If you like your rides on the intense side, it only makes sense to start at Extreme World. Don't look for the standard roller coasters at Extreme World. The thrills served up here are a little out of the ordinary. It was the brainchild of Bill Anderson.
"I like to think we emphasize the word Extreme. Right here in the park, we have four major thrill rides. Our first ride was the sky coaster, which simulates hang gliding and sky diving," said Anderson.
Lou got all strapped in and gave the sky coaster a whirl. It sort of makes you feel like all your childhood dreams of being Superman have been answered.
The next ride truly makes you feel like you're in a sling shot, it is called the Ejection Seat. Two bungee cords are attached to a bench, then stretched all the way out, to actually launch the riders more than 150 feet in the air!
First it is the rush of 5-Gs and then for two minutes, you bounce and bounce and bounce some more!
But the granddaddy of them all is really as extreme as it gets. Ever wonder what it would feel like to free fall 160 feet?
"Our latest is Terminal Velocity. This is pure adrenaline. We are going to take you up and we're gonna suspend you, then open up the floor of the cage. We're gonna lower you just below it and then, we're gonna say good bye," said Anderson.
From Extreme World, it was across the street to a Greek-inspired park, called Mt. Olympus. At the helm of his family business is Nick Laskaris.
"My mom and dad started with a small go-cart track when I was 8 years old," said Laskaris.
Now, it has grown into the world's largest go-cart complex, featuring a towering Trojan Horse track.
"Dad and I are the first ones to have developed the over and under go-cart tracks, you see, the elevated tracks," said Laskaris.
Roller coasters were added to the mix 10 years ago. They have 7, to be exact. Their newest coaster, Hades, boasts a pretty eerie twist.
"The beautiful part about it, is that it's the world's longest underground roller coaster. You go under the parking lot and you come out by the street," said Laskaris.
If being in the dark for more than a thousand yards isn't enough to scare you, Hades gives riders the steepest drop of any wooden coaster in the country -- 140 feet!! Nick designed it himself. He had enough after five rides.
"I used to until we built Hades and it is so darned fast, I almost can't handle it," said Laskaris.
Our last stop on Lou's thrilling tour of the Dells is Timber Falls. You can see the main attraction here from miles away. It literally spins people 160 feet in the air at 50 miles an hour. On this, you'll be pulling 4-Gs!
