Latest news with #BuschGardens
Thrill Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Thrill Geek
The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge Opens at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is unleashing its newest and most immersive family attraction – The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge – opening today to all guests. North America's longest family inverted coaster delivers a highly immersive and thematic experience, where families are swept into a world of unparalleled excitement. Set in a bustling Bavarian village, the celebration quickly turns into chaos as glowing red eyes and bone-chilling howls signal the return of a terrifying creature. Riders dash through more than 2,500 feet of track at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. With its thrilling yet accessible design, this ride is perfect for kids, with a minimum height of 42 inches when accompanied by a supervising companion and 48 inches without, ensuring everyone can enjoy this coaster together. Members had the exclusive opportunity to be the first to ride over this past week, and the reviews were enthusiastic, with many eager to ride again and share the experience. Now, the park is excited to open the ride to all guests so everyone can see what the buzz is about. The Virginia park celebrated with a Grand Opening Ceremony, complete with a ribbon cutting, ceremonial first ride, and a DJ dance party. Wolf Scouts from the Colonial Virginia Council of Scouting America joined local dignitaries and Busch Gardens leadership for the inaugural ride. 'Last weekend, we gave our Members the opportunity to preview The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge during our 50th anniversary celebration, and they loved it,' said Kevin Lembke, President of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. 'The return of the iconic wolf, paired with the nostalgia of our park's history, struck a real chord with guests, and the early reactions have been enthusiastic across the board. It's the perfect opportunity for thrill seekers of all ages to create new memories together.' LIMITED-TIME MEMORIAL DAY SALE! For a limited time, save up to 35% on Fun Cards and Memberships: Fun Card : Unlimited visits to rides, shows, and seasonal events throughout 2025. : Unlimited visits to rides, shows, and seasonal events throughout 2025. Membership: Unlimited visits for 12 months, plus FREE parking, up to 8 FREE guest tickets, VIP events, and exclusive discounts on merchandise, Quick Queu,e and more! For more information on The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge and Membership, visit Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter/X, Instagram @iamcg83
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NOW OPEN: The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge Unleashes at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
North America's longest family inverted coaster features more than 2,500 feet of track at speeds up to 40 miles per hour making it the ultimate family-friendly attraction DOWNLOAD MEDIA ASSETS HERE WILLIAMSBURG, Va., May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Busch Gardens Williamsburg is unleashing its newest and most immersive family attraction – The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge – opening today to all guests. North America's longest family inverted coaster delivers a highly immersive and thematic experience, where families are swept into a world of unparalleled excitement. Set in a bustling Bavarian village, the celebration quickly turns into chaos as glowing red eyes and bone-chilling howls signal the return of a terrifying creature. Riders dash through more than 2,500 feet of track at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. With its thrilling yet accessible design, this ride is perfect for kids, with a minimum height of 42 inches tall when accompanied by a supervising companion and 48 inches without, ensuring everyone can enjoy this coaster together. Members had the exclusive opportunity to be the first to ride over this past week, and the reviews were enthusiastic, with many eager to ride again and share the experience. Now, the park is excited to open the ride to all guests so everyone can see what the buzz is about. The Virginia park celebrated with a Grand Opening Ceremony, complete with a ribbon cutting, ceremonial first ride and a DJ dance party. Wolf Scouts from the Colonial Virginia Council of Scouting America joined local dignitaries and Busch Gardens leadership for the inaugural ride. "Last weekend, we gave our Members the opportunity to preview The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge during our 50th anniversary celebration, and they loved it," said Kevin Lembke, President of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. "The return of the iconic wolf, paired with the nostalgia of our park's history, struck a real chord with guests, and the early reactions have been enthusiastic across the board. It's the perfect opportunity for thrill seekers of all ages to create new memories together." LIMITED-TIME MEMORIAL DAY SALE!For a limited time, save up to 35% on Fun Cards and Memberships: Fun Card: Unlimited visits to rides, shows and seasonal events throughout 2025. Membership: Unlimited visits for 12 months, plus FREE parking, up to 8 FREE guest tickets, VIP events, and exclusive discounts on merchandise, Quick Queue and more! For more information on The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge and Membership, visit and follow Busch Gardens on social media @BuschGardensVA. About Busch Gardens WilliamsburgBusch Gardens® Williamsburg is an action-packed European-themed adventure park, boasting more than 100 acres of family fun. Home to top-rated roller coasters, more than 50 rides and attractions, award-winning entertainment, and signature events throughout the year. For more information, visit Busch Gardens is part of the United Parks & Resorts Inc. (NYSE:PRKS) portfolio of theme park brands. For more information, visit us at Media Contact: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Axios
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Richmond's 50-year theme park battle
