![]() Roller coasters consistently draw big crowds to amusement and theme parks. And maybe, along the way, we're getting closer, and he's learning that who you are and how you act isn't always defined by what you fear.Do you love roller coasters? Do you count yourself as one of the few people who have ridden the top coasters in the world? Take a look at this list of 20 of the world's biggest and baddest roller coasters and see how many you can check off your list. Whether it's an animated children's movie, waterpark ride or strapping yourself into a 100-miles-per-hour runaway rocket, we want to see our kids happy.Īs for my son and me, we've spent the entire day talking, planning, sharing. Most parents find themselves doing pretty crazy stuff for their kids. My body is aching from the body-jerking repeated g-forces and long lines. He's grinning ear to ear, and that makes me smile.Īt the end of the day, we've done close to a dozen rides. When it's over, my eyes are tearing and I'm breathless. We are staring down 45 stories of death with just a metal bar holding us back. While the rear cars inch over the top, the front car - our car - hangs vertically for a few painful moments. The car has just enough power to reach the peak, and the coaster slowly overcomes the crest of the peak. The force of the catapult launches our car up the skyscraper of track, but when it releases, we're on our own. The speed flattens the skin on my face, and my eyelids, like a sail, fill with air. The acceleration is violent, plastering my head to the back of the seat. In the blink of an eye, we've exploded down the track. Suddenly, a hiss of steam sounds as the car releases. It's the same mechanism that's used to launch jets on aircraft carriers. Kingda-Ka uses a steam catapult to accelerate you from zero to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds. We board the side-by-side chairs and are secured with a heavy, metal restraint. ![]() You're flying, and the rush of air adds to the sensation of motion. Sitting up front removes any visual cues that you're riding on a track. The ultimate sign of an adrenaline-whacked coaster junkie is to make sure to sit in the front seat. There's a long, flat track running a few hundred yards, leading to a 45-story vertical track. Kingda-Ka doesn't look like a coaster - it looks more like a giant version of a child's Hot Wheels set. It's the tallest and fastest roller-coaster in the world. Every smile is a gift for me.īefore long, we visit the park's crown jewel - the Kingda-Ka. And when the ride is over, I'm rewarded with his unrestrained smiles. We repeat the same pattern all day: Get in line and wait while my anxiety grows. I know there are precious few years left of that, so it becomes an experience we alone share. I've offered to bring his friends, but he wants to go with me. It's my son's day, though, so I let him choose where we go. We arrive at the park on a sunny morning, and instantly I feel anxious - which is really just an adult word for fear. It's an adrenaline junkie's dream disguised as a family amusement park. So every summer, we take a day and drive to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J. ![]() I can get that on Interstate 80 or at the dentist. Roller coasters are designed for one purpose - to scare every molecule of your soul. ![]()
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