Best New Roller Coasters for 2009

Winters are brutal for roller coaster fans. Except for those lucky enough to live in Florida or California, coaster fans spend the majority of winter pining for spring. They dream incessantly of amusement park opening day when they can finally ride the new roller coasters or get reacquainted with old favorites. If they live near an amusement park, a true coaster fan will closely monitor the construction of new roller coasters, salivating like Pavlov's dogs as the ride takes shape. Whether it's steel or wooden, a floorless coaster, flying coaster or hyper coaster, all are keenly anticipated and celebrated.

Here are some of the noteworthy new roller coasters for 2009:

New Roller Coasters: Florida

The Manta roller coaster will debut at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. The highly anticipated Manta is a themed flying coaster inspired by the graceful underwater flight of the manta ray. Swooping over sea and sky at speeds up to 60 mph, Manta riders will fly face-down underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped like a giant manta. This 140-foot-tall steel roller coaster is a Bolliger & Mabillard design.

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando promises to deliver a thrill ride like none other. This multi-sensory ride blends roller coaster excitement with concert lighting, special effects and the fun of listening to cool tunes while zipping along the tracks at 65 mph. Before you board the roller coaster, you pick your favorite song from five genres (classic rock, rap, country, pop and disco). When the ride is over, you can "rip" a unique music video souvenir of your wild roller coaster experience.

New Roller Coasters: Ohio

The Diamondback roller coaster is poised to strike at Kings Island Amusement Park near Cincinnati, Ohio. With 10 heart-pounding vertical drops, two helixes, speeds in excess of 80 mph and a spectacular splashdown finish, the 230-foot-tall Diamondback steel hyper coaster is this park's fastest and most intense ride to date. Lasting more than three minutes, Diamondback slithers over one mile of rugged natural terrain with enough twists and turns to thrill even the most die-hard roller coaster fan.

New Roller Coasters: Missouri

Legend has it Prowler is a beast of a wooden roller coaster, built deep within the forested terrain at Worlds of Fun Amusement Park in Kansas City, Missouri. Prowler was custom designed for the park's topography by the acclaimed Great Coasters International Inc. (GCI). The ride begins with an 85-foot plummet into a ravine, then races through the wooden terrain with sharply banked turns that hug the landscape until the chase comes to a breathless finish two-and-a-half minutes later.

New Roller Coasters: Pennsylvania

Flying Turns is slated to open at Knoebels Amusement Park and Resort near Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Flying Turns is a bobsled-like wooden coaster designed to simulate the classic ride that was popular in the early 20^th century. The coaster train travels down a trough guided solely by the curved walls surrounding it, creating an exhilarating experience akin to a bobsled ride.

New Roller Coasters: California

Terminator Salvation: The Ride is a wooden roller coaster scheduled to thrill at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Designed and built by GCI as a tie-in to the new Terminator sci-fi film opening in May, Terminator Salvation: The Ride offers an intriguing mix of high-tech feats and classic heart-pounding thrills. The 100-foot-tall roller coaster will feature five belly-flopping hills, six high-speed banked turns and a loading station "fly through," as well as onboard sound and other entertainment.

New Roller Coasters: Virginia

Grover's Alpine Express kiddie coaster is part of the new Sesame Street Forest of Fun children's play area at Busch Gardens Europe Amusement Park in Williamsburg, Virginia. Designed for parents and children to ride together, this fun steel roller coaster is sure to turn young riders into roller coaster fans for life.

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