As I mentioned earlier today, this Fall I had the privilege of having a girls’ weekend with a few of my closest girlfriends. It Was A Blast! I think everyone should experience a girl’s night out or weekend away at least once in their life. Now that I’ve had a taste of it I plan to make this an annual thing at the very least. It is heavenly to get away and rejuvenate, and recharge my batteries. Aside from the beautiful and fun hotel (Hotel Valencia) we got to stay in, we had a lot of fun, serious girl talk, and definitely many laughs. My friend Mindy and I separated from the other ladies and headed to a fun-filled day at California’s Great America theme park, while the other girls shopped away the day. I certainly appreciate a nice shopping day without the kids, but that weekend Mindy and I just needed some thrills, chocolate, scares and laughs.
Visiting Great America in late September was absolutely perfect. We couldn’t have asked for better weather or shorter lines. We were able to ride everything we wanted to ride as much as we wanted to ride. Although it was a Saturday I was shocked at how quickly we were able to get on most rides. The park was already decorated for Halloween, and I think a lot of the teenagers came out for the Fright Fest that took place after we left.
Our favorite ride, hands-down, was the brand new 2013 roller coaster, the Gold Striker. The Gold Striker is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Northern California. What I loved about it was that it wasn’t as rickety as some of the wooden coasters I’ve been on (such as the Grizzly), which often results in headaches for me. This was definitely an exciting coaster that created so many laughs and tears from the craziness of it. Standing at 108.2 feet high, the drops are quite steep, but so much fun. The Gold Striker travels at 53.7 MPH, hence the tears – of joy, or from being wind-blown who knows. Such a blast!
I will say that I don’t enjoy spinning rides because that can result in vomiting for me, so I steered clear of those. Mindy was a good sport and stuck with me. Pretty much every other attraction was fair game. If you ever visit the park in the summer then definitely take your swimsuits because they have a water park attached! If you are the type to get headaches then you may want to stay away from the Vortex. That is a steel roller coaster that has you standing, and straddling a bicycle type of seat. Not so comfy and your head will rattle! Not my favorite. Mindy and I both had a bit of vertigo after riding the Vortex. Luckily the park food wasn’t too pricey so we took a breather and had some lunch before heading back on the Gold Striker.
Something else I wanted to point out is that unlike most theme parks, the gift shops are super affordable! We spent quite a bit of time browsing the stores for sunglasses and souvenirs. We were able to pick up a pair of sunglasses for $5 and a mug for my mom for just $1! Amazing! Needless to say, going to Great America without the families for once was a much needed break away (even though we love them to pieces). Highly recommended. And if you can stomach the height and the speed, you must ride the Gold Striker!!!
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