The Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz is still a classic, 100 years old this year. Maybe my favorite, though the Jack Rabbit at SeaBreeze is pretty close. The start of the Dipper, where you are immediately enter a dark tunnel with twists and hills that you can see coming is awesome. I also like wooden coasters because of the ductility of the framing as compared with steel. At significant points in the ride, the wood frame flexes, then snaps back into place, giving an added oomph to the ride. You get a different experience riding in the front vs. the back; you get much more whiplash at the back of the train.
en.wikipedia.org
About 1998, my college roommate and I did a road trip with our closely-aged sons, with stops in Cedar Point, Kennywood, and rafting on the Ohiopyle. After the trip, the boys reported that the Jack Rabbit was the best of the lot. Even though it didn't have the height and speed, it didn't have harnesses, only a lap bar. And on many of the dips you weren't in your seat; you were suspended in the air and the only thing holding in the car was the lap bar. They found that far more fun and satisfying than the bigger and fancier coasters.
With Jack Rabbit, the difference between front and back was especially evident. In the front, as you went through the double dips, the upward momentum and the pitch of the track caused you to rise out of your seat, against the lap bar. The lap bar was the only thing keeping you from tumbling forward. In the back row, on the same double dip, the whiplash effect threw you forward against the lap bar; were it not for the lap bar you would be ejected. The kids loved both of those experiences, though they said that riding in the back was much more scary.
en.wikipedia.org
