xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Went to Canobie Lake yesterday for the first time this year (it was also my first park of the year) and had a great day! It was about 80+ degrees and sunny all day. Canobie is a whopping 15 min. from my house, so technically it is my home park, even though I also consider SFNE to be my home park as well. I've been going to Canobie since I can remember, and it never fails at being one of the prettiest and most pleasant parks to be at. Yesterday was no exception. The park was clean, there were fresh coats of paint everywhere, and the landscaping was beautiful as usual. I was also really impressed with the park employees and ride ops who were lots of fun, cheering in the coaster stations, and also running the rides really efficiently. The only downside to the day was that there were a ton of school groups there celebrating the last day(s) of school and graduations... this made the lines slightly longer for the beginning of the day, but they started clearing out around 1ish which gave us the opportunity to hop on more stuff and re-ride some things after they left. When the lines dissolved, I also got to ride some things I haven't been on in years like the Canobie 500 and the Antique Cars. Anyone who's been to Canobie a good amount knows that these lines are usually some of the longest in the park (rivaling the wait time of the coasters), so even though they are pretty basic rides, I felt like I had to ride them on the sheer principle that I could! Untamed is a great addition to the park that seems to be a huge success with everyone who rides it. I was excited to ride it since it was my first Euro Fighter experience! It definitely is not the smoothest coaster I've been on - there's some headbanging during the quick transitions (and since the coaster is so compact, it's mostly transitions), but nothing would keep me from riding it a bunch of times. I noticed it got rougher later in the day as it got warmer. The coaster has some really awesome hang time in a few spots, and the helix is pretty forceful! The landscaping and paint job on the ride is just awesome - the whole area is really done up nice. Overall, I was very impressed with the ride and think Canobie made an excellent choice! The Yankee Cannonball remains one of my favorite wooden coasters and it still runs better than most wooden coasters I've been on. I didn't get to the Corkscrew, but that's Ok, I've ridden enough times to know I don't need to ride it every time, haha, the pain stays with me. I have never taken pictures when I'm at Canobie, since I never really thought to, so I brought the camera with me yesterday, and realized how photogenic the park can be. I figured I would share the pics with everyone on here since I had enough to do a nice photo report. **Apologies that my pics aren't the greatest. I apparently suck at taking pictures that aren't slightly tilted, haha... Edited June 23, 2011 by xmichellex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Park Entrance - this park is old! The main walkway after you first enter the park... lots of arcades and games. The bumper car building looks like it got some new neon paint. FYI, these bumper cars are awesome. The main walkway eventually leads you to this... my favorite ride in the park! There's this sign in the queue that gives you a brief history of the Cannonball. The more you know... Up the lift! Happy riders returning to the station. Part of the station and lift hill... they only ran one car today... at the end of last summer they only ran one car as well. Too bad, with 2 trains running the line flies along. Front of the coaster train. Cannonball station and queue. The line looked like this for most of the day until the school groups left. Another station shot... This is the back side of the Cannonball from the parking lot... you can't see most of it from in the park. Those hills may not be big, but they WILL eject you! Moving on, there's Wipeout. I love this ride... the last few times I went to the park it wasn't running, so it was good to see it going today. One of the newer rides from the last year is Wave Blaster - a Zamperla bounce ride. Such a fun ride... you can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. So bouncy! One of my favorite areas of the park is the old village/mining town section... There's a few more arcades over here... Gotta love that Canobie has arcades all over the place... it's especially nice if you're looking for a ride break or some shade. Down in this area is my favorite log ride ever... it may not be the best overall, but since I grew up riding it I love it to death. The outside of the station... Departing the station... It's a really pretty and sort of relaxing ride... a small hill, and a big drop at the end. They did add water cannons over the last few years just in case you don't want strangers or your friends to relax too much. Meandering through the water... The big drop at the end... Other side of the station... Village area outside the log ride... Ferris Wheel and walkway heading back towards main entrance. Part 2 coming up next (featuring Untamed!) Edited June 23, 2011 by xmichellex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 There it is! Looks great! These cute little carved bears are everywhere around the ride. There's other animal carvings too... They did a nice job decorating all around the ride and queue. Helix and the birch tree supports. Loving it! Happy hang time! Leaving the station... ...and headed to the lift! I love these completely vertical hills, it's so