America’s 10 best Roller Coasters

There’s just something about riding on a roller coaster and screaming at the top of your lungs. And we’re lucky that the US has some of the best rides in the world. Here’s our list of 10 roller coasters in the States that are guaranteed to leave you breathless. Grab the kids and get in the ride train – here we go!

Roller Coasters


1. Bizarro – Six Flags New England
Drop 221 feet into a fog-filled underground tunnel and come out with a better understanding of what it takes to be a superhero – or supervillain – with Bizarro. You’ll bullet through this universally acclaimed coaster at 77 MPH as you twist and turn through a ride that’s befitting Superman’s evil twin (incidentally, this ride was originally called Superman: Ride of Steel). Don’t worry if you hadn’t heard of Bizarro before this ride because you’ll know exactly who he is after braving all 5,400 feet of track at this park just 30 minutes away fromHartford.

2. Banshee – Kings Island
Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, tore down the Son of Beast in 2012 to build Banshee and we’re better off for it. Banshee is the world’s longest inverted roller coaster (yes, your legs dangle on this one) with 4,124 feet of track. Just imagine powering through seven separate inversions on this one as you hit a top speed of 68 miles per hour. OK, now pick your jaw up off the floor.

3. Millennium Force – Cedar Point

Millennium Force


You know you’re riding something from another world when it creates a new category of roller coasters – the giga-coaster. That’s what the beastly Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, has done, standing 310 feet tall with a top speed of 93 MPH. Add in a couple of steep banks and tunnel runs, and you’ve got one ride that’s sure to get you off your seat.

4. Kingda Ka – Six Flags Great Adventure

Kingda Ka


Ever been on a roller coaster where you go so fast that you scream and your voice finally catches up after a while like you’re in a Looney Tunes cartoon? Kingda Ka will make you know all about that and more. This behemoth of a coaster shoots you out from 0 to 128 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds to make it the fastest in the nation. This U-shaped ride stands 456 feet tall to make it the tallest in the country, too. Kingda Ka lasts less than 30 seconds, but that might be merciful after facing that kind of speed

5. Intimidator 305 – Kings Dominion
Famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt would be proud of this roller coaster that bears his nickname. Intimidator 305 stands 305 feet tall at its highest point, and dumps you 300 feet down on the first drop at an 85-degree angle. Coaster enthusiasts love its twists and turns at high speeds, which give riders everything they can handle. 

6. The Voyage – Holiday World
Tucked into the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, is the longest wooden roller coaster in the world (1.2 miles!) atHoliday World. That might not sound like much but when you add in a world-record five underground tunnels, three separate sections of 90-degree banking and an astonishing 24.3 seconds of weightlessness and you’ve got one of the best roller coasters on the planet. 


7. El Toro – Six Flags Great Adventure

El Toro


Here’s a spot where looks are deceiving. Yes, El Toro is a wooden roller coaster. But how many of those “classic” coasters takes you almost 19 stories up for opening drop of 176 feet at a 76-degree angle – that would be the biggest drop of any wooden coaster in the country. Zoom through this ride at 70 MPH and you won’t believe this one is easy to tame. 

8. New Texas Giant – Six Flags Over Texas
When it comes to the Lone Star State it’s got to be big – it’s kind of their thing. But this hybrid roller coastergives us the best of both steel and wooden architecture that makes it a destination for people on a Dallas vacation. That sounds a bit fancy, true, but there’s a lot under the hood of these Cadillac-style trains. A 153 foot lift gives way to one of the biggest drops for a wooden coaster around. Just hearing how this roller coaster handles at 65 MPH is enough to give anyone a reason to say “God Bless Texas!”

9. SheiKra – Busch Gardens Tampa
What can you do to make a coaster that climbs 200 feet to the very edge of a 90-degree drop more intimidating? Take the floor off the ride train. It gives you an incredible rush to see nothing under your feet for the ride that soars to speeds of 70 MPH!

10. Gatekeeper – Cedar Point
If you’ve never been on a wing roller coaster, then this one might spoil you. Cedar Point’s Gatekeeper is the tallest, fastest and longest wing ride anywhere in the world. It features the tallest inversion of any roller coaster at 170 feet above ground and whisks you around for a 2-minute, 20-second rush at speeds reaching 67 MPH. And if you can stand to open your eyes long enough you can maybe see Lake Erie in a flash.


What roller coaster(s) make you scream? Let us know below.