Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

I am from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, and Dorney Park is an amusement park super close to me. When I was in middle school, everyone would get season passes to the park and spend practically every day of the summer there. Even though I hate roller coasters (I have ridden one twice in my life- liked it the first time, hated it the second time and thus, never again) I still would get a pass to be able to hang out with my friends and ride some of the smaller rides.

My favorite ride was the Musik Express. It’s basically a big parachute with cars at the end, and it spins you around in a circle while sending you up and down a track. It was my favorite because it went fast but still stayed relatively close to the ground. Plus, it always made my friends and I laugh since the centripetal force of the ride would smash whoever was on the outside with the weight of everyone on the inside.

Although I am not a fan of heights, I did enjoy riding the Ferris Wheel since it goes so slow. I also liked the Whip since it was similar to the Musik Express, but instead of being a constant circular spin, it whips you around all the corners. The Wild Mouse is an extreme version of the Whip, seeing that instead of being flat on the ground, it takes you through a vertical maze of twists and turns.

Now onto what you’ve all been waiting for – the roller coasters. The only rollercoaster I have ever ridden was Thunder Hawk, an old wooden coaster built in 1923 (probably not my best choice as a first ride). A crowd favorite is definitely Steel Force, the first roller coaster to break 200 feet on the East Coast. This coaster reaches a top speed of 75 miles per hour and the highest drop is 205 feet tell (54 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty)[1]. One last honorable mention is Talon, the tallest and longest inverted roller coaster in the Northeast. Some key elements include a zero-gravity roll, an inclined spiral, S-curve, corkscrew spin, and simultaneous loop and roll [2]. How nauseating!

What’s cool about Dorney Park is that they also have a waterpark. I have only been once (water parks really gross me out) but I can still dish out a few recommendations. My favorite wet and wild ride is their log flume – Thunder Creek Mountain (who doesn’t love a good log flume?). Thunder Canyon (why do so many of their rides have to do with thunder?) is a more intense version since you’re traveling down river rapids in an 8 person raft (caution: you will certainly get wet). Besides their other water rides, they have tons of slides and a wave pool too [3]! Two parks for the price of one, who wouldn’t want to check this place out? Book your trip to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom today!

[1] “Steel Force Roller Coaster.” Dorney Park, http://www.dorneypark.com/play/rides/steel-force.

[2] “Talon Roller Coaster.” Dorney Park, http://www.dorneypark.com/play/rides/talon.

[3] “Rides.” Dorney Park, http://www.dorneypark.com/play/rides.

Photo: “You’ll Love the Coasters at Dorney Park.” TripSavvy, TripSavvy, http://www.tripsavvy.com/dorney-park-pennsylvania-3226027.