Fifty years ago this month, the region's two major theme parks opened 70 miles and 13 days apart, the Times-Dispatch's Eric Kolenich reports. Why it matters: A half a century later, Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens continue to battle for Virginia thrill-seekers' attention — and money. State of play: The parks that opened in May 1975 were very different than the ones we know today, Kolenich reports. Kings Dominion, which was built atop a Hanover County cornfield, hoped to entice families with its three roller coasters and drive-thru zoo. Busch Gardens, meanwhile, rose adjacent to then-owner Anheuser-Busch's brewery,aiming to offer a European-inspired experience beyond thrill-seeking. Its opening featured replica European villages, a single rollercoaster and the adjacent brewery. KD's strategy worked. It drew 52,000 visitors on opening day and turned away nearly as many. Meanwhile, a paltry 6,000 people showed up for BG's opening. KD would be the industry leader ... for about three years. What happened: Busch Gardens took its cue from KD and shifted its focus to families and rides, starting with the addition of its mega-coaster, the Loch Ness Monster, the world's first (and still only remaining) interlocking loop steel coaster. KD hit back the next year with the Lost World — a 15-story synthetic mountain with three rides. For the next four decades, the two parks would keep adding attractions, refining their offerings and expanding their schedules — all in an effort to entice more Virginians through the gates. What they're saying: "It's always been a prize fight," Dennis Speigel, KD ' s first general manager, told the RTD. "They're going after the same guy going down 95 and up 64." The latest: Today, as the battle still rages, Busch Gardens boasts over 50 rides and attractions, including 10 roller coasters, according to Roller Coaster DataBase — and a water park. Never to be outdone, Kings Dominion now has around 60 rides and 13 coasters — and a water park. For most locals, though, which theme park they prefer comes down to personal preference, price and, often, nostalgia. What's next: In celebration of its 50th anniversary, KD opened this season with Rapterra, its newest coaster, and the world's tallest and longest launched wing roller coaster. Busch Gardens, meanwhile, this weekend will unveil The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge, an all-new version of its hit 1984 inverted roller coaster that sends riders spiraling through a Bavarian village as wolves howl. And starting Saturday, both parks, including their water parks, will be open daily through summer.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Busch Gardens Williamsburg brings back the Big Bad Wolf with a new coaster
The sounds of guttural growls and bone-chilling howls will once again echo throughout the pitch-black forest outside a Bavarian village when a new roller coaster with a familiar name and glowing red eyes returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Busch Gardens has announced Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge will debut in May without setting a specific date, but the new coaster is expected to open in time for the park's 50th anniversary on May 16. Big Bad Wolf will pay tribute to the Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster of the same name that operated at the Virginia theme park from 1984 to 2009. The new Bolliger & Mabillard family inverted coaster will reach a top speed of 40 mph over 2,583 feet of track while bolting through an abandoned Bavarian village. Busch Gardens' 11th coaster will take over the station house of the former Drachen Fire coaster in the Oktoberfest area of the park. The 2012 Verbolten coaster reused the original Big Bad Wolf station house and some of the track layout. The backstory of the new Big Bad Wolf takes riders into a bustling Bavarian village during the eerily quiet Festival of the Silent Bells, the annual event that honors the haunting history of a terrifying wolf attack 41 years ago when the original coaster opened. As fate would have it, the past repeats itself when the wolf returns. The coaster riders are transformed into werewolves as the steel beast sweeps through the town amid screams and chaos. The townsfolk run for cover as the glowing red eyes and bone-chilling howls signal the return of the terrifying creature. Busch Gardens initially planned to pay tribute to the Big Bad Wolf without reusing the ride's original name. The park asked fans to pick from three names for the new ride: WolfsReign, GeisterWolf or WolfSturm. More than 30,000 voters responded with an overwhelming choice: none of the above. Fans told the park "loud and clear" that only one name would work: Big Bad Wolf. The park relented and chose a twist on the original - Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge. The Wolf's Revenge is not meant to be a copy of the original ride, but rather a reminiscent tribute and a new chapter in the story. The original Big Bad Wolf was a little longer (2,800 feet), a little faster (48 mph) and had swinging seats. The Wolf's Revenge will be similar to Phoenix Rising at Busch Garden Tampa - a much shorter and slightly faster B&M family inverted coaster that opened last summer. The original 1984 Big Bad Wolf was created by Arrow Development, a legendary ridemaker that helped build Disneyland and shaped the modern theme park landscape of roller coasters, dark rides and water rides. Arrow ushered in a period of gimmicky coaster configurations that came to define the ride wars of the 1980s and '90s with the world's first suspended coaster in 1981 at Ohio's Kings Island. The prototype Bat flipped the traditional coaster concept on its head - with the trains swinging from side to side while hanging below the track. The Bat prototype never really worked very well and was retired after only a few years, but a reworked version of Arrow's suspended coaster eventually evolved into the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The success of the original Big Bad Wolf led to the installation of Arrow suspended coasters around the world, including the 1988 Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain. _________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Axios
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Busch Gardens unveils $40M transformation
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will undergo an almost $40-million makeover with new rides, new restaurants and new animals coming to the park. Zoom in: Wild Oasis will open next month at Jungala, featuring animal encounters, splash zones, rides like Tree Top Drop, climbing structures and self-guided scavenger hunts. Busch Gardens adds capybaras, giant anteaters, squirrel monkeys and meerkats to its accredited zoo this Spring. Plus, habitat upgrades for its elephants, chimpanzees, giraffes and more. There are also new restaurants like Treetop Kitchen, which offers a blend of Latin American and African cuisines.
