A roller-coaster ride through a Day-Glo fun house. Another coaster that swings riders like a pendulum, then leaves them upside down, seven stories in the air. For the kiddies, a walk among fierce-looking but gentle Animatronic dinosaurs.
Such are the season’s new theme park attractions that fairly scream “road trip” for thrill-seeking New Yorkers.
Did we say scream? That would be the appropriate response to riding new roller coasters at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. They are the 13th coasters at both of these two popular parks, each of which, with about 3 million visitors annually, ranks among the top 20 most visited amusement parks in North America, according to the Themed Entertainment Association’s annual attendance report.
The summer of ’15 also marks the debut of kid-friendlier new rides at Dutch Wonderland and Dorney Park in Pennsylvania and Lake Compounce in Connecticut.
Here’s what is new and notable at amusement centers a gas-tank’s drive from the city.
