Roller Coasters in Los Angeles

Amusement Parks and other theme parks are everywhere in Los Angeles. The climate is perfect (and the tourism industry robust) enough to support parks operated by movie studios (Universal, Disney), national chains (Six Flags), and anybody with a hill, a hose, and a thesaurus (Wild Rivers, Raging Waters). But for the purist, the roller coaster is the bread and butter of the theme park experience, despite all its highs and lows.

XCelerator

Knott’s Berry Farm boasts a commitment to rollercoasters. Where many other theme parks try to balance cartoons, “experience” rides, and coasters, Knott’s Berry Farm sells itself on the thrills, and for pure speed, the XCelerator lives up to the hype of its name. Reaching speeds of more than 80 mph, this coaster puts you in traditional a traditional car (no dangling legs here, so the ride won’t literally knock your socks off), and sends you screaming. It’s a popular ride, so the there might be a wait, but don’t fret. Each trip lasts a little over a minute, so the line moves briskly.

Superman: The Escape

At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, this ride deconstructs the roller coaster experience. The Escape goes up, the escape goes down, offering the adventurous traveler a 41-story plummet. Twists and turns and sudden slowdowns are not part of the ride in this case. And there’s a purity about that. The designers of Superman: The Escape have captured the experience of an escaping Man of Steel. The first roller coaster to reach the achieve the speed of 100 mph, it does so in just seven seconds. It may not be fast enough to reverse the rotation of the Earth and turn back time, but it’s plenty fast enough. Heck, just try sticking your head out the window of a car going 50, and think about doubling that. When The Escape reverses itself and sends you speeding backwards, you can hope to catch up to the fillings you lost in the frontward journey. Factor in seven seconds of weightlessness, and you’ve got a ride worthy of the Last Son of Krypton.

Space Mountain

Sometimes, there’s no replacing the classics. Disneyland’s roller coaster in the dark has terrified and thrilled park visitors for more than thirty years. Jutting out of Disneyland like a steel Thunderdome, it employs the classic Disney strategy of adventurizing the queuing process, providing distractions for the inevitably long lines. Like many terrifying thrill rides (literal and metaphorical), Space Mountain is not quite so terrifying with the lights on. But why take the biggest thrill out of the thrill ride? That would be like Mickey walking around the park without his head on. With Space Mountain, it’s lights out, and that makes it a crazy screamfest straight on through. Why wait for the inevitable drop? I prefer to start screaming in terror on the slow, steady ascent. If you’re scared, hold your partner’s hand, but it’s dark, so let’s keep the Park Police out of it: Make sure it’s her hand you’re grabbing.