Summer is coming to a close, and fast. Soon the hot summer days will be replaced once again by cool autumn nights, and the fun, thrilling coasters that fill every amusement and theme park in America will soon be shut down to wait for another season. Before summer comes to a close, help us celebrate National Roller Coaster Day! 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? That’s for you to decide.
Sunday August 16th is the day that the nation chooses to recognize roller coasters. It’s right at the heat of the summer, making coasters one of the perfect ways to beat the heat. 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. The scenic railways turned into 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. We can ride coasters in the dark, with highly sophisticated control systems, or launch out amazing speeds. They can be enjoyed with your family, and have fans of all ages. The United States is home to one of the largest collection of coasters in the world, with over 690 coasters and counting.
Out of those 690 coasters, which coaster is The Great American Coaster?
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 12th, 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. This isn’t a competition to see whether wood or steel is better, we are looking for the ONE coaster that rises above all groups, categories and labels to be called The Great American Coaster!
Poll-Vote for the Great American Coaster!
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While we wish we could nominate every single coaster in America, we chose what we thought best represented The Great American Coaster. We have chosen coasters based on several factors including, positions on other lists, readers choice and personal favorites. Which coaster will be named as the Great American Coaster? That’s 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 12th at 4 p.m. EST. The top ten will be announced on Thursday August 13th, 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!
