Trip Report #1: "Wild Thing on a whim!" - 07/19/2026
As I went out for a walk Sunday morning, I was on the phone with a friend when an itch suddenly came up in my brain that said, "What if we went to Wild Waves today?". A couple weeks ago I had bought my partner and I season passes so that during the summer, we could perodically visit throughout in order to relish the time we could before it's final operating season came to a conclusion. Being up that early in the morning and having a chance to glimpse at what might come of the day through the sun, the clouds, and the morning air, I though that this might be a great oppurtunity to use them for the first time. I went back home, quietly made her breakfast, and just before she could even finish the finest plate of scrambled eggs one could make her, I popped the question to her... and by golly she said yes! (The breakfast MAY have been part of the plan so that she might say yes >:3)
The primary purpose of the trip was to see how many rides we could accomplish on each coaster. I wasn't too sure on what to expect in regards to the crowds and operations yet didn't find it surprising that each coaster's ops ran a bit slow. It really did make what seemed to be short lines at initial glance end up being decievingly long. I'd say the average wait time ran around 25-30 minutes. Understand, however, we did traverse there on a sunday and the crowds were pretty large that day. Each coaster doesn't necessarily have the room nor does the park have the budget to be owning and operating more than one train. Our goal was to only spend a couple hours there and even though we ended staying over an hour extra than initially intended, we managed to squeeze in a ride on all 4 coasters as well as a couple stops in between at the carousel and an unexpected run into some friends who happen to be there the same day.
Timberhawk was just as great as I remembered it when I first rode it back in 2022.It's really sad that we are losing such a unique piece of the coaster collection. S&S only manufactured a handful of wooden coasters and this was one of them. This coaster in contrast to other woodies I've ridden is not one to blow your socks off, but the first drop does deliver some pretty decent airtime, especially if you're in the last row. The rest of the layout follows up with a couple of turn arounds and few more smaller airtime hills before weaving through some of the foundations of the track that eventually lead up to the final break run. What actually didn't happen this time around that usually happens with PTC trains is that the lap bar did not progressively ratchet lower onto my lap as the train ran through the layout. I am pleasantly surprised by that but maybe something weird was going on with the restraint itself. Either way, I'm not complaining. Sadly I don't see foresee this attraction being purchased. I just don't know if anyone local and or anywhere else for that matter would find the investment worth it. Though I will say the land it sits on is relatively flat so if a park did decide to purchase it, it could make for an "easier" move but wooden coasters (I'd think anyways) would be a little bit more difficult to just do so than those that have steel footers. This is one of two coasters I hope to get last train rides on when the park closes on November 1st.
After meeting up briefly with a familar we face, we dashed over to the Klondike Gold Rusher. This was a small Zamperla Zig Zag model that opened up in 2002. Not much to say about this one other than the fact that they really put a strain on your ribs if you aren't careful... SPEAKING OF MY RIBS, mine got crushed when we rode Kiddie Coaster together. The curve after the first drop causes the train to jerk right which sends anyone sitting on the left side hurling towards the side wall of the car. I was the said victim and got pinched on my left side. After the first go through (there were 5 if I remember correctly) I quickly went from putting my hands up in enjoyment to bracing nervously for each go around. A credit is a credit however, and I'm glad got that one in the books.
We capped the day off with a ride on Wild Thing. I will always have a soft spot for older Arrow coasters that are mostly looked upon as rough and janky by the gp. But these coasters dramtically moved the industry forward years ago and played such a major part in why coasters are designed the way they are today. Wild Thing opened in 1984 as "Loop Corkscrew" at Rocky Point Park in Rhode Island. When that park closed down permanently, the coaster was won in an auction by Wild Waves and the coaster was soon afterwards relocated. This was one of the first models that introduced the loop into Arrow's existing corkscrew model and it's been thrilling guests over two parks for the last 42 years. It'll be sad to see this one go as well. As far as I know there isn't anyone looking to buy this one either but just like Timberhawk, the supports are generally configured for a flattened terrain so relocating it might not be as much of a logistical challenge but I don't think that alone would be enoough to save this ride from meeting it's impending doom. I'll try to enjoy as many rides as I can before this piece of history is taken down.
I actually only managed to take one photo of Wild Thing and it was of the assembly view from below the station so enjoy it in all of it's glory!... Finishing thoughts are that I'm curious what will happen with some of the parks attractions, and to what degree they'll be getting scrapped and or relocated. We'll find out more I'm sure after the closure. I took some more photos of all the things that I thought were neat on our day out. I'll post them down below.
Until next time,
Nalla
