Summer carnival season is almost here! From small local fairs to massive traveling carnivals, these beloved events feature familiar rides and games that have been thrilling people for generations. Carnival rides range from tame kiddie rides to extreme thrill rides designed to turn your stomach upside down. Here are the 5 most popular carnival rides that you can expect to find at just about any carnival in the US.
1. Carousel
The carousel is a classic carnival ride that has been around since the late 1800s. Consisting of elaborately decorated wooden horses and other animals circling around a platform, carousels are a slow, gentle ride perfect for kids and families. Many carousels feature beautifully painted horses and animals, bright lights, and cheerful calliope music. Riding a carousel is like taking a nostalgic trip back in time. Though they seem tame compared to today’s high-tech rides, carousels have an enduring popularity and are often considered the centerpiece of any carnival.
2. Ferris Wheel
First introduced at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the original Ferris wheel was an engineering marvel standing over 250 feet tall. Today’s Ferris wheels are more modest in size but no less popular. On a Ferris wheel, riders are slowly lifted high into the air in passenger cars or gondolas attached to the circumference of a constantly rotating upright wheel. As it turns, a Ferris wheel provides breathtaking views high above the carnival. Though not as fast or thrilling as some other rides, Ferris wheels give riders a chance to take in spectacular views as they gently circle up, down and around.
3. Pirate Ship
The pirate ship is a ride that swings riders back and forth like a giant pendulum, creating the sensation of a ship rocking at sea. Pirate ship carnival rides typically seat 20-40 people in rows facing sideways. As the ride starts moving, the ship begins rocking gently back and forth, gradually gaining height and momentum as it swings higher and higher in wide arcs up to 40 feet off the ground. Riders experience the feeling of weightlessness at the top of each swing. Most ships are designed to look like pirate galleons, complete with masts, sails and rigging for added theming. The side-to-side motion of the pirate ship carnival ride gives riders the thrilling sensation of being tossed around on stormy seas.
4. Bumper Cars
Also known as dodgems, bumper cars allow drivers to bump into each other while steering around a flat ride surface enclosed by a low fence. Bumper car drivers sit in small electrified vehicles and drive around a flat open space, colliding with other cars in their path. Steering wheels, acceleration and braking systems give drivers some control over the cars, but the enjoyment in bumper cars comes from the wild, reckless bumping and crashing. Bumper cars are usually a staple ride at any carnival, providing hilarious interactive fun for all ages. They have been a popular ride and childhood rite of passage for generations.
5. Roller Coaster
The roller coaster is the most iconic and thrilling carnival ride of all time. Towering steel coasters with fast drops, steep hills, sharp turns, loops and corkscrews get riders’ hearts pumping and adrenaline flowing. Modern steel coasters are designed with state-of-the-art engineering for maximum speed, acceleration, drops and inversions. Sitting in a front seat provides an unobstructed view of the thrills ahead. Roller coasters are the ultimate ride for daredevils looking for a totally immersive, high-speed thrill. Carnivals feature a wide range of coasters, from kiddie coasters to extreme scream machines. For the ultimate adrenaline rush, make sure to ride the biggest, fastest coaster you can handle.
Whether you prefer a gentle spin on a carousel or an intense scream-inducing coaster, carnivals offer thrill rides for all ages.
A couple of other rides that are still really popular on the carnival midways these days are first, the Gravitron. This ride, originally called the Gravitron, nowadays going under many different names like Starship 2000, Starship 3000, Starship 4000, Alien Abduction, Area 51 and many others, is a ride where riders go inside what looks like a spacecraft and stand against reclined cushioned panels that line the wall. The ride spins at high speed and uses centrifugal force to effectively get the riders stuck to the wall. When the ride reaches top speed, the panels slide upward toward the ceiling and take the riders up with them. The ride is often accompanied by flashing lights and loud music. It’s also possible for a strong and skilled rider to turn him/herself sideways and even upside down on the wall (although this is generally prohibited in most of them today) during the ride. This ride was also spawned from an earlier version of this ride called the Rotor.
The Zipper is another popular thrill ride on the carnival midways that has stood the test of time. It consists of a massive boom that rotates vertically at 7.5 RPM in either direction. The perimeter of the boom consists of twelve off-center cages that the riders ride in. A cable pulls the cages around the boom at 4 Rpm in the same direction the boom is traveling. This causes the cages to rock flip and spin at random, making for a very intense and unpredictable experience. If the above factors sound slow, don’t let those single digit numbers fool you. Ask any rider, the Zipper moves plenty fast enough. This ride is so popular that even the late Michael Jackson owned and operated one at his Neverland Ranch. The only downside of this ride is the no single riders rule. You almost have to take somebody to the carnival with you if you want to ride this one.