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Busch Gardens, Water Country To Add 3 RidesBy Amber Lester Saturday, September 18, 2010
A sign at Busch Gardens advertises coming attractions announced Saturday.
More than 1,500 of Busch Gardens’ and Water Country’s pass members packed into the Festhaus on Saturday morning to learn the details of the park’s multimillion-dollar, two-year expansion plan. Much of the new development is focused on the Germany section of the Europe-themed park, deemed Oktoberfest. The park will add the 246-foot-high Mach Tower at the present location of the Katapult. The tower ride — Busch Gardens’ first — will rise 6 feet per second, rotating as it rises to give 30 riders a panoramic view of the Peninsula. At the top, riders will enjoy “special surprises,” according to Larry Giles, Vice President of Engineering, before plummeting 60 miles per hour to the bottom. The ride’s tagline is “heart racing, jaw dropping.” The park also plans to construct a multi-launching, electromagnetic roller coaster in the former location of the Big Bad Wolf, a suspended roller coaster that was closed in September 2009. Electromagnetic rides use large amounts of electricity to propel coaster trains along its track. Giles said the ride will contain many “firsts” that will be revealed over the next 18 months leading up to its projected 2012 opening. The facades of the buildings in Germany will get revamped, as well, and a new color scheme featuring the blue and white of the Bavarian flag will be introduced. The park will add a pretzel shop that showcases the craft of making Bavarian pretzels and a beer garden. Vice President of Entertainment Scott Gasparich said multiple entertainers will take to the German streets to dance and sing for guests, and the park will also add a maypole, which Reilly said partially inspired the Mach Tower attraction. Water Country will be adding a 75-foot-tall slide attraction called Vanish Point. Giles characterized the ride as a slide for thrill-seekers, saying, “We dare you to ride!” Vanish Point will feature four slides descending 300 feet from one tower. The riders will be propelled by their own bodies — no mats — and will travel straight down. Riders who reconsider the ride will be out of luck; the ride has a break-away floor and a launching skybox. The park’s seasonal attractions will also be revamped this year. Howl-O-Scream, set to open Sept. 24, will be expanding its “scare zones.” Previously, scare zones were designated on park maps, but after 6 p.m., the entire park will be a scare zone. Reilly said that families with young children can still take advantage of “kidsiderate” attractions available before 6 p.m. In its second year, Christmas Town will be open for more days at longer hours. This year’s theme was inspired by the colors in a candle’s flame, Gasparich said, and will focus on Italian Christmas traditions. Last year, the park featured one million lights; this year, there will be one million lights in the Italian section alone, he said, calling it a “big expansion on the light front.” The decorations will reflect Italianate décor, with gilded cherubs gracing the park. The amphitheater in the Italy section will be partially closed and heated so audiences can comfortably enjoy a new family-themed Christmas show that will feature ballet and contemporary dancers with live singers. Reilly alluded to a possible New Year’s Eve celebration at the park, as well. Fans were excited at the prospect of new developments, the first major changes announced since the park was purchased by Blackstone Group one year ago. Chris Johnson, a Williamsburg native and proprietor of a Busch Gardens fan website, said he’s most excited about the Mach Tower ride. “It gives us something to compete with King’s Dominion, and I think they’ll do it better here,” he said. Reilly would not say how much the expansion will cost, but said it represents a “significant investment.” He said many of the creative plans were already underway when the park was purchased, but the new ownership supported the plans. “They want to see us grow,” he said. The expansion will also create jobs in the Historic Triangle, Reilly said, both for local contractors who will manage construction and for seasonal employees.
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Comments
(And while they're at it, fix the sink situation in bathrooms: kids can't reach to wash up! At a family-friendly park, that is a *huge* oversight that's been ignored for years!)
Glad I'm not the only one to notice the lack of "European" by the log flume... I always wondered why it was "New France" rather than a Scandinavian country! I think "Canada" when I'm there (lovin' the BBQ), but wouldn't "Swiss Miss" be more in keeping with the park's theme?
Italy is wide-spread, but with 3 fantastic rides, lots of kid stuff, a show, shops, and *good* food. I wouldn't want to loose any of the pluses there to incorporate another country in that same area! There are days we hit the park, head right for Italy & never leave!
But nice to hear about new rides.