360 � VIEW Acrophobia SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA/Austell, GEORGIA GA/sixflags.com f you’re afraid of heights, you’ll want to skip this one. (After all, it should be a warning sign that the ride is named after this common fear.) But if you’re up for the challenge and heights aren’t an issue with you, you’ll love the freefall in this 200-foot tall, stand-up gyro drop tower. Although you’re safely fastened into a special harness, your legs dangle freely, which can be a bit disconcerting, but that’s part of the thrill. Acrophobia rotates as it rises upward a daunting 20 stories high, so look around and appreciate the incredible 360-degree view as you prepare for the drop of a lifetime. At the top of the tower, pneumatic pistons behind the harnesses go into action, tilting the riders about 15 degrees past vertical. And then the gondola is released and you’re freefalling back to Earth in less than 3.5 seconds. Why we love it: You get the sensation of parachute freefalling skydive… minus the airplane ride!
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Vortex CAROWINDS/Charlotte, NC/carowinds.com hat can you expect? One of Carowinds’ long-time favorites, this stand-up roller coaster gives a different twist to the coaster experience. Your two-minute-plus journey includes a 90-foot lift and speeds of 50 miles per hour as you loop, drop and spin… all while standing up. A visit to Carowinds is not complete without at least one ride on the Vortex. Why we love it: You’ll get a great view of the park… if you can focus on anything but the ride!
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Fury 325 CAROWINDS/Charlotte, NC/carowinds.com ith its speed and crazy curves, Carowinds’ new monster coaster may remind you of an angry hornet zeroing in on its target… with you along for the ride. Appropriately named, Fury 325 is 6,602 feet long and 325 feet high. Riders sit four across in a single row in three open-air steel and fiberglass trains, each with eight cars. Don’t sign on for this one if you’re scared of heights or speed. Once the train climbs the 325-foot chain lift hill, it hurtles downward at an 81-degree angle, hitting top speeds of 95 miles per hour. There are plenty of high-speed turns, S-curves and staggeringly high hills and drops. Adding to the fun, the coaster actually passes over and under the park’s main entrance. Why we love it: The park had to obtain Federal Aviation Administration approval to build the coaster because of its height!
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Twisted Typhoon WILD ADVENTURES/Valdosta, GA/wildadventures.com his suspended looping roller coaster is deceptively quiet as it races along, but trust us, you won’t be. Hitting speeds up to 70 miles per hour, Twisted Typhoon rolls, winds, twists and makes a nearly 90-foot drop. Riders sit two abreast, and because the cars ride below the track, your feet will swing freely. It’s 1 1/2 minutes of whirlwind craziness that’ll leave you breathless. Why we love it: You’ll be upside down seven different times.
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SkyScreamer SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA/Austell, GA/sixflags.com arning: This is not your grandparents’ swing. Sure, you’re in an open-air seat with your feet dangling, but things get crazy in a hurry as SkyScreamer speeds up. Soon, you’re soaring around in a 98-foot-wide circle at 40 miles per hour. A perennial park favorite, this ride looks tame only when it’s not in motion. Why we love it: The panoramic view of the Atlanta skyline is stunning!
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Intimidator CAROWINDS/Charlotte, NC/carowinds.com CAROWINDS entlemen, start your engines!” This ride is all about intimidation, thanks to seven (count ‘em!) extreme drops and a longer-than-usual ride time of three minutes plus. The first hill is an impressive 232 feet followed by a sharp 74-degree-angle drop. The second hill is 178 feet tall, and there are enough twists, turns and drops—not to mention speeds of 80 miles per hour—to make riders think of NASCAR action all the way through. Plus, the open-air, stadium-style steel and fiberglass trains are themed after Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Why we love it: Inspired by racing legend Dale Earnhardt, it’s one of the tallest, fastest and longest coasters in the Southeast.
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