USA TODAY 10Best
Best rollercoaster? Readers say SUPERMAN The Ride
Best Roller Coaster (2018)
While thrill rides come in all shapes and sizes these days, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a well-designed roller coaster. 10Best editors partnered with a panel of theme park experts to nominate 20 of the best in the nation, and for the past four weeks, our readers have been voting for their favorites. These are the results!
The top 10 winners in the category Best Rollercoaster are as follows:
Photo courtesy of Tim / Wikimedia Commons
No. 10: Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point
The world record-breaking Steel Vengeance just debuted at Cedar Point in May 2018 as the world's tallest and fastest hybrid coaster with the steepest drop (90 degrees), longest drop (200 feet), most inversions (four), and most airtime (27.2 seconds) on any hybrid coaster. At 5,740 feet, it's also the world's longest hybrid coaster and sure to be a new guest favorite.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Williamsburg
No. 9: Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
This steel coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia is a hypercoaster that brings passengers on a 210-foot drop and reaches 73 miles per hour. All combined, however, Apollo’s Chariot will drop and drop some more – nine drops in all – until it totals 825 whopping feet. Expect to feel like you are flying. Or falling. Or floating, all while screaming.
Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City
No. 8: Outlaw Run - Silver Dollar City
Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City in Branson brings the world’s first double-barrel roll on a wooden roller coaster. We’re talking a 720-degree, triple, upside-down twist. Outlaw Run is one of the world’s steepest wooden coaster, with an 81-degree drop down 162 feet, as well as one of the fastest, reaching 68 miles per hour. With all of those rankings and a proud list of awards that Outlaw Run has well earned, you’d better hold onto your horses.
Photo courtesy of Knoebels Amusement Resort
No. 7: Phoenix - Knoebels Amusement Resort
Phoenix, a classic wooden roller coaster inside Knoebels, proves that newer, taller and faster aren't always better. Consistently ranked as one of the best wooden coasters in the country, Phoenix offers panoramic views of the surrounding hills, as well as thrills in the form of a double out and back layout and speeds of 45 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando
No. 6: Mako - SeaWorld Orlando
Guests looking for thrills at SeaWorld Orlando will find them aboard one of the park's newest rollercoasters, Mako. Orlando's tallest, longest and fastest coaster gets its name from one of the world's fastest sharks – appropriate for a thrill ride reaching speeds of 73 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure
No. 5: El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure
This Jackson, N.J., wooden roller coaster is known as “the bull” for its powerful and shaky train. It is also one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world. But this is no ordinary wooden coaster; it’s built with some of the highest-tech engineering, which contributes to a totally unique, old-school-new-school experience.
Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, Geoff Scheerer
No. 4: Goliath - Six Flags Great America
The world record-breaking Goliath at Six Flags Great America features one of the world's tallest and steepest drops, plus plenty of curves, turns and twists along the track. When it debuted, this wooden roller coaster was the world's fastest at 72 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of WillMcC / Wikimedia Commons
No. 3: Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
The 3,365-foot track of Phantom’s Revenge in Kennywood brings visitors frighteningly close to another of the park's coasters, Thunderbolt. A hair-raising highlight is the second drop – a 230-foot thriller at 85 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Magic Mountain
No. 2: Twisted Colossus - Six Flags Magic Mountain
The Twisted Colossus is where old meets new, wood meets steel and traditional thrills meet modern, high-tech innovations. This hybrid roller coaster is iconic, perched on the edge of Six Flags Magic Mountain, as it brings riders through a 360-degree zero-g roll, a 116-foot drop at (gasp!) 80 degrees and many hills. The thrills are long-lasting, too. The 5,000-foot track makes the Twisted Colossus one of the longest hybrid coasters in existence.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Wagner / Wikipedia Commons
No. 1: SUPERMAN The Ride - Six Flags New England
This 5,400-foot steel hypercoaster at Six Flags New England boasts a 221-foot drop and speeds of up to 77 miles per hour along the twisty red track. Don't forget to bring your cape!
