Roller coasters in Alabama

For a blog with “roller coasters” in the name, I haven’t done much roller coaster riding (or writing) lately! I tried it once during Covid – it was terrible. BUT, I’m hoping that as folks get vaccinated, our hometown parks can open back up, and we can stand in line, have rides at full capacity, and not have to wear masks this summer! (😬🤞) Especially if we need to stick to domestic travel in 2021, amusement parks are a great family option. And I’m sure they’ve been struggling lately.

In that light, I’m starting a new series on roller coasters by state. Partly for my own planning purposes and partly because I want to see what all the parks are up to post-Covid. And it just sounds fun – I love this kind of research!

First up – roller coasters in Alabama. The pickin’s in the Heart of Dixie are pretty slim. The biggest amusement park in the state only has one proper coaster! And the only other major park is attached to a shopping district. But, there may be a lot of states like this. I will do Alaska next, after all…

Alabama Adventure

Alabama Adventure is in the middle of the state, near the outskirts of Birmingham. There is only one roller coaster worthy of note here, and that’s the Rampage wooden coaster at the back of the park. (Click the link for a video!) The rest of it seems to be mostly kiddie rides or flat rides like the scrambler, swings, and tilt-a-whirl. There is a second roller coaster, but it’s a kiddo caterpillar called Centi-SPEED. A couple of outdoor shows round out the entertainment – a trampoline act and a diving show. There are buildings for indoor shows, but I suspect they’ll stay empty until Covid is under control.

EDIT: Alabama Adventure added Cheddar Chase in 2022. It’s not an impressive addition to the park – it’s a used wild mouse relocated from Lake Winnepesaukah from my hometown. This brings the grand total of coasters in the park up to 3.

Fully half the park is the Splash Adventure water park, and those rides look a bit more exciting. There are some twisting body slides and some dark tube slides. But again, it’s mostly kid’s splash areas. There is a “water maze” that looks fun, plus a wave pool and lazy river, which is usually a good time.

Alabama Adventure will reopen on May 13. Pre-season, discounted tickets are $40 and under, with annual passes at $100. All prices include free parking and free Pepsi drinks during your visit. Currently, Alabama Adventure is limiting the number of people in the park per day and has opened up some space for appropriate social distancing, especially around their main food area. The park will close for the season on September 4 (Labor Day weekend.) As always, check the hours and ticket prices before you go.

Tropic Falls at OWA

This is the one I went to last fall! OWA is a shopping and dining destination of the type that you find around tourist areas – like Foley, AL, near Gulf Shores, in this case. And this one has a great little amusement park attached to it. The biggest ride in the park, Rollin’ Thunder, is a one-car, straight-down, four-inversions, twisty roller coaster right in the middle of the midway. (Go to the right of the coaster to board.) Other roller coasters include a Crazy Mouse and the Southern Express kiddie coaster. (Click the links for videos!)

The rest of the park is fun too, with lots of thrilling flat rides. Plus, I remember the ride times being satisfyingly long. In all, there are 23 rides here, including the three roller coasters and six that are strictly for kiddos. Also, there are midway games and a splash pad. Food is served in the park, but you only have to take a short walk for a better meal outside the gates.

EDIT: They’ve added an indoor water park with 10 attractions and renamed the whole amusement park area Tropic Falls. Tickets for just the theme park rides are currently around $27, or $63 for both the amusement rides and the water park. Kids three and under can get a free pre-K pass.

Tropic Falls is open from early March to late August, or at least that’s as far as their calendar currently shows. It’s a little hard to tell. The water park bills itself as “year-round,” but again, hard to tell from their current calendar. Right now, the rides open at 10 am and close between 6-8 pm, depending on the day. Best thing is to check hours and prices before you visit. Parking is free, and it’s free to walk around to shop and eat anytime.

Track Family Fun Park

The Track in Gulf Shores, Alabama, is one of those go-kart/arcade/mini-golf places you find in touristy areas. This brand has locations in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Pigeon Forge, TN, and Destin, FL. But only the Gulf Shores location has a tiny roller coaster! Here, you’ll find a small figure-eight track with cars that spin. The Track uses a point system for individual rides that you can use at any location. Points typically are $1=1 point, though you can save by buying more points at once. The Spinning Coaster costs 9 points.

4D Farm

In the middle of nowhere, Alabama, between Huntsville and Birmingham, is the 4D Family Farm. It’s on this list because there *is* a tiny roller coaster here! A little kiddie coaster looks like someone built it by hand in their backyard as a Covid project. All kidding aside, this looks like a charming place for families. It’s just not a proper amusement park. Instead, it’s a mix of a petting zoo and corn maze (in the fall, at least) with a few home-grown attractions like the roller coaster, a small zip line, and a dry tube slide. When they list tetherball as one of the attractions, you know you’re dealing with a small operation.

It seems to be open selectively, perhaps just in the spring and fall. It’s hard to tell from the website. Currently, they are set to open on April 1 for “Bunny Patch” Easter fun. The cost to visit 4D Farm is $15-20 per person, with an extra charge for the rides. (And there is a pig race in the fall…PIG RACE!)

Spring Park

There may be a family coaster in a small park in Tuscumbia, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals. It shows up in the roller coaster database, and if you look at Google Maps, there is a picture from 2020 of some kids on a carousel, and you can see some coaster tracks in the background. But there’s no website, so I’m not 100% sure it’s still operating.

Water Parks in Alabama

For more summer fun, there are several water parks in Alabama. I won’t go into too much detail on each, but here’s a fairly comprehensive list:

• Splash Adventure at Alabama Adventure is the largest waterpark in Alabama, with seven slides and six other attractions. $40 and under.
• Tropic Falls at OWA built an indoor water park with an outdoor wave pool and flow rider. $63 for a combined ticket.
• Waterville USA in Gulf Shores has 12 attractions, including nine slides. $36 and under.
• Spring Valley Beach Waterpark in Blountsville (about an hour north of Birmingham) has a LARGE 2-acre pool, four pool-area slides, and it looks like six more across the parking lot. $26 and under.
• Point Mallard Park in Decatur features a large wave pool, a real beach, a lazy river, and at least 2-3 slides. Cost is $28 and under, and open May 27.
• Water World in Dothan has a wave pool, a tube slide, and four body slides, plus a large picnic area. $16 and under, with half-price nights Tuesdays and Thursdays. Opening May 6.
• Wild Water is a new water park in Cullman with 7 slides, 4 kids’ attractions, a tiny lazy river, and a wave pool. It costs $30 and under, with $8 off weekday afternoons.
• Fayette Aquatic Center in Fayette, AL (on the west side of the state) is a small water park with three slides, a splash pad, and a small lazy river. $8-12.
• Red Bay Fun Park is a city park with two slides and a kid’s play area. $8 and under.
• Midtown Water Park in Carrollton has a zero-entry pool and two slides. $4 and under.
• Guin Waterpark has one curvy slide and a kid’s pool. $8 and under.

Beyond this, there are community splash parks and city pools, but that’s about it. It is more than I thought!

Stay tuned for what I can find in Alaska next! (Sneak peek, it’s not much.)

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!