Coaster crazy — So, is rolling down a steep hill in a giant ball not enough of a thrill for you, you Mountain Dew-chugging lunatic? Though surfing the Net is admittedly not "Xtreme," it can provide you with a the latest info on the newest death-defying and stomach-churning roller coasters and thrill rides all across the country.
The site ultimaterollercoaster .com is a link directory pointing to all manner of theme parks, water parks and thrill rides. The site also has a fascinating and fairly in-depth section devoted to roller coaster history, starting from Russian "ice slides" that were built in the mid-1600s, through to the rickety wooden joyrides of Coney Island, all the way up to "modern day scream machines."
More of the same can be found at rollercoasterworld.com and coasters.net — the latter has a section devoted to the top U.S. roller coaster designers and engineers, and links to regional "roller coaster clubs."
As anyone who's ever seen a horror movie knows, abandoned amusement parks are freakin' creepy — and you can learn more about parks of the past at defunctparks.com. Our beloved, long-abandoned Boblo Island gets a mention, but, sadly, no photos or info. If you're looking for Boblo memories, go to boblosteamers.com for a loving tribute to both the park and the giant boats that ferried us there more than two decades ago. Be sure to check out the sadly beautiful photos of the crumbling, weed-ridden park that were snapped in 2005.
Know of an interesting, educational or bizarre Web site you’d like to see featured here? Send it to [email protected]
