Waterloo Has One of the Best Theme Park Rides In America

Summer is just around the corner, so that means it is officially theme park season here in Eastern Iowa!

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Iowa's theme park industry has grown over the past few years. Adventureland in Altoona has been a statewide favorite and Waterloo's Lost Island Water Park has always been a must visit for families in the summer.

Lost Island consistently ranks at the top of many lists of best water parks in the country. Last summer, this business expanded and added a theme park with all sorts of rides. One of those new attractions made the top of a list of some of the "best dark rides in North America."

Traditionally, these are indoor amusement park rides in which passengers hop on guided vehicles. They can also be a mixture of real-life tech and screen tech.

This list excludes rides at Disney or Universal.

The ride is the newest attraction on the list due to the theme park opening up for business in 2022. Called Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol this attraction has a combination of animatronics and projection screen tech.

It also features "trackless vehicles, 4D projection screens, an interactive targeting system..." along with some other cool features.

The Lost Island ride came in at #2 on the full list.

Here is the top ten rides that made this list:

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis – various Six Flags theme parks
Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol – Lost Island Theme Park, Iowa
Calico Mine Train – Knott’s Berry Farm, California
Monster Mansion – Six Flags over Georgia, Georgia
Mystery Mine – Dollywood, Tennessee
Timber Mountain Log Ride – Knott’s Berry Farm, California
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair – Knott’s Berry Farm, California
Journey to Atlantis – SeaWorld Orlando, Florida
Lego Factory – Legoland New York, New York
TerroRide – Lagoon, Utah

Another Iowa park also made the list as well! Adventureland in Altoona was also recognized for its stellar "dark ride" called The Underground which is a fully enclosed wooden rollercoaster that was built in 1996. This ride ranked at 39 on the list!

See the full list of the finalists here.

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