12. Yukon Striker

Image: Canada's Wonderland

Location: Canada's Wonderland
Video: Yukon Striker POV

While there was a time when B&M's Dive Machines could only be found on U.S. soil at Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg (SheiKra and Griffon, respectively), these vertical-drop coasters were picked up by Cedar Fair and are now spreading. In standard Cedar Fair fashion, Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland is (what else?) the tallest, fastest dive coaster on Earth! If you ask coaster enthusiasts, the "embiggening" of coasters doesn't always mean they're better, and that's probably true here... Most insiders agree that the simplicity of SheiKra and Griffon are like poetry, while Valravn and Yukon Striker do too much and lack the finesse (and iconic water landings) of their older sisters. Still, the record-breaking ride is yet another winner for Canada's Wonderland, which has seen massive expansion on the coaster front in recent years.

13. Sesame Street

Image: SeaWorld / Sesame Workshop

Location: SeaWorld Orlando

Hogsmeade. Pandora. Radiator Springs. Batuu. This era of theme park design is centered on one massive idea: bringing to life the physical places guests have only seen on TV and in the movies; allowing them to eat where their favorite character eat; shop where they shop. It's brilliant, then, that SeaWorld capitalized on its long-held rights to Sesame Street (see Sesame Street Forest of Fun, Safari of Fun, and Bay of Play at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Tampa, and SeaWorld respectively) to bring the Sesame Street to life. The mini-land replaces Shamu's Happy Harbor, satisfying family's desires with family flat rides, shopping at Mr. Hooper's Store, and plenty of Instagrammable spots around the neighborhood.

14. Steel Curtain

Image: Kennywood

Location: Kennywood
Video: Steel Curtain POV

One of the world's most renowned traditional amusement parks (and containing the planet's oldest operating dark ride – from 1899), Kennywood has always been a classic place marked by classic rides. Though modern steel coasters like Phantom's Revenge are deservedly iconic, few expected 2019's big addition: Steel Curtain. The massive, 220-foot-tall, 9-inversion mega-coaster that now reigns over the park is the anchor of a new "land" themed to (and, we suspect, co-financed by) the Pittsburgh Steelers with the gargantuan steel ride dominating the classic wooden coasters the park otherwise offers. Steel Curtain features an inversion halfway down the first hill, plus other whacky and unique ways to flip riders.

15. Forbidden Frontier

Location: Cedar Point

Perhaps the most unorthodox opening on this list is Cedar Point's Forbidden Frontier. Once upon a time, the forested island encircled by Millennium Force was home merely to "Jungle Cruise" style animatronic scenes for the park's Paddlewheel Excursions ride. In 2012, a bridge opened the island to guests who paided for the upcharge Dinosaurs Alive – a walkthrough animatronic park. Now extinct, the dinosaurs' home has become Forbidden Frontier.

Is it a walkthrough? A playground? A puzzle? Immersive theater? Well... yes. Seemingly tuned into the "escape room" era, Forbidden Frontier shares a lot with Knotts' "Ghost Town Alive," populating the island with puzzles, activities, and live actors such that you could spend hours (maybe days!) uncovering mysteries, unlocking secrets, and digging in. 

16. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Image: Disney / Lucasfilm

Location: Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios

Though Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge may be open for guests in Disneyland with Walt Disney World's version coming online in August, neither will feature the land's real star until this winter. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is said to be the most epicly-scaled ride Disney has ever designed. Insiders say that the full experience will be 30 minutes or more, with guests being captured by the nefarious First Order, transferred to prison cells, then whisked through a First Order base on a harrowing escape leading back to Earth... er, the planet of Batuu. Yes, Rise of the Resistance will take place on more than one ride vehicle, with guests transferring to trackless, LPS-guided transports halfway through.

If even half of what we've heard about Rise of the Resistance is true (we're hearing 300 robotic figures, including 100 Storm Troopers alone; 100-foot-wide windows into space; full-sized AT-ATs; the most lifelike Audio-Animatronics on Earth of new-trilogy supreme-baddie Kylo Ren), it's no wonder the ride failed to make Disneyland's land opening in May. In fact, it won't open in California until January 17, 2020... But it still makes our 2019 list because the ride is scheduled to open in Florida on December 5th. When it does, it has the potential to completely rewrite what a Disney Parks attraction can do...