Place to see: Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey, United States

About this place:

Six Flags Great Adventure is celebrating its 34th year of operation (2008) in Jackson, New Jersey, situated between New York City and Philadelphia. For those that know the Six Flags brand, it's about the thrill rides. For the Great Adventure property, it's about the roller coasters...

In 2005, Great Adventure opened its doors to Kingda Ka, the worlds tallest and fastest roller coaster. Right is the same neighborhood is El Toro, the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster - that until this year - had the steepest drop in the world. And situated somewhat between these two behemoths is one of the first classic roller coasters that opened in 1979 - Rolling Thunder. It is a twin wooden coaster, meaning you can race as two trains are launched and sent to their drops on parallel tracks.

At the time it was build (1989), The Great American Screem Machine was the record holder in terms of speed, height, loops, and... well, screem factor. Batman: The Ride (1992) shook up the coaster world when Great Adventure introduced the world's first inverted roller coaster. The floor dropped and your feet went flying... Medusa, in 1999, took a similar tact by dropping out the floor, but putting four riders in a row. Superman: Ultimate Flight was the follow-up, positioning riders in a flying position so you can join the "Man of Steel."

In 2001, Nitro opened to become Great Adventure's tallest and fastest, reaching a height of 230 feet and maximum speeds of 80 mph. While a "sit down" coaster, it is still a huge crowd pleaser!

This year (2008) Great Adventure opened yet another coaster. This time is is less about the speed and the height and more about the visual experience. An indoor coaster - the Dark Knight - builds on the tradition of Batman themed rides telling a story as you move through the experience.

To learn more, read my full story at http://www.everywheremag.com/articles/1060.