10. Escape from Pompeii
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
A traditional chute-the-chutes ride plussed with special effects. You'll feel the heat of the erupting volcano and evade the deteriorating city before splashing down.
9. Journey to Atlantis
SeaWorld Orlando
This Mack water coaster debuted in 1998, as SeaWorld's first thrill ride. Set in the mythical city of Atlantis, a Siren transforms into a demon and expels riders down the ride's signature waterfall. After a turnaround, riders return to the temple for a final encounter with the demon... and another thorough soaking.
8. Congo River Rapids
Busch Gardens Tampa
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Twirling along the Congo River in circular rafts, guests are randomly splashed and plunged in the water as they bounce off surrounding banks, creating an unpredictable and often sopping-wet adventure.
7. Daredevil Falls
Dollywood
Take a ride through an abandoned logging camp, but hold on for the finale — a 60 mph plunge down a 60-degree, 60-foot drop.
6. Grizzly River Run
Disney California Adventure
"GRR's watery course is absolutely beautiful and quite stunning (although it would be so cool if there were a few animatronic bears along the course). The raft winds around and though Grizzly Peak, passing though dark caverns and along the peak's edge before it takes its final plunge (there are two) spinning down a 22-foot drop to a big splash down."
5. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Universal's Islands of Adventure
Ride through a classic melodrama where the inept Dudley Do-Right tries to save dear Nell from the clutches of the wicked Snidely Whiplash. Of course, it's Dudley's trusty steed, Horse, who's the brains of the team here, and all ends well — after a drenching double-dip final drop, of course.
4. Jurassic Park River Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure
You'll float outdoors through an impressive collection of Universal's animatronic dinosaurs before... well, as Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm said in the movie, "Oooh, ahhh... that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming." Sure enough, the velociraptors escape, the meat-eaters are running loose, and, oh, is that a T-Rex trying to eat you? Hang on, because it's all downhill from there.
3. Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Universal's Islands of Adventure
Arch-enemy Bluto is up to no good again, and there's no escaping an underwear-soaking drenching on this adventure, where on-lookers can get in on the action by spraying you as your tub raft washes by.
2. Timber Mountain Log Ride
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's and Garner Holt Productions last year completely refurbished and revamped Bud Hurlbut's classic themed log ride, adding dozens of new animatronics and more richly detailed setting throughout. This is the attraction that defined what a log flume could be, and the one that inspired Disney's Imagineers (including Tony Baxter) to create...
1. Splash Mountain
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Find your "laughing place" in this iconic retelling of the story of Brer Rabbit from Disney's Song of the South. Featuring the Academy Award-winning song, "Zip A Dee Doo Dah," some great views of the Magic Kingdom and that requisite drenching, Splash Mountain might be the world's most popular flume ride. And deservedly so.
What is your favorite theme park flume ride? Tell us, in the comments.
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My personal top 10 flume rides:
1. Daredevil Falls (Dollywood)
2. Jurassic Park-The Ride (Universal Studios Hollywood)
3. Splash Mountain (Disneyland)
4. Timber Mountain Log Ride (Knott's Berry Farm)
5. Frightful Falls (Holiday World)
6. Blizzard River (Six Flags New England)
7. Escape from Pompeii (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
8. Grizzly River Run (Disney California Adventure Park)
9. Coal Cracker (Hersheypark)
10. Raging Rapids (Holiday World)
Have to agree with Court E. Jurassic Park may have a better setting at IOA, but the ride at USH is better.
As for "Song of the South," I think it's useful to see Splash Mountain as Disney's *replacement* for that movie, which will never again see the official light of day. Splash Mountain is now Disney's home for those songs and those characters, where they can live completely free of any stereotypes or associations that people find in that film.
I also appreciate that it is not a slide show. Few things on the internet are more annoying than those!
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