Tag: Paramount Parks

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VOLCANO: The Blast Coaster – An Expedition into the Most Explosive Coaster on Earth

Four hundred years ago, the precursor of the modern roller coaster was born. So-called “Russian mountains” were rudimentary by today’s standards, sending riders careening down frigid slopes constructed of ice and supported by wood. It’s appropriate that one of the defining roller coasters of today’s thrills was the opposite in every way: hanging from blazing steel track and racing through the fiery heart of a volcano.

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TOMB RAIDER: THE RIDE – Unearthing the World’s Most Mysterious Abandoned Adventure

Rocketing toward razor sharp icicles, hanging face-first over bubbling lava pits, dropping through fog from volcanic vents, escaping death at the hands of a menacing lost goddess… Sounds like the kind of production only Disney or Universal could manage, right? But this stunning attraction based on an internationally renowned franchise was located in a most unexpected place… The Midwest. And what’s more, this one-of-a-kind dark ride was so mysterious – its secrets so well-guarded – that guests didn’t know what kind of ride it was, even once they were seated and strapped in. 

And with that promise, we can set course for another entry in our Lost Legends series. From The Peoplemover to Alien Encounter; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Journey into Imagination and dozens more, we’re on an international Imagineering expedition of our own, telling the incredible tales behind closed classics and fan-favorites. And while it’s not often we find an attraction exceptional enough to inspire a trip outside of the destination parks we know and love, this one is worth the journey into the unknown…

Image: Paramount

Today, we’re going to go behind-the-scenes of one of the most mysterious and unique rides to have ever existed at all, much less outside of Disney or Universal’s watch. In 2002, Paramount’s Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio became home to TOMB RAIDER: The Ride. At more than $20 million, this blockbuster attraction exceeded all expectations of what a seasonal theme park could produce. And barely a decade later, it was gone forever. How? Let’s unearth the ruins of this Lost Legend together…

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SON OF BEAST: The Fall of the World’s Tallest, Fastest, and Only Looping Wooden Roller Coaster

Have you ever had the crushing, gut-wrenching feeling that you were waist-deep wading, into a mistake? Have you ever had that stinging sensation when you realize the project you’re working on is hopeless? How do you know when it’s too late too turn back? How much time, energy, and (gulp) money can you spend on a decision that’s doomed? And how do your paper over your mistakes in the meantime?

Today, our Lost Legends series sets its sights on one of the most massive roller coasters ever imagined; a record-breaking, unimaginable engineering marvel meant to serve as the “sequel” to a beloved, generations-old favorite. Together, we’ll unravel the almost-unbelievable story of one of the most wild rides the world has ever seen: SON OF BEAST, the tallest, fastest, and only looping wooden roller coaster on Earth.

Towering over the skyline, Son of Beast shattered records and nerves. And just a decade after its debut, the wooden skeleton of this gargantuan icon stood, abandoned, over one of the most visited parks in North America, never to run again. Son of Beast burned bright and fast, and today, we’ll ride through the legacy of this unbelievable engineering marvel and the ultra-extreme ride experience it offered.

So, did the sequel stand up to the original? We’ll leave that to you to decide…

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