Have you ever been on the roller coaster above the burger joint in Niagara Falls?
Published November 8, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Visitors expect to see the odd, the strange or the unique attractions in downtown Niagara Falls. However, one of them is a step beyond unusual. That would be the roller coaster above a Burger King on Clifton Hill.
Part of the popular haunted House of Frankenstein attraction, the Frank’N Coaster seems like a thrill ride in the wrong place but then, that’s the sort of thing upon which Niagara Falls thrives.
The roller coaster, which was assembled in 2019 and first opened in July 2020, is 25 feet tall and runs on a 700 foot long track. Build by Wisdom Rides, the coaster originally operated at Sports Plus Entertainment Center in Lake Grove, New York as Thriller Coaster from 2004 to 2007 before being installed at its new home.
Though watching the video of the two-lap ride in its entirety would make it seem like a ride suitable only for young children, there are several elements to it that could throw a scare or two into adults.
First of all, when you’re on the ride, you’re four stories above street level. Every time, you hit a corner, images of plummeting into traffic come unbidden.
Secondly, it will probably be the only roller coaster most people have been on that only makes left turns.
Videos
And finally, the cars on the ride are caskets. That, in itself, lends a degree of foreboding to the attraction.
A roller coaster enthusiast named Nick wrote about the ride for the website “coaster101.com” and came away with a few impressions.
A view from above shows the Frank’N Coaster entire track. It’s not overly long and for that reason, riders get two laps at the attraction.
“I will say, the Frank’n Coaster did have me a bit unnerved for two reasons: first, this roller coaster has the worst disengagement from the chain lift of any roller coaster I’ve ever seen. When the first car crests the lift hill, it feels as if it wants to jump the tracks followed by an incredibly loud banging noise,” he noted.
“Second, the ride just looks sketchy and you wonder about the maintenance and inspection routines of a small, one-off attraction like this. The thin, temporary-looking truss supports don’t give the same feeling of stability as say the large rounded columns of a permanent (roller coaster) installation.”
He continued: “As our car careened around the first dropping turn and I could peer straight down at the street below, I was legitimately scared, something not even a 300 foot giga coaster made me feel. At least if we crashed I was already sitting in a coffin.”
As a roller coaster expert, his review got somewhat negative after that. After all, he is comparing it to some of the largest, most-frightening roller coasters in North America. However, he had one notable quip with regards to the $15 price.
“For $15 to ride the Burger King coaster, it should at least come with a side of fries or a milkshake. Alas, the Frankenstein monster eating a Whopper is the extent of the tie in between the two businesses, another wasted opportunity.”
That attraction itself is open year-round (subject to weather). Here’s a look at the ride from the seats.
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