What’s steeper than steep? New amusement park rides for ‘07

ORLANDO, Fla. — Thrill-seekers searching for the new biggest, tallest or fastest roller coaster rush may be slightly disappointed. The 2007 class of coasters at amusement parks across America isn’t a record-breaker. In fact, one park is dumping two of its old coasters and another is re-engineering a wooden coaster to make it a little less thrilling. That means a lot of new shows, water park additions and cartoon-themed features for small children. But there are still some offerings for the boardwalk adrenaline junkie, from new coasters that drop five degrees steeper than straight down to a seven-story swing in Missouri that takes riders 75 feet in the air. “This year the parks are really kind of trying to capture the family market, as opposed to the teen market,” said Steven Smith, operations manager for the theme-park... [read full story]