Taller! Faster! Scarier! Best new extreme attractions
If you’re afraid of heights, you may want to stay indoors this summer. This is the year attractions are pushing and elbowing for the titles of world’s tallest, fastest, steepest, wettest … you name it. Check out our 10 “most extreme” new attractions for 2014, and start planning a trip to get your adrenaline flowing.
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J.
New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure already has the world’s tallest roller coaster — Kingda Ka topping 456 feet. So their engineers decided to strap another ride to the coaster’s superstructure. Billed as the world’s tallest drop tower that’s part of a coaster, Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom takes riders to heights of 415 feet before dropping them back down at 90 mph. Scheduled to open this spring.
Falcon’s Fury, Busch Gardens, Tampa.
Opening this spring, the tallest, free-standing drop tower in North America is Falcon’s Fury — 335 feet tall and dropping riders at 60 mph. At the pinnacle of the tower, seats pivot 90° to point guests toward the ground face-down, just like the attack dive of its namesake bird of prey. USA TODAY Travel will have an exclusive look — including a video from the ride — April 25, so come back to this space!