The Coaster101 Podcast

America's newest theme park, LEGOLAND New York, opened earlier this year, just north of New York City. With 25 attractions "Built for Kids," we thought of no better reviewer of North America's third LEGOLAND park than a pair of kids. Andrew is joined on the podcast this week by Nick and Nick's two children, 7-year-old Henry and 4-year-old Nora. We talk about the details of LEGOLAND New York, and a...

It's the most wonderful time of the year at Carowinds, right in the middle of SCarowinds, WinterFest around the corner, with a full season of live entertainment coming up in 2022. The man behind a lot of that entertainment is Carowinds' Live Entertainment Manager Ryan Allen. This week, Ryan joins Andrew in an on-site interview at Carowinds where they talk behind-the-scenes and the inspirations for...

Primeval Whirl is in pieces. Shrek 4D is closing. There's scrim around Rock N Roller Coaster -- or at least there was. That's what tiktok says, anyway. Eventually, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are going to have to announce replacements for these rides.  This week on the podcast, Andrew, Shane and John speculate and provide some wishful thinking as to what these three attractions and are...

Ohio's newest Halloween Event takes place at an interesting location -- a water park, attached to a zoo! Zombezi Bay takes over the Zoombiezi Bay Water Park at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium this October. On the podcast this week, Andrew and Nick are joined by Anthony Sabo, Vice President, Waterpark Operations and Guest Services for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to learn more about Zombiezi Bay, wh...

You can connect with the show by emailing us at podcast@coaster101.com or hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram . We also have a website, if you're into that sort of thing: www.coaster101.com We also have our own line of Coaster101 and coaster-inspired merchandise at http://c101.co/shirts ! We've recently announced that 25% of the proceeds from all Teepublic...

Skyline Attractions has it written into their business charter that they will create at least one new concept each year, and after seven years, they have no signs of slowing down. We're joined on the podcast this week by Jeff Pike, President & Co-Founder of Skyline Attractions, as well as Tyler Mullins, a design engineer for the company.  From their work with Great Coasters International on Ti...

The history of Rocky  Mountain Construction is one that many coaster enthuasists think that they know. But do you know the whole story? We're joined on the podcast this week by Taylor and Sarah from Coaster Studios and Scott from Upstop Media, to learn more about their new documentary project: This is How We Roll. Ahead of the big Texas premiere at the end of the week, Taylor, Sarah and Scott talk...

If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile, you'll remember the saga of John's inability to get a boarding pass during his Walt Disney World trip last fall. Well, during his recent trip to Disneyland, he got to ride Rise of the Resistance not once, but twice! John and Andrew return to talk Rise of the Resistance, Spider-Man Webslingers, the coaster credits at Disneyland, and their thoughts...

When many people think of Universal theme parks, Orlando comes to mind. But Universal Studios Hollywood is able to hold its own, evolving over the years from a tram tour into a full blown theme park.  This week on the podcast, Andrew is joined by Shane, John, and Eric, who talk the highlights of the California theme park, including Secret Life of Pets, Jurassic World: The Ride, and everyone's favo...

Happy National Roller Coaster Day!  This week on the podcast, we're joined by Valleyfair Vice President/General Manger Raul Rehnborg. Raul is a 35-year theme park veteran, whose career has included stops at Knott's Berry Farm, Knott's Soak City (in Buena Park & San Diego), and California's Great America, before joining Valleyfair as VP/GM in 2018.  We talk about Raul's history in the industry,...

Last week, we found out where Gerstlauer's "Mystery Coaster" for 2022 was going to be built -- Glenwood Caverns in Colorado, going by the name "Defiance." This week on the podcast, we're joined by Glenwood Caverns' General Manager Nancy Heard to learn, not only about Defiance, but a little more about America's only Mountaintop Amusement Park.  Did you know that Glenwood Caverns dates all the way b...

For a random week in July, there was A LOT of theme park news. While we're not typically a news-y show, we wanted to recap some of the biggest theme park stories of the week. There were a pair of World's First Roller Coasters announced last week, one in Texas, and one in Central Florida. We talk about Kings Dominion's Map Coordinates. We talk the first roller coaster at Sea. It's a quick show, but...

We talk about Carowinds a lot, but when one of our podcast co-hosts visits the park for the first time, you know we've gotta hit the highlights! Shane was vacationing in Charlotte with his family, and not only did he meet Andrew at Carowinds, he also managed to snag a few hours at Kings Dominion on his way home. He hit the highlights! Fury 325, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator 305, Twisted Timbers,...

