Batman: The Ride facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Batman: The Ride
A vertical loop and corkscrew on the ride at Six Flags Great America
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Inverted Coaster – Batman
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Inversions	5
Duration	1:45
Capacity	1280–1400 riders per hour
G-force	4
Restraint Style	Over-the-shoulder
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Height	100 or 105 ft (30 or 32 m)
Length	2,693 or 2,700 ft (821 or 823 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Drop	84.5 ft
Flash Pass available
Single rider line available

Batman: The Ride is an exciting inverted roller coaster that takes you on an adventure inspired by the famous DC Comics hero, Batman. Imagine soaring through the air with your feet dangling below you! This thrilling ride can be found at several Six Flags theme parks across the United States.

Designed by expert engineers Bolliger & Mabillard, Batman: The Ride reaches impressive heights of up to 105 feet (about 32 meters). You'll zoom along the track at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h)! The very first Batman: The Ride opened in 1992 at Six Flags Great America. It was the world's first roller coaster where riders hang below the track, making it a truly special attraction. It has even been recognized as a "Coaster Landmark" by roller coaster fans!

Discovering Batman: The Ride's History

The amazing idea for an inverted roller coaster with loops and twists came from Jim Wintrode. He was the general manager at Six Flags Great America in the early 1990s. Jim worked with Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, who are famous for building roller coasters in Switzerland. Together, they brought this new type of ride to life.

The first Batman: The Ride opened its doors on May 2, 1992. It officially welcomed guests a week later, on May 9. Building this incredible ride cost $7 million, which was a huge investment for Six Flags Great America at the time.

More Batman Rides Appear

Because the first ride was such a big hit, the company that owned Six Flags decided to build more copies. Throughout the 1990s, similar Batman: The Ride coasters were added to other Six Flags parks across the U.S.

• In 1993, Six Flags Great Adventure opened its version on May 1.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain followed, opening its ride on March 26, 1994. This ride was part of a new area called Gotham City Backlot.
• On April 22, 1995, Six Flags St. Louis welcomed its Batman coaster. This one was a "flipped" version, meaning its layout was a mirror image of the original.
• Six Flags Over Georgia added its ride on May 3, 1997, as part of a new Gotham City section.
• The ride arrived at Six Flags Over Texas on May 26, 1999. Its loading area is uniquely themed as the Wayne Foundation Industrial Park.

Batman Rides Around the World

Other parks also got their own versions of this popular coaster:

• In 2002, La Ronde in Montreal, Canada, opened a similar ride called Le Vampire (The Vampire). It had a different name because of licensing agreements.
• Also in 2002, Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid in Spain opened a clone named Batman: La Fuga (Batman: The Escape).

One special Batman: The Ride was first built in Japan in 1995. It was later moved to Six Flags New Orleans in 2003. After a big storm in 2005, the New Orleans park closed. The coaster was then moved again to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It was updated, repainted, and reopened as Goliath on April 18, 2008.

Riding Backwards

For a few years, from 2013 to 2015, some Batman: The Ride coasters offered a special experience: they ran backwards! This gave riders a whole new way to enjoy the twists and turns. The Six Flags St. Louis location even ran its ride backwards for the first half of the 2018 season.

Where to Find Batman: The Ride Coasters

Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Here's a list of parks where you can find a Batman: The Ride coaster:

What Makes Batman: The Ride Special

An overview of the ride's first drop and vertical loop at Six Flags Great Adventure

Ride Structure and Features

The original Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America stands 100 feet (30 meters) tall. Later versions are slightly taller, reaching 105 feet (32 meters). Each ride has a track length of about 2,700 feet (823 meters).

You'll experience speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and feel up to four times the force of gravity! Get ready for five exciting inversions: two thrilling vertical loops, a "zero-G roll" that makes you feel weightless, and two twisting corkscrews.

Each Batman: The Ride uses two trains. Each train has eight cars, and four riders sit in a single row in each car. This means 32 people can ride at once! The ride's design was carefully planned to fit perfectly into its themed area. Many of the rides have an identical or mirror-image layout.

Colors of the Coaster

Batman: The Ride at Six Flags St. Louis

When they first opened, most Batman: The Ride coasters were all black. Over time, some rides got new, brighter color schemes. You might see tracks painted yellow, blue, or purple!

For example, the original ride at Six Flags Great America changed its colors in 2004. Its track became yellow with dark purple supports. Six Flags Great Adventure also repainted its track yellow that same year. In 2010, the rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Over Georgia got a new medium blue track. As of today, the Six Flags St. Louis location is the only one that still has its original all-black look.

Your Batman: The Ride Experience

Entering Gotham City (The Queue Line)

Batman: The Ride theming at Six Flags Great America

As you wait in line for Batman: The Ride, you'll feel like you're stepping into Gotham City itself! The waiting area starts bright and peaceful, like a park. But as you move closer to the ride, the theme changes. It becomes dark and a bit mysterious, just like Batman's city.

You'll see details that make it feel like a busy, crime-fighting city. The entrance to the ride building looks like a storm drain access. Inside, the loading area is designed to look like Batman's secret Batcave! You might even spot a replica of Batman's suit from the 1989 movie.

The Thrilling Ride Layout

Your adventure begins as the floor of the station drops away. The train then moves out and starts climbing the chain lift hill. At the very top, there's a small dip before a big swoop to the left. Then, get ready for the first vertical loop!

Next, you'll flip through a "Heartline Spin" (also called a zero-G roll), which makes you feel weightless. Another vertical loop follows right after! The train then spirals upward to the left, makes a wide turn to the right, and drops slightly. You'll quickly twist through the first corkscrew. After a tight right turn, you'll go through another corkscrew. Finally, a tight left turn leads you to the final brake run, bringing your thrilling ride to an end.

See also

In Spanish: Batman: The Ride para niños