A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, exhibits such as tunnels of love, scary themes and interactive stories have been the subject of rides under the original definition.
Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden roller coasters, one steel roller coaster, a 1913 carousel, and a haunted house dark ride.
Matterhorn Bobsleds are a pair of intertwined steel roller coasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is the first known tubular steel continuous-track roller coaster. Located on the border between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, it employs forced perspective to seem larger.
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a portmanteau for "international amusement installations". The company has offices throughout the world including three in Europe, three in Asia and two in the United States.
Luna Park Melbourne is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria. It opened on 13 December 1912, with a formal opening a week later, and has been operating almost continuously ever since.
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is a steel hypercoaster built by Vekoma at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The ride is themed around the Yeti protecting the Forbidden Mountain next to Mount Everest. It is the fastest roller coaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the tallest roller coaster at any Disney theme park, and the only hypercoaster built at any Disney resort. The 2011 edition of Guinness World Records lists Expedition Everest as the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Including sets and extras, its total cost was reported to be US$100 million for six years of planning and construction. It held this record up until 2019 when the $300M Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure. It is the tallest artificial mountain in all of the Walt Disney Parks, and Disney's 18th mountain-themed attraction.
Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks is a classic seaside amusement park located on The Wildwoods' boardwalk in Wildwood and North Wildwood, New Jersey. The park has been family owned and operated since 1969 and is currently run by 2nd generation Morey Brothers, Will and Jack. Morey’s Piers has more than 100 rides and attractions across its three amusement piers and two beachfront waterparks.
Adventureland is a family-owned amusement park in Altoona, Iowa. It is marketed as featuring over 100 rides, shows and attractions.
Camden Park is a twenty-six acre amusement park located near Huntington, West Virginia. Established in 1903 as a picnic spot by the Camden Interstate Railway Company, it is one of only thirteen trolley parks that remain open in the United States. Whereas most trolley parks were located at the end of trolley lines, Camden Park is unusual in that it was built where riders traveling between Huntington and nearby cities would stop to change lines. Not long after opening, the park soon gained a carousel and other roadside attractions. Camden Park is West Virginia's only amusement park. The park is home to more than thirty rides and attractions, including a full-size traditional wooden roller coaster, the Big Dipper, and several other vintage rides.
Chippewa Lake Park is an abandoned theme park once located in Chippewa Lake, Ohio, Medina County. It operated from 1878 through 1978, after the final owner, Continental Business Enterprises closed it due to lack of attendance. After the park's closure, its rides and structures were left largely untouched and unmaintained for over 35 years.
Castle Park, formerly Castle Amusement Park, is a 25-acre amusement park and family amusement center located in Riverside, California. The park utilizes a medieval "castle" theme and includes attractions such as a miniature golf course, arcade, and 27 amusement rides including three roller coasters such as "Merlin's Revenge", a junior rollercoaster, "Screamin' Demon" a spinning Wild Mouse rollercoaster, and "Little Dipper", a children's rollercoaster. The main "castle" themed building, houses the arcade as well as its only dark ride; "Ghost Blasters", an interactive attraction, designed by Sally Corporation, which can also be found at other amusement parks throughout North America. The park was designed, built and operated by Bud Hurlbut, who designed several rides at Knott's Berry Farm. Castle Park is currently owned and operated by Palace Entertainment.
Astroland was a 3.1-acre (1.3 ha) amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City that first opened in 1962. It was located at 1000 Surf Avenue on the boardwalk. It ceased operations on September 7, 2008.
The Wonder Wheel is a 150-foot-tall (46 m) eccentric Ferris wheel located at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park in Coney Island in New York City. The wheel is located on a plot bounded by West 12th Street to the west, Bowery Street to the north, Luna Park to the east, and the Riegelmann Boardwalk to the south. As with other eccentric Ferris wheels, some of the Wonder Wheel's passenger cabins are not fixed directly to the rim of the wheel, but instead slide along winding sets of rails between the hub and the rim.
Dante's Inferno was a dark ride created in 1971 by Anton Schwarzkopf that was located at Astroland on Coney Island; a similar ride called Dante's Dungeon is at Morey's Piers at Wildwood, New Jersey. Dante's Inferno is decorated with a purple Cerberus in each tower, a werewolf out of one window, and skeleton warriors in another, its exterior's centerpiece is a large devil holding a victim in his hand that is connecting to the tongue of an upside-down, lolling eyed creature, and a pitchfork in the other. The ride's exterior resembles a castle, and its open area is decorated in graffiti style artwork including Medusa's severed head held by a Grim Reaper, as well as a mad scientist and several dragons.
Spook-a-Rama is a dark ride from the Pretzel Amusement Ride Company located at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park on Coney Island and run by Million Amusement Corp. It opened in 1955. The rider is pulled around in a car resembling an old wooden barrel. These barrels look like connected cars, but separate from each other at the beginning of the ride, so the rider must go in alone, passing paintings that change imagery, and a skeleton before the car itself forces the doors open. Inside, the ride is one large, poorly lit room. The ride had a major renovation done by Scarefactory Inc. prior to the 2013 season.
The Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is a Wooden roller coaster at Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana, themed to that of a mine shaft. It was the last coaster Custom Coasters International (CCI) finished. The ride is unusual as it has an elevator to raise the cars to the top of the track as opposed to the more traditional lift-hill. CCI constructed new cage-enclosed cars due to the proximity between riders and the themed 'mountain' sections of the ride. Eight people may ride in a two-car train simultaneously. Two face forward and two backward, opposite each other in each car.
Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park located at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It features five adult rides and 16 kiddie rides, including a dozen family rides that parents and children can ride together. The park is named for its main attraction, the Wonder Wheel, a 150-foot (46 m) eccentric wheel built in 1920.
Gillian's is a historic amusement park founded in 1929 by David Gillian, who first came to Ocean City in 1914. It is located on the ocean boardwalk of the New Jersey shore.
Jolly Roger Amusement Park is an amusement park located in Ocean City, Maryland. The park features two locations in Ocean City: one at the pieron the Ocean City boardwalk and one further uptown at 30th Street. Both locations feature numerous thrill rides including a looping roller coaster at the pier, bumper cars, ferris wheel, a carousel, kiddie rides, among others. The parks also contain typical carnival-like games and eateries. The 30th Street location additionally features two eighteen-hole mini-golf courses, Splash Mountain, a full-service waterpark with many slides and activity pools, and 10 go-kart tracks.
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is a trackless dark ride located within Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. A second upcoming location will be located in Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The attraction is the first ride-through attraction at a Disney theme park to be themed to Mickey Mouse. It is based on the stylized world from the character's 2013 television series.
