wait when on the monorail

Farenheit
Again, going into Farenheit I had heard some mixed reviews, especially about “rattle.”  Though my parents liked it better than Storm Runner (a bit slower pace and less intense) they weren’t necessarily huge fans, but my brother and I again enjoyed it quite a lot.  A few rattle spots perhaps, but for the most part it was pretty smooth, love that first non-inverted loop (Norwegian loop), and the heavily banked turn at the end.  Not only that, but this was also the first vertical (or beyond) that I didn’t find uncomfortable (like Mystery Mine).

Zipping through a corkscrew


DIVE!


I really enjoyed this element


Thank you Sun for providing this cool shot!


Rollover time

Wildcat
All I remember about Wildcat from our last visit to Hersheypark was something along the lines of “Ow…ow….OWWW”…now it’s more like “Ow…fun…OW…weeeee…ow”  Millennium Flyers were a vast improvement, but it’s still quite rough.

Not quite as mean as she was last time, but still a nasty cat at times.

Wild Mouse
Standard wild mouse, not much more to say…always fun, never anything special.

Lightning Racer
Both of the Racers are still running great.  First we rode Lightning, front row, then Thunder, front row.  I did notice one really nasty jolt on Thunder, but other than that both coasters are still smooth, fast, and well-paced.  Only downside is that Thunder crests the lift just a bit before Lightning, so it’s usually half a train ahead from the start, meaning Thunder almost always wins (though Lightning gets on occasional last minute push for a win if it’s much fuller than Thunder)
[Sorry, no pics…it’s hard to get many good shots with it behind the waterpark now]

Musik Express

Still a favorite flat ride of mine…hold…hold….HOLD….and SMASH!

Whip
I don’t remember if this was here last time, but I am a HUGE fan of Whip rides.  I was honestly disappointed with this one though…it’s a modern version, with big, slow cars, and the wide turning radius and overly-stiff springs don’t allow much whipping action.  It’s obvious it’s more of a family ride than a real whip...plus the ride time was REALLY short…

Whimper...I mean...whipper...

Swinging Ship
Another standard favorite flat ride of mine…even though we got stuck in the middle (the ends are where it’s most fun).  Just don’t get stuck near the little kids who decide to make it a screaming contest, I think my ears are still ringing.

Frontier Flyers
Love Flyers/Scooters!  Ever since I got my first rides on the ones at Carowinds (moved from Kings Dominion), they’ve been perhaps my favorite non-coaster ride ever!  The ones here were really fast, allowing for some solid high-flying, but not the “snapping” I’m used to.  Still, I rate them highly as a nice hidden gem type of ride.

Monorail
Like the Kissing Tower, a Monorail ride is a MUST.  Nice views, but sit on the right side (loading side), you get better views for the most part.

Craftbarn Kitchen
Dinner spot after the monorail ride, got a corndog and fries, both surprisingly good…and they give you a TON of fries, I couldn’t possibly eat them all, but they were very good.

Reese’s Cup Challenge
I knew going in this was a shooter-type of ride, but that’s about it.  While fun, it is honestly near the bottom (if not at the bottom) of my shooter-ride list.  It seemed as if you could pick off targets from a distance more easily than up close, which kind of defeats the purpose (shouldn’t further be harder?), and it was rather short.  It also lacked any sort of “finale” like those on MIB and even Boo Blasters at Carowinds.

Tilt-a-Whirl
Ok, correction, these are my favorite non-coaster rides ever, and unfortunately also amongst a dying-breed of ride at fixed-site amusement parks (though thanks to Sellner they have a chance of revival).  My dad hates them, but my mom, bro, and I had a ton of fun with our “lean right, lean left” and “we’re never going to stop spinning!”

Love the spin-n-spew

Carousel
Just another nice classic ride!  Never forget the carousel, they’re works of art and should be appreciated even by thrillseekers.

Showing some love for the classics

Comet
Our final ride of the night, at about 9PM…nice to end on a high note.  Comet doesn’t have a ton of airtime (at least from the front), but the second row (the row to ride on old 3-bench trains) provided a very smooth, fun, well-paced ride.  Not the most thrilling coaster, but the classic layout and fun pops and curves still rank it highly in my books!

3 in 1


Not as easy to get good shots of Comet now with Skyrush, but it's still great fun...I believe we rode Halley's Comet

[Coast]

GREAT shot of Skyrush flying over Tilt-A-Whirl! Seeing that train fly over in that picture was really awesome considering how Tilt was moved to make room for the coaster.

I actually find Hershey's Wild Mouse to be 5x more intense than any other if you happen to catch a ride when the trim brakes aren't on!

[biZarRo]

kind've off topic, but how did you get more than ten pictures in the post? Haven't figured out how to get past that.

