Episodes and Transcripts
Season 1
Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park
We have no idea what we're doing, we just know we like to talk about coasters with other coaster nerds. In our first episode, listen in to our discussion on the oldest coaster still in operation in the United States, Leap-the-Dips at Lakemont Park.
Montezooma's Revenge at Knotts Berry Farm
We're heading to Knotts Berry Farm in this episode to loo at a classic shuttle launch coaster that is often overlooked - Montezooma's Revenge! Listen along as we look at what makes this coaster so unique today, and what we hope to see in the future for this last remaining relic of the past.
Vortex at Kings Island
Our first truly defunct coaster of the podcast! Listen as we break down the classic ride at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio and talk about just how much we may be obsessed with Arrow Dynamics. Spoiler: It's more than is probably healthy!
Mean Streak at Cedar Point
I'm willing to die on the hill that Mean Streak wasn't as bad as everyone remembers it to be. And this is coming from a rider who had to emergency evacuate off the ride shortly before it was torn down. Join in on our discussion of the big class coaster Mean Streak at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Big Bad Wolf has such a cult following to roller coaster enthusiasts. This week we take a look at all the reasons it is beloved by so many, even twelve years after it took its last run through its track.
Corkscrew at Silverwood Theme Park
Don't worry if you haven't heard of this ride we're discussing today, you may have ridden it - or a clone copy of it - without even realizing. Listen in as we break down the unique life of Corkscrew, the first modern inverting coaster ever to be built, and how it has found a new life at a small amusement park in Idaho.
Season Two
Dueling Dragons at Universal Islands of Adventure
Dueling Dragons, Dragon Challenge, we all miss this wonderful B&M dueling coaster that debuted with the opening of Islands of Adventure. Listen in as we look back over the history of this unique ride, the glow-up it received in 2010, and whether we think it was worth it to tear down (spoiler: it wasn't). We're back for a brand new season of coasters!
Time Warp at Canadas Wonderland
Ok, we know what you're thinking - Time Warp is awful, right? Yeah, it's not the best coaster out there for sure. And it's probably living on borrowed time. But while it's still operating, we thought we'd take a look at some of the good things to come out of this very, um.....painful ride experience. Strap in, we're heading to Canada for this week's episode of OUAC.
Rocket at Playland Park San Antonio
A rare active coaster from a defunct park episode for you today! Join us as we journey to San Antonio, Texas to take a look at Playland Park, which closed its doors in the early 1980s. The main coaster of the park, Rocket, managed to survive the wrecking ball and now lives on thrilling coaster fans in Pennsylvania
Comet at Hersheypark
This week we're looking at Comet at Hersheypark, a coaster celebrating 75 years of operation. That's right, 75 years of thrills and screams at America's sweetest park. Listen in as we look at how this coaster came to be built, why it wasn't torn down during the massive expansion Hersheypark went through starting in the late 1990s, and how long we think this ride will continue to operate. (Hint: we think this one's a keeper!)
Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Ok, this episode title was tricky this week - what do you call the episode when the name of the coaster and its home park have changed so many times over the years? We went with the OG, hope you understand. Join us as we look at one of the original standing roller coasters in the United States, and the crazy journey it went on from popular ride to scrap yard. The fall from grace this coaster had was one for the record books.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride at Cedar Point
It's so rare to find a steel coaster that lives to celebrate its 50th anniversary, but we're here to celebrate one - or maybe two?? - coaster that have done just that. This episode we'll take a look at Cedar Creek Mine Ride at Cedar Point, the oldest steel coaster in the park. We'll look at how the ride came about, and what the chances are that it will see its 60th birthday and beyond.
Volcano at Kings Dominion
Raise your hand if you wish Volcano was still running today. Yeah, us too. This week we'll be taking a look at Volcano: The Blast Coaster at Kings Dominion, an Intamin LIM prototype coaster that offered its riders a unique adventure during its 20 year life.
Schweizer Bobbahn at Europa Park
We end season two with an episode on an underrated coaster design - the classic bobsled coaster. Listen in as we look at this fun and quirky roller coaster style, a rarity in today's coaster world
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Season 3
OUAC Podcast Update
Season 3 is here! We're happy to be back with you after a crazy 6 month break! Join us for some major updates on the podcast for season 3 and beyond in today's episode.
Coasterversary: X2 at SF Magic Mountain
Demon at Six Flags Great America
Looking at an old Arrow looper that has gone through some crazy changes and updates over the years - including some amazing theming that is just the right amount of fun and cringe at the same time. What's not to love about an old coaster with a soundtrack?
Coasterversary: Viper at SF Darien Lake
Thunderhawk at Dorney Park
Today we're heading to Allentown, Pennsylvania to the trolley park we all know as Dorney Park. We'll be taking a look at the oldest coaster in the park there, Thunderhawk, a stunning old wooden coaster that a lot of people seem to forget about.
