As a massive thrill seeker, I have always loved roller coasters. I have even gone to theme parks to ride a specific rollercoaster! There’s nothing like the building anticipation, the wind in your face, and the rush of adrenaline. If you love roller coasters as much as I do, you’ll LOVE my top 10!
10 – Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Disney’s Hollywood Studios needs little introduction for this stellar coaster. Who doesn’t love an indoor roller coaster? This super smooth ride shoots off with an acceleration of 0 to 57mph in less than 3 seconds. Riders experience 5Gs with corkscrews, loops, and a serpent roll while jamming to Aerosmith’s greatest hits. What’s not to love?
9 – Expedition Everest
Another stellar Disney coaster, Expedition Everest is located at Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Fun fact: this roller coaster was actually the most expensive in the world until 2019 when it was beaten by Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (also in Orlando!).
Following the story of a fictional “Himalayan Escapes” tour company, guests are surrounded by props and realia of trekking Everest and mysterious sitings of a Yeti during the waiting queue. The ride itself is full of twists and turns around a massive mountain (the tallest ride in all of Disney!). Suddenly, you are faced with the dangerous Yeti as he rips up the track and you are forced back through the mountain to escape! I love the attention to detail in this ride and the story that goes with it.
8 – Rip Ride Rockit
Another of Orlando’s roller coasters, Rip Ride Rockit is located at Universal Studios Orlando. The ride is full of inversions, speed, and drops. However, my favorite part of the ride is getting to choose your own music! On Rip Ride Rockit, riders get to choose their own song to listen to during the ride. My top 2 choices: The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Kickstart my Heart. This ride is a fan favorite at Universal and is especially fun at night when the ride is completely lit up!
7 – The Voyage
As the only wooden roller coaster on this list, The Voyage is a favorite of mine. Located at the small theme park Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana (yes, really!), The Voyage was ranked as the world’s best wooden coaster until 2011.
The Voyage is in the Thanksgiving section of Holiday World, a theme park separated into various holidays. The coaster is supposed to mimic the voyage of the pilgrims to the Americas.
The Voyage is a very long roller coaster at over 2 minutes of ride time. It starts with 3 massive hills before twisting through underground tunnels and turns. For a small and not super well-known theme park, this coaster is incredible!
6 – Top Thrill Dragster
Edit: As of September 7th, 2022, Top Thrill Dragster is being scrapped and replaced with another coaster at Cedar Point
Cedar Point opened this adrenaline-inducing coaster in 2003 as the world’s tallest coaster at the time. It was the very first roller coaster in the world to break 400ft (120m) in height. The super short, but intense, ride launches riders to a speed of 120mph (190km/h) in less than 4 seconds. Immediately upon reaching the max speed, you ascend a 90-degree incline with a vertical corkscrew, before reaching the 420ft (130m) tall peak, and falling down another 90-degree decline with yet another corkscrew.
That’s it. That’s the entire ride. But this roller coaster is so intense, so scary, that I HAD to add it to my list!
5 – The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster
This superhero-themed coaster is located at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. After its renovations in 2016, this coaster got moved up on my list!
Riders walk through a lab run by General Thaddeus Ross and watch as they change into hulks themselves. Once on the ride, you become “angry”, completing your transformation into the world’s most loved green monster.
With seven inversions, subterranean dives, and a launch through a gamma core, this ride is incredible for Marvel lovers!
4 – Mr. Freeze Roller Roaster
This coaster is actually located in two different theme parks: Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags Over Texas. Both rides feature a 0 to 70mph (110km/h) launch at the beginning of the ride, with both forward and backward facing cars. Of the two parks, I have only visited Six Flags St. Louis, but I always have so much fun on this ride!
Riders enter an abandoned ice cream factory, now the hideout of one of Batman’s most infamous supervillains. Riders can choose either forward or rear-facing cars but will go through the entire ride in both directions regardless! After spiraling through several inversions, riders climb a spike, then free-fall and go through the entire ride again in the opposite direction.
3 – SheiKra
SheiKra is a steel dive coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa in Tampa, Florida. Although the entire ride is fun, my favorite part is what happens at the very beginning! Riders climb the 200ft (61m) incline and are stopped, forced to peer down the immense 90-degree drop as they hear the cry of the SheiKra.
SheiKra was the very first dive coaster to be constructed in the United States. It was also the first US coaster to include both a splashdown and an Immelmann loop. SheiKra, like other rides at Busch Gardens, is named and based on a wild animal; in this case, the shikra, an Asian-African hawk that dives vertically for its prey.
Busch Gardens Tampa remains one of my all-time favorite theme parks in the world! It is home to six massive roller coasters and doubles as an AZA-accredited zoo.
2 – Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
The world exploded in excitement when Universal Orlando announced its newest addition: a steel coaster that follows our beloved Hagrid and his magical creatures around Hogwarts. This roller coaster has multiple launches, drops, and stellar animatronics that tells the story of Hogwart’s eccentric groundskeeper and magical creature lover: Rubeus Hagrid.
For this coaster, the line is almost as entertaining as the ride! Hagrid and Bill Weasley are tinkering with the magical motorbike to take us muggles through the Forbidden Forest to see some of these incredible creatures.
Deemed a “story coaster”, riders listen to the voice of Hagrid to run, observe and cast magical spells on various creatures you see during the ride. This coaster shocked me with its speed and surprises! It’s an absolute must-ride at Universal Orlando.
1 – Millennium Force
The very first major roller coaster I ever rode was Millenium Force at Cedar Point. Upon its completion in 2000, it broke several world records and was the world’s tallest coaster at the time at 310ft (94m). This super smooth coaster does NOT go upside down but tops at a speed of 93mph (150km/h). Millennium Force’s sheer 300ft (91m) drop, speed, and length of the ride make it my all-time favorite, and most memorable, roller coaster.
Obviously, a good number of my favorite roller coasters are located in Orlando, Florida. To knock out some of these coasters, why not plan a trip? Be sure to check out my Nerd’s Guide to Universal’s Harry Potter Park before visiting!
What about you? What are your favorite roller coasters in the US? Let me know in the comments!
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I grew up going to Cedar Point and I can definately say that Millenium Force is the BEST roller coaster I’ve ever ridden. I’m SO GLAD you put it on this list! (I literally came looking for it) :)
It’s such an overlooked roller coaster! It was the first major steel roller coaster I ever rode and it will forever be my all-time favorite. Thanks for reading!