Now I'm on summer break, I've started paying attention to my blog -- and writing posts on it. Just a week ago, I wrote a post titled "Geography." Now, I'm writing about the best and worst rides in the amusement park of Great America in Santa Clara, CA (link goes to Great America's website). So, if you ever visit Great America, keep this post in mind.
Notes on the lists: They are solely based on my 4 trips to Great America. I haven't gone on, and therefore can't rate, some rides like Gold Striker, the Vortex, and the Demon. Also, I realize that I am not meant to like the rides at Kidzville and Planet Snoopy (the younger-kid-themed parts of the park); they are tailored for kids younger than me. Because of this, I have exempted rides at Kidzville and Planet Snoopy from both lists.
Notes on "An Ideal Itinerary": Names of rides and sections of the park are in bold. A reason for including the ride in the itinerary (in italics) follows each ride. After each section of the park is reached, bullet points containing the name of each ride I want to go to in the section follow.
The 3 Worst Rides in Great America
1. Rip Roaring Rapids in All American Corners:
Reasoning: You wait for what seems like AN HOUR to ride a tub on a pool. People are frequently misled by the ride's 5-star rating on the Thrill Index. Whenever you go to Great America, don't ride on Rip-off Roaring Rapids!
What to do instead: If you want a thrill-filled water ride, Loggers Run in All American Corners and Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza are your best bets. During the summer, check out Boomerang Bay, the water park section of Great America.
2. Jackaroo Landing in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: No matter where you go on this play structure, you're sure to get drenched. Every five minutes or so, there's a humongous downpour that makes it impossible to go anywhere. You need to brave geysers and downpours to go to any slide on the structure. By then, the constant drenching becomes more annoying than fun. And the tremendously slow slide does nothing to improve Jackaroo Landing's rating.
What to do instead: Visit the REAL rides of Boomerang Bay: Tasmanian Typhoon, Down Under Thunder, Didgeridoo Falls, Screamin' Wombat, and Ripsnort Ridge. You also might want to try Loggers Run in All American Corners and Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza.
3. Thunder Raceway in Action Zone:
Reasoning: The race for the final spot in my Worst Rides in Great America list is a close one between Boomerang Lagoon in Boomerang Bay and Thunder Raceway. Boomerang Lagoon, though crowded and cold, is at least free. You need to pay $8 per person to get into Thunder Raceway. Come on, we already paid for admission into Great America!
What to do instead: Unfortunately, there is no other ride in Great America comparable to Thunder Raceway. The only other rides involving cars are Barney Oldfield Speedway in County Fair (a car-shaped buggy ride) and Rue Le Dodge in Orleans Place (a bumper-car ride). I haven't tried either of these, so I can't provide any feedback on them. If you really want to see Action Zone, go on The Grizzly, a thrill-filled wooden roller coaster.
The 5 Best Rides in Great America
1. The Grizzly in Action Zone:
Reasoning: The Grizzly is the most thrill-filled ride in Great America I've ever gone on. Though the wait time is 30 minutes or so, the multiple 90-foot drops make the wait totally worth it.
2. Loggers Run in All American Corners:
Reasoning: There is relatively little wait time, and there's a 72-foot drop at the end. It also involves water, and I'm bound to like any ride with water (except Rip Roaring Rapids and Jackaroo Landing).
3. Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza:
Reasoning: Again, it involves water and a big drop, so I'm bound to like it. There is also NO wait time: the longest wait time we've suffered through is 2 minutes.
4. Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: I've already covered the rides I like in All American Corners, Celebration Plaza, and Action Zone. With Kidzville and Planet Snoopy exempted from the list and given the fact that I haven't been on any of the 3 rides in County Fair, this the final two slots on my list to rides in Boomerang Bay, the water park inside Great America. Jackaroo Landing finished 2nd on my Worst Rides in Great America list and Boomerang Lagoon finished 4th; Didgeridoo Falls is boring and slow; Castaway Creek is overcrowded and a ride for 5-year-olds, not me; Down Under Thunder has some thrill, but it leaves you dizzy in the end; and Tasmanian Typhoon, even though it escapes the plights of the previous rides, doesn't have enough thrill for me. This leaves me with Ripsnort Ridge & Screaming Wombat (two separate water slides which share the same line and lifeguard and, because of this, are grouped together). It's my favorite ride in Boomerang Bay, so that means it makes the list.
