Top 10 Roller Coasters in Florida

We all love the thrill and excitement of a good rollercoaster and if you are thinking of a trip to Florida and you love rollercoasters, then you are in luck, as Florida has some of the best in the world.

Here are the top 10 roller coasters in Florida:

1. Mako at SeaWorld Orlando

Mako, the only hyper coaster in Florida, manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard, delivers all the thrills at 200 feet and a top speed of 73 mph. It gives a flurry of airtime bliss for all the coaster fans. Mako is taller, faster, smoother, more powerful, and much more intense than most other rides in Florida. This SeaWorld favorite roller coaster is named after the fastest shark known in the ocean. Hop on to experience the tall peaks, vertical drops, and high speed as this ride is designed to make the riders feel like a shark speeding through the water at its top speed to chase its prey.

2. JurassicWorld Veloci Coasters at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Universal Orlando released the Veloci Coasters in 2021, gaining all the attraction. VelociCoaster is an Intamin steel dual-launched roller coaster. Not only is it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Florida, but also in every Universal Studios location worldwide. With a top launch speed of 70 mph and 155 feet in height, the Veloci Coaster drops the riders on the other side at an 80-degree angle. It also features a zero-G stall over the walkway to the ride with a wild barrel roll at the end just a few inches above Islands of Adventure’s lagoon. 

3. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

This Motorbike ride offers an exhilarating experience with its multiple launches, backward-racing moments, and other wacky elements. It is most distant from what is called a “family” ride. It is the longest roller coaster in Florida at 5053 feet in length, speeds of 50 mph, and drops from 17 feet; and also holds a record for seven launches. The Universal ride promises a wonderful time with its immersive, captivating themes, including an encounter with the jolly half-giant. The idea of this ride was brought to reality by the Universal Creative team in collaboration with the Harry Potter movies production designer Stuart Craig and art director Alan Gilmore. J.K. Rowling and her team were also involved in design and manufacturing and gave inputs and notes

4. SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa

Tampa Bay Park is home to four of the top ten roller coasters in Florida, with SheiKra’s floorless dive coaster topping the list. It is a steel dive roller coaster. The ride doesn’t just dive 200 feet and reach a top speed of 70 mph before it releases the thrill; it teases its passengers by hanging them over the edge for a brief moment and then adds a second dive. The riders can marvel at the views over Tampa before being pushed forward, stopping again at a 45-degree angle, and then dropping back to earth with a G-Force of 5. Other experiences one can have in this ride are an Immelmann loop, a water feature, and one more 90-degree drop from 138 feet. 

5. Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa

The Cheetah Hunt remains a family ride despite its three launches and a top speed of 60 mph. The ride is themed wonderfully, smooth, and re-rideable. A front-row seat is a must at this non-traditional roller coaster. People who love coasters can experience airtime, water features, and an inversion with the animals below them. It was built by Intamin and purchased through Intaride LLC, the company’s exclusive US supplier. The tallest spot is at 102 feet, and with the help of a trench, the most significant drop is from 130 feet. Cheetah Hunt reaches a force of 4 Gs, featuring overbanked turns, airtime parabolas, and one heart line inversion along its track of 4429 feet. Cheetah Hunt has a capacity of 1,370 guests per hour using five trains, each with sixteen passengers. The entire trip lasts around three and a half minutes, including loading and unloading. The minimum height required to enjoy this ride is 48 inches.

6. Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa

Montu is the best example of an inverted roller coaster which is incredibly smooth yet thrilling. In this rollercoaster, the trains are suspended below the tracks, and the passengers’ legs dangle. Some of its outstanding elements are underground trenches, plenty of inversions, its height of around 150 feet, a speed of 60m mph, and a G-Force of 3.8. It is the second coaster in the park that Bolliger and Mabillard created, the first being the popular Kumba, which was built three years earlier. It opened on 16th May 1996. It was the world’s tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster back then.

7. Manta at SeaWorld Orlando

Nicely themed with lush landscapes, Manta is also one of the best flying coasters. Thrill-seekers will surely enjoy its high-octane experience as they slide, glide and fly head first, face down and get their heart pumping with inverted nose dives. The ride’s height is 30 feet with a maximum speed of 43 mph, a drop from 54 feet, and the total length of the ride is 2835 feet which is approximately half a mile. The ride’s highlight is the 270-degree turn where it sprays water on the side of the ride, making the passengers feel like they are riding through an aquarium. The total time taken is 1 minute and 40 seconds and seats 1360 passengers per hour. It has four trains which take 20 seats per train. The minimum height required is 48 inches. The Manta was designed by the Swiss firm Bolliger and Mabillard. Guests with manual or electric wheelchairs wanting to ride can enter from the main entrance.  Although the officials don’t reveal the exact cost of making this fantastic rollercoaster, the estimated cost is between $30 to $50 million

8. Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa

This aggressive monster drops from 135 feet, reaches a speed of 60 mph, has some intense G-Forces, seven inversions, a pre-drop, a small drop, and doesn’t let the riders up the moment it descends from the 143-foot hill. Kumba means to roar in the African Congo language; the ride crosses a hollow square-shaped track causing a loud roaring sound. It goes under walkways, tunnels, and interlocking corkscrews. It has a total of 4 trains with 8 cars in each. Four passengers are arranged in a single row in each car, and 32 passengers in each train. When it opened in April 1993, it was said to have set an industry record. It was also the first roller coaster with a dive loop and interlocking corkscrews. Bolliger and Mabillard also built it.

9. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

TheRock’ n’ Roller Coaster is a steel-launched enclosed roller coaster that opened in 1999 with an on-ride soundtrack. This Aero-smith ride offers a launch that drives the passengers from 0 to 57 mph at just 2.8 seconds with three inversions. All of this while rocking songs like “Dude Looks like Lady.” It is currently the only ride in any Walt Disney World Resort that inverts riders. This super-stretched limo has 125 speakers, 24 subwoofers, and a 32000-watt audio system. Various Aerosmith songs like “Walk this Way,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Back in the Saddle” in each vehicle. For this experience, the classic “Love in Elevator” was rewritten as “Love in a Roller Coaster.” A similar ride was made at Walt Disney Studio Park in France in 2002, but it will become a Marvel theme coaster in 2022. 

10. White Lightning at Orlando’s Fun Spot America

White Lightning has a 67-foot drop and 44 mph speed and is one of only three wooden coasters in Florida. The tracks are made of wood, and the coaster train is steel. Great Coasters International built it. This family ride is stunning, yet it remains smooth. You will love the 90-degree turns and over a dozen airtime moments. This ride is a part of a large extension that opened alongside Freedom Flyer, a Vekoma junior inverted roller coaster. It has an L-shaped out and back layout, consisting of wooden tracks and steel supports. Despite its structure, it has many banked turns and swerves. Irvine Ondrey Engineering provided the control system; a 55-foot section in tracks made of steel was installed by Ondrey Engineering in September 2020. A near-clone ride of this called Heidi was opened in 2017 at Plopsaland De Panne, which has a slight difference in construction layout.

Florida is home to some of the tallest and fastest roller coasters, breathtaking sunsets, and other thrilling experiences. The rides vary from family roller coasters to solo coasters, even for the little ones and every thrill-seeking passenger. All of them offer adventure, intensity, and fun in abundance. We at The Escape Hatch in Orlando Florida hope you enjoyed this article and that it helps you during your next visit to Florida.  

While you are here, don’t forget to stop by and see us at The Escape Hatch, we are right next to all the major theme parks and attractions in Orlando and Kissimmee Florida. Or you can book one of our amazing Escape Rooms Online Now!