The Phoenix at Knoebels is One of the World's Best Roller Coasters
Photo courtesy of themeparkreview on Twitter As a former card carrying member of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), I have spent a great deal of time considering the quality of roller coaster rides. I won't claim to having ridden them all, or even making a dent in the list of American coasters. That said, I've ridden quite a few. As a youth, I cut my teeth on the coasters at Willow Grove Park (WGP), just north of Philadelphia. Where now stands a mall of the same name, there was once an amusement park, one that was built in 1896 by a trolley company to give people a reason to ride to the end of the line. In its early days, it was known for band concerts led by John Philip Sousa. Over time, iconic amusement rides were added such as a ferris wheel, the tunnel of love, a fun house, a classic carousel and the like, and ultimately four roller coasters. One was The Wild Mouse, a factory made early metal coaster that was duplicated in many parks. The other three were classic woode