What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette S ometimes it's not the newest or the faster roller coaster that is your favorite — even if you're attractions manager at Silver Dollar City. For Nick Breithaupt, the answer depends on who he's riding with. "Thunderation is my favorite right now, because it's the one my son wants to ride," says Breithaupt, adding that his son is 8. But if he's on his own, just popping out into the theme park to survey his domain, the boss' choice is PowderKeg. "That launch at the beginning takes my breath away every time!" Thunderation, explains the Silver Dollar City website, is an 81-foot tall, high-speed coaster with a scenic view of the Ozarks. The train begins its journey propelled by gravity until cars reach the coaster's only lift. The lift carries passengers 121 feet into the air before dropping them 81 feet at speeds up to 48 mph. The runaway mine train takes a spiraling drop and races through an underground tunnel before returning to the loading station. While Thunderation is a pretty traditional roller coaster, Breithaupt says, PowderKeg is not. Called a "launch coaster," it goes from 0 to 53 mph in 2.8 seconds thanks to a compressed air launch — and then adds spiraling turns and "floater" hills at speeds up to 64 mph. After the initial blast of speed and a 110-foot drop, riders soar through the trees over six acres on 3,500 feet of track for what promises to be a "truly wild ride experience." "The great thing is, Silver Dollar City has seven roller coasters," Breithaupt says, "so if you love roller coasters, but you don't want to go upside down, we've got you covered. And if you love adrenaline, we can provide that too." Time Traveler, which opened last spring, was the first of its kind, drawing coaster fans from around the world for its 50 mph speeds, a 10-story drop, a 95-foot vertical loop, a dive loop and a zero G roll, all totaling almost 2 minutes of screaming, laughing, heart- pumping excitement. Created by Mack Rides of Germany, it is unique because its cars spin while the rest of the ride happens. It's a controlled spin, promises Breithaupt, but it makes every single ride different. BRANSON 8 WHAT'S UP! MARCH 10-16, 2019 Ride Like The Wind Spring break fast and furious at Silver Dollar City Photo courtesy Silver Dollar City Roller coaster fans came from all over the world in 2018 to ride Time Traveler, the world's fastest, steepest and tallest spinning coaster. The $26 million investment in Time Traveler, along with its other award- winning attractions, shows and food, proved to be a winning formula for the 1880s-style theme park, which counted nearly 2.2 million guests in 2018, the highest numbers in the park's 59-year history. 'Talk To Me, Goose' BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette W ant to climb? Or tunnel? How about explore a giant maze made of shipping containers? It might sound a little like the City Museum in St. Louis, but it's much closer to home. The 80,000-square-foot Fritz's Adventure, now in its fourth year in Branson, offers a ropes course; a climbing wall that looks like an old warehouse and includes two full-size utility poles; a zipline; a laser adventure room; and more. And come the end of May, it will offer a chance to fly. This will be the second season for the Aerodium (pronounced air-oh-DEE-um) Outdoor Flying Adventure, an offering unique to Branson, says Jake Schenk, general manager of Fritz's Adventure. "We found it at a conference in 2017 and immediately thought it would be an awesome fit," he says. Besides being a favorite with visitors, the vertical, outdoor wind tunnel flight experience is Aerodium answers adventurers' need for speed Photos courtesy Fritz's Aerodium Visitors to Fritz's Aerodium in Branson can get a unique look at the Ozarks as they take to the sky in a vertical, outdoor wind tunnel flight experience. FAQ Silver Dollar City: Spring Break WHEN — 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. March 13-17, 20-24 & 26-31 WHERE — Branson, Mo. COST — $58-$68 INFO — silverdollarcity.com See SDC Page 9 See Fritz's Page 9