Look's like you had a great time. Skyrush really seems to be attracting the visitors to Hersheypark.

[Daniel Westfall]

^I believe it has to do with one of two things. I think most people are hotlinking to pictures stored off-site or in the galleries (using "img" tags). I believe that has a limit of 10 uses of the "img" tags per post. The other issue could be the file size if you are uploading images, there is probably a limit to total file size allowed in uploads. Brandon doesn't always set his camera to full resolution, so he can probably get a few more pictures in his posts because of that.

[Ryan Shrout]

Flying Falcon
I swear, Hersheypark is the ONLY place I’ve ever seen one of these things, and I’m not sure why. It’s like an elevated scrambler mixed with a suspended coaster-style ride. I found it quite fun, and I hate heights. Quite a unique attraction, I’m glad to see it’s still going and that I could get my first ride on it (finally)…last time I was too scared to ride it (10+ years ago?).

Why don't more of these exist?

These are really great. I know of at least one other, and that's the Condor ride at SFGAm, right between SUF's entrance and B:tDK. Great flat ride and terrific views. They were made by Huss in the late 80's and early 90's I believe

[Coast]

Flying Falcon
I swear, Hersheypark is the ONLY place I’ve ever seen one of these things, and I’m not sure why. It’s like an elevated scrambler mixed with a suspended coaster-style ride. I found it quite fun, and I hate heights. Quite a unique attraction, I’m glad to see it’s still going and that I could get my first ride on it (finally)…last time I was too scared to ride it (10+ years ago?).

Why don't more of these exist?

These are really great. I know of at least one other, and that's the Condor ride at SFGAm, right between SUF's entrance and B:tDK. Great flat ride and terrific views. They were made by Huss in the late 80's and early 90's I believe

Great Escape in Lake George has one as well.

[Coasterholic14]

Sorry about the delay here, it's been a bit of a hectic return week for me, but I will get the rest of this done by tonight:

DAY TWO – KNOEBELS

Heading to Knoebels, we were quite surprised at how busy it seemed. Lots of cars going into the parking lots, like 20 picnic pavilions (though not all occupied or even a lot of people at them). All day, the park seemed a bit crowded, but there were no long lines.

Twister
First ride of the day was on Twister. I remember last time the ride being relatively fun, but a bit rough. Not anymore! You can see most of the coaster looks like it was recently retracked, especially the helix (formerly the roughest, now the smoothest, part of the ride). Twister no doubt worked its way up a bit in my standings.


Twister lift structure


Mom and Dad ready for their ride


Through the Helix

Flyers
I’ve heard stories about the Flyers here and the sure lived up to expectations! I got flying early, and very high. One thing I noticed about the ride was its operation, which is literally a guy hitting a starter, idling motor, and pushing a throttle on a tractor motor (actually the front of a tractor) which is hooked up to the gears that turn the ride…very old school! Great ride in spite of the fact that it spins backwards from all the others I’ve been on…so confused haha


I’m the one in the second tub (don’t know the guy in the front one).


Here's that tractor motor I was talking about


Mom and I all smiles after one of our favorite types of rides (we always compete to out-fly each other)


"Flying High again!"

Tilt-a-whirl
Our second tilt-a-whirl of the trip, good thing we found it BEFORE lunch!


Mom, me, my brother “LEAN RIGHT!”


Possible caption for this photo:
Me: "I'm gonna blow"
Brother: "just do it away from me"
Mom: "I'm getting OUT of here..."

Saloon
Stopped at the Saloon for lunch, had a pretty good Monte Cristo, and just happened to get there when the Magic Show was starting. The last trick was pretty impressive, some others less so, but still very entertaining overall! Good timing on that one!

Carousel
Knoebels has the best carousel I’ve been on…not necessarily because the Carousel itself is better, but because it not only has a real old-fashioned organ playing music, but also the ability to grab the brass rings from the outside horses. I managed to snag 11 of 13 tries. Only disappointment was the fact that where you used to throw them for the free ride was blocked off in favor of a “bin” basically that you throw them in at the end.

Skooters
After the best Carousel, it’s time for the WORLD’S BEST Bumper Cars…err Skooters. These things are seriously insane, they’re about twice as fast as normal bumper cars, the bounce, they bang (they don’t even require a seatbelt for most riders), and they even slide (meaning far less traffic jams due to idiots who can’t figure out how to turn the wheel properly). Love them so much!


Dad and I zipping by…

Whipper
Ah, a classic Whip ride! Old metal cars, old metal track, 2 seaters (rather than 3-4), tighter turning radius, true whipping action. They’re another of those old time rides that are now rare at most amusement parks, like Tilt-a-Whirls, that I absolutely love!

