30 Strangest Rides in the World

Each year amusement parks around the world try to one-up one another by building bigger, faster and more intense amusement rides. Here, Sinorides takes a look at some of the strangest, scariest and most innovative non-roller-coaster rides.

1. SkyRoller

Manufacturers have been looking for ways to make rides more interactive since the late ‘40s, and SkyRoller, designed by German ride maker Gerstlauer, is a fine example of how far the industry has advanced. This swing-type contraption allows rides to control the number of barrel rolls they do by manipulating the positioning of the wings as they spin around. The concern often is subjecting riders to high g’s for a sustained period, but points out that SkyRoller is self-limiting in many ways, according to Edward Pribonic, an engineering consultant for theme parks and a former design manager at Walt Disney Imagineering.

2. X-Scream

X-Scream is essentially a teeter-totter for adrenaline junkies that tilts riders 27 feet off the edge of the Stratosphere Las Vegas. Rides like X-Scream take advantage of a built environment to create new thrills. Pribonic explains that the ride uses a relatively low-tech magnetic braking system, based around a copper blade that is attached to the bottom of the car. As the ride rolls forward, the blade slips in between a row of magnets before hitting a rubber bumper that brings it to a standstill. As the ride is tilted backwards, the blade slips out and heads toward an identical row if magnets at the other end.

3. SpinDizzy (Top Spin)

DiggerLand is a U.K.-based chain of theme parks that transforms used construction equipment into rides. The concept may seem odd, but the chain is actually a subsidiary of H. E. Services, one of the U. K.’s largest excavating companies. Dump trucks, loaders and excavators are among the types of equipment that visitors as DiggerLand can expect to ride and operate. The Spin Dizzy is a modified JCB tracked excavator, where the bucket has been retrofitted to sit eight passengers.

4. Giant Discovery (Big Pendulum)

This spin-and-swing ride hits nearly 70 mph and is large enough to accommodate 40 people per session. The pendulum-like motion subjects riders to both g’s and negative g’s as it takes them 150 feet into the sky and drops them back down. The mechanical stresses that riders like Giant Discovery produce are particularly grueling and require constant oversight.

5. Wild Gorge Swing

Wild 5, a South Africa-based adventure company, has built its business by finding ways to extract adrenaline rushes from the natural environment. The Wild Gorge Swing is situated on top of Lehrs Falls within South Africa’s Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve. Riders strap into a harness and plunge themselves off the top of the gorge, which is equivalent to jumping from a 33-story building. According to bloggers who’ve made the jump, top speed comes in at over 70 mph and the entire experience lasts a mere 25 seconds.

6. Shweeb

New Zealand-based Agroventures is home to a slew of unique rides, but the Shweeb stands out because of its eco-friendly approach to getting riders’ adrenaline pumping. Riders climb into translucent, pedal-powered tubes that hang from a monorail and face off in head-to-head races or complete against the clock. The 2000-feet-long course snakes through scenic farmland and can be powered through in less than a minute.

7. Flying Fury

This massive machine is one of the most interactive rides on the market. A joystick gives riders control of the four-passenger miniature planes, allowing them to pull barrel rolls and rotate 360 degrees which the arms lift them to heights in excess of 120 feet. On the autopilot setting, riders will sacrifice control of the aircraft for higher speeds, approximately 15 rpm, while the interactive setting slows things down to about 7 rpm.

8. Nothin’ but Net

The concept behind Nothin’ but Net is simple: take riders 100 feet up and drop them into a suspended net. This particular version of the ride, which is often referred to as a SCAD Tower, is found at the Zero Gravity Thrill Amusement Park in Dallas. A specially designed harness is meant to ensure that rides land on their backs, but Pribonic, who is leery of these types of riders, cautions that nothing is foolproof.

9. The Zipper

Anyone who has attended a carnival in the past 40 years likely encountered this notorious ride. A dozen two-person cage are simultaneously pulled around an oval boom, and riders who need that extra thrill can rock the cages during standstills. The Zipper has a reputation for being rough on riders, and there have been several accidents and lawsuits. In 1997, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning after four deaths and two serious injuries resulted from the doors of the cages unexpectedly opening mid-ride.

10. Insanity: the Ride

Also located on top of Vegas’ Stratosphere, Insanity the Ride lives up to its name by dangling passengers 65 feet over the edge of the building. The giant inverted centrifuge can apply as much as 3 g’s to rides as it spins at speeds up to 40 mph. attaching a giant mechanical arm to a skyscraper is no easy task. Outward-facing rides are tilted at 70-degree angle, making for some of best and most frightening views anywhere in Sin City.

11. Freefall Xtreme

Those who want to experience body flying should check out Agroventures’ Freefall Xtreme. The park says the device is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere, noting that the Royal New Zealand Air Force regularly books time on the machine for training. A 1000-hp V12 twin-turbo engine generates winds up to 120 mph, allowing modestly sized riders to “fly” to about 8 feet. Custom wind suits and a few minutes of training are obviously required, but riders with some skills can pull 360s and other nifty maneuvers.

12. Fireball

The concept of this ride dates back to the ‘70s, but its austerity and straightforward approach to inducing nausea give it a timeless feel. Texas-based Larson International manufactures several versions of the ride, including the Fireball, which has a 60-foot diameter. Roller coasters aren’t exactly portable machines, but this ride is small enough to be hauled on a trailer and big enough to frighten riders of all ages.

13. Bigshot

Tracked rides that shoot people straight into the air are not uncommon, but ones that are built atop skyscrapers deserve notice. Big Shot, located on Las Vegas’s Stratosphere, takes 16 riders more than 1000 feet above the city in a matter of seconds. During the 160-doot ascension, riders will experience the force of 4 g’s. Pribonic says riding the Big Shot at night is the maximum thrill.

