Monday, July 13, 2026 was a rainy day, rather fitting for the future of a partcular ride and park. Storms were in the forecast and had already delayed operations for about an hour. Not many people were at the park, but it was clear that many of those who were came to ride the park’s star attraction and hopefully, ride it a lot. The park was Fun Spot America Atlanta (FSAA) in Fayetteville, Ga. and the coaster was ArieForce One.
While this would probably be normal for FSAA on any rainy day, the park’s recent announcement surely had everyone a bit more eager to get in their rides. And many of them had traveled from outside Georgia to do so too.
Fun Spot America Announces Atlanta Location's Closure
On Thursday, June 25, 2026 Fun Spot America put out a press release stating that they would be closing their Atlanta location on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, leaving just their two Florida locations in Orlando in Kissimmee.
“Since opening, the park has welcomed millions of guests and created lasting memories for families throughout the region. ‘This was an extremely difficult decision,’ said John Arie Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Fun Spot America.
This news flooded through the online amusement park and roller coaster enthusiast communities. You couldn’t scroll most social media platforms without seeing someone mention the news or ask what would happen to the park and its rides after Aug. 2. No one knew and while many theories and rumors have surfaced since, no one still knows.
One Person Stood Out Among the Rest
Back to Monday, July 13, 2026. With the few dozen guests who remained throughout the storm, ArieForce One would indeed reopen. And while some people did head off to ride the park’s other rides, the majority of them made their way to ArieForce. One of those guests was Chelsea, who wore an ArieForce One shirt and was riding on what seemed like every train that was dispatched. You could tell that she loved this coaster and was getting in every ride she could before Aug. 2.
Lap after after lap, Chelsea could be seen with her arms out like a bird, or above her head as she was tossed up with every moment of airtime throughout the course. She was clearly at peace and doing what she loves.
Chelsea would end up riding ArieForce one 74 times that day, which is the third most she’s accomplished in a single visit. And if it isn’t obvious, ArieForce One is her favorite coaster.
“Nothing compares, nor do I believe anything will ever compare. ArieForce One always felt like some sort of coaster enthusiast’s dream come true,” she said. “When I first rode it, I posted about having to rethink my Top 5, but I already knew. Mystery Mine kept the ‘Sentimental Number 1’ title, but it had to make way for ArieForce One earning the ‘Thoosie Number 1’ title.
Chelsea's Background
Chelsea has been visiting amusement/theme parks since the age of 2, although admits that her love for more intense coasters didn’t come until a later age.
“The first amusement park I ever visited was Wild Adventures. I think I was maybe 2 years old. I also visited Dollywood, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), Disney World, Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG), and Lake Winnie [Winnepesaukah] in my youth,” Chelsea said. “It wasn’t until around 2012 that I started visiting Dollywood regularly. I have been a passholder ever since. In 2025 I started branching out and visiting other amusement parks.”
It was during those visits to Dollywood that set her on her path as an enthusiast. The year was 2013 and she was about to ride a coaster with inversions in Mystery Mine. This is why she calls Mystery Mine her “Sentimental Number 1.”
“As a kid, I was actually a bit scared of roller coasters. I did like wooden roller coasters, but I didn’t ride anything too crazy. Cheetah at Wild Adventures and Thunderhead at Dollywood were my favorites. Then I finally rode Mystery Mine in 2013. Prior to that, I was terrified of riding coasters with inversions.”
Chelsea's First Rides & Initial Reaction
Living only 63 miles away from FSAA, Chelsea admits that the park nor ArieForce One were on her radar until recently. This seems to be the case for many who live within a reasonable driving distance from the park according to online testimonials from others.
“I didn’t even know of its existence until last summer. I remember seeing a very patriotic Colgate swirl of track on my feed and thinking, ‘Oh wow! What a pretty RMC. And it’s in Georgia? That’s not Twisted Cyclone!’ said Chelsea.
I was very mad at myself for not knowing about it,” she admits.
Still, better late than never. On Monday, August 24, 2025 she would take her first rides on ArieForce One. This was a day with a ton of anticipation for her and one she’ll never forget.