Coasterversary: Desert Storm at Castles N Coasters
Thunder Road at Carowinds
Our first defunct roller coaster of the season! (But not our last) We're headed to Carowinds today to check out the racing coaster built as part of a huge expansion of the park in the 1970s. The episode looks at lots of racing coasters that have been built through the years, so get ready to race to the finish with this episode.
Premiere: Coaster Trivia Segment
Coasterversary: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Black Hole at Alton Towers
It's our international episode! Join us as we look at Black Hole at Alton Towers, a Jet Star II coaster that was not for the faint at heart.
Coasterversary: Liserberegarten at Liseberg Park
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Mindbender at SF Over Georgia
Our season 3 finale takes us to Georgia - finally! - where we'll visit SF Over Georgia and look at one of their older steel coasters in the park, Mindbender. A late 1970s Schwarzkopf design, Mindbender has stood the passage of time to still remain one of the more popular rides at the park.
Coasterversary: Racer at Kings Island
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Season 4
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Welcome to season 4 of Once Upon a Coaster! This season we'll be covering some great new roller coasters and we can't wait to have you join us for the fun. Today's episode looks at Thunderbolt at Kennywood, a roller coaster that is quickly approaching its 100th anniversary at the park. Listen in as we dive into what has made this coaster a fan favorite for decades.
Coasterversary: Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia
Jet Coaster at Nagashima Spa Land
Let's head to Japan for the first time on this podcast as we take a look at the oldest coaster still in operation at Nagashima Spa Land, the Togo designed Jet Coaster. The coaster is the perfect beginner coaster, and we'll take a look at the story behind its manufacturer on today's episode.
Defunct Park: Camelot Park in Lancashire, UK
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Firehawk at Kings Island (ft. Matt Day)
We're heading back to Kings Island today with our friend and roller coaster lover Matt Day to discuss Firehawk, the Vekoma Flying Dutchman that was suddenly torn down in 2018 to make way for Orion to be built in the park. Was the demolition worth it? Will we ever see the return of a new and improved Flying Dutchman coaster? Let's discuss!
Coaster Trivia
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Scenic Railway at Luna Park
It's our second international episode of the season and we're headed to Melbourne, Australia to take a look at the second oldest operating roller coaster left in the world - the iconic Scenic Railway at Luna Park. As we take a look at this spectacular ride, we'll learn more about the history behind it, including how Americans - not Australians - first had the dream of building Luna Park.
Coasterversary: Atlantis Adventure at Lotte World, South Korea
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Rattler at SF Fiesta Texas
An enormous episode for an enormous roller coaster! Strap in as we take a look at Rattler in today's episode, the defunct wooden roller coaster that smashed world records (and sometimes ribs) when it first opened in 1992. There's a lot to uncover today as we talk about everything that went wrong for this roller coaster.
Coasterversary: Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome City
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Super Wirbel at Holiday Park
It's our final international episode of season 4 and we're heading to Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany. This roller coaster was the first one to ever be designed by Vekoma so there's a lot of history riding with this inverting coaster - literally. There's tons to discuss in this episode.
Defunct Parks: Palisades Amusement Park, Bergen Coutny, NJ
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Great American Scream Machine at SF Great Adventure
Who is ready to blast off to Jackson, New Jersey for a look at the iconic - and defunct - Great American Scream Machine? You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wish this hunk of twisted metal was still around for you to take one final spin on. All we have are our memories, though, so let's talk about all of the good ones (and some of the bad) that came with this iconic SF Great Adventure roller coaster.
Coaster Trivia
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Our 4th season of roller coasters comes to an end as we travel to California to look at one of the oldest roller coasters still operating in the United States - Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This girl might be old, but she has a ton of stories still left in her, and we'll be looking at all of them as we finish this season out.
Coasterversary: Ninja at SF Magic Mountain
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Season 5
Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point
Welcome back to a brand new season of coasters! We're ready to launch this season into the stratosphere (or at least 200+ feet) as we talk about Magnum XL-200, the world's first hypercoaster. Was this the coaster that changed the world? Or was it all a lot of hype? Guest host Matt Day joins us to talk about all the reasons we still love this old gal.
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Episode Trivia
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Dragon Coaster at Playland Park
We're traveling to Rye, New York today to look at Dragon Coaster, a wooden roller coaster that is 94 years young and as famous as any roller coaster could possibly be. Listen in as we look at what makes this coaster so great today, almost a century after she first premiered.
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Coasterversary: Batman the Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure
Flashback at Six Flags Magic Mountain
It's our first defunct roller coaster of season 5! Since being removed from Magic Mountain over 15 years ago, Flashback has earned the reputation of being one of the weirdest rides that Intamin ever tried to create. Today we're taking a look at this unique disaster, and why maybe we should give it more credit than we have in the past for its innovative design.
