The time has come. After multiple postponements for COVID, Shane finally made it to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. Of course, for a Star Wars nerd, it was like nirvana, and he wanted to talk about it!

We're joined on the podcast this week by fellow Star Wars aficionado Hunter Hernandez from Theme Park Hunting and the On The Hunt Podcast to discuss ALL things Star Wars and Galaxy's Edge. You have been warned. There are spoilers! 

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

You never know where you'll find a true theme park enthusiast in the wild.  While many people claim to be a "theme park nerd," rarely are they able to back up that claim with actual in-depth knowledge. Not the case with Broadway Actor Nik Walker (Hamilton, Ain't Too Proud). He. Knows. His. Stuff.

Nik, who had it written into his contract for Ain't Too Proud that he would miss rehearsal for the opening of Rise of the Resistance, joins Andrew and Shane this week to talk all things theme park, and being a theme park nerd. There's great discussions on Marvel, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Disneyland Food, Canobie Lake Park, Touring Production travel and even a great Captain E.O. impression. Don't say we didn't warn you!  

Nik is currently starting on Broadway as Otis Williams in Ain't Too Proud: The Life & Times of The Temptations. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @Nikkywalks

Nik also hosts the Little Justice: Movies & Mayhem podcast on the Broadway Podcast Network. 

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

Happy IAAPA Week! You've made it to our final IAAPA interview, where we're joined by Daryl White of Falcon's Beyond Global.

Falcon's is always on the forefront of technological innovation in the industry, and with new creations like the Spectraverse and On!x Theater, they continue to pave the way for new technological progress in the amusement industry.

We also talk about the creation of Falcon's Beyond Global, and how it grew from a manufacturer relationship that was solidified on the IAAPA Show Floor!

For more information on Falcon's, visit their website at www.falconscreativegroup.com

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

Happy IAAPA Week! You've made it to our third of four interviews with companies exhibiting at IAAPA, and today, we're joined by Adam Sandy of Zamperla's Roller Coaster Division.

It's been a busy year for Zamperla with the announcement of the Double Heart Coaster, new roller coasters in the United States and in Asia, and they're not done! In 2022, they will debut a "Lift & Launch" family coaster at a park in North America, and on the show floor today, are announcing a never-before-released coaster concept! (This episode is coming out a little bit before the announcement, so if you want to be the first, we have a bit of an exclusive!)

You won't want to miss this!

For more information about Zamperla Coasters, be sure to follow them on Facebook & Instagram. 

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

Happy IAAPA Week! This is our second in a series of four interviews with companies exhibiting at IAAPA, and today, we're focused on a company with a booth at the expo, but they're not selling anything -- they're there to say "Thank You" to their industry partners: Give Kids The World

There are multiple charitable initiatives going on around the IAAPA Expo this week, including a 5K race and golf tournament. Not to mention, the President of Ripley's Believe it or Not is shaving his beard to add to the world's largest hairball, "Hoss," which will be located at Give Kids The World's IAAPA Booth. Ripley's will match $10,000 in donations made to GKTW at the Expo.

We also talk a little bit about Give Kids The World's holiday event - Night of a Million Lights - which made its debut in 2020, and is back for even more lights and excitement this year!

Stay Tuned for future interviews with Adam Sandy of Zamperla (Wednesday), and Falcon's Creative Group (Thursday!)

For more information on Give Kids The World, visit their website: www.gktw.org

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

Happy IAAPA Week! This is our first in a series of four interviews with companies exhibiting at IAAPA, and we're starting with Extreme Engineering, who are debuting four new concepts at the 2021 IAAPA Expo.

We learn more about Extreme Engineering's recent Cloud Coasters in Vietnam and Qatar, and learn more about their projects on the horizon, before diving into the Cloud Coaster Storm, Surfin' Tsunami, SkyTag, and the Parkour Around adventure attraction. 

Stay Tuned for future interviews with Give Kids The World (Tuesday), Zamperla (Wednesday), and Falcon's Creative Group (Thursday!)

For more information on Extreme Engineering, visit their website at www.extremeengineering.com

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

Happy IAAPA Week! We've got a shorter "regular" show this week, because the week is chock full of content coming to Coaster101.com, our social media feeds, and most importantly, your podcast feed! While we won't be on the show floor during the majority of the week of the Expo, C101 writer Shane is attending his first ever IAAPA expo, and had questions for Andrew, who attended the show in 2017 and 2019.

What should Shane expect? How's he going to feel? What can he do to prepare? Is he going to survive solely on BeaverTails and Dippin' Dots for a day? All this and more!

This is the first of five episodes that will drop in your feed this week surrounding the IAAPA Expo. Stay tuned for interviews with Extreme Engineering (Monday), Give Kids The World (Tuesday), Zamperla (Wednesday), and Falcon's Creative Group (Thursday!)

For an IAAPA Survival Guide, check out this article on Attraction Pros! http://attractionpros.com/iaapaguide/

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

It's the second week of November. The first chill is in the air, so what better time to think warm thoughts of water parks than with a podcast devoted to Schlitterbahn Water Parks, arguably the water park mecca of the United States.

We're joined on the podcast this week by Aaron Martinez, Director of Marketing for Schlitterbahn Waterparks to talk all things Schlitterbahn, from the family-owned history, to how they haven't had a true "Cedar Fair" season yet, to improvements coming to the parks in 2022, to brisket-stuffed turkey legs and more!

For more information on Schlitterbahn, visit www.schlitterbahn.com!

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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're selling 2022 Calendars to benefit Give Kids The World! Head to https://www.coaster101.com/product/roller-coasters-2022-calendar/ to learn more! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

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 as could probably be expected when getting children involved...it goes off the rails in a hurry!

Be sure to check out Nick's reviews of LEGOLAND New York on Coaster101.com!
LEGO Factory Adventure: https://www.coaster101.com/2021/10/19/lego-factory-adventure-ride-complete-analysis/
LEGOLAND Hotel: https://www.coaster101.com/2021/10/21/why-the-legoland-new-york-hotel-is-my-familys-new-favorite-hotel/

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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 shop purchases will go to Give Kids The World! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.

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 SCarowinds' newest mazes, what to expect at WinterFest, and how live shows are created! You definitely don't want to miss this!

Read Andrew's review of SCarowinds here: https://www.coaster101.com/2021/10/11/sunday-scaries-scarowinds-2021-reviewed/ 

You can connect with the show by emailing us at [email protected] 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 shop purchases will go to Give Kids The World! 

Also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode! And please give us a rating and review wherever you listen, it helps new listeners find us!

Thanks to JM Music Design for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesign.com.