Brought to you by The Nerdy Girlie & Super Space Chick

Ever since I was a kid I loved visiting theme parks, and living in South Florida made that a pretty easy thing to do since we are only a 3 hour drive from Orlando. An extra hour in the car gets you to Tampa, which houses Busch Gardens, so we were never in short supply of options. As an adult, the love only grows and I’m sure as we grow a family, the love will be reborn in a different and even more special way.

 

1. The Hulk Coaster {Islands of Adventure}
This is my all time favorite ride at Islands of Adventure. Sure, Wizarding World opened up and all that jive, but this coaster on Marvel Island never lost its magic. Most trips, I find myself either starting with it or running half way across the park from Hogsmeade to make it to The Hulk before the park closes. What makes it so special? That amazing initial launch where you accelerate to 40mph in 2 seconds. It makes you feel like you are flying!
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2. Escape from Gringotts {Universal Studios: Orlando}
I used to be obsessed with The Forbidden Journey in the Hogsmeade portion of Wizarding World until Diagon Alley opened up. Then it was quickly replaced by Escape from Gringotts. It is absolutely impossible to not go on this ride and not leave smiling. I personally have a smile slapped on my face the entire time. The technology is amazing, but of course, what takes it to the top of my list is that super fun drop at the beginning. I love that Bellatrix’s curse seems to levitate your cart and actually suspends it at a 40 degree angle before dropping you into a series of intense spins and turns. Such a great way to get your adrenaline pumping!
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3. Sheikra Coaster {Busch Gardens: Tampa}
I don’t get to go to Busch Gardens enough, but I love every single visit. As you can tell, I’m a bit of a coaster junkie and love trying new ones (even if I do shake in my boots until it’s over – then I want to ride it again). The last time I went to Busch Gardens, we had some bad weather, which means the brand-spankin’ new coaster, Cheetah Hunt, was closed. However, we were able to go on Sheikra and whoa! Was it a thrill. Standing at 200 feet tall with a max speed of 70 mph, it was daunting to say the least (dear lord, that climb), but so amazingly fun! I can’t wait to visit again and experience that eternal 4 second hang before they drop you those 200 feet.
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4. The Haunted Mansion {DisneyLand: California}
You may wonder why I listed The Haunted Mansion in California and not in Orlando, since we have the same attraction, and there is a reason and one reason only: The Nightmare Before Christmas. See, in California, The Haunted Mansion is taken over by Jack Skellington and his friends in honor of Christmas time. This revamp happens from late-September through early-January and the hubs and I just happened to visit during that window last year. I didn’t even know this happened, so needless to say, I was pretty stoked since Nightmare is one of, if not my absolute favorite Disney movie. I squee’d throughout the entire thing, but was pretty disappointed with the merchandise. I think there should be more available during this time at the park, but was sad to see such a measly assortment.
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5. Rock n’ Roller Coaster {Hollywood Studios: Orlando}
I had to finish strong with another coaster! This one is at DisneyWorld’s Hollywood Studios and is Aerosmith themed. It’s totally in the dark, so you have no idea what you are riding until you are literally strapped in and on the move. Naturally, this is pretty scary when you finally reach the point you can see the cars (which are made to look like stretch limousines) screeching into a neon tunnel (that would be because they are going from 0 to 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds), but at least you have Aerosmith tunes blaring from the speakers on either side of your head to keep you a little calm.
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**Honorable mention goes to Expedition Everest at DisneyWorld’s Animal Kingdom park. I just visited the park for the first time last year and rode on this coaster. Sooooooo much fun!