Our Favorite Summer Rides

Nothing says summer like a good, old-fashioned thrill, and that means a good amusement park ride. The good news: as gas prices approach $4 a gallon, you won’t have to travel far to get your thrills. With Silver Dollar City, Celebration City, White Water, and the Ozark Empire Fair all within’ spitting distance, it’s easy to quicken your pulse without spending a fortune.

Best Roller Coaster: WildFire, Silver Dollar City

This is the big boy of Silver Dollar City, a multi-looping coaster constructed by the “Rolls Royce” of coaster manufacturers, Bolliger and Mabillard Consulting Engineers (more commonly known as B&M). We love WildFire for its unexpected surroundings. Nothing takes our breath away more than shooting through trees and the Ozark hills at 66 miles per hour, or a 15-story drop down a mountainside. This is the real deal: If you’re not dizzy as an ice skater on X when you’re done, something’s wrong with you.

Best Ride for Those Who Don’t Like Rides: The Century Wheel, Ozark Empire Fair

One staple found at carnivals around the world is the Ferris wheel. First appearing at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, the big wheel was built to rival the Eiffel Tower. Now, generations later, the Ferris wheel is still the calmest way to ride. Reithoffer Shows Midway, the carnival ride company outfitting this year’s Ozark Empire Fair, will bring its version, The Century Wheel, to town July 25 through August 3. We suggest cuddling up and enjoying the views of Springfield from the highest seat at the fair. Unfortunately, the old-style, two-person seating (perfect for old-school necking) has been replaced with more accommodating four-person gondolas. We suggest slipping the carnie a five and enjoying a view for two.

Best Old-School Ride: Fire in the Hole, Silver Dollar City

Themed on the actual burning of the city of Marmaros (where Silver Dollar City now sits) by the vigilante group known as the Baldknobbers, this classic coaster has drops and turns, just not the kind that will make you dizzy. This ride is more about watching the low-tech burning city scene that hasn’t changed since Nixon was in the White House. The sound bytes are classic (our favorite: “I ain’t got no pants no more. The dang Baldknobbers stole ’em.”) and the environs spooky. Also wins the award for Best Make-Out Ride, if you work your way to the back seat, and are also in eighth grade.

Best New Ride: Roaring Falls, Celebration City

Opened in April 2008, this is the newest ride on our list. Again, theme plays a large role in this multi-million dollar adventure ride. Riders wind their way through an Amazon-themed jungle before splashing down a 55-degree, five-story slide into a pool of water. Warning: If you don’t want to get wet, don’t stand too close.

Bes Group Ride: Wilderness Waterboggan, Silver Dollar City

Back in the day, this was the best ride in the region. The line itself is half the fun, as you ascend a winding staircase to the top of a 10-story tower. Once there, you and five of your closest friends (four if one of them is fat), race another group down the slide in a rubber sled, shooting around corners and seemingly dodging trees in the middle of the woods (many will remember that the ride used to be covered, but no more.) Don’t let the jerk in the back rock the boat, either—it’s scary, and it’ll make you lose the race.