10 Weird Attractions You Might Not Know Existed!
Here are 10 weird attractions you might not know existed! Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re all for unique experiences here at TPI but these take the meaning of ‘unique’ to a whole different level!
In this article we’ll be taking a look at 10 weird and wonderful attractions you might not have realised are actually a thing.
From the strangely fun to just downright macabre we’ll be taking a look at some of the most outlandish and bizzare attractions we have ever come across.
So without further ado and in no particular order, here we go!…..
1 - The Death Simulator.
Ever wondered what it would be like to watch yourself die? Well, wonder no more, you can now experience death for yourself (without ACTUALLY dying of course).
The Death Simulator invites those brave enough (or those with a weird fascination in all things dead) to experience what happens to them when they die without the need to exit this mortal coil.
The strange and rather macabre 4D experience based at Window of the World theme park in Shenzhen, China invites guests to lay back and experience what happens after you die.
The spine tingling experience places guests in a coffin before they are ‘pushed into a furnace’ by an attendent. They then turn up the heat to a toasty 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Degrees Celsius) simulating what it would be like to experience cremation.
The strange 4D experience manages to knock quite a few fears out of the window at the same time – claustrophobia, death and of course, the unknown.
2 - The Vanishing Roller Coaster.
Ever had a roller coaster seemingly vanish before your very eyes? Well, at Yokohama Cosmo World located at the Wonder Amuse Zone in Japan they have achieved just that!
Riders seemingly vanish into a lake from those watching off ride as the roller coaster ‘takes the plunge’ into a tunnel located within the center of a purpose built lake.
The unique design creates the illusion of riders disappearing into oblivion (no, not that one haha) before resurfacing somewhere else out of view.
While riders aren’t infact plunging into the water itself the effect created by this whimsical illusion is quite something to behold.
3 - The Human Trebuchet.
Next up we have The Human Trebuchet! This one is DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart that’s for sure!
The Human Trebuchet formerly located at Middlemoor Water Park in Oxfordshire, UK invited daring thrill seekers to experience the exhilaration of being catapulted 75 feet into the air before landing safely on the other side.
In 2002 this weird and wonderful experience sadly closed for the last time after a tragic fatality in which a guest sadly missed their landing mark causing them to plummet to the ground unprotected.
The Human Trebuchet was certainly something straight out the mind of a cartoonist that’s for sure!
4 - The Vertical Swing.
The Vertical Swing – doesn’t sound that strange right? Well, it’s more the setting of this one that qualifies it as being strange!
This vertical swing ride (or a star flyer as it’s more commonly known) is located in Germany and takes guests soaring up to heights of 17 stories.
The Catch? It’s built inside a giant cooling located within what was originally supposed to be a nuclear power plant!
This crazy concept of a ride is located at Wunderland Kalkar takes the concept of unique to the next level given the fact this isn’t really somewhere you’d expect to find a star flyer located.
5 - Nothin' But Net!
Ever wondered how it would feel to free fall 100 feet without a harness or any means of attachment? Well, SCAD Tower located at the Zero Gravity Thrill Amusement Park in Dallas, Texas allows those brave enough to experience just that!
This gigantic freestanding structure features a platform at it’s peak where thrill seekers are invited to be strapped into a giant sling before being released into a free fall directly down into a giant net at the bottom.
The exhilarating experience is certainly not for the faint of heart though as once you reach the top, the only way off is down!
The ride also features a specially designed harness which is meant to ensure riders only land on their backs. Nothing is ‘foolproof’ though.
6 - Spin Dizzy.
Ever fancied climbing inside a giant excavator bucket and being spun around? Well, Diggerland (a small chain of digger themed amusement parks located here in the UK and beyond) offer guests the chance to experience just that!
Spin Dizzy invites families to take a seat inside a gigantic excavator bucket and strap themselves in before being lifted up and spun around in circles.
Sounds like a vomit inducing experience right? Well, in all reality this one is actually a lot of fun (and yes, we’ve tried this one for ourselves).
Each Diggerland theme park features Spin Dizzy as well as a whole host of other digger themed rides and attractions transforming traditional plant equipment into family friendly rides.
7 - The Dog Fart Roller Coaster.
YES, you read that correctly!! The Dog Fart Roller Coaster or Hundeprutten as it’s more commonly known is a bizarrely themed roller coaster located at BonBon Land in Denmark.
This Zierer Force roller coaster was one of the first to open at the family theme park back in 1993 and takes guests on a ride fun filled ride past a giant statue of a Daschund named Henry as he defecates before making their way through a kennel and out the other side past a giant pile of dog feces.
The ride is also accompanied by the sound of farts and barks throughout making this weird ride experience all the more bizzare!
BonBon – the company responsible for the park are known for their toilet humour inspired sweets and confectionery and Hunderprutten is reportedly themed to one of their most popular flavours – ‘dog farts’.
8 - Hamster Wheel Carousel.
The Looper – effectively a glorified Hamster Wheel Carousel is certainly not for the faint of heart!
Guests at Knoebels Amusement Resort located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania can choose to strap themselves in to one of many gigantic circular cages before spinning around and seesawing backwards and forwards inverting as they do so.
This unique and fantastical ride was first developed by Allan Hershel Co. in 1942 and has remained something very unique to this day.
9 - The 'Princess' Ride.
We all love a good dark ride right? Well, think again because riding Gilly’s Princess Ride at Gulliver’s World in Warrington is like stepping into a nightmare!
This freakish dark ride, supposedly themed to princesses and all things fantasy is by far the polar opposite of EVERYTHING you’d expect from it.
Guests take their seat in horse and carriage themed ride vehicles before embarking on what can only be described as a journey into pure nightmare fodder.
The ride features no music, no sound, dark tunnels lit with UV and eerie drawings on the wall of castles and dragons lasting a total of 2 to 3 minutes from beginning to end. There are also no animatronics either.
In truth, this creepy ‘princess ride’ would better serve as a ghost train because let’s face it, it’s anything but fantastical (and your kids are DEFINITELY having nightmares after coming off this one)!
10 - Edge Walk Toronto
Ever fancied throwing yourself off the edge of a building and taking in the view without ACTUALLY falling to your death? Well, now you can!
Edge Walk – a terrifying new experience located at the peak of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada offers thrill seekers the chance to traverse the edge of the 116 storey high tower with nothing but a harness securing them in.
If they’re feeling particularly brave though then guests can also choose to lean backwards (or forwards) over the edge of the tower whilst taking in the views.
This really isn’t for the faint of heart and definitely not one to do if you’re scared of heights!!
So there you have it! Those are 10 weird attractions you might not know existed and it’s fair to say while some are definitely different, some are just downright bizarre!
A roller coaster themed to Dog Farts certainly brings a new take to ‘that ride stinks’, however the Death Simulator? Wow!!
How many of these rides and attractions did you know existed and indeed, how many of them would you ACTUALLY try for yourself?
We’d love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions of the above in the comments below! Thanks very much for reading!