USA TODAY 10Best
Best New Amusement Park Attraction: Cedar Point's Valravn!
Best New Amusement Park Attraction (2017)
Each new year brings highly anticipated new attractions to amusement parks across North America. 10Best teamed up with a panel of amusement park experts to nominate the 20 best attractions to debut in 2016. We then asked USA TODAY and 10Best readers to vote for their favorites, and after four weeks of voting, the results are in.
The top 10 winners in the category Best New Amusement Park Attraction are as follows:
- The Monster - Adventureland Park - Des Moines
- The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster - Islands of Adventure - Orlando
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - Universal Studios Hollywood - Los Angeles
- Mako - SeaWorld Orlando
- Mass Effect: New Earth - California's Great America - Santa Clara, Calif.
- Cobra's Curse - Busch Gardens - Tampa
- Phobia Phear Coaster - Lake Compounce - Bristol, Conn.
- Lightning Rod - Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
- Storm Chaser - Kentucky Kingdom - Louisville
- Valravn - Cedar Point - Sandusky, Ohio
Photo courtesy of Adventureland Park
No. 10:
The Monster, the newest rollercoaster at Adventureland Park, takes guests for a thrilling ride along 2,500 feet of track at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. Five inversions along the way ensure adrenaline will be pumping.
Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort
No. 9:
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster at Islands of Adventure recently re-opened after undergoing a massive transformation. Passengers launch at speeds up to 67 miles per hour and twist through a zero gravity roll on this enhanced, high-speed thriller.
Photo courtesy of David Sprague/Universal Studios Hollywood
No. 8:
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has officially opened at Universal Studios Hollywood, and that means fans can explore the halls of Hogwarts aboard Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a motion-based dark ride.
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando
No. 7:
Guests looking for thrills at SeaWorld Orlando will find them aboard the park's newest rollercoaster, Mako. Orlando's tallest and fastest coaster gets its name from one of the world's fastest sharks — appropriate for a thrill ride reaching speeds of 73 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of California's Great America
No. 6:
Video game aficionados will find something familiar at California's Great America this year. The park recently opened Mass Effect: New Earth, a 4D holographic adventure through the world of the popular EA game.
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
No. 5:
On Cobra's Curse, a new thrill ride at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, riders come face to face with the 80-foot Snake King before racing down 2,100 feet of track for three and a half minutes of forward, backward and free-spinning fun.
Photo courtesy of Lake Compounce
No. 4:
Phobia Phear Coaster, the first triple launch roller coaster in the Northeast, debuted at Lake Compounce earlier this year. Measuring 15 stories tall, the coaster takes passengers on a thrill ride at up to 65 miles per hour with a cobra roll inversion 150 feet in the air.
No. 3:
Lightning Rod, the world's fastest wooden coaster, opened at Dollywood earlier this year. Themed after a 1950s hot rod, the roller coaster tops out at speeds of more than 73 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Kentucky Kingdom
No. 2:
Kentucky Kingdom's newest addition, Storm Chaser, is the first coaster in the country to feature a barrel roll drop from a 10-story lift hill (and it's nearly perpendicular). The attraction's iBox track makes for a super smooth ride.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Sternberg
No. 1:
Valravn, Cedar Point's newest thrill, takes the form of the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster on the planet. The coaster, inspired by a mythological creature from Danish folklore, reaches speeds of 75 miles per hour.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Joel Bullock (TheCoasterCritic.com) and Robert Niles (ThemeParkInsider.com) were chosen based on their expertise of the amusement park world.
Congratulations to all these winning attractions, and remember to keep this list handy when planning your 2017 amusement park travels.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Joel Bullock
Joel Bullock has been delivering opinionated
Joel Bullock has been delivering opinionated roller coaster reviews, theme park reviews and giving coaster enthusiast's take on all of the latest theme park news for almost 9 years. He's a sought after expert on all things theme park, appearing on numerous news programs to share his experiences and give advice.
Joel Bullock
Joel Bullock has been delivering opinionated roller coaster reviews, theme park reviews and giving coaster enthusiast's take on all of the latest theme park news for almost 9 years. He's a sought after expert on all things theme park, appearing on numerous news programs to share his experiences and give advice.
Robert Niles
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of Read More
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, an online consumers' guide to the world's leading theme and amusement parks, read by more than 400,000 people each month. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and was a Webby Award finalist and winner of the Online Journalism Award, presented by the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member and has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and website editor for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.
Robert Niles
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, an online consumers' guide to the world's leading theme and amusement parks, read by more than 400,000 people each month. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and was a Webby Award finalist and winner of the Online Journalism Award, presented by the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member and has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and website editor for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.
