Drive west of Atlanta on I-20. You will see a very large orange and blue object. It’s Goliath! Considered to be the greatest roller coaster ever built in the southeast, this ride is 200 ft and tall and reaches speeds up to 70 mph. I will always hold this ride close to my heart considering its a mile stone in coaster riding for me. It was my first coaster ever to reach the 200 ft range.
Now, what’s great about this ride is that every ride cycle can occupy up 36 people and is usually running 3 trains, so, ride wait time (on a usual operating day) is about 5 to 10 minutes. Even if you had to wait several hours to ride it, it still would be worth it.
When you first approach Goliath’s queue line you’ll notice several things: Monstrous height of first hill, angry Six Flags employees demanding that you pay $1.00 to put your lose items in a locker, and lots of nervous people making the last minute decision of whether or not to ride the giant.
Once you have waited through the short line and you walk up the stairs on to the boarding platform, you get a good look at the fantastic trains made by Bolliger & Mabillard. They have reclined seats and comfortable lap-restraints that allow plenty of freedom, air-time, and a good sense of security.
The descent up the 200 ft hill is extremely menacing because its very steep for a lift hill (around 45 degrees), you can see buildings in Atlanta, and it’s a very well-paced, rapid climb. Then, you quickly climb over the top, and immediately are engaged in the most intense drop most riders will ever experience. It’s a long, steep drop which seems to last forever. And, if you sit in the back, the train has a larger speed when traveling over the pinnacle and you are given a very generous amount air-time when free falling down the 170 ft drop.
After that exhilarating experience, you are faced with two large air-time hills. Then there is a double, downward helix that spirals back down to ground level. This element is very high in G-Force and usually causes me to slightly gray-out. After one more hill there’s a highly-banked horseshoe turn over a pond, which is very fun. After that the ride ends with three more hills and a banked turn on to the brake run. When I got off the ride for the first time, I was just blown away. I heard several people say “That was amazing.” And I must say, it really is amazing and will always be the star attraction at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Ride: 10/10
Theming: 7/10
Drops: 10/10
Intensity: 10/10
Airtime: 10/10
Total: 47/50 – Great!
Scare Scale: 3/3 – Not for the faint of heart
