Roller coasters are my thing. To me, nothing beats an ominous trip hundreds of feet in the air before a plummet back down to earth β and a ride that Iβve never been on makes the experience that much better.
For coaster enthusiasts such as myself, May marks the unofficial start of roller coaster season in the Midwest, and these six amusement parks in and around the area are gearing up for it by unveiling new roller coasters for this summer.
Some parks in the list only need a day trip while others require a full weekend, or a short vacation, to enjoy, but all are worth the drive if youβre seeking a little extra adrenaline this summer.
Wild Mouse at Cedar Point
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³’΄Η³¦²Ή³ΩΎ±΄Η²Τ:ΜύSandusky, Ohio
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $45 online
Wild Mouse is a part of Cedar Pointβs new development, The Boardwalk, which includes revitalized family attractions, a new dining venue, roaming entertainment, and the parkβs 18th coaster.
Wild Mouse is a small but mighty nod to the parkβs original Wild Mouse roller coaster, which operated from 1959 to 1963. It will take riders on a βgame of cat and mouseβ as they climb 52 feet inΜύa four-passenger car that spins 360 degrees as it travels along the twisty-turny track at speeds of up to 35 mph.
βThe new Wild Mouse spinning family coaster will be a ride experience different from all others in the park,β says Tony Clark, the director of communications for the park. βEach Wild Mouse car will spin independently as it travels along 1,312 feet of track, providing not only a great traditional roller coaster ride but another dimension of thrills with its random movements β no two rides will be the same.β
Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride alone or 42 inches with supervision.
Visit for more.
While youβre there: Sure, metro Detroiters can do Cedar Point in a day, but thereβs enough to do around Sandusky that you can make it a weekend trip.
In addition to Cedar Pointβs water park, , the city is also home to a , which features eight slides inside a 30,000-square-foot water park, and β Ohioβs largest indoor water park, with 173,000 feet of wet and wild fun. Not into water parks? Get your thrills at . This fun center has everything from an escape room and an indoor haunted house to indoor skating and mini golf.
Sandusky also offers several museums, including the , a , and a , so thereβs a bit of something for everyone.
American Dreier Looping at Indiana Beach
Location: Monticello, Indiana
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 4.5 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $40 online
Indiana Beach squeezes five coasters into a boardwalk on Lake Shafer. Its sixth coaster, American Dreier Looping, was to open in 2022 but is now expected to open this year.
Manufactured in 1984 by the classic coaster manufacturing company Schwarzkopf Industries, this ride has dished out screams since its first appearance at a fair in Hannover, Germany. It had been in three other parks before being relocated to Indiana Beach.
American Dreier Looping climbs just over 100 feet, reaches speeds of nearly 55 mph, and features three inversions that deliver 6.1 g-forces.
Visit for more.
While youβre there: Trade the thrills of the park for the tranquility of nature at . Located approximately 10 minutes from Indiana Beach, this park encompasses just over 16 acres filled with walking paths to see native plants and animals.
Grab a drink just up the road from the nature park at the family-owned or take about a 40-minute drive farther to Lafayette for an even wider breadth of places to explore, such as the , the , and .
Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun
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Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 11.5 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $35 online
The original Zambezi Zinger was a steel-extended Jumbo Jet-style coaster that operated as one of Worlds of Funβs most popular roller coasters from the parkβs opening in 1973 until the coaster was defunct in 1997.
The new Zambezi Zinger is a hybrid coaster that pays homage to the original with a similar spiral lift, a surprise midcourse tunnel, and low-to-the-ground track. Itβs also built in the same spot in the heart of the parkβs African-themed area.
New elements include side-by-side seating rather than the original toboggan-style, safari theming, and modern Infinity Flyer trains. The 2023 version is also a smidge faster than the 1973 ride, reaching speeds of up to 45 mph to the original 41.2, and a bit taller at 74 feet compared with the originalβs 57 feet.
Visit for more.
While youβre there: Museums are a huge draw if youβre taking a vacation in the Kansas City area. Options to explore include , the , the , the , the , the , and more.
Kansas City is also home to a , which includes 38,000 square feet of water fun, including the first-of- its-kind Triple Twist waterslide that launches rides down three successive funnels. and its animal statues are a canβt-miss for visitors with kids, as is and .