awkward on the way up. Almost there... Here's a few looks at the queue. Like the Cannonball it was full most of the day, but cleared out to just the last lap by the afternoon. As someone pointed out in a previous Untamed report, this is the only shade you'll get in this line. Luckily, the line moves along nicely, so you won't completely fry. Final ramp to the station. Another look at some of the queue details. Station shot. A gorgeous station! Great job Canobie! More of the station. Ride ops here were great! Lots of energy and did a great job of running efficiently. One more... Have to throw this in... they had a Bruins shirt on the bear that's mounted in the station. AWESOME! A look at the station and queue from by the Antique Cars. Work continues on finishing up the Bear Lodge... the arcade and restrooms inside were still open. Obligatory shot of the new plaza entrance. Oh, Abraham Lincoln was also in the new plaza... evidently just enjoying a day out. I have no clue if this guy is paid to do this by the park, or if he is a crazy person. Either way, I like it. Near Untamed is Star Blaster... It's not the tallest, but it does give bigger towers a run for their money! Tower shot. I find these rides have really comfy seats... The Antique Cars are also right next to Untamed. Through the fence. Just puttin' along... It's nice having this area opened up now... Canobie has some pretty cool flats... Skater has been a great addition to the park. This is one of the oldest rides, the Caterpillar... goes round and round and the canopy comes over covering the ride. It's mostly for little kids and high school kids who want to make out. Part 3 on it's way... more coasters and one of my favorite cheesy dark rides ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 The Corkscrew. An oldie-but-goodie Arrow. However, it is very rough and, in my opinion, is on it's way to death machine status. I love it since it was one of my first looping coasters when I was young, but, I tend to skip it now. More Corkscrew. It definitely screws you. Station and queue. Corkscrew with Castaway Island in the background. A closer look at Castaway Island, Canobie's small water park/play area... included with admission. The resident kiddie coaster "Dragon Coaster" - it's actually pretty cool for a kiddie coaster. A peek at the track... Canobie has always had resident peacocks in the park. Usually, they've let them roam around, but today they were in their housing. There's a pretty scenic railroad... takes you down by the Corkscrew and Castaway Island and then all the way down the lake to the far end of the park. In the Boston/New England area, there's the Boston Tea Party. I rarely go on these because you get drenched, but you can go up to the fence and watch the ride and decide how wet you'd like to be. That's more my style. The area around the Boston Tea Party. There's 2 pretty good places to eat right here, including this seafood place. The Sons of Liberty Tavern is also in this section and they have beer! The Sky Ride. This is one of my favorite things to do at Canobie because of the pretty views you get of the lake. More Sky Ride... I think they re-painted the cars for this year. They used to be blue I thought, but now they're red and white. The "lake" in Canobie Lake. The lake and Da Vinci's dream (swings) Fountain under the Sky Ride. Nice landscaping touches like this little pond are what make Canobie so nice. The Mine of Lost Souls. I ride it every time because I love it. It's totally cheesy, but it's one of the older rides in the park and it's one of those rides I always remember from childhood. A look at the outdoor part of the queue. It very rarely fills up out here. The ride loads continuously, so the line moves along fairly well. A peek at the loading area... "too late, you've gone too far... now you're mine." Next to the mine are the Timber Splash slides... they are listed as "water coasters" on the park map, but I don't think they really fit that description. Pirata. The middle of the park has a really nice kiddie section. Lots of things for them to ride. There's also a Frog Hopper - made me think of KT! This is one of the buildings used for their Halloween event. I went last October... it was a lot of fun, and the rides stay open. the main Food Court. Canobie also has this awesome Frisbee. I always have great rides on this, they run it really intense! More Frisbee Twist & Shout... just a Tilt-A-Whirl with a lot of colors... There's usually the Rooster swings behind this, but the swings weren't on there. Does anyone know if they are getting rid of it for good? Canobie 500 Race Cars... Ok, that's all for the report... I hope the TPR trip has a great time at this park when you're here!! I leave you with this creepy Michael Jackson statue at the park entrance (it's not just random, they have a Michael Jackson tribute show, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't pretty good). