RampagingRex Productions

25/11/2025

I've been in Florida for the past week! Among other things, one of the main reasons I was there was to get my final rides on an Animal Kingdom opening day attraction: Dinosaur. Originally named Countdown to Extinction (CTX) but later renamed to promote the 2000 movie, this was the ride I was most excited about when I visited Walt Disney World for the first time back in 2004.
Situated at the back of Dinoland USA, the attraction is housed inside the fictitious Dino Institute, a museum and research facility. The queue winds its way through museum exhibits focusing on species that did not survive the K-T Mass Extinction event; the asteroid that wiped out most life on Earth. It is here that we see a reconstructed skeleton of a Carnotaurus, the main antagonist of the attraction. Upon entering the orientation room, Dr Helen Marsh, the director of the Institute (played by Phylicia Rashad) informs guests that they will be taking a tour back to the early Cretaceous Period aboard the Time Rover, a new time-traveling vehicle developed by the Institute. However, the stream is soon hijacked by Dr. Grant Seeker (played by Wallace Langham), who explains that he plans to send the guests to late Cretaceous Period, mere minutes before the asteroid impact, to rescue an Iguanadon (revealed to be Aladar from the 2000 film) and transport it back to the present.
Riders proceed down to the loading bay, and the ride that follows is a fast, frantic journey through a dark jungle where riders encounter a variety of impressive animatronic dinosaurs, including the carnivorous Carnotaurus, who pursues the guests for the bulk of the ride. In the end, riders are successful in locating the Iguanadon just in the nick of time, and manage to narrowly avoid a final attack from the Carnotaurus just as the asteroid impacts the Earth.
Since I first rode it 21 years ago, Dinosaur always stuck out to me as a ride that seemed to not fit the mold of what a Disney attraction should be, in the best way possible. For one thing, it can be pretty scary, especially for kids. The ride is extremely dark, and dinosaurs are not illuminated until they're nearly right in front of you. The Carnotaurus alone was enough to make kids cry during my final few rides. Also, this ride is LOUD. There are dinosaurs roaring, asteroids raining down all around you, the squealing of the Time Rover's tires, plus Dr. Seeker's frantic narration going all at the same time. This is also a ride that uses Disney's patented EMVs (Enhanced Motion Vehicles), so that means you're getting tossed and thrown left and right while riding. I definitely don't recommend trying to get a POV of the ride unless you have a death grip on your camera/phone. The rocking motions actually used to be MORE intense when the ride was Countdown to Extinction, but they were toned down when it was renamed.
Dinosaur proudly uses two things that frighten kids, and it even advertises this on the sign outside: dark places and scary dinosaurs. For this reason, I always imagined this ride fitting in better at a park like Universal instead of Disney. However, I commend the Imagineers of the late 90s for opting for an intense, frantic journey over a calm, relaxing tour into the past. Despite how scary it was at first, I loved it as a kid and I love it even more now.
Sadly, Dinosaur's time has run out, as Disney have already started clearing out Dinoland USA in preparation for their new Tropical Americas area. Dinosaur and Restaurantosaurus are the only areas of Dinoland still operating, and their last day will be February 1, 2026 (the day before my birthday. Thanks, guys.). I'm very glad I got to take my final rides on Dinosaur, though I hope this isn't the last time we see dinosaurs in Animal Kingdom. The park was intended to be a celebration of all animals; prehistoric, present, and mythical, and I believe that dinosaurs do still have a place here. Kids have always loved dinosaurs and always will, so hopefully there will be a new dinosaur-themed attraction down the line. But will it be as scary and intense as CTX? Probably not.

12/11/2025

Dollywood, Kennywood, and now Silverwood. Herschend have snatched up another park to add to their portfolio, and while I would normally be upset to see yet another family-owned park get absorbed under a corporate umbrella, Herschend seems to be the best-case scenario here. I was glad to see them purchase Kennywood, and I feel pretty confident that they will update and improve Silverwood without making it too corporate. Plus, if my Kennywood pass could get me into Silverwood, that would be even better. I've wanted to visit here for years (mostly for their giant inverted boomerang), so bring on the multi-park pass and I'll be there day one. Plus, any park kept out of the hands of Six Flags is a win if you ask me.

