10 Best Roller Coasters of 2024
There are a lot of reasons why people go to theme parks. Funnel cakes, carnival games, people dressed up like cartoon characters, long lines, and unrelenting heat are just a few of them. But the biggest reason people go to theme parks is to ride a thrilling, death-defying roller coaster.
The slow click-click-click as you ascend the first hill followed by the seemingly endless moment of anticipation just before the first big drop is an experience you just can’t find anywhere other than on a great roller coaster. Debates rage about what makes one coaster better than another, but below are 10 of the top roller coasters in America.
Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson, New Jersey
The Kingda Ka at the Six Flags Great Adventure is the tallest roller coaster in the United States at 456 feet tall. It is also has a maximum speed of 128 miles per hour. The entire ride lasts only 50.6 seconds, but it is a minute of your life that you will never forget.
With a top speed of 128 mph (206 km/h) it might not be the fastest anymore, but at 156 feet (47.5m) it’s still the tallest coaster in the world and a breathtaking ride. Six Flags Great Adventure is located in Jackson, New Jersey.
Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
The Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point is 420 feet tall. It takes four seconds for the coaster to go from a dead stop all the way up to 120 miles per hour. The plunge from the top of the roller coaster takes 17 gut-wrenching seconds.
Top Thrill Dragster is a steel accelerator roller coaster built by Intamin at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States.
Millennium Force, Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
The Millennium Force is world-renowned as one of the best roller coasters ever built. This coaster is 310 feet tall and features a 300-foot drop. It travels at 93 miles per hour. The Millennium Force has been wowing riders since the dawn of the new Millennium in 2000.
Millennium Force is a 310ft tall Intamin Gigacoaster, that has operated at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, USA, since 2000. At 6595ft long it’s one of the longest steel coasters in the world, and also one of the fastest, topping out at 93mph. Millennium Force is regularly voted one of the best roller coasters in the world.
Goliath, Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California
The Goliath is 235 feet tall and travels at a top speed of 85 miles per hour. It first opened in 2000 and set the world record for the fastest roller coaster, a title that didn’t hold for very long. The orange tracks of the Goliath can be seen all over the amusement park.
Goliath is a steel roller coaster made by Giovanola of Switzerland. The hypercoaster is located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California and is promoted with a sub-tropical theme that is characterized by ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization. The ride is nearly identical to Titan at Six Flags Over Texas.
Superman: The Escape, Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California
Superman: The Escape is 415 feet tall with a 328-foot drop taken at 100 miles per hour. The ride boasts vehicles that whoosh 15 people at a time to the crest of the ride like Superman in flight. It then drops them 41 stories to the ground.
Due to a range of problems Superman: The Escape opened on March 15, 1997. At the end of July 4 weekend of 2010 Superman: The Escape ceased operations with no reason given. A sign posted in front of the ride indicated that it would reopen during the 2011 season, with hints indicating that there would be improvements made to the ride experience.
Son of Beast, Kings Island
Mason, Ohio
The Son of Beast is 218 feet tall with a maximum speed of 78.4 miles per hour. The plunge is a 214-foot drop. These stats are amazing for a wooden roller coaster. In fact this is the fastest and tallest wooden coaster in America.
Son of Beast is a record-breaking wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States, outside of Cincinnati. Son of Beast is billed as the sequel to The Beast. The ride was shut down in 2009 due to a reported injury, and has been standing but not operating since.
El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson, New Jersey
El Toro is 181 feet tall with a 176-foot drop taken at 70 miles per hour. This ride twists and turns and tries to buck you off like a bull, hence the name. Try to hold on!
Consistently ranked as one of the top wooden coasters in the world since it opened in 2006, this Intamin prefabricated plug ‘n play coaster still runs as good as it ever has. Standing 181 feet (55 m) tall, its 76° 176 foot (54 m) drop propels the train at speeds up to 70 mph (110 km/h) along 4,400 feet (1,300 m) of track. But what really sets it apart from all the other wooden coasters is the amazing ejector airtime riders get over each of those huge hills.
The Voyage, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Santa Claus, Indiana
The Voyage is 173 feet tall with a 154-foot drop taken at 67.4 miles per hour. The entire ride takes only 24.2 seconds to finish. It was named Best Wooden Roller Coaster in 2007.
The Voyage has been voted a Top 5 Wooden Roller Coaster on the Planet every year since 2007 (TIME magazine named it the nation’s best wooden coaster in 2013.).
Mean Streak, Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
The Mean Streak is 155 feet tall and has a bodacious 161-foot drop. The coaster goes 65 miles per hour and is the self-proclaimed “meanest” wooden roller coaster in the world. It is the follow up to the legendary Blue Streak at Cedar Point.
The Boss, Six Flags
St. Louis, Missouri
The Boss is 150 feet tall and travels 66.3 miles per hour. If you ride this thing, try not to get whiplash on the is a 5,051-foot long track.
It’s not called Boss for nothing. Take a ride in the front seat & hold on tight! Six Flags St. Louis is located near St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri.
Final Word
Do you have a favorite coaster that wasn’t on our list? Let us all know which coaster you think is the tops in the comments section below.