Weekly Top 10: The World's Best Drop Rides

By Robert Niles: Drop rides not only provide thrills for theme park fans, they're often the most easily identified landmarks in the park, standing hundreds of feet above other attractions. The combination of thrills and prominence place them among the more popular attractions in their parks, often with long mid-day waits. But what are the best theme park drop rides in the world?

We've selected this week's Top 10 list from your ratings, submitted on Theme Park Insider's park guide pages. Any Theme Park Insider reader (including you!) can submit ratings for the rides, shows, restaurants, and hotels we've listed on the site. And if you register (it's free and only takes a moment), you can submit a written review of these locations, too. The more readers who rate, the better ratings we can offer to everyone looking for help in planning their next theme park vacation. So, please, go rate some rides!

So here are our Top 10 theme park drop rides, with selected comments from participating Theme Park Insider readers.

10. Power Tower

Cedar Point

"Power Tower is one of the best thrill rides on the planet. It can provide you with the thrill of plummeting down 240 feet or shooting you up 240 feet. (The Green one shoots you down. The Red one shoots you up.)"

9. Superman: Tower of Power

Six Flags St. Louis

"Superman provides a great view of the mountains before you drop which is an extra bonus."

8. Supreme Scream

Knott's Berry Farm

A trio of 312-foot Turbo Drop towers, with 254-foot drops with a top falling speed of 45 miles per hour.

7. Drop Tower

Kings Dominion

Still one of the larger freefall rides in North America — a 305-foot drop tower that provides a 272-foot descent at 72 mph.

6. Acrophobia

Six Flags Over Georgia

An Intamin Gyro Drop tower where guests ride up the tower slowly while spinning and then are forced to look down as the seats tilt out at the summit.

5. Zumanjaro Drop of Doom

Six Flags Great Adventure

Now the world's tallest drop ride, these three towers are attached to the Kingda Ka track, offering two rides on the same support structure.

4. Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags' original drop-ride-on-a-coaster-tower, Lex Luthor delivers a 85-mph, 400-foot drop. "At first the height of the drop may come off as intimidating. But let me say the view from the top is amazing! And the drop is even better; especially with my hands up!"

3. Falcon's Fury

Busch Gardens Tampa

The world's tallest free-standing drop ride, Busch Gardens' newest attraction sends riders face-first down its 335-foot tower. "I had high expectations going into this ride but it still managed to blow me away!"

2. Tower of Terror

Tokyo DisneySea

With a different theme, preshow, and ride sequence than the Disney's original Tower of Terror in Florida, we're counting this as a separate attraction for this Top 10, so our usual "no clones" rule doesn't apply. While fans enjoy the multiple drop sequence here (pretty much the same as in California and Paris), the real attraction is the set-up, with what might be the greatest theme park preshow in the world.

1. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Disney's Hollywood Studios

"This Disney World icon is one of the best rides in Orlando. The theming is truly immersive and the story from the queue, to the cast members, and on to the ride itself is imperative to the ride's success and done right. A fun ride and the drops are just way cool. Even the view from the top, though quick, is spectacular. A true classic, and a definite must see."

What is your favorite theme park drop ride?

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