1 Busch Gardens Tampa
Cheetah Hunt
This is one of Florida's newest rollercoasters and though it was designed to be "family friendly", it's exhilarating. Intamin, another Swiss manufacturer, created this ride, using electromagnetic force to hurl trains forward, like a railgun. These thrusts are pulse-raisers, and you get three on the ride. Throw in a "heartline roll" inversion, a dramatic leap over the park's skyride cable, and an abstract "tree" that the cheetah train climbs, and then drops from, and you've got one of the longest (1,350 metres) and most flat-out fun rides in Florida.
• +1 888 800 5447, seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa. Opening hours vary, check website for details. Adult day tickets $85, view ticket offers online
Montu
Decorated with themes from the ancient Egyptian god of war (appropriately intimidating), Montu was among the world's first "inverted" coasters, opening in 1996. Though many others have since followed, almost none hold a candle to this beast. Hanging below the tracks, you are thrown through a whirlwind of sweeping drops, narrow trenches, and seven consciousness-warping inversions –and good luck trying to recall them all in sequence. Of note is the Batwing, a ferocious knot that whips you through two inversions and a subterranean plunge in seconds. The whole damn thing is utterly ingenious.
SheiKra
Bolliger & Mabillard, the same Swiss engineering firm responsible for Montu, also created this "floorless dive machine", one of only two in America. Sitting in the gargantuan 10-across, three-row vehicles, you climb 60 metres (200ft), roll around a wide turn, and then, ever so slowly, tip over the edge of a vertical precipice. And there you stop, held in place for a few harrowing seconds, just waiting to fall … and then you do. Straight down. That bowel-evacuating plunge is followed by a towering Immelman inversion, and a second vertical drop directly into a tunnel. Brute-force terror-mongering at its finest.
2 Legoland Florida, Winter Haven
Dragon
Though designed for the smaller folk, this coaster earns bonus points for its charming dark-ride appetiser course. It began life as the intimidating Okeechobee Rampage at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, one of the previous incarnations of what is now Legoland Florida. Upgraded significantly for the Legoland transformation, Dragon now includes a pre-lift hill section inside a small castle, with static and animated figures made of Lego bricks: knights, jesters, wizards, and, as expected, one very cool dragon. It's unlikely that you'll need motion sickness medication before riding, but Dragon is still a treat.
• +1 877 350 5346, florida.legoland.com. Opening hours vary, check website for details. Adult day tickets from $64, view ticket offers online
3 Universal Orlando Resort
Revenge of the Mummy
Walt Disney World's Space Mountain isn't the only fully-enclosed rollercoaster in Florida and it isn't the most exciting; that title belongs to Universal Studios' Revenge of the Mummy, a high-speed hi-tech haunted-house ride. Spoiling too many of the Mummy's surprises would be boorish, but know that there is more than one electromagnetic blast; an assortment of nasty, rotting, vengeful mummies; an admirable amount of real fire; and one of the best finales.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The JK Rowling series has spawned one of the world's greatest rides. Purists may point out that it is not technically a rollercoaster. That aside, this mesmerising attraction requires over-the-shoulder restraints for good reason. Secured on to "enchanted benches", you take flight and soar through Hogwarts, a quidditch match and the forbidden forest – all brought to life with projected film sequences and sets, including one very large spider.
• +1 407 363 8000, universalorlando.com. Opening hours vary, check website for details. Adult day tickets $85, view ticket offers online
4 SeaWorld Orlando
Kraken
SeaWorld Florida joined the thrill-ride heavyweight division with Kraken, a "floorless" coaster that tosses you through seven inversions with its "flying chair" trains at up to 65mph. Kraken also has some lush designed surroundings. During the last half of the run, you dash over pools of water and through a sea monster's rocky lair. Be sure to also check out the little eel exhibit.
Manta
Added in 2009, this is Florida's first and only "flying" coaster, another variant of the tracks-above, train-below formula. In this case you are manoeuvred into a prone position, facing the ground, before take-off. While not as inversion-packed as Kraken, Manta has a signature "Pretzel Loop", subjecting riders to strong G-forces. The physical presence of Manta offers passengers a "wing dip", with an edge of a train appearing to skim the surface of a pond, kicking up a splashy plume (a clever deceit accomplished with some timed fountains).
Journey to Atlantis
Not strictly a rollercoaster, or flume or dark ride, this a mash-up of all three, and is architecturally dazzling. After raising anchor in a replica Greek fishing village, we sail into an adventure through the legendary ancient kingdom. There are very wet flume-ride splashdowns and captivating effects, with the rollercoaster effects saved for the end.
• +1 888 800 5447, seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando. Opening hours vary, check website for details. Adult day tickets $79, view ticket offers online
5 Fun Spot America, Orlando
White Lightning
Under construction, this new ride is expected to open in June. It will be the only significant wooden rollercoaster in Orlando's theme park Xanadu. A classic L-shaped "out-and-back" design, White Lightning will be the main attraction of the newly expanded Fun Spot America, bringing back old-school thrills.
• +1 407 363 3867, funspotattractions.com/pages/orlando-park.php. Open Feb-Aug 10am-midnight, Sept-Jan check calendar. Park has free admission with "per ride" prices from $3
Robert Coker is the author of Roller Coasters, A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines, and the blog thrillride.com
• For more information on holidays in the USA, visit DiscoverAmerica.com
