I recently had a chance to attend an IAAPA webinar entitled, “Off with Their Heads! Build Unforgettable Experiences with XXL 3D Printing” that was tied directly to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The webinar was put on by Massivit, a company involved in large scale additive manufacturing (3D Printing). In the webinar Massivit highlighted the “Giant Chess Queen” character at the Shadows of Wonderland haunted house at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s annual Howl-O-Scream event. This house is based on the story of “Alice in Wonderland” and made its debut in 2024 and returned for 2025. Out front of this Howl-O-Scream house was a 9 foot 3D printed sculpture of the queen of hearts created by Hatch X and Massivit. You can watch the video below with the Busch Gardens content starting at ~10:30 mark.
Continue readingThe Speakeasy at Busch Gardens Williamsburg isn’t so Secret Anymore, but Maybe that’s Not a Bad Thing?
For years Busch Gardens Williamsburg had a secret spot hidden in the Germany section near the fountain and through a secret passage protected by a password (and a ticket). Here guests could be transported to a speakeasy reminiscent of the times of prohibition. This place is called Bürgermeister’s Hideaway and is quite fitting considering the brewery heritage of the Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It started in 2022 as a ticketed show experience with live actors that included specialty beverages for around $50. As of 2025 the park is now outwardly advertising its existence online for all to enjoy with no “show”, as more of a standard bar with no upcharge, but still has some lively characters. This has some long time patrons upset that the secret is out, but many more are discovering it for the first time. It turns out Bürgermeister’s Hideaway was never so much “secret”, but more “exclusive” given the cost and need for a ticket.
Continue readingDude Perfect Theme Park to Open this Summer as Part of New Dig World Location in Grapevine, Texas
The famous YouTube trick shot artists Dude Perfect are opening their first theme park. To be more specifici they are opening a construction-themed trick shot zone as part of the new Dig World theme park in Grapevine,TX opening this summer. In the Dude Perfect Zone guests will attempt three outrageous construction/sports trick shots from Dude Perfect. Dig World opened its first facility in Katy, TX in 2022 with a goal of a national roll out with the Grapevine location as its second location in this plan. The chain is partnered with Caterpillar to let kids and adults safely operate real, full-sized Cat machinery. Attractions Magazine recently reported that bookings are now open for Dig World in Grapevine for July 2026, so opening day is not far away!
Continue readingDo You Have Some Favorite Coaster Merch? Carowinds Does a Great Job with Fury 325!
Do you have a favorite coaster t-shirt? Perhaps a refrigerator magnet? Carowinds takes merchandise one step further than most with their famous Fury 325 roller coaster. You’ll of course find standard fare like t-shirts, but you’ll also find Dippin’ Dots and Squishmallows. The Dippin’ Dots is a custom flavor called Fury Freeze in the same colors as the iconic ride. The flavor combines vanilla, blue raspberry and lime, and is exclusively available at the Carowinds. They also have several official Squishmallow stuffed animals with one even officially named Fury!
Continue readingNightFlight Expedition at Dollywood Appears Slightly Delayed
There has been no official announcement, but it appears Dollywood is signaling that their much anticipated new attraction NightFlight Expedition is slightly delayed. Previous advertisements from the park had said “Spring 2026” which is now just “2026”. This makes sense as spring is essentially over no matter if you draw the line at Memorial Day or June 21st. The park recently released a video showing NightFlight’s construction progress and mentioned the last piece of track had just been placed. Given that, it would be reasonable to expect at least an additional 30-90 days for testing, inspection and permitting.
Continue readingReview of the Spectacular New Splashville Water Park in Bartow County
We had a chance to go to a soft opening of Bartow County’s new Splashville water park prior to the grand opening on May 23, 2026. This new facility is at Hamilton Crossing just north of Cartersville, Georgia. Quite simply, Splashville is spectacular and will be a showpiece facility for Bartow County for years to come. The slides, lazy river and pools are all fun with perfect depths for both kids and adults. There are places for playing, swimming and just relaxing. For the thrill seekers the enclosed slide is fast and the size and speed of the lazy river is as good as many theme parks. Splashville is a great facility at a great price that the whole family can enjoy.
Continue readingFree Beer Returns to Busch Gardens Tampa on May 22, 2026
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is celebrating all things summer with the return of it’s popular FREE BEER promotion! Starting May 22, only for a limited time, Free Beer is back for guests 21+. Guests ages 21+ can enjoy one complimentary 7 oz. ice-cold draft beer per day. Busch Gardens Pass Members ages 21+ can enjoy two complimentary 7 oz. beers per day. The Free Beer is only available at the Overlook Taproom on the 2nd floor of the Serengeti Overlook Restaurant, near Giraffe Bar. Free Beer will be available beginning at 11:00 a.m. each day until 90 minutes before the park closes. Typically the beer choices are standard domestic beers, but you sometimes see a craft beer or cider available.
Continue readingSix Flags Fiesta Texas Announcing New Attraction May 30th. Is a Werewolf Coming?
Six Flags Fiesta Texas has been doing an excellent job teasing its 2027 attraction through social media with a slow drip for months now. The park started by posting a phone number on a billboard for the “Crackaxel Canyon Community Cooperative” that had the cryptic message about an “out-of-this-world development zooming to you in 2027”. Crackaxle Canyon is the western-themed area at Six Flags Fiesta Texas home to Iron Rattler and the Steampunk Area Former Park president Jeffrey Siebert then posted pictures of cryptids including a giant worm and a werewolf in March in a tweet about the “worm ” moon (which is the traditional name for the full moon in March). Six Flags Fiesta Texas has announced an event called “FT92: Under the Blue Moon”at the Zaragoza Theatre on May 30, 2026, the day before the “blue” moon on May 31, 2026. Then recently a shipping crate has appeared in the area of the new ride with two red werewolf eyes peering out. Finally, we have an April trademark filing by Six Flags for the term “Werewolf Gorge”. All this seems to add up to say that a werewolf is coming to Six Flags Fiesta Texas!
Continue readingReview of Panda Express at Carowinds: An Excellent Quick Service Option with Large Portions and Great Flavors
It’s not uncommon these days to see familiar chain restaurants inside theme parks such Starbucks. However, at Carowinds Theme Park you’ll actually find a Panda Express and it’s one of the best and most popular quick service restaurants in the park. Panda Express Panda Express is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in American style Chinese cuisine. It has over 2,400 locations and is probably best known for its orange chicken dish. At Carowinds you’ll sometimes find that one of the longest lines in the park is for Panda Express because it offers large portions of good food at a reasonable price.
Continue readingReview of EXPEDITION: BIGFOOT! The Sasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge, Georgia
EXPEDITION: BIGFOOT! The Sasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge, Georgia is the World’s largest Bigfoot museum. The attraction is 3,700 square feet of self-guided exploration of Sasquatch footprint casts, historical artifacts, life-size replicas and interactive displays. Visitors will also discover the lore, culture and ongoing research surrounding Bigfoot. The museum strikes a good balance of attempting to present science while simultaneously not taking itself too seriously. This museum isn’t especially large, but priced at only $9 for adults and $6 for kids you’ll easily get 45 minutes of entertainment and possibly more if you want to do a deep dive into all the information here.
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