Wildcatβs Revenge at Hersheypark
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Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 7.5 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $50 online
This new hybrid coaster β a roller coaster with a steel track and wood supports β was built on the bones of the parkβs old Wildcat, which operated from 1996 to 2022, by Rocky Mountain Construction, which is the same company that turned Cedar Pointβs Mean Streak into Steel Vengeance.
This wild ride will flip riders upside down four times, including through the worldβs largest underflip, at speeds of up to 62 mph. The rideβs largest hill is 140 feet tall, and its first drop measures in at 82 degrees.
Riders must fall in at least the parkβs βHersheyβsβ height category β thatβs 48 to 54 inches tall β to ride.
For tickets, lodging, and more, go to .
While youβre there: After you have your fill of rides, but before you leave the park, visit for a free chocolate tour, an opportunity to create your own candy bars, a 4D chocolate movie, and more.
Keep the fun going outside of the park with a visit to , which is home to more than 200 animals, including vampire bats, American alligators, gray wolves, mountain lions, black bears, bald eagles, rattlesnakes, ferrets, elk, and many others.
, which is just a few minutes from Hersheypark, features 28 acres of botanical gardens, including 3,000 roses, and one of 25 indoor tropical butterfly atriums in the world, housing dozens of rare butterflies from South and Central America, Africa, and Asia.
Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood
Location: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 8.5 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $90 online
With 3,990 feet of track and a ride time of nearly two minutes, Big Bear Mountain will be the longest roller coaster at Dollywood when it opens in the Wildwood Grove area of the park this year.
It features three separate launches that reach top speeds of 48 mph and hurdles riders through airtime hills and high-speed turns against the backdrop of the Smoky Mountains. It also offers onboard audio, which is a first for the park.
Big Bear Mountain reaches 66 feet at its tallest point. Guests must be at least 39 inches tall to ride.
For tickets, lodging, and more, go to .
While youβre there: As the No. 1 theme park in the United States, thereβs no shortage of things to do inside Dollywood, but there are even more fun activities to do in Pigeon Forge proper and in nearby Gatlinburg.
If you and your brood want the thrills to continue, take on one of the mountain coasters or fun parks in the area β there are plenty to choose from. You can also learn a little history at the or the .
Need a break from all the attractions? Escape into nature at or do some shopping β and moonshine tasting β along the strip in .
Darkoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Drive from Detroit: Approximately 11.5 hours
Cost: Regular single-day ticket prices start at $52 online
βEscape the stormβ on North Americaβs first all- indoor straddle coaster. Riders will climb into trains that look like snowmobiles for a journey along 2,454 feet of track, which includes four launches, in total darkness.
Built by Intamin Amusement Rides, Darkoaster reaches speeds of up to 36 mph and is located in the parkβs Oktoberfest area. Guests must be at least 48 inches to ride.
For tickets, lodging, and more, go to .
While youβre there: Take a step back into 18th-century America at . This living history museum features 300 acres of historic taverns and sites, including the Capitol, Governorβs Palace, and courthouse, along with working tradespeople. Take an interpreter-guided tour to see it all during the day or try one of the ghost tours at night.
Virginiaβs largest water park, , is also in Williamsburg. For water in the outdoors, is another must-see destination simply for the York RiverβsΜύrare balance of fresh water and salt water.
And, of course, U.S. history buffs could spend the whole summer exploring the , and the in Yorktown.
Visiting Michiganβs Adventure
Michiganβs Adventure, the stateβs largest water and amusement park, is just
over a three-hour drive from Detroit to Muskegon and features more than 60 rides, slides, and attractions for the entire family to enjoy.
On the amusementΜύpark side of things, there are seven roller coasters, including the 125-foot-long Shivering Timbers, which takes riders a half-mile out and back at speeds of up to 65 mph, and Michiganβs first suspended looping roller coaster, Thunderhawk.
boasts the title of the stateβs largest outdoor water park, featuring more than 15 water attractions. Among them is the stateβs only tornado slide, Funnel of Fear, which stands at a whopping 63 feet, and Snake Pit β a slide that features three different slides that are totally enclosed.
Both parks offer plentyΜύof family-friendly rides and slides, too. In fact, the park just welcomed a new kids area called Μύin 2021, which features five rides aimed at families, and this fall, theyβre unveiling spooky, not scary, Halloween fun at the all-new .
Michiganβs Adventure is located in Muskegon and will open for the 2023 season on May 26. WildWater Adventure will open on June 10. For more information, visit .
This story is part of the May 2023 issue of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit. Read more in our Digital Edition.
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