I must admit my roller coaster days may be behind me at this point, but in my "day," I got a chance to ride some of the best in America. I think it all began with a thrilling coaster at Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Lightening Loops opened on May 23rd, 1978. Lightening Loops was the first coaster that I ever rode that went upside down! This was unheard of in the 70s. There were two coasters and one flipped over the other. Lightening loops was a quick ride, not very long in duration, but it paved the way for others that have brought new heights, speed, and flips to the coaster world.

 

 

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Lightening Loops was 56 feet tall and traveled at 45 m.p.h., this was so intense for myself and my friends. We were 13 and this was roller coaster heaven. Fast-forward to today and the scene has changed at Six Flags - Great Adventure. Today's tallest coaster is 456 feet tall and hits a speed of approximately 128 m.p.h. Wow! What a difference.

 

 

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Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster in the world and it is the fastest coaster in North America. I have ridden on Kingda Ka and it is an experience! Kingda Ka takes off blasting down the track at speeds near 130 m.p.h. as it pushes you back against your seat and blasts off. After you fly at these speeds down the track you then push straight up and you keep going up, up, and up until you hit the peak of nearly 460 feet (tallest coaster on planet Earth) in the air. Then you quickly plunge down and come back to the ground. It is a thrilling ride and after having been on this coaster in the past, my days on Kingda Ka are over lol

 

 

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So this summer if you wanna be in the record books, and you have the stomach lol, then take a ride on Kingda Ka at Six Flags - Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

 

Offbeat adventures: Travel to the coolest hidden wonders in every U.S. state

Fuel your offbeat travel dreams. Stacker found the coolest hidden wonders in all 50 U.S. states (plus D.C.) using data from Atlas Obscura.

[WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter private or abandoned property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing.]

 

LOOK: Oldest Disneyland Rides From 1955 to Today

Stacker, set out to compile a definitive list of every Disneyland attraction you can enjoy today and ranked them by their age. Using real-time data from Touring Plans, Disney archives, and historical news releases and reviews, our list starts with exciting recent park additions and stretches back to the oldest opening-day classics. This list focuses on the original Disneyland Park, so you will not see any rides from its neighboring California Adventure located just across the promenade. Read on to discover the oldest Disneyland rides you can still ride today.

 

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