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Amusement and theme parks are constantly competing to offer the fastest and the coolest rides and attractions. But this year brings some especially jaw-dropping new park experiences for kids and their families — many inspired by movies and popular television shows, including Star Wars and Sesame Street. Parks are also adding some wild coasters and thrill rides, such as the Copperhead Strike, a double launch coaster that puts passengers through several inversions as they fly along a 3,255-foot steel track at Carowinds park in Charlotte, N.C.
Here are some other spots offering new options for family fun:
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![a rendition of Star Wars: Galaxy Edge theme park a rendition of Star Wars: Galaxy Edge theme park](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/travel/vacation-ideas/family/info-2019/new-amusement-park-attractions/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_travel_main_body/container_travel_body/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par2/articlecontentfragme/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/travel/Domestic/2019/04/1140-star-wars-galaxys-edge-rendition.jpg)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.; and Disney's Hollywood Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The biggest theme park news in the cosmos is the massive Star Wars park opening on May 31 in California, with an identical land debuting in Florida on Aug. 29. Disney expects the attractions to be so popular that they are requiring guests to make timed reservations (you can make them for the Florida park already). The lands, which cost an estimated $1 billion apiece, promise a fully immersive experience on rides like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, where guests can take control of the legendary spaceship. Visitors can also build their own souvenir droid, and visit a cantina serving such interstellar treats as the blue-and-green milk that kept Luke Skywalker fueled through several movie adventures.
![a rendition of Wildwood Grove at Dollywood a rendition of Wildwood Grove at Dollywood](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/travel/vacation-ideas/family/info-2019/new-amusement-park-attractions/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_travel_main_body/container_travel_body/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par5/articlecontentfragme/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/travel/Domestic/2019/04/1140-wildwood-grove-at-dollywood.jpg)
Wildwood Grove at Dollywood
Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountains park welcomed a major expansion this spring with the opening of Wildwood Grove. Longtime fans, who love how Dollywood reflects Parton's personality, will be thrilled by the 55-foot-tall Wildwood Tree, which shines nightly with thousands of illuminated leaves and butterflies, the singer's signature symbol. The area also features six new rides — including a suspended family coaster named the Dragonflier and a spinning ride called the Mad Mockingbird — and Hidden Hollow, a 4,000-square-foot indoor play space perfect for entertaining little ones on rainy or muggy days, plus a new themed restaurant.