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Mar 16, 2016
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We’ve had a lot of negativity with the overhyped and worst stuff. Lets have one with bests!

Give me rides you thing don’t get the love they should, parks that people don’t talk enough about, and shows that aren’t seen enough.

**note - current rides/parks/shows only**
 
I’ll kick us off:
Ride - Ravine Flyer II. Such a fun experience. Not special in terms to height, speed, or anything like that but just a joy from start to end.

Park - Six Flags New England. Don’t hear many talk about it but it’s got such a good mix of rides and uses it’s limited space really well.

Show - Roaming bands at Hersheypark. They are just a unique thing and use college/high school musicians (last I knew).
 
SFA is an underrated park. No, I don't think it is the best park ever and it certainly has it's issues, as do all parks, but like another person here I see a lot of hate for SFA on various sites and I don't think it's deserved at all. It has some excellent coasters (my favorites at the park being Wild One, Batwing and Superman). I could also argue that Roar is under hyped. It's a solid wooden coaster and I hope it never gets converted into steel. Sure the layout of the park is iffy and the food is mostly terrible, but it's usually not crowded and the rides are good... not counting Firebird.
 
Ride - Copperhead Strike, the layout is so good I don't care about anyones complaints about the launch acceleration. If the layout wasn't INCREDIBLY fun then I would let the launch detract from the experience but the ride is fun as hell so I don't.

Park - SeaWorld San Antonio. Not sure what it is I really enjoyed my visit last June. Definitely worth checking out at least once.

Can't think of a ton of shows I had low expectations for but was surprised except MAYBE It's tough to be a bug! at Animal Kingdom.
 
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Ride - Rougarou (@Nicole have mercy on me)
I have no clue where any of the supposed roughness is, it’s got a forceful layout packed with interesting elements and inversions, and looks great over the water.

Park - Silverwood. I think it’s mostly due to how few people go to northern Idaho, but it’s so enjoyable and is just a charming, pleasant place to be. It has green space, good landscaping, good food, and some kickass rides.

Show - the original Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom. Maybe it’s because I didn’t know any better, but I remember this in its first iteration being quite pleasant with the water and somewhat low-key features like water projections. It also had a tranquil setting compared to the other Disney extravaganzas and I respect what it tried to do
 
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Oh, I agree that Rougarou isn’t rough. In fact, it is boring and forceless, in my opinion. I imagine it is because the layout was designed for a standup. A standup which didn’t deserve to be reincarnated as anything other than maybe a sewer pipe.
 
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Park - Six Flags New England. Don’t hear many talk about it but it’s got such a good mix of rides and uses it’s limited space really well.
Screw SFNE. Awful ops, closed rides early last time I was there, bad clientele, and just generally apathetic about the whole place. Wicked Cyclone and Superman are great and they do use the space well, but overall just no
 
Oh, I agree that Rougarou isn’t rough. In fact, it is boring and forceless, in my opinion. I imagine it is because the layout was designed for a standup. A standup which didn’t deserve to be reincarnated as anything other than maybe a sewer pipe.
Apologies for the double post, but:

I can give you the layout. I understand I’m in the minority who love the layouts of these stand ups (Green Lantern’s and Georgia Scorcher’s are also good, for that matter), but I cannot understand the lack of force argument. I will concede I was dehydrated and hot when I rode it, but I grayed out multiple times on it. I rode maverick a half hour later and didn’t gray out once.
 
Show - the original Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom. Maybe it’s because I didn’t know any better, but I remember this in its first iteration being quite pleasant with the water and somewhat low-key features like water projections. It also had a tranquil setting compared to the other Disney extravaganzas and I respect what it tried to do
I don't think I saw the "original" Rivers of Light, but we thoroughly enjoyed it when we saw it 4 years ago. I don't understand the displeasure over it. It was beautiful. The technology involved with projecting onto a water curtain, fountain on boats, and the fact that most boats are all remotely controlled was quite impressive on top of it.

Ride - Mystery Mine at Dollywood - this ride has it all. Outstanding theming, a storyline, animatronics, fire, unique cars, and even though it's not super tall and scary looking the outdoor section packs quite a punch,
 
Apologies for the double post, but:

I can give you the layout. I understand I’m in the minority who love the layouts of these stand ups (Green Lantern’s and Georgia Scorcher’s are also good, for that matter), but I cannot understand the lack of force argument. I will concede I was dehydrated and hot when I rode it, but I grayed out multiple times on it. I rode maverick a half hour later and didn’t gray out once.

