Cedar Point's Windseeker the latest in a new theme park trend

Cedar Point is one of the most renowned amusement parks in the world. With a stunning collection of 17 roller coasters, the park has earned its moniker as "America's Roller Coast." The park hasn't added a new coaster to its collection since 2007's Maverick, but this year the fun park is getting in on the newest trend in amusement park rides with the all new Windseeker.
Tower rides have grown in popularity since the days of the "freefall" rides that started popping up in the early 1980s. The concept behind a tower ride is that it carries riders vertically up to potentially death-defying heights and then plunges them back towards the ground in what can only be described as a terrifying experience. Early freefall rides, like Freefall at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, brought passengers down at an angle where riders would end in a horizontal position facing the sky. Even many coaster fans are scared off by these towering terrors even though many of them are much shorter than some of their neigboring coasters.
Over the years, these freefall rides have grown taller and more innovative with their designs. The tallest tower ride in the world is located at Dreamworld in Australia. The Giant Drop plunges riders a terrifying 390 feet towards the ground, leaving riders thinking they'd left their stomachs way up above. The highest tower ride in the world, The Big Shot, sits above the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas a mere 1081 feet off the ground. Though there are many variations on the heights and types of drops, and gondolas on these rides, perhaps none is more creative than Disney's Tower of Terror, which mixes in a little Disney theatrics for an even more frightening ride experience.
The newest addition at Cedar Point is a visual stunner and puts a real spin on the theme. The ride stands at 301 feet, one of the tallest structures in the park. Riders sit in two-person swings that spin around at 25-30 miles per hour as it soars above the park, offering spectacular views of Lake Erie and Cedar Point's massive collection of thrill rides. The lighting adorning the ride at night makes it a visual stunner. Windseeker opened last week and is already getting rave reviews from ride enthusiasts. Check out a video of the ride in action right here.
Cedar Point's Windseeker is only the first of its kind to open up to thrill seekers this year. Look for similar tower rides at King's Island in Cincinnati, Knotts Berry Farm outside Los Angeles in California, Canada's Wonderland, near Toronto, Canada, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, Six Flags St. Louis, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom near San Francisco, California. This is going to be one petrifying summer at theme parks across the country!