After more than three decades as a proud family-owned and operated park, Silverwood is preparing for a new chapter. We’ve signed an exclusive term sheet for Herschend, the world’s largest family-held themed attractions company, to purchase Silverwood.

This wasn’t a decision made lightly—but it’s one made with confidence, gratitude, and love. We believe Herschend is the right steward to carry forward everything that makes Silverwood so special. They are an organization whose values, purpose, and people-first culture deeply align with our own.

To our guests, team, and community—thank you. We’re not going anywhere. We’re growing in a way that honors where we’ve been and builds toward an even brighter future.

Learn More: https://sw4.fun/Herschend

09/11/2025

Here's a Gimbels glowup for you: 2019 vs 2025. They definitely put in the work this year.

06/11/2025

It's only been a few days since Six Flags America closed, but already rumors are circulating about the fate of some of the park's coasters. One popular rumor that seems to be getting a bit of traction postulates that Joker's Jinx and Ragin' Cajun will become parts donors, while Skywinder and Great Chase are being auctioned off for relocation. Meanwhile, a few photos have made their way around allegedly showing demolition already beginning on Batwing.
Batwing getting demolished already I can absolutely believe. The coaster closed way before the rest of the park and there was no chance of it being relocated. Same goes for Joker's Jinx; many enthusiasts including myself predicted that it would become a parts donor for the other Premier launch coasters in the chain like the Flight of Fear coasters and Poltergeist. I am, however, surprised to see Ragin' Cajun being parted out. I would have assumed this would be an easy relocation, being a compact Wild Mouse and all. Great Chase will definitely be an easy sell to another small park that could use it.
It's no less sad to see the park starting to be slowly dismantled. It elicits similar feelings to seeing the demolition of AstroWorld in 2005. The last few days my feed has been flooded with posts about Six Flags America from other enthusiasts and amusement park fans, and I'm glad to see the park received so much support in its final days. Hopefully at least a few of its rides can live on at other parks. Except for Firebird, please tear that down.

02/11/2025

Last night was the final night of the year for Kennywood's Phantom Fall Fest, and the first time to my knowledge that the park has continued the event after Halloween, though only by one day. The park offered a unique walkthrough haunt version of the Ghostwood Estate dark ride, which ran for this weekend only. It was pretty busy but still not even close to some of the previous Saturdays in October. I managed to get my final rides in on most of the coasters, including last ride of the year on Phantom's Revenge. I'm sad for the season to end, but at least there's still Holiday Lights to look forward to for some Christmas vibes, and we won't have long to wait since it starts in less than two weeks!

29/10/2025

It's time for another new video! Back on October 12, I returned to Stricker's Grove in Hamilton, OH for their customer appreciation day, and decided to film the whole day with a twist. I brought along my late-90's-era VHS camcorder to capture the day with a vintage aesthetic. I even brought it on some of the rides! So join me and my friends for a day of shenanigans at one of the most charming old-school parks I've ever been to.

On October 12, I returned to Stricker's Grove and decided to film the whole day... but with a catch. Stricker's is a very vintage-feeling park, and what bett...

19/10/2025

I have a new video up over on the YouTube channel! Six Flags America has almost closed for good, but I still made some time to sneak in a visit back in August. The park is by no means a hidden gem, but there was still a lot of fun to be had. Watch my whole trip report below!

Time is almost up for Six Flags America, but I was able to fit in one last visit to the park to get my final rides and of course a bunch of last-minute foota...

08/09/2025

I'm sad to see that Six Flags America have officially confirmed the end of Batwing, and by extension, the extinction of the Vekoma Flying Dutchman. Batwing was one of only three Vekoma Flying Dutchman coasters ever built; the other two being Stealth at California's Great America (relocated to Carowinds as Nighthawk) and X-Flight at Geauga Lake (relocated to Kings Island as Firehawk). Batwing was the only one of the three I ever got to ride, and I still swear that it was the best flying coaster I've ever been on. Sure it was pretty shaky, but I didn't find it painful, and that vertical loop was absolutely unreal. What I'd give to ride it again, but that's not happening now. Ahead of the whole park's closure in November, Six Flags America have made the decision to retire Batwing early, as it's been SBNO for at least a month after an incident where the zero car's cover came off during a ride cycle. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm glad I got to ride it at least once. To commemorate Batwing's closure, enjoy some photos I took of it during my previous visit in 2019, and my final visit a few weeks ago.

