Coney Island is the premier amusement park destination in New York City. Located in Brooklyn,
New York alongside the Atlantic Ocean, Coney Island is comprised of several different parks
and attractions. Today, there are two full-size parks in the Zamperla-owned Luna Park and Deno’s
Wonder Wheel Park. And then you have a few independent rides scattered along the streets.
Together, the ride lineup has a unique mix of classic and modern attractions. There are 10
different roller coasters plus some notable non-coasters that you can’t find elsewhere.
So in this video, I will countdown my top 15 favorite rides and attractions at Coney Island.
15) Astro Tower at Luna Park- Let me begin by saying this is one of the weakest drop towers
in the world. The ride has good height and several drops, but those drops are completely forceless.
I’ve been on kiddie drop towers that pack more of a punch.
But this ride does excel as an observation tower. The views of Coney Island, the Atlantic Ocean,
and New York City are breathtaking. And you can take all of them in since you rotate throughout.
14) Atlantic Aviator at Luna Park- This variant on the familiar Zamperla air race is taller so the
views are a little better, but it rides similarly. It offers very little in terms of positive Gs,
but the inversions offer some good hangtime. 13) Tickler at Luna Park- This Zamperla spinning
wild mouse rode much differently in 2021 than past years. When I previously rode it, Tickler
spun ridiculously fast in the second half. It was on par with Six Flags America’s Ragin’ Cajun.
But in 2021, the spinning in the second half was significantly slower. However,
the ride compensated by starting the spin after the first hairpin turn. That made the initial two
drops more thrilling than usual. 12) Sling Shot at Luna Park- These
rides are usually upcharges, but it’s included with the Luna Park wristband.
Despite their towering height and appearance, I actually find them a bit underwhelming.
There’s a lot of anticipation for the launch, but it’s not particularly forceful. It feels like a
smoother and less intense version of a S&S space shot. The one redeeming quality of this ride is
the initial flip at the apex. Rapidly flipping that high in the air is always a delight.
11) Brooklyn Flyer at Luna Park- This is a smaller star flyer, but it has some decent force.
However, this ride has the same advantage of Astro Tower. It also offers stunning views.
And you spend your entire ride taking them in. 10) Soarin’ Eagle at Luna Park- This Zamperla
Volare is widely considered to be one of the smoothest and most comfortable out there,
but to be honest, I’ve never found this model uncomfortable. A few of the turns can be jerky,
but they don’t cause headbanging for me. Instead, I can appreciate their forcefulness
and the crazy hangtime on the barrel rolls. 9) Steeplechase at Luna Park- This Zamperla
motocoaster has a deceptively powerful launch. Do not be fooled by this ride’s stats.
The rest of the layout is a little repetitive, but the mix of moderately forceful turns is fun.
Especially since the transitions into many of the turns deliver itty bitty pops of airtime.
8) Luna 360 at Luna Park- This inverting frisbee is very forceful.
The downswings feel like they will rip your legs off from the crushing positive Gs.
And that’s paired with some great hangtime on the slow inversions. The one downside with this
version is that the swings leading up to the inversions don’t offer the usual airtime.
7) Phoenix at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park- The newest adult coaster on Coney Island is perfect
for all ages. This Vekoma suspended coaster is smooth and it offers a cool, compact layout.
The ride has solid transitions and several forceful turns. The two overbanks in the middle of
the ride are very powerful up front, including one that feels darn close to an inversion. Meanwhile,
the super tight turns at the end are stronger in the back. I have a separate review that goes into
more detail, but this is a great fit for Deno’s. 6) Spook-a-rama at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park-
This classic dark ride may look like a tacky carnival dark ride from the outside,
but it is one of the smartest haunted houses out there.
The vehicles have high sides and face the walls, which conceals the scares up ahead. And I love how
the audio seemingly comes from behind you, which makes my skin crawl. This combined with the sets
make it quite terrifying. You have a mix of large animatronics that get very close to you
and some modern screens. But the ride also adds in strings and air blasts for even more creepiness.
5) Eldorado Auto Scooters- This is one of the best sets of bumper cars in the world.
The cars are fairly powerful, but what makes this ride standout is the electric
atmosphere. The arena feels like a dance club with the booming music, strobe lights,
and disco balls. And the employees are incredible too. They ride on the backs of cars and sometimes
they ride around in super cars taking no mercy on other guests. I have a separate review
going into more detail, but this is arguably the funnest set of bumper cars out there.
4) Wonder Wheel at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park- This classic Ferris Wheel has an entire amusement park
named after it and it’s not hard to see why. This 101 year old Ferris Wheel stands 150 feet
or 46 meters tall, so it offers stunning views of both the area and New York City.
But what makes this ride special is the swinging cars. Few things are more terrifying than plunging
towards the edge of the Wonder Wheel. 3) Zenobio at Luna Park- This giant
skyscraper ride has a super short cycle, but it’s an intense ride. You get 3 rotations in each
direction. The first is too slow to do anything, but the next two are amazing. The second offers
sustained floater over the top while the third gives a fast flip. And both those rotations
deliver good Gs at the bottom. Pair those thrills with spectacular views and you have a winner.
2) Thunderbolt at Luna Park- This is a divisive ride. Most detractors point to the restraints
and poor trackwork. The employees will staple you, but I don’t find the restraints uncomfortable.
And the forces are so strong that they can overcome the restraints. The ride is shaky, but
the restraints prevent any headbanging or pain. That allows me to appreciate this wild layout.
The first drop offer a good pop of ejector airtime. The first two inversions offer hangtime
while the turnaround is this funky dive loop that offers a forceful inverted pop of airtime.
Then the return run consists of some powerful bunny hills loaded with ejector airtime and a
super whippy corkscrew. This ride has some flaws, but the layout is near perfection.
1) Cyclone at Luna Park- Often imitated, never duplicated. This classic wooden roller coaster
is one of my favorites. One of the main reasons is the train. It has a single position lap bar
and no seat dividers, so you get thrown around on this ride. And the seats are cushioned
like couches, so there’s zero discomfort despite the ride’s intensity and bumpiness.
The back car is better for airtime. The larger drops offer some wonderful ejector airtime.
The front car is better for laterals. You get some of the strongest laterals on this ride,
as you are violently thrown to the side going into each turn. Remember there are no seat dividers.
I always come off this coaster laughing. The ride is special alone for its rich history,
but the fact it’s an incredible ride too is just icing on the cake.
So those are my top 15 favorite rides and attractions at Coney Island.
What are your favorite rides there or thoughts on any of the attractions I mentioned?
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