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 PS - Forgot I had pics of the awesome RCT-style food stands in the park. It totally works for Canobie. The burger spins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI Kidd Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Awesome report thanks for sharing! The level of detail/theme on Untamed is really impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odene497 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Nice pics! I really enjoyed my day at Canobie last year and plan on visiting next month. We saw the MJ show twice, it was seriously so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Holy crap! I had no idea Canobie lake looked so nice. It looks like it could be a Herschend park or something - there's attention to detail everywhere and a real effort to make the park look nice from all angles. If I'm ever in the area, I'll definitely be paying a visit. Thanks for the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Excellent trip report. I was just at Canobie today (well technically yesterday now) and had a blast. It is still my favorite park in New England and one of my favorite parks anywhere (if you couldn't tell by my name). I basically had the same feelings about Untamed. The way I'd describe it is relentless. Untamed's first drop is incredible, especially in the back, and the inversions each are very thrilling. However, some the transitions did have some headbanging. I found that the headbanging was stronger on the edge seats, but with that being said, there isn't enough to ruin rerides. It is just a nuisance. Even still, Untamed is a very good steel coaster. Unfortunately, I also saw from the Yankee Cannonball's lift and the empty Rowdy Roosters ride that all of the ride's tubs were off. Does anyone have any idea if the Roosters will reopen this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deguy123 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Wow...amazing pictures of the park! I can't wait to check out this park on the Northeast Trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Thanks for the great trip report. When I was there a few weeks ago, it seemed like a nice park, but the awful weather stopped the park from really shining. I apparently also missed a few sections of the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Really surprised with how nice this park looks especially the theming! Seems to have the perfect mix of family and thrill rides. Thanks for sharing the report! Edited June 23, 2011 by ernierocker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 To be honest, I've never known a whole lot about this park, but this is definitely the best report I've seen of it....and it looks GREAT! they had a Bruins shirt on the bear that's mounted in the station. AWESOME! Awesome indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattnz Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 What a beautiful park, thanks for sharing your pics. I can't wait to visit with TPR soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Awesome report! I think I'm going to visit this park the day after Bizarro Bash. Anyone want to meet up!!??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblewick Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I hope Canobie is not getting rid of their Rowdy Roosters. I absolutely love that ride. Like you xmichellex, Canobie is considered my home park since my parents live just an hour from it in Deerfield, NH (Home to the Deerfield Fair for those of you who don't know where Deerfield is; it's just East of Manchester). Anyway xmichellex, lets hope their just giving Rowdy Roosters a new paint job like you saw with some of the other rides and that they plan on keeping one of the parks classic and best rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmichellex Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! Glad you like the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I had no idea Canobie was so charming and scenic! Yankee Cannonball looks like it has beautiful trains and a great classic layout. I can't wait to check out the park! I saw some neat rides I wasn't aware of, so thanks for the overview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatdaddy Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Awesome report, kinda gave me an idea of the layout of the park. Can't wait to hit Untamed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zingoman Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm in awww! I had no idea this park was so beautiful! I really wish I had made it a priority to visit while I was up in the northeast. Someday I must go! Just WOW! I'm so impressed! P.S. the food stands are hilarious and amazing!! Thanks for including those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XII Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Canobie Lake Park looks like a really nice park. Looking foreword to visiting it next month on the Northeast Trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisrad Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm impressed with the park, and your TR! I'm really excited to go here during the Northeast trip.. Probably heading to Untamed first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jynx242 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Your pictures were great and thanks for taking the time to post them. I know that doing a PTR can be intimidating . I know very little about this park, but this report has gotten me really jazzed about our upcoming visit on the North East tour! I freaking LOVE the food stands!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 ^ I agree with you since the stands really add some life to the park; however, I'm not a big fan of the hot dog stand simply because of my fond memories of the ride it replaced, the Matterhorn. This was the single most intense himalaya I have ever been on. It was a SDC model that Canobie ran at insane speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I can not wait to go to this park on the north eat trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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