A Backyard Roller Coaster? You Can Make It Happen… Maybe

If you've ever considered installing a roller coaster in your backyard for the kids, now might be the time to do it. I know of a kiddie roller coaster that's for sale right now. It'll cost you eight grand and some sweat equity, but you can make it happen—maybe.

The coaster is being offered for sale on the Gov Deals website, where state governments can sell surplus items. Think old office furniture, used police cruisers, and other such items. However, WAFF.com reports that the City of Tuscumbia, Alabama, has a kiddie coaster you can bid on at Gov Deals.

It's a kiddie roller coaster called the Python Pit, made by Miller Industries. The coaster is 12' tall at its highest point. The lift is chain-driven and requires three-phase power and a small air compressor to operate. It was last operated in 2021 and operated as it should. Additionally, the cars were completely taken down and inspected with new bearings each year during operation.

The high bid for the coaster was $8,000 at 6:00 PM CDT on October 21. The auction continues until October 31, 2024. So you'd have to pay at least that much, if not more, to be the winning bidder. Then you're responsible for taking the coaster down and moving it from Tuscumbia.

The coaster is the same model as featured in this YouTube video from Park Rovers:

I was curious about the stumbling blocks one might run into when moving the coaster into a backyard in Missouri. I asked chatGPT about it, and it gave me enough information that I might pause before making a bid to put this coaster in my backyard.

Several legal, safety, and practical hurdles exist before installing and operating a coster in your backyard. First, determine if zoning laws don't prohibit you from doing it, followed by getting a building permit. Then, the coaster needs to meet safety standards, and it would need to meet Missouri Division of Fire Safety regulations, which oversees amusement rides in Missouri.

Then you're looking at how you'd need to tweak your homeowner's policy to cover the ride and any accidents. Not to mention how having the ride in your backyard will go over with your neighbors. Finally, there's the ongoing cost of maintaining the ride and keeping it in good working order.

Yeah, there's more to it than winning the coaster in an auction, U-Hauling that thing back to Missouri, and putting it up in your backyard. Perhaps buying that backyard pool for the family seems better than it did a few minutes ago, right?