5.Tasmanian Typhoon in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: Due to circumstances explained in the Reasoning section of Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat, the 5th ride on my Best Rides list has to be from Boomerang Bay. Tasmanian Typhoon is my second-favorite ride in Boomerang Bay, so it makes it onto the list.
An Ideal Itinerary
Arrive at the main entrance to Great America and step into Celebration Plaza.
-- Ride on Carousel Columbia. This ride is a great introduction to Great America. It's a chance to relax before going on the thrill-filled rides later in this itinerary.
Walk into All American Corners via Orleans Place.
-- Ride on Flying Eagles. Again, this ride is a build-up to the more thrill-filled rides in Great America (it's rated "Intermediate Thrill" - 3 stars - on the Thrill Index). It's also fun and kind of thrilly (if that's even a word).
If it's summertime, walk to Boomerang Bay.
-- Ride on Tasmanian Typhoon and/or Down Under Thunder. They are my 2nd and 3rd-favorite rides in Boomerang Bay, respectively. If you want thrill, go to Down Under Thunder (which involves going up a vertical wall); if you want a family ride, ride on Tasmanian Typhoon (my 5th-favorite ride in all of Great America).
-- Ride on Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat. It is my 4th-favorite ride in all of Great America.
Walk (from wherever you are) to Planet Snoopy (if you want, check out the kids' rides in Kidzville or Planet Snoopy).
Walk to the ride near Planet Snoopy called Loggers Run (though it's surrounded by Planet Snoopy, it's technically a part of All American Corners).
-- Ride on Loggers Run. Loggers Run is my 2nd-favorite ride in the whole park.
Walk to Action Zone via Planet Snoopy.
-- Ride on The Grizzly. The Grizzly is, in my opinion, the best ride in Great America.
Walk to Celebration Plaza via County Fair.
-- Ride on Whitewater Falls. According to me, Whitewater Falls is the fourth best ride in Great America.
Walk out of Great America from the Celebration Plaza main exit.
And our day in Great America is done.
Notes on the lists: They are solely based on my 4 trips to Great America. I haven't gone on, and therefore can't rate, some rides like Gold Striker, the Vortex, and the Demon. Also, I realize that I am not meant to like the rides at Kidzville and Planet Snoopy (the younger-kid-themed parts of the park); they are tailored for kids younger than me. Because of this, I have exempted rides at Kidzville and Planet Snoopy from both lists.
Notes on "An Ideal Itinerary": Names of rides and sections of the park are in bold. A reason for including the ride in the itinerary (in italics) follows each ride. After each section of the park is reached, bullet points containing the name of each ride I want to go to in the section follow.
The 3 Worst Rides in Great America
1. Rip Roaring Rapids in All American Corners:
Reasoning: You wait for what seems like AN HOUR to ride a tub on a pool. People are frequently misled by the ride's 5-star rating on the Thrill Index. Whenever you go to Great America, don't ride on Rip-off Roaring Rapids!
What to do instead: If you want a thrill-filled water ride, Loggers Run in All American Corners and Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza are your best bets. During the summer, check out Boomerang Bay, the water park section of Great America.
2. Jackaroo Landing in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: No matter where you go on this play structure, you're sure to get drenched. Every five minutes or so, there's a humongous downpour that makes it impossible to go anywhere. You need to brave geysers and downpours to go to any slide on the structure. By then, the constant drenching becomes more annoying than fun. And the tremendously slow slide does nothing to improve Jackaroo Landing's rating.
What to do instead: Visit the REAL rides of Boomerang Bay: Tasmanian Typhoon, Down Under Thunder, Didgeridoo Falls, Screamin' Wombat, and Ripsnort Ridge. You also might want to try Loggers Run in All American Corners and Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza.
3. Thunder Raceway in Action Zone:
Reasoning: The race for the final spot in my Worst Rides in Great America list is a close one between Boomerang Lagoon in Boomerang Bay and Thunder Raceway. Boomerang Lagoon, though crowded and cold, is at least free. You need to pay $8 per person to get into Thunder Raceway. Come on, we already paid for admission into Great America!