Believe us when we say "Not All Coaster Enthusiast Events Are Created Equal." Half of the Coaster101 team got a taste of one of the best enthusiast events in the country at Kings Island's Coasterstock on July 9-10. The weekend was filled with ERT, amazing Food, and incredible behind the scenes opportunities.  Andrew, Kyle and Nick are joined by Don Helbig, Digital Marketing Manager at Kings Island...

We're all theme park fans, but there's a fine line between fan and theme park creative. Sometimes, as a fan, it's difficult to see why things are done the way they're done, but everything happens for a purpose. This week, we're joined by Theme Park Creative Leader Patrick Kling, who inspired us with a recent LinkedIn post about what it took to think like a theme park designer when experiencing an...

Cedar Point is celebrating their 150th Anniversary this season, and part of that major celebration is the addition of the Snake River Expedition, a spiritual successor to the park's former Paddleboat Excursion. This week on the podcast, we talk with two team members of The Weber Group, who helped bring the attraction to life.  We talk inspiration, creative processes, production animatronic animals...

This week on the podcast, Shane joins Andrew to discuss his recent trip to Orlando, celebrating his 21st birthday. During the trip, he visited Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and arguably the best park in Orlando for someone turning 21, EPCOT.  Listen for Shane's thoughts on Velocicoaster, his recounting of his 5-Hour wait for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures, Day at Sea...

It was a big week for roller coasters last week. Velocicoaster and Jersey Devil opened to rave reviews, so obviously, we're talking about Holiwood Nights. This week on the podcast, join Andrew and John as they talk about John's recent trip to Holiwood Nights, one of the premier coaster enthusiast events in the United States. We talk Holiday World's coasters, and coaster enthusiast events in genera...

Coaster101 went down to Georgia, they were looking for wood and steel. They were in a bind, credit counts way behind, and they were willin' to make a deal...or something like that. This week on the podcast, Andrew chats with fellow C101 team members John, Kyle and Nick about their recent trip to the Peach state, visiting Lake Winnie, Six Flags Over Georgia, and Fun Spot Atlanta (as well as the Geo...

Recently, Eric had the opportunity to visit Knott's Berry Farm for a preview of their 100th anniversary celebration. With the food, fun, pomp and circumstance that comes with an anniversary, there's also a new ride opening at the park this season: Knott's Bearry Tales: Return to the Fair. We recount Eric's visit to the park, and go in-depth on Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair, and why we f...

This week on the podcast, Shane recounts his recent trip to Lake Compounce, a park considered a hidden gem by many enthusiasts. Shane and Andrew then get into a discussion about several other "hidden gem" parks, including Conneaut Lake Park, Waldameer, The Great Escape, and Family Kingdom! If you like small parks, this week's episode is for you! We also talk Kentucky Kingdom's new chaperone rule,...

Last year, while everyone was at home, the TPEG Alumni Community, led by a group of recent Ohio State alumni, held their first ever competition. While the world is getting back closer to normal, the TPEG Alumni Community is once again hosting a theme park design competition for college students and recent graduates.  This week on the podcast, we're joined by Tiffani DuScheid, Carissa Vance, and Ki...

Earlier this year, Carowinds was the Champion of our 5th Annual "Park Mania Bracket Contest." When someone wins a title, they get a virtual victory parade! (Now that we've got a podcast, anyway.) We're joined on this week's podcast by Carowinds' Digital Marketing Manager Patrick Wisniewski, who actually grew up as a fan of the park, to talk Park Mania, Carowinds 2021 Season, and his favorites at C...

Stop us if you've heard this before. 2020 was a roller coaster of a year. The good news is, it's now 2021, and theme parks are getting ready to open again. All of Cedar Fair parks open later this month, and we're joined on the podcast this week by Valleyfair's Public Relations and Communications Manager, Kelsey Megard, Kings Dominion Public Relations Manager Maggie Sellers and Schlitterbahn's Dire...

Last week on social media, we asked our audience the question "What is your most unpopular controversial theme park hot take?" Spoiler alert: The responses didn't disappoint. While there were too many to cover in one episode (or even multiple episodes), we decided to discuss a few of these hot takes on the Coaster101 Podcast. The takes were so hot that we had to break it up into two episodes! This...