I think everyone experiences forces differently. For example, I never gray out on coasters (including i305). Rougarou bored me, but I am sure others love it. Even if it replaced a demon spawn that should have been burned to the ground.
 
Screw SFNE. Awful ops, closed rides early last time I was there, bad clientele, and just generally apathetic about the whole place. Wicked Cyclone and Superman are great and they do use the space well, but overall just no

I actually came away with a fantastic impression of Six Flags New England after my trip late last year. Operations were really good, the other guests were generally nice and respectful, and I thought it had a bizarre amount of charm for a Six Flags park. I definitely consider it to be an underrated park.
 
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Ride: Shivering Timbers - Just a phenomenal ride that does warrant a trip to the park as hard as that is to justify

Family Ride: Merlin's Mayhem - Not a high thrill coaster but it does something "magical" and I love it

Park: Indiana Beach - I don't hear them talked about a ton but such a unique and awesome place. LoCoSuMo is worth the trip alone IMHO

Show: Spark at BGW - I'm a sucker for laser shows and many parks have had great ones in the past. Spark is the only one to ever come close to the SWOh laser show back in the 80s. Spark is a major reason for me going to BGW in the summer.

I also whole heartedly agree with the Ravine Flyer II and SFA comments above
 
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Family Ride: Merlin's Mayhem - Not a high thrill coaster but it does something "magical" and I love it

It's SO well-placed in the park and the queue is so goddamn cute! Sadly still can't speak to the ride experience though since it shut down due to weather before the train I was sitting in dispatched from the station and then never came back up before the park closed early due to the storm. 🙁
 
It's SO well-placed in the park and the queue is so goddamn cute! Sadly still can't speak to the ride experience though since it shut down due to weather before the train I was sitting in dispatched from the station and then never came up for the rest of the day. 🙁
You'll need to get back there sometime. Easier to justify now with a Palace Platinum pass 😄
I still maintain the one thing I said about MM -- there is a huge reminder of Volcano in it for me. I don't know if others will pick up on it or not but, for me, Volcano wasn't just about the launch and the roll out but the graceful feeling of how it floated around the top of the mountain. Merlin's Mayhem is the only coaster that has ever replicated that graceful feeling for me. My dream replacement for Volcano (aside from bringing Volcano back from the dead) would be a super sized Merlin's Mayhem with a launch..... I can't see it happening but that ride system and Joe Draves could really seriously do something special.
 
Green Lantern. Lately, we are all collectively reiterating how different everyone's experiences can be on the same ride, so I'll say that up front. But I hopped onto Green Lantern expecting it to be a painful mess, and instead was completely delighted by the experience. Total fun. My friend rode at the same time and said the same. Maybe we just caught it at particularly good times, but four thumbs up from us.

On the topic of standups, Riddler's Revenge was a total hoot when I last rode it. As complete a ride as any other, and huge for a standup. Loved it. I rarely hear anyone talk about it at all now.

Canyon Blaster. Solid drop, love the 180 turn from the loops to the entry of the corks. Clear design lineage from some of the original Arrow looper layouts, including the fairly tiny overall scale., But with updated rolling stock.
 
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Although I had low expectations, I really enjoyed seeing the shows at Six Flags America. The cast members all seemed to be enjoying themselves to a degree that’s rare in a theme park.

Most of the shows also had me laughing a lot. They had a lot of dad jokes and low budget humor, which was all very well played by the performers.
 
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I once visited this small amusement park on a peninsula in Ohio called Cedar Point. It had a decent little collection, I wish more people knew about it.
 
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Guys i‘m sorry if i‘ve been leaning into the more negative subjects. I can definitely change. And for an underhyped ride i’m gonna say Dominator at KD doesn’t get much love from what i’ve seen
 
Guys i‘m sorry if i‘ve been leaning into the more negative subjects. I can definitely change. And for an underhyped ride i’m gonna say Dominator at KD doesn’t get much love from what i’ve seen

I think if I remember seeing the videos from it's original home at Geauga Lake, it was weaving between buildings and provided some near-miss opportunities. KD's placement was kind of rushed and could stand to have more decoration to enhance it. However, as with most rides that have been moved from their original location and at that age, it's also a bit rattly too.
 
I'm not 100% sure it counts as under hyped, but Medusa (formerly Bizzaro, formerly Medusa) at SFGAdv is a really great ride that I enjoyed way more than I was expecting, so for me personally it was under-hyped before I rode it the first time. Very fun inversions and nice effects. Not very head-bangy. Tended to have a short line too due to its out of the way placement in the park. But with the re-theme I imagine it's going to have longer lines this season.
 
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