Roller coasters and theme parks are two of the top reasons many adventurous souls travel to Florida. The state stands as theme park capital of the world and we have amusement parks like other states have museums (and yes, we have museums too!). And as you’d suspect, with theme parks come roller coasters. I’ve ridden them all at some point in my life and below you’ll find my list of the best roller coasters in the state and where you can find them!
Hogsmeade Village and distant roller coasters the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The Best Roller Coasters at Florida Theme Parks!
Hardcore roller coaster enthusiasts might disagree with some of the coasters that have made my list, but it’s really up to personal taste and where you get your thrills. That being said, I’ve ridden a lot, with a lot of friends and these are the ones we come back to time and time again.
Dragon Challenge at Universal’s Islands of Adventure
Formerly the Dueling Dragons, this roller coaster is located in Orlando in the Universal Studios complex. Islands of Adventure is more of the water-park and adventure side to Universal and is now the home of the Wizarding World of Harry Pottery, which is exactly where you’ll find this ride!
The premise is simple, dual roller coasters are on separate steel tracks and start at precisely the same moment to hurl the riders rapidly through the air on suspended tracks. The coasters often speed toward each other for some thrilling moments when you know they aren’t going to crash but it feels as if they will! This coaster is ideal from both the front and the back of the seats– a rarity for coaster enthusiasts.
Montu at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens theme park, located in Tampa, is really the best overall theme park for roller coaster enthusiasts in particular because the park has been designed with a bit different focus than Disney and even the Universal parks — although very child friendly, the park also caters to an older audience with fast rides and rocking roller coasters. With that in mind, Montu lives up to your every hope and dream for a coaster — a suspended track mean your feet dangle and whip through the air. The track is older than some of the other top coasters on this list, but it’s a goodie for sure and you’ll want to ride this one several times before you leave the park for the day!
Gwazi at Busch Gardens
This ranks up there because I know it’s well loved by my friends and family; for me, wooden roller coasters don’t necessarily tickle my fancy too much, but even so I make a point to ride Gwazi each time I visit Busch Gardens. The coaster is your classic wooden double coaster and the dual set of cars race each other throughout the track. Expect all of the typical pros and cons of a wooden coaster, but take it up a notch for the fun humps and swoops throughout.
The Incredible Hulk at Universal Islands of Adventure
This coaster is still fairly new (much newer than the popular coasters at Busch Gardens) and the Incredible Hulk made international headlines when it was released because of the innovative track and propulsion system that is, quite literally, the only roller coaster like it in the world. Not to spoil the fun, but as you’re slowly accelerating up the hill you get a sudden boost and go from zero to 60 mph in mere seconds, then the coaster swoops into tunnels and toward the pond it sits in –thrilling and completely unique.
Sheikra Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens
This is where I proudly wave my wimp flag and admit that as thrilling as this roller coaster is, it also scares the heck out of me each time! This is the tallest coaster in this region of the US and a 90 degree, straight down drop is terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Hard-core enthusiasts will love the drama of this coaster and the thrill of the ride.
This rounds out some of my favorite roller coasters in Florida, but they are far from the only coasters you can enjoy on a visit to our theme parks — there are dozens more that get raves and enjoyment. If you’re an enthusiast you’ll also be interested in Kumba, The Mummy, Space Mountain (and indoor coaster), and Journey to Atlantis at Sea World if you’re a fan of thrilling water coasters!