Haunted Mansion
Haven’t been on a haunted mansion dark ride like this in…can’t even remember. It was fun and quirky. There were a few times I legitimately jumped and got spooked/surprised by something…though I think the doors banging on the car a foot in front of me did that more often than anything else. It’s very well done, lots of little scenes, can definitely give you a spook. Another type of ride I wish would make more of a comeback.


Black Diamond
Wasn’t really expecting much of Black Diamond…I knew it wasn’t a coaster. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually saw this during its construction phase in November 2010 when I went up to PA for the GCI Intern Selection and we got to tour the park during the off-season. Black Diamond fits a TON of trackage into a seemingly small building, and the banging of the metal cars, track, and wheels fit in perfectly with the rides theme. I’m glad Knoebels was able to resurrect yet another old attraction, and make it just as good if not better than the original. You may want to go a few times just to catch all the different scenes and the story...fire tunnel was interesting…”anyone else feel like we’re rolling over?”


Now I've got that KISS song running through my head

Phoenix
I remember insane airtime, and Phoenix still delivers. Rode in the second row (again, 2nd row of 3-bench), very smooth, insane airtime, nearly standing…I actually had to stick my feet under the bench in front of me to stabilize myself. It’s solidified its #2 spot behind Thunderhead and ahead of the Beast.


Just like the legendary Phoenix, this one is also hard to photograph


King of airtime!

Gasoline Alley
Another set of antique cars! Wow, 2 antique cars, 2 tilt-a-whirls, and 2 whips…I feel so spoiled on this trip. Gasoline Alley was a lot better and longer than the Antique Cars at Hersheypark, still the kid at heart!


Classic antique cars!


Pretty little ride


Bro driving my dad around (poor guy)

Phoenix
One last ride, bro and I rode the 2nd row of the last car to see if it gave more airtime. Conclusion…more in some places, less in others, about evenly insane!

Some additional shots of Knoebels:

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[Ryan Shrout]

Trivia time: what year was Flying Turns supposed to open?

[Coasterholic14]

Well, construction started in 2006, the first test runs were done in 2007, and I think Knoebel's goal was to get it open by 2009 after they had to redesign the trains and reprofile parts of the track.

[Ryan Shrout]

And it's currently 2012 and looking like there still won't be any official riders before the end of the world.

[steel-Rock]

Heading to Knoebels, we were quite surprised at how busy it seemed. Lots of cars going into the parking lots, like 20 picnic pavilions (though not all occupied or even a lot of people at them). All day, the park seemed a bit crowded, but there were no long lines.

Twister
First ride of the day was on Twister. I remember last time the ride being relatively fun, but a bit rough. Not anymore! You can see most of the coaster looks like it was recently retracked, especially the helix (formerly the roughest, now the smoothest, part of the ride). Twister no doubt worked its way up a bit in my standings.

Whipper
Ah, a classic Whip ride! Old metal cars, old metal track, 2 seaters (rather than 3-4), tighter turning radius, true whipping action. They’re another of those old time rides that are now rare at most amusement parks, like Tilt-a-Whirls, that I absolutely love!

Black Diamond
Wasn’t really expecting much of Black Diamond…I knew it wasn’t a coaster. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually saw this during its construction phase in November 2010 when I went up to PA for the GCI Intern Selection and we got to tour the park during the off-season. Black Diamond fits a TON of trackage into a seemingly small building, and the banging of the metal cars, track, and wheels fit in perfectly with the rides theme. I’m glad Knoebels was able to resurrect yet another old attraction, and make it just as good if not better than the original. You may want to go a few times just to catch all the different scenes and the story...fire tunnel was interesting…”anyone else feel like we’re rolling over?”


Phoenix
I remember insane airtime, and Phoenix still delivers. Rode in the second row (again, 2nd row of 3-bench), very smooth, insane airtime, nearly standing…I actually had to stick my feet under the bench in front of me to stabilize myself. It’s solidified its #2 spot behind Thunderhead and ahead of the Beast.

One last ride, bro and I rode the 2nd row of the last car to see if it gave more airtime. Conclusion…more in some places, less in others, about evenly insane!

While for the other parks it seemed like the off season, Knoebels was busy.

For a twisting coaster, Twister is not rough.

While there may not by very many Whip rides still around, they aren't that hard to find. They can be in high profile places. Dorney and Kennywood still have theirs.

Most sites call Black Diamond a coaster.

In all of the four seats I rode Phoenix, there was massive airtime. The best by PTC. by a mile for me so far. Between Charlie Dinn and Herbert Schmeck there are some great woodens still around; go guys !

