Theme parks come in all shapes, sizes, and locations. One of the newest to open in the United States is tucked away in a corner of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) campus in Austin, Texas. Dubbed COTALAND, the park is themed around the thrilling world of high-speed car racing, which seems fitting since COTA is the country's only purpose-built Formula 1 track.
I recently visited COTALAND for the first time. As both a sports fan and a theme park enthusiast, it was exciting to see two of my favorite things come together in one spot, particularly as it meant I was able to get an authentic taste of Formula 1 up close with a hot lap around COTA, home of the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix. Whether you’re heading to Austin for a race
or to enjoy the city, COTALAND should be on your must-see list. Here are my first-hand impressions of the experience at this new park.
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What rides and entertainment does COTALAND offer?
COTALAND offers attractions for guests of every age and thrill level. Kids will love traditional rides like the Baby Buccaneer swinging ship, Checker’s Sky Flyer kiddie coaster, and even a tiny tot version of a log flume ride. Traditional amusement park rides like high swings, a pendulum ride, and a vertical drop tower are scattered around the park too.
Kids will love meeting the park’s characters: Fang the bat, Turbo the rookie racing turtle, Buck the cowboy horse, and Checkers the high-flying skunk. Each character also has a feature show, so if you don’t want to wait in line to meet them, you can still see them. The shows range from a bubble show with Checkers to a dance party with Buck.
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If you’re like me, you’re heading straight for the biggest, baddest (in the good way) rides. COTALAND has multiple roller coasters, but two of them are truly record-breaking. First is Circuit Breaker, Texas’ only tilt coaster, which reaches 130 feet tall and 57 miles per hour. Palindrome is another big thrill at COTALAND. It's the first infinity shuttle coaster in the United States. If you’re not familiar with this type of roller coaster, you’re in for something really unique. Infinity shuttle coasters have an open-ended track, so once you reach the spike, you’ll zoom backward over the entire track. Palindrome amps up the rush by racing over an active road at speeds reaching 51 miles per hour.
Is the biggest thrill worth the additional cost?
COTALAND offers a handful of extra-cost experiences. For a real taste of Formula 1, take a hot lap around COTA, home of the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix. Since I visited COTALAND during the Grand Prix, I did my hot lap with Pirelli, Formula 1’s global tire provider, but the COTALAND experience will be similar.
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After a quick safety briefing, I donned my helmet and hopped into one of the incredible high-performance cars. The incline and blind corner up to turn one is quite scary, but after the turn, the sweeping circuit views are incredible. My driver threw the car through some of the higher-speed corners, overtook slower cars, and hit the brakes only when it was absolutely necessary. He reached about 180 miles per hour on the back straight before parking on the grid so another fan could experience a hot lap around COTA.
A hot lap is the ultimate passenger-princess experience for people who love cars, speed, and unique experiences. I’ll never truly know what it feels like to drive an F1 car, which can reach speeds over 200 miles per hour and pull 6Gs (more G-forces than astronauts feel at launch to go into space). The hot lap experience gave me an all-new appreciation for what my favorite F1 drivers go through every race.
Hot laps through COTALAND start at $129 per person, and riders must be at least 14 years old to participate.
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Ticket prices for COTALAND
COTALAND tickets are relatively affordable, especially compared to some of the larger theme parks in the country. Single-day tickets start at $40 for date-based tickets. For those who need more flexibility, an any-day ticket that does not require you to pick your park day in advance starts at $75. COTALAND also offers add-ons like skip-the-line passes starting at $40, pre-paid parking starting at $35, and all-day drink refills starting at $15.
This Texas landmark has a secret theme park themed to Formula 1 originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.
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The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com, LuxuryVacationist.com, and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. If you buy an item through a link in our content, we may earn a commission.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This new Texas theme park has record-breaking roller coasters
