With weeks of studying for final exams still looming, many students may think summer is still far off. But the truth is summer will be here in a blink of an eye, and it will be time to take a trip to an amusement park.
“Summer is the best time to go because it’s warm out, it’s shorts weather, and you have the time to go there and have a good time,” Sydney Crossfield ’14 said.
There is nothing like wearing hot pink Soffee shorts, a Sugarlips tank top, and Havaianas flip flops on a hot summer day and cooling off by riding the Splash Mountain log flume ride.
But don’t forget about the deliciously unhealthy food that brings back nostalgic memories for the simpler times of childhood.
“After going on the teacup ride, I like having pizza or mac and cheese,” Joey Schulman ’14 said, and Campbell Marsh ’16 added, “The sweet smell of funnel cake can bring back the memory of going to fairs when I was younger.”
Amusement parks also offer delightfully sticky desserts such as fried Oreo cookies, churos, and coconut cake.
Yet, everyone knows that the rides at amusement parks are the main attraction. Six Flags is the go-to amusement park for most Staples students, where Kingda Ka and Bizarro are the “must ride” roller coasters. Kingda Ka climbs 456 feet high and it lasts for a thrilling 52 seconds.
“You get the thrill of shooting up so fast and then feeling superior when you get off the ride, knowing you accomplished something so scary,” Alexa Davis’15 said.
However, if you’re looking for a longer ride, Bizarro extends the excitement for 3:15 minutes while taking you through seven inversions, including a vertical loop, a dive loop, a zero-gravity roll, a cobra roll, two interlocked cork screws, and a high-speed helix.
But if you have exhausted yourself riding the nearby coasters and are looking for new rides and adventures, here are some suggestions:
In Texas, there is the Mr. Freeze ride. It is the longest roller coaster in the United States, with 1,480 feet of track.
At Denmark’s famous Tivoli Gardens, you could ride one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the World. The coaster’s name is Rutschebanen and it is infamous for having a brakeman to operate. That means, the coaster is so old that there is a man whose job it is to ride in a designated seat and pull the brake in order to control the speed and to bring the train to a stop at the end of the ride.
For all you speed demons out there, Australia is the place to go for the world’s fastest ride: The Tower of Terror. Reaching a top speed of 100 mph, you just might feel like you’re flying.
While it is undeniable that the park rides are delight and the food is unhealthily delicious, the memories of time spent with friends is truly the greatest part about visiting an amusement park.
“I love going to an amusement park,” Schulman’14 said. “You can hang out with friends, play games, try to pick up girls, and enjoy the moment.”