14. Disk ‘O Coaster

While this ride may look a little docile, it’s a nice alternative for smaller parks and carnivals that don’t have the space or funding for a full roller coaster. Zamperla, manufacturer of Disk ‘O Coaster, says on its website that the ride can hit speeds of 70 kilometers per hour (43 mph).

15. SkyCycle

SkyCycle, arguably the world’s most eco-friendly roller coaster, is located in Washuzan Highland park in Okayama, Japan. It is a pedal-powered ride that runs along roller-coaster tracks.

16. Human Trebuchet

For about $70, visitors to Middlemoor Water Park in the U. K. payed for the privilege to be shot from the massive trebuchet. Transforming a medieval weapon into an amusement ride may sound like a good idea, but as PM previously reported, things didn’t pan out with this human catapult. In 2002, an unfortunate rider missed the net and was killed.

17. Ejection Seat

This semitrailer-mounted slingshot launches riders 200 feet into the air at speeds of 60 mph. The two-seat pod in which riders sit is held to the base of the machine by an enormous magnet. After the elastic ropes are pulled tight, the conductor releases the magnet, blasting the pod toward the sky. Technical Park, manufacturer of this particular reverse bungee, says on its website that the Ejection Seat subjects riders to 4.8 g’s.

18. Sky Jump

Thrill seekers who aren’t quite ready for BASE-jumping may want to warm up on SkyJump. While the original ride is located in New Zealand, a taller version is slated to open up on Las Vegas’ Stratosphere in the near future. SkyJump is a controlled leap from Auckland’s famous SkyTower, a building similar in design to Seattle’s Space Needle. After being harnessed in and attached to a wire, riders jump from 630 feet, falling for 11 seconds and hitting speeds upward of 50 mph.

19. Wunderland Kalkar Climbing Wall

Wunderland Kalkar is an amusement park in Germany built around old nuclear power plant infrastructure that was never fully operational. A Dutch entrepreneur bought the property in 1991, and now you can climb the side of the nuclear cooling tower or enjoy a swing from its heights.

20. Devil’s Wheel

Popular at Oktoberfest celebrations, a devil’s wheel is perfect if you want to get humiliated in front of an audience while you enjoy your amusement park ride. A devil’s wheel is simply a circular spinning platform. People sit on the platform as it spins faster and faster, ultimately tossing them off. During this dizzying experience, an audience looks on and a commentator narrates the madness, usually cracking jokes at your expense.

21. Bayern Kurve

Invented by Anton Schwarzkopf, the Bayern Kurve debuted in 1965. Traditionally styled as Olympic bobsled races, Bayern Kurve rides have sled-like carts flying around a circular track at high speeds. The track includes rides and falls, and as the speed increases, the riders start to tilt in toward the center of the ride.

22. The Enterprise

Usually space-themed, the classic being decorated with USS Enterprise graphics, this ride has up to two people sitting in one of 20 gondolas as the Ferris wheel-stye ride rotates fast enough to create some centrifugal force. Once you are stuck in your seat—being tossed up and around with your head facing straight down at the apex of the ride—the entire contraption lifts and leans over to 87°from the horizontal. Warp factor 2. Engage.

23. Flowrider

Commonly found on cruise ships, the Flowerider will not take care of you entirely like other rides. Meant to intimate a surfing or bodyboarding experience, the Flowerider constantly pumps a three-inch layer of water up a slope of so you can stay in one place and ride the artificial wave. The ride makes for some pretty spectacular fails.

24. Gravitron

A Gravitron is a completely enclosed ride that has the occupants leaned up against padded panels up against the walls. The panels are angled back. When the ride gets up to full speed, about 24 rpms, the centrifugal forces push the riders back against the pads and lift them up due to the slanted angle.

25. Round Up

Another ride that makes use of centrifugal force to push you up against the back of a padded wall. After the spinning ride takes the weight off your feet and presses you against the rear panel, a hydraulic arm lifts and tilts the entire platform with riders firmly stuck to the wall.

26. Screamin’ Swing

The Screamin’ Swing is a pneumatically powered pendulum ride first operated in 2004. The two long swinging arm can operate individually or in conjection, swinging in opposite directions. There are sears on both sides of each swing. Air compressors pump air into tanks within the arms, and this movement triggers actuators and cables that produce motion.

27. Skycoaster

Designed to give riders the experience of jumping out of a plane, the Skycoaster is essentially a big swing that uses a winch to lift one to three harnessed riders up to a height of up to 300 feet and lets them fly. One of the unique things about this ride is that the riders themselves have to pull a rip cord to release themselves after they have been hauled up hundreds of feet off the ground. After one major drop and swing, riders get to pendulum back and forth until they come to a stop.

28. Star Flyer

A variation of the traditional swing ride for kids, the Star Flyer simply lifts you higher off the ground and swinging you faster. Riders start on the ground, and then the rotating gondola lifts them up to the top of a tower to change the swinging experience into something a bit more exciting. The tallest one in the world is the SkyScreamer at Six Flags New England: 410 feet tall.

29. Top Scan

A Top Scan is a rotating ride found in countries all over the world. It has six free-rotating gondolas with five seats each. The ride lifts the passengers off the ground and spins them in alternating directions, switching between clockwise and counterclockwise. The gondolas themselves are free to flip upside down, summersaulting the passengers as they rotate.

30. Orbiter

Invented in 1976, the Orbiter has a central rotating vertical axis with articulated arms jutting out. At the end pf each arm are the seats for passengers. While the entire ride spins around the vertical axis, the cars with the seats also rotate around the axis of the arms. The arms can be lifted to different heights from one another to add another.