2016 GTA Winners – The Golden Ticket Awards | Presented by Amusement Today

The 2016 Golden Ticket Awards were hosted at Goodtime Boat Ride, Cedar Point (Ohio).

Best New Attraction for 2016 (Amusement Park)
Lightning Rod	Dollywood	20%
Storm Chaser	Kentucky Kingdom	13%
Mako	SeaWorld Orlando	11%
Valravn	Cedar Point	9%
Switchback	ZDT’s Amusement Park	8%
Top
Best New Ride for 2016 (Water Park)
Massiv	Schlitterbahn Galveston Island	48%
Blackbeard’s Revenge	Carowinds	15%
Cyclone Saucers	Beech Bend	13% (tie)
Tropical Plunge	Kings Island	13% (tie)
Wonambi	Raging Rivers	6%
Top
Best Park
Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	26%
Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	19%
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	11%
Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	9%
Universal’s Islands of Adventure	Orlando, Fla.	7%
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	Blackpool, England	6%
Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	5%
Phantasialand	Brühl, Germany	4.5%
Alton Towers	Straffordshire, England	4% (tie)
Toyko Disney Sea	Toyko, Japan	4% (tie)
Top
Best Water Park
Schlitterbahn	New Braunfels, Texas	47%
Splashin’ Safari	Santa Claus, Ind.	28%
Dollywood’s Splash Country	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	6%
Blizzard Beach	Orlando, Fla.	5%
Aquatic	Orlando, Fla.	4%
Top
Best Children’s Park
Idlewild & SoakZone	Ligonier, Pa.	23%
Storybook Land	Egg Harbor Twp., N.J.	12%
Legoland California	Carlsbad, Calif.	10% (tie)
Story Land	Glen, N.H.	10% (tie)
Paultons Park	Romsey, England	9%
Top
Best Marine Life Park
SeaWorld Orlando	Orlando, Fla.	57%
SeaWorld San Diego	San Diego, Calif.	10%
Discovery Cove	Orlando, Fla.	8%
SeaWorld San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas	7%
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom	Vallejo, Calif.	7%
Top
Best Seaside Park
Morey’s Piers	Wildwood, N.J.	27%
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	Santa Cruz, Calif.	26.5%
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	Blackpool, England	26%
Gröna Lund	Stockhom, Sweden	12%
Top
Best Kids’ Area
Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	27%
Efteling	Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands	10%
Universal’s Islands of Adventure	Orlando, Fla.	9.5%
Kings Dominion	Doswell, Va.	8%
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	Blackpool, England	6% (tie)
Nockelodeon Universe	Bloomington, Minn.	6% (tie)
Top
Cleanest Park
Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	25%
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	14%
Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	11%
Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	9%
Disneyland	Anaheim, Calif.	8%
Top
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	42%
Six Flags Fiesta Texas	San Antonio, Texas	11%
Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	8%
Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	7%
Disney California Adventure	Anaheim, Calif	6%
Knoebel’s Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	23%
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	20%
Epcot	Orlando, Fla.	16%
Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	9%
Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	7%
Best Water Ride (Park)
Valhalla	Blackpool Pleasure Beach	28%
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	19%
Splash Mountain	Disneyland	9%
Mountain Slidewinder	Dollywood	7%
Timber Mountain Log Ride	Knott’s Berry Farm	6%
Best Indoor Roller Coaster
Revenge of the Mummy	Universal Studios Orlando	23%
Space Mountain	Disneyland	12%
Winjas	Phantasialand	11%
Black Diamond	Knoebels Amusement Resort	10%
Mindbender	Galaxyland	7% (tie)
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster	Disney’s Hollywood Studios	7% (tie)
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	35%
Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	18%
Knoebel’s Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	12%
Adventure Island	Southend-on-Sea, England	9%
Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	8%
Top
Top
Best Landscaping
Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg Va.	29%
Gilroy Gardens	Gilroy, Calif.	17%
Efteling	Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands	11%
Alton Towers	Staffordshire, England	9%
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	7%
Top
Top
Best Carousel
Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	40%
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	Santa Cruz, Calif.	10%
Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	6%
Efteling	Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands	5% (tie)
Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Ga.	5% (tie)
Top
Top
Best Dark Ride
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	13%
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror	Disney’s Hollywood Studios	12%
Harry Potter / Escape from Gingotts	Universal Studios Orlando	9%
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	8.5%
Haunted Mansion	Knoebels Amusement Resort	7%
Top
Best Indoor Water Park
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island	Galveston, Texas	28%
Kalahari Resort	Sandusky, Ohio	17%
Kalahari Resort	Wisconsin Dells, Wis.	12%
World Waterpark	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	11%
Splash Landings	Staffordshire, England	6%
Top
Top
Best Funhouse/Walk-Through
Noah’s Ark	Kennywood	27%
Ghost Ship	Morey’s Piers	23%
Gasten Ghost Hotel	Liseberg	12%
Frankenstein’s Castle	Indiana Beach	10%
Lustiga Huset	Gröna Lund	8%
Top
Best Halloween Event
Universal Studios Orlando	Orlando, Fla.	28%
Knott’s Berry Farm	Buena Park, Calif.	18%
Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	11%
Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	8%
Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	6%
Top
Best Christmas Event
Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	40%
Disneyland	Anaheim, Calif.	10%
Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	9%
Magic Kingdom	Orlando, Fla.	6%
Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	5.5%
Top

