A New Theme Park for Orlando?

The Mondial Revolution ride at the proposed Orlando Thrill Park

Gather: Orlando, Florida is world renowned as the center of the amusement park world. With the various parks of Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World, the new Legoland and more, this Central Florida locale is a favored destination of amusement enthusiasts from all over the world, but there's one thing that Orlando is lacking and that's about to change pretty soon. For all its thrills, amusements and other entertaining attractions, there are relatively few roller coasters among its parks, and with a recent city council ruling, the area will soon be home to a brand new park with fourteen new thrill rides in all, including eight world-class roller coasters.

Developers of the proposed Orlando Thrill Park have long envisioned adding another theme park to the Orlando area, one that was a little closer to other amusement parks that featured thrill rides as their primary draw for crowds. I-Drive Investors planned their 78-acre park to be built off North International Drive, between a large shopping mall and a residential area, but their plan was turned down in April due to local zoning laws.

Earlier this week, the local city council agreed to make adjustments to allow the site to be used for amusement purposes and a public hearing is scheduled for November 14^th. The decision effectively revives the possibility of the Orlando Thrill Park, much to the delight of roller coaster enthusiasts who have always been hesitant to visit the area for its lack of thrill rides.

Plans for the future park align more with the scream parks that dot the country (like Cedar Fair and Six Flags) rather than the themed playgrounds that already exist in Orlando. Initial visions for the new Orlando Thrill Park were inspired by Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, two parks famous for their extensive collections of roller coasters.

The eight new coasters at the new park are as varied as anywhere, and include inverted, hydraulic-launched, simulated flying, and even a 4th dimension coaster, which is a newer design of coaster that spins on a horizontal axis. Developers have published a slideshow of some of the thrill rides they're proposing, which can be viewed here.

Though there are already some great roller coasters that do reside in the Orlando area, like Universal's Incredible Hulk and Sea World's Manta, and Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa is an hour's drive away, there has never been enough of them to draw the great crowds of thrill ride enthusiasts who travel far and wide for their fun to the area, until now. Orlando Thrill Park will surely be a welcome addition to the Central Florida amusement landscape, especially for roller coaster enthusiasts.