Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a 134-hectare (330-acre) amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life Assurance Company, it was the first major theme park in Canada and remains the country's largest. Cedar Fair purchased the park from Paramount Parks in 2006, and they have owned and operated the park since then. In 2019, it was the most-visited seasonal amusement park in North America with an estimated 3.9 million guests. The park still retains this record, with an estimated 3.8 million guests in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.
Iron Dragon is a suspended roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1987 by Arrow Dynamics, it is located in the Celebration Plaza section of the park.
A slide is a skateboarding trick where the skateboarder slides sideways either on the deck or the trucks.
The Dive Coaster is a steel roller coaster model developed and engineered by Bolliger & Mabillard. The design features one or more near-vertical drops that are approximately 90 degrees, which provide a moment of free-falling for passengers. The experience is enhanced by unique trains that seat up to ten riders per row, spanning only two or three rows total. Unlike traditional train design, this distinguishing aspect gives all passengers virtually the same experience throughout the course of the ride. Another defining characteristic of Dive Coasters is the holding brake at the top of the lift hill that holds the train momentarily right as it enters the first drop, suspending some passengers with a view looking straight down and releasing suddenly moments later.
Pendulum rides are amusement rides based on the motion of a fixed pendulum. The Ali Baba, Looping Starship, and Pirate Ship are some examples.
Skyride is one of the few remaining dual gondola lifts in the world located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The Skyride carries passengers on a 1/3 mile, four-minute trip between the Fantasy Forest and the Frontier Adventures sections of the park. It is one of the few rides to allow park guests under 42 inches (1,100 mm) in height to ride and may ride accompanied by a responsible adult. The Skyride is one of only four rides in the park that allows cameras to be taken and used on the ride. As of 2024 the Ride is currently Closed. As of 07/12/2024 the ride has been removed from park maps. No word on what’s going on with the ride.
Giant Barn Swing is a Screamin' Swing style amusement ride designed and built by American manufacturer S&S – Sansei Technologies located at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Assembly for this ride began in January 2007 and it was opened on April 14, 2007. The ride was and installed by Ride Entertainment Group.
Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model opened to the public on 14 March 2009 as the steepest freefall roller coaster in the world, with a drop angle of 100 degrees. It is themed to the Saw franchise, featuring an enclosed dark section and queue theming which makes numerous references to the film series and props used in the films and other Saw media.
Valhalla is an indoor log flume water ride located at Pleasure Beach Resort in Lancashire, England. Opened on 14 June 2000 at a cost of £15 million, it is one of the longest indoor dark rides in the world, with a ride time of over four minutes. Valhalla features three drops and uses special effects which simulate fire, water, and snow.
WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall (92 m) swing ride at several Six Flags parks. The rides are Wind Seeker models manufactured by Mondial. They opened for the 2011 season at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, and Knott's Berry Farm in California. Carowinds in North Carolina and Kings Dominion in Virginia opened their WindSeekers in 2012. The first four each cost US$5 million, while the remaining two each cost $6.5 million. Cedar Fair relocated the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker to Worlds of Fun in 2014, where it reopened as SteelHawk.
Psyclone is a 23 metres (75 ft) ride at Canada's Wonderland. On May 5, 2002, this Mondial ride was opened to the public at the park. The 1 minute and 54 second ride features 40 seats facing outwards which rotate from a central pendulum as the ride reaches its maximum arc angle of 120 degrees. Even though the ride height is 23 metres (75 ft), when the ride reaches the top of its swing, the height becomes 37 metres (121 ft) high.
Sledge Hammer is a ride at Canada's Wonderland. The Huss ride was opened to the public on May 4, 2003, and continues to operate today. Sledge Hammer is also the world's first and only 'giant jumping machine'. The ride has had serious mechanical issues, causing repeated closures.
Shockwave is a Top Scan ride at Canada's Wonderland. The Mondial ride opened to the public in May 2001 and continues to operate today. The ride spins around on an angle while guests are spun around on almost every possible angle the ride operates on. Also, during the first season of operation (2001), Shockwave earned many different nicknames such as 'Protein Spill 2001'.
Riptide is a thrill ride at Canada's Wonderland manufactured by Mondial. The ride is similar to the park's Shockwave ride in terms of how the riders are spun. At the base of the ride there are a number of fountains that shoot up towards the riders as they are spinning and soak them. When the weather is cool, the fountains shoot up but go back down before the water hit the riders. Over the past couple of years, the ride cycle has been cut down and riders don't get as wet as they did in the past. Unlike the 'Topspins' made by Huss which feature one gondola, Riptide features two gondolas.
Originally themed around the Middle Ages, Medieval Faire is a section of Canada's Wonderland, a theme park in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. As such, early attractions created under Kings Entertainment Company were named after knights, Don Quixote, Vikings, dragons, bats, and beasts. Throughout the Paramount Parks era, the section's new attractions lacked appropriate theming. The introduction of the Leviathan roller coaster to Medieval Faire in 2012 was the first major investment in the section since 2000; the park is now under ownership of Six Flags. The section includes four roller coasters and six other rides.
Orbiter was a HUSS SkyLab at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Canada. The ride opened in 1981 for the park's first operating season. The ride closed in 2006 and was partially dismantled but was re-built and re-opened later that season following the sale of Paramount's amusement park chain to Cedar Fair. The ride last operated during the 2018 season and has been completely dismantled and removed as of February 2019.
Xtreme Skyflyer is a Skycoaster at several Six Flags parks. The Carowinds and Kings Island models opened in 1995, while the Canada's Wonderland and Kings Dominion models opened in 1996 followed by California's Great America which opened their model in 1997. In order to ride the attraction, guests must pay an extra fee. As of 2020, this attraction changed from its 48" height restriction to 42" across all parks.
Wilde Knight Mares is a HUSS UFO at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Canada. The ride is an original at Canada's Wonderland as it opened along with the rest of the park in 1981. This ride is similar to Orbiter, which is a defunct attraction also at Canada's Wonderland. As of 2023 the ride is the only known HUSS UFO remaining in North America.
La Revolucion is a swinging Pendulum ride at Knott's Berry Farm built by Chance Morgan rides. Riders rotate 360 degrees while simultaneously swinging back and forth in a pendulum motion. The ride opened to the general public on May 29, 2003, in the Fiesta Village section of the park. As the pendulum ride swings left and ride it gains speed and height with each passing cycle. In the process, riders begin to rotate 360 degrees with each passing swinging cycle. At its peak, La Revolucion swings guests 64 feet in the air. The ride is positively rated for the sensation of weightiness throughout the duration of the ride.
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