2016’s Top Steel Roller Coasters

Rank	Name	Park	Location	Year	Supplier	Points
1	Fury 325	Carowinds	Charlotte, N.C.	2015	B&M	1126
2	Millennium Force	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	2000	Intamin	1122
3	Superman The Ride	Six Flags New England	Agawam, Mass.	2000	Intamin	698
4	Expedition GeForce	Holiday Park	Hassloch, Germany	2001	Intamin	613
5	Nitro	Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, N.J.	2001	B&M	454
6	Apollo’s Chariot	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	1999	B&M	397
7	Leviathan	Canada’s Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	2012	B&M	393
8	Intimidator	Carowinds	Charlotte, N.C.	2010	B&M	350
9	Diamondback	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	2009	B&M	330
10	Phantom’s Revenge	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	2001	Morgan	329
11	Nemesis	Alton Towers	Staffordshire, England	1994	B&M	311
12	Maverick	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	2007	Intamin	306
13	Banshee	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	2014	B&M	286
14	Blue Fire	Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	2006	Mack	283
15	Magnum XL-200	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	1989	Arrow	279
16	New Texas Giant	Six Flags Over Texas	Arlington, Texas	2011	RMC	272
17	Intimidator 305	Kings Dominion	Doswell, Va.	2010	Intamin	268
18	Wicked Cyclone	Six Flags New England	Agawam, Mass.	2015	RMC	265
19	Top Thrill Dragster	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	2003	Intamin	258
20	Goliath	Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Ga.	2006	B&M	255
21	Iron Rattler	Six Flags Fiesta Texas	San Antonio, Texas	2013	RMC	254
22	Montu	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	1996	B&M	203
23	X2	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	2002	Arrow	202
24	Behemoth	Canada’s Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	2008	B&M	198
25	Black Mamba	Phantasialand	Brühl, Germany	2006	B&M	178
26	Twisted Colossus	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	2015	RMC	175
27	Mind Bender	Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Ga.	1978	Schwarzkopf	168
28	Storm Chaser	Kentucky Kingdom	Louisville, Ky.	2016	RMC	166
29	Helix	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	2014	Mack	165
30	Alpengeist	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	1997	B&M	144
31	Goliath	La Ronde	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	2006	B&M	128
32 (tie)	Raging Bull	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	1999	B&M	122
32 (tie)	Taron	Phantasialand	Brühl, Germany	2016	Intamin	122
34	Thunderbird	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	2015	B&M	113
35	Mako	SeaWorld Orlando	Orlando, Fla.	2016	B&M	110
36	Wild Eagle	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	2012	B&M	107
37	Steel Force	Dorney Park	Allentown, Pa.	1997	Morgan	105
38	Lisebergbanan	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	1987	Schwarz	99
39	Cheetah Hunt	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	2011	Intamin	97
40 (tie)	Euro-Mir	Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	1997	Mack	94
40 (tie)	Medusa Steel Coaster	Six Flags Mexico	Mexico City, Mexico	2014	RMC	94
42 (tie)	Cannibal	Lagoon	Farmington, Utah	2015	Lagoon	92
42 (tie)	Kumba	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	1993	B&M	92
44	Lightning Run	Kentucky Kingdom	Louisville, Ky.	2014	Chance	90
45	Whizzer	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	1976	Schwarzkopf	85
46	Olympia Looping	Weiner Prater	Vienna, Austria	1989	Schwarzkopf	81
47	Raptor	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	1994	B&M	80
48	Bizarro	Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, N.J.	1999	B&M	74
49 (tie)	Expedition Everest	Disney’s Animal Kingdom	Orlando, Fla.	2006	Vekoma	72
49 (tie)	GateKeeper	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	2013	B&M	72

