Lake Winnie kicks off 91st season with new thrill ride

Sure, it looks harmless enough now, but put the Twister in motion and the platform raises and flips riders 360 degrees, rotates into an angle and flips again.
Sure, it looks harmless enough now, but put the Twister in motion and the platform raises and flips riders 360 degrees, rotates into an angle and flips again.
photo Lake Winnie's Cannon Ball roller coaster was built in 1967 by Philadelphia Toboggan Co. It is 2,272 feet long with a vertical drop of 70 feet and speeds that can reach up to 50 mph during its 1-minute, 32-second circuit around the track.

Lake Winnepesaukah enters its 91st season with "one of the thrillingest thrill rides" ever to fling riders around the North Georgia amusement park.

Twister is "definitely a thrill ride," says park spokeswoman Talley Green. "It just absolutely flips, turns and spins and even has a gyrating motion.

"We wouldn't recommend riding after a loaded funnel cake."

One of a dozen thrill rides at Lake Winnie, Twister joins such returning favorites as the Boat Chute, the park's legendary tunneled water ride; the Cannon Ball, a throwback wooden roller coaster that reaches speeds of 50 mph in a minute and a half; and the Oh-Zone, a 14-story freefall.

Plenty of rides are family-friendly, including the circa 1916 hand-carved carousel. Another dozen rides engage the youngest visitors, often in pint-size versions of the bigger attractions.

Green says Twister takes the place of Genie, which has been decommissioned for the year.

"Everything else is pretty much the same," she says.

But that should be good news to families who make visits to the park a summer tradition and welcome the nostalgic pace of its shady 80 acres.

Still to come are a Country Sunday Concert with four local acts on May 15 and the opening of the adjacent water park, SoakYa, on May 28. A Mother's Day Carload Special with reduced admission is on tap for this Sunday, May 8.

If you go

› What: Opening weekend at Lake Winnie.› When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today and Friday, May 5-6; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, May 7; noon-6 p.m. Sunday, May 8 (hours remain constant on this Thursday-Sunday schedule until Memorial Day weekend).› Where: Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park, 1730 Lakeview Drive, Rossville.› Admission: $27 unlimited rides ages 3-54, $12 ages 1-2 and 55+ through May 27. Ticket packages, $18 for value strip of 14 ride tickets and $1 for additional tickets; rides range from two to five tickets.› Phone: 706-866-5681.› Website: www.lakewinnie.com.› Note: Admission increases during the SoakYa season, May 28-Sept. 5, to an all-inclusive price of $33.95 for ages 3-54 and $16.95 for ages 1-2 and 55+. Admission grants access to both parks; there is no either/or option.

Schedule at a glance

May: Thursday-Sunday plus Memorial Day (SoakYa opens May 28)June: Daily except June 7, 10 and 14July: DailyAugust: Aug. 1, 3-7, then weekends only, Aug. 13-14, 20-21, 27-28September: Weekends only, Sept. 3-5, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 (SoakYa open through Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5)October: 1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-23, 28-30

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