Whats Starts Us Off As Theme Park Enthusiasts..?

 For some it's their first ever visit to a park later in life... 

For others it could be the very first ride on a rollercoaster... 

The truth is each one of us has a different story as to why and when we started loving riding rollercoasters and visiting theme parks.

Today I wanted to look at exploring some of those ideas and share my story and some other interesting insights from other enthusiasts too! 

Big Thunder Thrills 

As a kid one of the very first things I can remember going on is Big Thunder Mountain at DLP. 

Yes, like many others, a family trip to Disney started my love for theme parks. 

I vividly can recall standing at the entrance of the coaster and just reaching the height stick with my Disney hat on! 

So there we went bounding through the gates of the awesome coaster as a family so excited to get on the ride.

When I say my face and knuckles went white, in no way am I exaggerating. Little 6 year old Sam held onto the lap-bar with every inch of my body. Squeezing in as close as possible to my mum for assurance! 

When the train came back into the station, my eyes were wild with delight, my hair was all over the place and I remember thinking... I don't know what just happened... But what ever it was I wanted more and more of it! 

It was then I became entranced by the fact that we could enter a ride queue line, or show building and be in an entirely new place or world... It was kind of like a magic trick.. you were on earth in one place... but once stepped through the doors of a ride, in a completely different space! 

Safe to say it blew my mind and ever since that moment I knew Disney, Theme Parks and Rollercoasters were going to be a staple in my life! 

Speaking with other enthusiasts, I wanted to get a sense of where others found there love for such a niche love and hobby of riding rollercoasters       

Let's go Round and Round The Merry Go Round 

Speaking with Ryan from @themeparkloopy, he shared his insights into what started his love for visiting theme parks and riding rides.. 

" My love started by spending warm summer afternoons at my local fairground endlessly riding a merry go round, rocket ships and what some would consider to be the worlds first suspended rollercoaster". 

Ryan Being based up in Yorkshire, has always been a huge fan of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and visited the park throughout his life. 

He continued to say... 

"It's ironic that the coaster I was terrified by the sight of, in later life became my favourite and that's of course The Big One" 

The Nemesis Of Fear And Love 

I caught up with the wonderful Brett from @themeparksbybrett, having been an avid Theme Park and Alton Towers fan throughout his life, Brett explains how Nemesis started it all... 

"I was actually terrified of rollercoasters, I cried when my Mum went on The Big One when I was younger. But still I loved going to Theme Parks. Ive always liked the architecture behind rollercoasters."

"My first memory of really wanting to go on a ride, but was really scared, was watching a youtube video of Nemesis, I remember fully shaking just watching the video!" 

Brett having been involved with the enthusiast community for a while has always loved visiting Theme Parks... 

He continued... 

"I finally got to go to more parks with this new interest around 2007 and just been in love with it ever since" 

It's amazing how we all start  as enthusiasts, what drives our unique passion for steel entertainment?! 

Thank you so much to the guys for sharing their stories! 

Wrap Up 

A small insight into the start of the best hobby in the world... ( I promise Im not bias)

What started your love ? Do you have a story to share? 

Leave a comment Below or get involved on our insta @coastersamblog 

( Don't forget to check out @themeparkloopy and @themeparksbybrett too!)

Until Next Time, 

See Ya! 

Sam x