2016’s Top Wooden Roller Coasters

Rank	Name	Park	Location	Year	Supplier	Points
1	Boulder Dash	Lake Compounce	Bristol, Conn.	2000	Custom Coasters	1216
2	Phoenix	Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	1985	Dinn-PTC/Schmeck	1144
3	El Toro	Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, N.J.	2006	Intamin	1121
4	The Voyage	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	2006	Gravity Group	1028
5	Ravine Flyer II	Waldameer	Erie, Pa.	2008	Gravity Group	692
6	The Beast	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	1979	KECO	670
7	Thunderhead	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	2004	Great Coasters Int.	641
8	Outlaw Run	Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	2013	Rocky Mountain	611
9	Gold Striker	California’s Great America	Santa Clara, Calif.	2013	Great Coasters Int.	525
10	Lightning Racer	Hersheypark	Hershey, Pa.	2000	Great Coasters Int.	347
11	Lightning Rod	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	2016	Rocky Mountain	336
12	Balder	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	2003	Intamin	292
13	Goliath	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	2014	Rocky Mountain	267
14	Prowler	Worlds of Fun	Kansas City, Mo.	2009	Great Coasters Int.	256
15	The Raven	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	1995	Custom Coasters	245
16	The Legend	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	2000	Custom Coasters	241
17	Giant Dipper	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	Santa Cruz, Calif.	1924	Prior & Church/Looff	233
18	Colossos	Heide Park	Soltau, Germany	2001	Intamin	222
19	Shivering Timbers	Michigan’s Adventure	Muskegon, Mich.	1998	Custom Coasters	213
20	Jack Rabbit	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	1920	PTC/Miller	208
21	Thunderbolt	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	1968	Vettel/Miller	206
22	Cú Chulainn	Tayto Park	Ashbourne, Ireland	2015	Gravity Group	179
23	Wodan	Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	2012	Great Coasters Int.	175
24	Troy	Toverland	Sevenum, Netherlands	2007	Great Coasters Int.	174
25 tie	Comet	The Great Escape	Lake George, N.Y.	1994	PTC/Schmeck	166
25 tie	El Toro	Freitzeitpark Plohn	Legendfeld, Germany	2009	Great Coasters Int.	166
27	Cyclone	Luna Park	Brooklyn, N.Y.	1927	Keenan/Baker	165
28	Wildfire	Kolmården	Norrköping, Sweden	2016	Rocky Mountain	153
29	GhostRider	Knott’s Berry Farm	Buena Vista, Calif.	1998	Custom Coasters	141
30	Playland Wooden Coaster	Playland	Vancouver, B.C., Canada	1958	Phare	141
31	The Boss	Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	2000	Custom Coasters	140
32	Wild Mouse	Blackpool Pleasure Beach	Blackpool, England	1958	Wright, Blackpool	132
33	American Thunder	Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	2009	Great Coasters Int.	129
34	White Lightning	Fun Spot America	Orlando, Fla.	2013	Great Coasters Int.	128
35	Megafobia	Oakwood Leisure Park	Pembrokeshire, Wales	1996	Custom Coasters	122
36	Hades 360	Mt. Olympus Theme Park	Wisconsin Dells, Wis.	1995	Gravity Group	118
37	Rampage	Alabama Splash Adventure	Bessemer, Ala.	1998	Custom Coasters	117
38	Blue Streak	Conneaut Lake Park	Conneaut Lake, Pa.	1938	Vettel	116
39	Screamin’ Eagle	Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	1976	PTC/Allen	116
40	Tremors	Silverwood	Athol, Idaho	1999	Custom Coasters	115
41	Flying Turns	Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	2013	Knoebels	110
42	Blue Streak	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	1964	PTC/Hoover	103
43	Racer	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	1927	PTC/Miller	94
44	T Express	Everland	Yongin-si, South Korea	2008	Intamin	84
45	Twister	Gröna Lund	Stockholm, Sweden	2011	Gravity Group	84
46	Wooden Warrior	Quassy Amusement Park	Middlebury, Conn.	2011	Gravity Group	81
47	Twister	Knoebels Amusement Resort	Elysburg, Pa.	1999	Fetterman/Knoebels	78
48	Kentucky Rumbler	Beech Bend	Bowling Green, Ky.	2006	Great Coasters Int.	77
49	Wood Coaster	Knight Valley	Shenzhen, China	2011	Great Coasters Int.	76
50	Boardwalk Bullet	Kemah Boardwalk	Kemah, Texas	2007	M&V/The Gravity Group	73