What to do instead: Unfortunately, there is no other ride in Great America comparable to Thunder Raceway. The only other rides involving cars are Barney Oldfield Speedway in County Fair (a car-shaped buggy ride) and Rue Le Dodge in Orleans Place (a bumper-car ride). I haven't tried either of these, so I can't provide any feedback on them. If you really want to see Action Zone, go on The Grizzly, a thrill-filled wooden roller coaster.
The 5 Best Rides in Great America
1. The Grizzly in Action Zone:
Reasoning: The Grizzly is the most thrill-filled ride in Great America I've ever gone on. Though the wait time is 30 minutes or so, the multiple 90-foot drops make the wait totally worth it.
2. Loggers Run in All American Corners:
Reasoning: There is relatively little wait time, and there's a 72-foot drop at the end. It also involves water, and I'm bound to like any ride with water (except Rip Roaring Rapids and Jackaroo Landing).
3. Whitewater Falls in Celebration Plaza:
Reasoning: Again, it involves water and a big drop, so I'm bound to like it. There is also NO wait time: the longest wait time we've suffered through is 2 minutes.
4. Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: I've already covered the rides I like in All American Corners, Celebration Plaza, and Action Zone. With Kidzville and Planet Snoopy exempted from the list and given the fact that I haven't been on any of the 3 rides in County Fair, this the final two slots on my list to rides in Boomerang Bay, the water park inside Great America. Jackaroo Landing finished 2nd on my Worst Rides in Great America list and Boomerang Lagoon finished 4th; Didgeridoo Falls is boring and slow; Castaway Creek is overcrowded and a ride for 5-year-olds, not me; Down Under Thunder has some thrill, but it leaves you dizzy in the end; and Tasmanian Typhoon, even though it escapes the plights of the previous rides, doesn't have enough thrill for me. This leaves me with Ripsnort Ridge & Screaming Wombat (two separate water slides which share the same line and lifeguard and, because of this, are grouped together). It's my favorite ride in Boomerang Bay, so that means it makes the list.
5.Tasmanian Typhoon in Boomerang Bay:
Reasoning: Due to circumstances explained in the Reasoning section of Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat, the 5th ride on my Best Rides list has to be from Boomerang Bay. Tasmanian Typhoon is my second-favorite ride in Boomerang Bay, so it makes it onto the list.
An Ideal Itinerary
Arrive at the main entrance to Great America and step into Celebration Plaza.
-- Ride on Carousel Columbia. This ride is a great introduction to Great America. It's a chance to relax before going on the thrill-filled rides later in this itinerary.
Walk into All American Corners via Orleans Place.
-- Ride on Flying Eagles. Again, this ride is a build-up to the more thrill-filled rides in Great America (it's rated "Intermediate Thrill" - 3 stars - on the Thrill Index). It's also fun and kind of thrilly (if that's even a word).
If it's summertime, walk to Boomerang Bay.
-- Ride on Tasmanian Typhoon and/or Down Under Thunder. They are my 2nd and 3rd-favorite rides in Boomerang Bay, respectively. If you want thrill, go to Down Under Thunder (which involves going up a vertical wall); if you want a family ride, ride on Tasmanian Typhoon (my 5th-favorite ride in all of Great America).
-- Ride on Ripsnort Ridge & Screamin' Wombat. It is my 4th-favorite ride in all of Great America.
Walk (from wherever you are) to Planet Snoopy (if you want, check out the kids' rides in Kidzville or Planet Snoopy).
Walk to the ride near Planet Snoopy called Loggers Run (though it's surrounded by Planet Snoopy, it's technically a part of All American Corners).
-- Ride on Loggers Run. Loggers Run is my 2nd-favorite ride in the whole park.
Walk to Action Zone via Planet Snoopy.
-- Ride on The Grizzly. The Grizzly is, in my opinion, the best ride in Great America.
Walk to Celebration Plaza via County Fair.
-- Ride on Whitewater Falls. According to me, Whitewater Falls is the fourth best ride in Great America.
Walk out of Great America from the Celebration Plaza main exit.
And our day in Great America is done.
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