26/08/2025

My final visit to Six Flags America!
By now it's common knowledge that Six Flags America in Bowie, MD is closing forever after this season, so I had to make time for one last visit! I've been here once before back in 2019, but my goal this time aside from riding as much as I could was to document everything that caught my eye.
Six Flags America has long had a reputation as one of the weaker parks in the Six Flags chain, and this is because the park has seen minimal investment since the early 2000s when it first took on the Six Flags name. Under normal circumstances this would make it seem tired and dated, but given the park's impending closure, what I found instead was a glorious time capsule of an era of Six Flags that has long since passed.

When walking in to Six Flags America, the first thing I noticed is the park's beautiful entrance plaza. It's full of that 1700's colonial-era architecture that really drives home the whole American theme, and the music playing overhead was also period-accurate and was wonderful overall. It makes a great first impression! Venturing further into the park, I found that it has a rather strange layout. There are a lot of themed areas that lead to dead ends, forcing you to backtrack. Steamtown, Looney Tunes Movie Town, and Gotham City are all guilty of this, but I didn't mind since I'm used to a lot of walking.

Not counting relocations, Six Flags America has not received an original ground-up roller coaster since Batwing in 2001. This made the ride lineup feel trapped in time, so to speak, but that was certainly not a bad thing. Powerhouse coasters like Superman: Ride of Steel can still hold their own against more modern thrill machines (although I think I prefer Darien Lake's iteration over SFA's just because of the location). I was fortunate that Superman reopened the day before my visit, as it had been closed for weeks before. Sadly it looks like it will be running with one train for the rest of the season, but it's better than being closed.
Speaking of being closed, Batwing is completely dead, and it looks like it will stay that way. This was a real shame, as it was my favorite coaster in the park back in 2019, and it likely still would have been if it was open. I will be shocked if Batwing gets relocated after the park closes. I feel pretty confident saying that the Vekoma Flying Dutchman is now officially extinct, which hurts to say. I always preferred them over the B&M flying coasters.
The standout coaster for me on this trip was Wild One, the park's trademark wooden roller coaster which dates back to 1917. Now make no mistake, the coaster has been relocated and modified over the years, so how much of it is accurate to how it was in 1917 I can't be sure of. What I can say though, is that this is one phenomenal wooden coaster. The layout has it all, great drops, moments of airtime, near-misses with ride supports, laterals, and one turn that will catch you off guard if you're not prepared. I'm so upset that this will likely be torn down once the season concludes. If one coaster at Six Flags America gets saved, I hope it's this one.
Not far away is Joker's Jinx, a Premier Rides LIM spaghetti-bowl coaster. This was the best Premier launch coaster I've ever been on, and it beats Flight of Fear for sure. I went in expecting a shaky ride, but it was relatively smooth overall, the launch was forceful, and it had a great sense of speed right up until the end. We even overshot the brakes and ended up getting stuck on the brake run for like ten minutes. It really was a Six Flags day! Sadly Joker's Jinx will likely become a parts donor for the other Premier coasters in the chain, but as it stands, I thought it was great.
Those were the standout coasters to me, but Six Flags America has more where that came from. Roar is a pretty by-the-numbers GCI wooden coaster. It's not terrible, it just doesn't do much. There's no airtime, a bunch of turns, and it just kind of wanders through the layout. There's no way this thing's getting saved.
Ragin' Cajun actually surprised me with just how much it spun. This may just be the most I've ever spun on a Wild Mouse, and it was hilarious. It may be a pretty common coaster, but it was worth the wait to me. The jazz playing on the lift hill was a nice touch too.
Professor Screamore's Skywinder, formerly Mind Eraser, received a repaint and some new trains last year as a part of the short-lived SteamTown expansion. The new trains are definitely an improvement, but when you get right down to it, it's still a Vekoma SLC, so you're in for a shaky uncomfortable mess. At the very least, it went from a once and done to something I might consider riding again.

