More Fun to Watch Than to Ride?

One of the things I love most about theme parks is watching the rides.

Don't get me wrong, I love riding every roller coaster out there, but there is something memorizing about just sitting on a bench and watching coaster trains crest rolling hills, a log ride splashing through the water or a carousel spinning round and round.

There are some rides out there that don't look like much, but are still fantastic attractions. For instance, the Wildcat at Cedar Point might not be anything special to look at, but it's a great ride. It's fast, fun and surprising.

Space Mountain at Walt Disney World is similar. When the lights are turned on, the ride look very special. It almost looks too mild to be a roller coaster. But once the lights are turned out, forget about it! It's one of the best roller coasters anywhere.

However, there are some rides out there that are more fun to watch than they are to ride.

Mean Streak at Cedar Point is a mammoth wooden roller coaster and it is really a sight  to behold. It was constructed using 1.7 million board feet, and if stacked one in front of the other could span the US from coast to coast just over three times.

But when I rode it a few years ago, the experience didn't live up to the look.  Mean Streak had its moments, but I was more impressed by the aesthetics of the ride than I was with the actual ride itself.

Viper, a ride that used to be at Six Flags Great Adventure had a really unique look. It was a Togo Mega Heartline coaster that was extremely rough, but looked really cool.  I always liked seeing trains roll though the metal rings that surrounded the first drop.

But I guess every park needs a picturesque roller coaster that looks good on park brochures, even if it doesn't give the greatest ride.

What do you guys think? What other rides out there look good, but don't give the greatest ride? About about rides that don't look so hot, but are real crowd pleasers?

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