Jeremy Thompson

This is my 6000th post on this site. It was a good run, but if it isn't obvious by now I've migrated what little online activity I did perform over to Bluesky. I'll keep sharing (throttled) website links here, but I'd highly recommend making the jump as a New Year Resolution.

The 2023 Southeast U.S. Tour concludes with today’s chapter to the Otherworld immersive art experience in Columbus, Ohio. If you haven’t heard of Otherworld, it’s essentially a Big Box Meow Wolf in more ways than one (complimentary). OTHERWORLD: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/otherworl…

The penultimate chapter returns to an old favorite, Kings Island. Last time I reviewed this park was in 2009, so it made sense to revisit it for the new rides since then, as well as updated thoughts on Diamondback and The Beast after all these years. rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/kings-isl…

I like weird old parks. West Virginia has a gem in both those categories in Camden Park. This turn-of-the-century trolley park is literally built around an Indian burial mound, and has one of the best old school spook houses around. CAMDEN PARK: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/camden-pa…

@ThemeParkLore The CA Avengers attraction went from a reasonably focused storyline to everything everywhere all at once, so this evolution seems to track.

@RCPhilosophy Exactly what I'm thinking. Which is odd, because given the state of Marvel Studios, I would actually expect plans to contract and narrow down to specific heroes with proven staying power. Instead, they're expanding to lasso in locales & characters from... the 2010s?

This is interesting bc the initial concept art made it look very “street level” (Spider-Man v. Doc Ock, with Spider-Man’s webs saving a plummeting elevator) whereas now it’s being positioned as a galactic-level E-Ticket Avengers crossover ascending through portals.

@ThemeParkLore @MarioGraciotti What's weird is that Hong Kong's Tomorrowland is one of the least grounded, most googie versions of the land, but now the entire back half is becoming a brutalist campus for defense contractors.

@MarioGraciotti Remember years ago when the theory was that they were going to give up on Tomorrowland at Disneyland and make it a Marvel land? It's weird that that's quietly happened in Hong Kong, but yes Space Mountain should definitely go Marvel at this point hahah

@ThemeParkLore Given the marquee, is this even still a Spider-Man attraction, or an Avengers attraction starring Spider-Man? This feels like a case of getting new direction from the suits at the top since it was previously announced.

I'm also relieved to see that it's ugly, because a Spider-Man / Tower of Terror crossover sounded really great and I was about to lobby to bring it to California, and now I don't have to. 😊

Settle in. This review of Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a long one, covering two days at the park with some planned and unplanned detours, including way back into the past. BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/busch-gar…

The second Cedar Fair park and the second giga coaster in as many days. After last week’s Fury 325 hot take, how would the much more forceful Intimidator 305 fare? KINGS DOMINION: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/kings-dom…

Carowinds had what was easily my most anticipated roller coaster of the entire Southeast trip. But it was also the one that ended up most different from my expectations. Was that good or bad? Read on to find out… CAROWINDS: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/carowinds…

Today’s update starts in Gatlinburg, TN, then makes our way across the landscape of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with a stop in Asheville, NC near the end of the day. Mountain coasters, museums, mini-golf & nature. GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/smoky-mou…

Many cite Dollywood as their favorite theme park. I'm partial to Silver Dollar City, but a park among the best in the country, yet has some challenges but also a handful of my favorite coasters, is my favorite kind of park to write about. DOLLYWOOD: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/dollywood/

The next stop along the southeastern road trip is to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, home to a multitude of mountain coasters and countless other attractions. I’m sure I only scratched the surface. PIGEON FORGE: rollercoasterphilosophy.com/2023/pigeon-fo…