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Defunct Park: Joyland Park
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Wild One at Six Flags America (ft. Matt Day)
Matt Day is back to guest host this entire episode as we head to Six Flags America to look at Wild One, the oldest roller coaster in the entire Six Flags chain. Wild One's story of survival is honestly one for the record books, and this jam-packed episode will take you on a crazy journey over 100 years in the making.
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Coasterversary: Dragon Mountain at Marineland Park
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Space Invader 2 at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
It's our first international episode of season 5, and we're jumping the pond to take a look at a quirky and off beat roller coaster that featured an asteroid-shaped building, a stolen Han Solo, and glow in the dark stickers that weren't for your childhood sticker collection. This roller coaster is truly one-of-a-kind, and we break down all the oddities in todays episode.
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Coasterversary: Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Le Monstre at La Ronde
Our second - and final - international episode of Season 5 takes us to Montreal, where we're visiting La Ronde and it's enormous dueling wooden coaster Le Monstre. There's nothing quite like Le Monstre anywhere else in the world, and we'll be checking out what makes this ride so unique. And also, we'll be chatting about how many people really hate this wooden roller coaster, and what can be done to revive her.
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis
We're off to St. Louis today to look at a classic Arrow Dynamics looper that has survived so much since it was originally built in Canada in the 1980s. Listen in as we take a look at the life and history of this one-of-a-kind ride that has developed some strong rider opinions over the years. Love her or hate her, there's no denying that Ninja is a unique roller coaster!
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Defunct Park: Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland, Ohio
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
Matterhorn at Disneyland
It's the season 5 finale of Once Upon a Coaster! Join Lizzie as she discusses a roller coaster she swore she'd never cover on this podcast - the Matterhorn at Disneyland. There is so much history surrounding this ride, not only in how it came to exist but also how it changed the roller coaster industry forever. This is a can't-miss episode to end our season!
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Coasterversary: Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland
Episode Transcript Coming Soon
SEASON Six
Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens
Welcome back to season 6! We have eight brand new episodes for you this season, eight brand new roller coasters to take a look at from around the world. Join us today as we travel to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to talk about the iconic Loch Ness Monster coaster, an Arrow gem that is getting a wonderful glow up in 2024.
Coasterversary: Excalibur at Valleyfair!
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon!
Sooperdooperlooper at Hersheypark
Let's head to Hersheypark in today's episode to take a look at the iconic Schwartzkopf coaster in their lineup, the legendary SooperDooperLooper. Dubbed "the first looping roller coaster on the East Coast" when it first opened, this coaster brings a lot of history to the park.
Coasterversary: Batman at Six Flags Magic Mountain
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon!
Roller Coaster at Lagoon Park
We're finally heading to Lagoon Park today to take a look at their historic roller coaster named - fittingly - Roller Coaster! As we stop by we'll take a look at how special this coaster is to have survived over 100 years in Utah, and to see how one ride shaped the success of an entire theme park in the mid-1900s.
Defunct Parks: Six Flags Auto World
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon!
Bobsleigh at Nara Dreamland
It's our Season 6 International Episode and today we're heading back to Japan to take a look at the defunct roller coaster Bobsleigh at the defunct park Nara Dreamland. There's a lot to talk about with the history of this park, and we'll look at all of it on today's episode.
Defunct Parks: Wonderland Sydney
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Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point
We're back with one of our biggest episodes ever! Join Lizzie and guest host Matt Day as they look at the legendary and iconic Top Thrill Dragster, a coaster that may have been ahead of its time. The episode includes a look back at how the coaster came to be built in Ohio, the events that lead to its closure, and what we can look forward to when Top Thrill 2 opens later this year.
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon!
Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas
We're heading back to Texas today to take a look at Texas Giant, a larger-than-life wooden roller coaster with a larger-than-life guest problem. Join us as we take a look at why this once-popular coaster quickly soured on fan's opinions over the years, and the big gamble that Six Flags took when it was time to fix the issues. A giant episode for a giant ride is the only way we could think to make this episode happen today!
Coasterversary: Silver Bullet at Knotts Berry Farm
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Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando
Once Upon a Coaster is back and heading to sunny Florida to take a look at Kraken, a polarizing coaster that undoubtedly played a huge role in the Orlando theme park world, even if you don't realize it. Buckle up for this fun look at this classic B&M
Coasterversary: Desperado at Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino
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Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood
Our season finale is here and we're gearing up for a huge episode. Join Lizzie and first-time-guest-host Rachel as they look at the beast that is Phantoms Revenge at Kennywood Park. This ride has seen it all over the years, from an almost guaranteed tear down to a redemption arch worthy of a movie. We'll cover it all and more in this supersized episode.
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Episode Transcript Coming Soon!