The Coaster101 Podcast

Lightning Rod at Dollywood has had a rough operational history. The highly rated launched wooden coaster closed in September for the rest of the 2020 season. The rumors have been flying but Coaster101 got the scoop on what's going on with Lightning Rod. We also talk some of the recent events at Dollywood including Harvest Festival, Thrills in the Hills, and Smoky Mountain Christmas.

Questions or comments? Try emailing us at [email protected] or hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

It's the holiday gift giving season, and we're selling Calendars that benefit Give Kids The World Village! Find more at http://c101.co/21calendar. We also have our own line of Coaster101 and coaster-inspired merchandise at http://c101.co/shirts!

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

A large portion of our audience probably consider themselves "coaster enthusiasts," but for any "GP" who may be listening to this show, we tried to break down some common enthusiast lingo so you can tell your SBNO from your OTSR, and your LROTN from your FROTD.

Did we miss any terms? Help contribute to Part 2 by emailing us at [email protected] or hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

It's almost the holiday gift giving season, and we're selling Calendars that benefit Give Kids The World Village! Find more at http://c101.co/21calendar. We also have our own line of Coaster101 and coaster-inspired merchandise at http://c101.co/shirts!

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

Universal recently released a teaser video and a bunch of photos of their new park under construction outisde of Beijing China! We break down the different lands and all the new rides we're most excited about and most confused about (Waterworld is the answer to both of those questions). If you want more info check out our full post here: https://c101.co/2FJSb0e. You can also see all the all the construction pictures we reference at https://www.themeparx.com/universal-studios-beijing/

Tell us what part of Universal Beijing has you most excite by emailing us at [email protected] or hitting us up on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

This week on the podcast we're joined by a very special guest: Theme Park journalist extraordinaire Carlye Wisel! Carlye has written about theme parks for publications as wide ranging as Travel & Leisure, Eater, and SyFy, and this past summer started her own podcast called Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel. If you've ever wanted to learn all kinds of things about how Disney and Universal theme parks work, it's the show for you.

We discuss the origins of Very Amusing, some of the best things Carlye's learned since starting it, what we should be looking forward to, and much more. Then we get into a long discussion of Disney's roller coasters!

Go subscribe to Very Amusing wherever you get podcasts, and find Carlye on social media everywhere at @carlyewisel. Also check out the interview we did with Carlye earlier this year: https://c101.co/39QcS3K

Then, after you do that, make sure you're subscribed to the Coaster101 podcast so you don't miss an episode, and give us a rating and review wherever you listen! You can also email your Disney roller coaster thoughts to [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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

And thanks to Ulimi for providing our text codes, check them out at Ulimidoes.com. You can text CARLYE to 419-742-2101 to get to the interview she did with us!

Coaster101 founder John Stevenson just got back from a 4 day trip to Walt Disney World, the first time any of us have been to the resort since it reopened. So this week John joins us to talk about his experience at the four parks. We get into what was good, what was less good, and how to cope with failing to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding group (Eric and Andrew tried not to rub it in too much that they have both ridden Rise of the Resistance).

We also realized there are a lot more discussions we need to have about Disney World, so expect more episodes about it in the future, and if you've got questions about Disney World or things you want us to discuss, email us at [email protected]!

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

And one more thing, you'll notice we've added a new feature where you can text keywords to 419-742-2101 to get linked directly to articles on the site! Thanks to Ulimi for that, check them out at Ulimidoes.com.

We're going hyper regional on the podcast this week! Shane recently visited Quassy Amusement Park up in his neck of the woods, so on this episode Andrew gets a rundown of what Quassy is all about. We also answer a few listener questions.

If you're a Quassy fan let us know your favorite things about the park. And let us know what other small regional parks you want us to talk about more on the podcast! Email us at [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

Universal officially announced the least unexpected new attraction ever, the Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure. We discuss the new teaser and what we're excited about on the new ride (officially the Jurassic World VelociCoaster). Check out the full announcement details here: https://c101.co/2EFgQ5B

We also get into a brief bit of bonus news discussion, chatting about the new patent filed by B&M for an updated stand-up coaster restraint system (see https://c101.co/2GisHXD).

Tell us what you think of the official VelociCoaster announcement? Where do you guys rank it in your most anticipated coasters of 2021 list? Email us at [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

Earlier this summer Coaster101's Nick Weisenberger wrote an extensive article about the history of Millennium Force to celebrate the iconic roller coaster's 20th anniversary. Today on the podcast, Nick joins Eric to go into some of that history, explaining how the decision to build the ride came about, what company almost built it, and the key technological innovations of the ride. We also talk a little bit about whether Millennium Force holds up, and its legacy in the theme park industry. Be sure to check out the full article here: https://c101.co/34Ls0As

Let us know what you think of Millennium Force! Email [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

This week we embarrass ourselves by revealing our biggest theme park blind spots. This includes both parks that we really should have visited by now but haven't as well as specific coasters we haven't checked off yet (for one reason or another).

Let us know what your biggest amusement industry blind spots are, or tell us how ashamed of us you are! Email [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.

This week on the Coaster101 podcast, we're joined by Jefferson Richardson of Kentucky Kingdom and Chris Foshee of Worlds of Fun, two of the most prolific theme park tweeters in the game. Learn more about how they got their starts in the industry, what goes through their mind when creating content like the world's first Strata Waterslide or a video completely comprised of Stock Video footage to sell a theme park, and their upcoming (we think?) rap album.

Have any follow up questions you want to ask them about, ideas for topics, or questions for us? Email [email protected], or find us on social media @Coaster101.

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 Designs for providing our theme song. For more on them, check out jmmusicdesigns.com.