While it doesn't have a ton of coasters, this place has some great food and very worthwile flats. Downdraft, Power Surge, and Fandango were good. I always try to make time for a water flume like theirs. The small train that went all over the place including under Twister was fun. With some beautiful views, Scenic Skyride was the best and worth paying for twice. By the end of my day, others like Paratrooper had a line that I wasn't sure that I wanted to wait in.

Yours was a good trip report for a much better than average park.

[Coasterholic14]

DAY THREE – HERSHEYPARK (RETURN)

Only spent part of the day Saturday at Hersheypark…it got quite insanely crowded at times. We walked through the waterpark, but between it only being 75 out and overcast, and the ridiculous crowds there, we opted not to spend any time there other than walking through it (since last time we were there it was a giant field that had a laser show at night). We only hit a few new attractions along with some highlights before an earlier end to our day at the park:

Skyrush (2nd row)
SooperDooperLooper (front row)
ZooAmerica (very nice little zoo; wolves were entertaining, stalking a few birds around)
Country Grille (lunch)
Amtrak Dry Gulch Railroad (nice ride to go on after lunch)
Walk through water park (not hot enough and too crowded to enjoy)
Lightning Racer (2 runs on Lightning)
Bumper Cars (remember those idiots and traffic jams I mentioned earlier? I wasn’t expecting them to be as good as the Skooters, but the ride was super short as well)

(From ZooAmerica)


Meep meep….


I feel like this is a Madagascar ad...


Slow and steady wins the race...or not...


I'll have an otter...I mean another


Prarie dogging it?


Big Boy


Bro and I

After this we got some souvenirs and went to Chocolate World. Going on the Chocolate World Tour is always a fun must, line moved quickly. Afterwards we probably spent an hour looking through all the chocolate, each buying a few things. We went to W Chocolate Avenue, spent some time going around the Hershey Story Museum, then went for dinner (for the second night in a row) at the Hershey Grille...highly recommend this place (but it can be a bit pricey).

DAY FOUR – CAR MUSEUM & RETURN

Last day of vacation, we were going to be heading home, but first we had to go visit the car museum. We spent around 2 hours there, as it is quite extensive and beautifully done. Definitely one of the best car museums I’ve been too, and we go to quite a lot of them with my bro and I being big car fans as well. Just thought I’d share a few pics from there:

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[Vater]

Good heavens, I never knew there was a car museum in Hershey. I'm drooling over the '63 Vette. The silver concept next to it doesn't look familiar, which is crazy because I thought I'd seen every concept Corvette Chevrolet ever released. Do you recall anything about that one?

[MorganFan]

Looks like a custom t-top Stingray.

[Vater]

Not sure about T-tops, but it does look like it was based off the C2 Sting Ray platform (based solely on the knock-off style wheels), but with a body resembling a C3. Possibly an early C3 concept (what would eventually become the Stingray (single word)). What's strange is that it looks like a 2+2 configuration with the large side windows behind the doors. Hard to tell, but I think I see a back seat.

Sorry to geek out...but hey, that's what this site is all about, right?

[Ryan Shrout]

^Exactly. What ever happened to the old Car Enthusiast topic in Beyond the Rides?

[Vater]

Never really got too far off the ground. I'd love to see it resurrected.

[Daniel Westfall]

^There's a wonderful search bar for just such things

[Vater]

Oh, I'm well aware of where the thread is since I started it. I just need to come up with something interesting to discuss in order to bring it back from the dead. Unless someone else would like to do the honors.

[Coasterholic14]

For you Vater (hope it's big enough to read)...it's the 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Concept Manza GT 2 Doore Coupe (mouthful huh?)


If you want Vater, I could perhaps post all my photos from the museum (about 70 pics) and that could get you started? The museum is not far from Hersheypark and everything around there, just a few miles up 39, it's the AACA Museum.

[Vater]

Thanks Coasterholic, that's awesome. Now I know why I'd never seen that concept Vette before; it's a concept Corvair! So I was sort of right...but very wrong about the 2+2 configuration (those rear windows actually reside over the engine). It's obvious the C3 Vette was inspired at least partially by the Monza GT, but the Monza actually predates the C2 by a year (and the C3 by 6 years). Makes sense though, because Bill Mitchell had his hand in the design of all of these cars. What's crazy is that he actually thought about the Monza as a possible replacement for the Corvette. At 1500 lbs. and 150hp, I can't imagine how quick and nimble this thing is (was?).

Here's a website with some great information on the Monza GT and SS concepts. Check out all 12 pages, there's some great pictures.

Not necessary to post all 70 pics on my account--I'll leave that up to you. Thanks again for the info.

[Ryan Shrout]

Personally, I'd love to see some cool old car pics in the Car Enthusiast thread.