Summer is meant for riding roller coasters. There’s no greater past time than enjoying a thrilling drop, fast turns, and amazing speed with friends and family. While the roller coaster is not a purely American creation, we have made it our own, and have pushed the limits to what they can do. In fact, the United States is home to some of the greatest roller coasters in the world! National Roller Coaster Day is August 16th, and we just have to ask the question-What coaster is the Great American Coaster?
August 16th is the day that the nation chooses to recognize roller coasters. Why not! Coasters are fun, thrilling and a great way to spend time with those closest to you. It’s a great way to conquer fears, and a great safe way to challenge your personal limits. August 16th is significant in American Roller Coaster history, as it’s the day that the first patent was filed for a roller coaster in the United States. The roller coaster itself dates back to 17th Century Russia, where they would build hills of ice, with wooden supports. The “Russian Mountains” gave way to scenic railways, in which trains would let riders travel uphill, then back down again at higher speeds. That gave way to the first coasters as we now know them. Since then, coasters have managed to do amazing things with steel, and now wood. We are sent head over heels, forwards and backwards, through death defying drops and back again. Coasters have come a long way since the days of Russian ice slides.
To celebrate National Roller Coaster Day, we are letting you choose which coaster deserves the title of “The Great American Coaster”! Every day, from now until August 13th, you can vote for up to three different coasters!
We have pulled together a list of 100 coasters to choose from. There are 50 wooden coasters, and 50 steel coasters. Coasters that are considered hybrids will be thrown into the wood category. Yes, we know it’s not really fair to compare wood and steel coasters, as each is a different ride, but we aren’t comparing wood and steel. We simply want the ONE coaster that rises above all labels to be the Great American Coaster!
Poll-Vote for the Great American Coaster!
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We have chosen coasters based on several factors including, positions on other lists, readers choice and personal favorites. While we wish we could nominate every single coaster in America, we chose what we thought best represented Th Great American Coaster.
This is the second year we have done the poll, with Manta at SeaWorld Orlando taking home the award last year. Can they do it again this year? That, is entirely up to you.
Votes can be cast once a day, and up to three different coasters can be chosen per vote. The poll will run from now until August 13th at 4 p.m. EST. The top ten will be announced on Thursday August 14th, with the number one spot taking home the coveted title of “The Great American Coaster”.
Stay tuned for more roller coaster fun, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook, and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!