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Robb Alvey (ThemeParkReview.com), Doug Barnes (Season Pass Podcast), Austin Carroll (Fastpass to the Past: The Theme Park History Podcast), Monet Massa-Sena (The Theme Park Princess), Clint Novak (In the Loop), John Stevenson (Coaster101.com) and Josh Young (Theme Park University) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of amusement parks in North America.
Congratulations to all these winning rollercoasters!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Austin Carroll
Austin Carroll is the creator and host of Fastpass... Read More
Austin Carroll is the creator and host of Fastpass to the Past: The Theme Park History Podcast, a popular podcast that explores the strange origins of the world’s most iconic theme parks and rides. As a relatively new voice in the industry, she has garnered critical acclaim for applying traditional research methodology to theme park history. A former Disneyland cast member, she is currently on a quest to visit all the Disney Theme Parks worldwide before 2020. Follow her on travels on Instagram at @fastpasstothepast.
Austin Carroll
Austin Carroll is the creator and host of Fastpass to the Past: The Theme Park History Podcast, a popular podcast that explores the strange origins of the world’s most iconic theme parks and rides. As a relatively new voice in the industry, she has garnered critical acclaim for applying traditional research methodology to theme park history. A former Disneyland cast member, she is currently on a quest to visit all the Disney Theme Parks worldwide before 2020. Follow her on travels on Instagram at @fastpasstothepast.
Clint Novak
Clint Novak has been a fan of the Amusement... Read More
Clint Novak has been a fan of the Amusement Industry for almost 20 years. Along with his close friends “The Legend” and “Drew the Intern” he has been hosting an amusement park podcast called In the Loop for 14 years and they have become mildly popular with their YouTube channel. Clint visits parks weekly and is easy to spot at on the midway with his trademark propeller beanie.
Clint Novak
Clint Novak has been a fan of the Amusement Industry for almost 20 years. Along with his close friends “The Legend” and “Drew the Intern” he has been hosting an amusement park podcast called In the Loop for 14 years and they have become mildly popular with their YouTube channel. Clint visits parks weekly and is easy to spot at on the midway with his trademark propeller beanie.
Doug Barnes
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Read More
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Season Pass Podcast. Podcasting on Themed Entertainment for over 11 years, Doug took his lifetime hobby of theme park fun and turned into the largest audio archive of creative stories, career origins, and attraction development, told by the industry creators themselves, on the Internet. Doug has interviewed 500 plus themed entertainment creatives, media, celebrities, and fans; and has moderated multiple convention panels based on themed entertainment.
Doug Barnes
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Season Pass Podcast. Podcasting on Themed Entertainment for over 11 years, Doug took his lifetime hobby of theme park fun and turned into the largest audio archive of creative stories, career origins, and attraction development, told by the industry creators themselves, on the Internet. Doug has interviewed 500 plus themed entertainment creatives, media, celebrities, and fans; and has moderated multiple convention panels based on themed entertainment.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a... Read More
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
Josh Young
Josh Young is Editor of Theme Park University, a... Read More
Josh Young is Editor of Theme Park University, a website that covers all aspects of the themed entertainment industry. TPU is a leader in theme park news, insight and analysis.
Josh Young
Josh Young is Editor of Theme Park University, a website that covers all aspects of the themed entertainment industry. TPU is a leader in theme park news, insight and analysis.
Monet Massa-Sena
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park... Read More
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park Princess and The Memory Makers. She is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member who spent two semesters on the Disney College Program and one semester as a professional intern for the Disney Parks Live Entertainment team. She is currently a social media manager for NowThis.
Monet Massa-Sena
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park Princess and The Memory Makers. She is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member who spent two semesters on the Disney College Program and one semester as a professional intern for the Disney Parks Live Entertainment team. She is currently a social media manager for NowThis.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com,... Read More
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.