Firebird is an abomination and I hate it. Please tear it down.

Earlier I mentioned that Six Flags America feels like a park stuck in the early 2000s. Well, nowhere is that more obvious than in Looney Tunes Movie Town, the park's kids area. The whole area has definitely seen minimal updates in the last 25 years, with old signage still proudly displayed, and statues based on decades-old iterations of classic characters. Paint was fading and you could see the cracks starting to form, but you know what? I loved it! For a moment, I felt like a kid again, transported back to Looney Tunes Boomtown at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, which I ran around in 2001. It was a feeling I've not experienced in quite some time, and I spent a solid hour wandering back and forth through the land, reminiscing about my other local amusement park lost to time. Near the back of the kids area, tucked into a corner, was an unassuming-looking building called the Looney Tunes Prop Warehouse. I thought it was a gift shop, but a closer inspection revealed it to be a Gotcha Games, very similar to the one that used to be at Geauga Lake. It wasn't open to the public, but I was dumbfounded that this was still standing, as it seemed like something the current Six Flags management would have bulldozed long ago. Looking in through the netted windows, I remembered climbing a nearly-identical set of mesh steps at Geauga Lake 24 years before, in order to reach the second level and shoot foam balls at my parents. I sure didn't expect it going in, but Six Flags America sent me on a nostalgia trip the likes of which I'll probably never experience again.

Sadly things weren't all positive. The weakest aspect of the park was the operations, as they were horrendously slow. We sat on the brake run of Wild One for ten minutes before they sent the other train and allowed us to disembark. Ride ops across the park took their sweet time checking restraints, which caused lines to build up fast even on coasters running two trains. The park also seemed to be overtaken with swarms of bees and wasps. They were all over the place! I even got stung by one while going up Skywinder's lift hill. Just when I thought you couldn't make an SLC even more unpleasant! There were also a few areas of the park that just smelled like straight sewage, so that was gross, mostly near Shipwreck Falls.

Overall, I find it a shame that Six Flags did not continue to invest in this park, instead leaving it to stagnate with minimal investment over the last 20 years. The park has a ton of land surrounding it which could have been used for expansion, but this was not the case, and now none of this will exist in the near future. I'm glad I got to visit one last time, and I had a lot of fun all things considered. I don't think Six Flags America is as bad as everyone has been saying for years. It's clearly one of the weaker Six Flags parks but there are still some good rides in its lineup. It'll be interesting to see which of these rides will get a new lease on life at other parks in the chain. For now though, Six Flags America will finish out its final season, with the last day being November 2. I'm sad to see it go, but with this new management, I have a bad feeling it won't be the last park in the chain to close.

22/08/2025

20 years ago today, Six Flags New Orleans was open for the final time. The park was scheduled to open once again the following weekend, but these plans were changed in response to the impending Hurricane Katrina.

We all know what happened after that.

After being open for only five years, the park would remain in an abandoned state, becoming an icon in the aftermath of the deadly hurricane. Despite increased security in recent years, urban explorers continued to descend on the park, documenting what remained as nature quickly reclaimed the land.

After nearly two decades of failed redevelopment proposals, demolition of the park finally began in 2024 in preparation for the new Bayou Phoenix project, bringing an end to one of the longest-standing reminders of Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

I've been obsessed with the park ever since I discovered it through YouTube videos in 2012. That fixation led to my roller coaster obsession, and also my 2015 documentary on the history of Six Flags New Orleans which is still the most-viewed video on my channel. I'm sad to see the park demolished, but I hope what replaces it can be successful and bring some life back to New Orleans East.

31/07/2025

It's time for a new video! Earlier this year I traveled to Las Vegas, NV and in addition to the usual tourist stops, I searched out all the coasters Vegas has to offer. There used to be over ten coasters in the Vegas area, but now we're down to only three. So... are they any good? Two are, and one is pretty divisive. Check out my new video below for all my thoughts!

Roller coasters are certainly not the first thing most people think of when they hear about Las Vegas, and despite most of Vegas' coasters being long gone ov...