“I had a feeling that it was going to be something extremely special. I remember riding it, thinking each element was perfect, and that the pacing was incredible. There’s no moment to breathe, except for maybe the zero-G stall. I loved the quad down. It made me laugh, Chelsea recalls.
She would go on to ride ArieForce One 13 times that day, although she visited with a non-enthusiast friend who found the ride to be too intense for her. Otherwise Chelsea says she would have kept riding.
Time to Pick Up the Pace
Since that first visit Chelsea had been making regular trips to the park, usually with friends. They’d ride AerieForce a bunch of times, although her friends usually had no interest in riding it non-stop all day long. But what was the rush? FSAA and ArieForce would be there. She could get in all the rides she wanted when she had free time. Or so she thought.
With the sad news that came on June 25, Chelsea is now trying to get in as many rides as she can.
“I always assumed I’d have a whole lifetime to get ArieForce rides in and that really wasn’t a big deal. Now I am trying to get as many as I can before time runs out. I feel like a crazy person, but the local enthusiasts seem to feel the same way,” Chelsea admits.
Of course, the frequency of her visits has also increased.
“I was traveling a lot for work during the time I first discovered ArieForce One. So when I was in town, I would try to go at least once every week or every other week,” she said. “After the announcement, well, I’ve put at least 1,500 miles on my car driving back and forth already.”
The Final Day Approaches
With Aug. 2 being only days away. Chelsea plans to be there for the park’s final day. She wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“I would love to be on the last general/public train. If I’m lucky enough to have that honor, I will most certainly cry,” she admits.
After that, none of us know what will happen to the park or the ride. We all have our hopes for what will come of the property and/or rides, but until someone from Fun Spot America or perhaps another company puts out a press release, we will just have to wait with our fingers crossed. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t dream.
“I’m up for anything as long as ArieForce One rides on,” Chelsea said. “My choice is Wild Adventures. It is owned by Herschend. Many Herschend parks have RMC’s. Wild Adventures got rid of Cheetah years ago. They need a new stand-out attraction.”
So Many Memories Made in Such a Short Time
No matter what happens to the park and/or coaster, countless enthusiasts will still have their memories from FSAA to cherish. For many, ArieForce one is one of their all-time favorite coasters and those rides alone will be something that people will never forget.
For someone like Chelsea, however, ArieForce One means so much more. She treasures memories like getting to meet the Arie family and even being invited to see some of the behind the scenes areas of ArieForce One.
“I got to see some of the inner workings of ArieForce One and he [John Arie, Jr.] let me hold a road wheel.”
Even though those memories are ones she’ll never forget, another one is a bit more personal and hopefully, long lasting. Because of riding ArieForce One, Chelsea met someone named James and the two would eventually go on to date. He has over 28,000 rides on ArieForce himself so the two of them certainly have something in common.
“Because of ArieForce One, I met James. I never expected to start dating someone after meeting them on a roller coaster. Yet here we are!,” Chelsea said.
An All-Too-Common Trend in Recent Years
It seems like these last few years the amusement park industry has taken some heavy blows. With other recent park closures such as Six Flags America (SFA), ZDT’s, Wild Waves (Nov. 1, 2026) and the future of parks such as California’s Great America (CGA) Lakemont, and Niagara Amusement Parks unknown, so many great rides have been or could be lost. It’s sad to see FSAA and ArieForce One added to this list.
It feels like only yesterday that we were seeing the announcement for an awesome looking upcoming red white, and blue RMC coaster. It took many of us by surprise, but one thing was for sure. We ALL wanted to ride it. And sadly, as it looks, many may never get the chance. For those who did manage to get in their first/last rides before Aug. 2, you now have some amazing memories to cherish and most likely a coaster in your Top 10, Top 5, or maybe even Top 3. It was that good. And hopefully one day we can once again say, “Is that good.” Keep those fingers crossed!
“Much love to the Arie family, the Fun Spot Atlanta team, and of course, Joe Draves [ArieForce One’s designer],” Chelsea said. “Ya’ll rock!”
After Fun Spot America Atlanta closes, I will be publishing the full interview with Chelsea. It will go much deeper into her background in this hobby as well as expand on some of her memories of visiting the park and riding ArieForce One.