The Tasmanian Tiger Roller Coaster at ZooTampa Has Gone Extinct

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Tasmanian Tiger at ZooTampa (Courtesy of ZooTampa)

After 28 years the Tasmanian Tiger roller coaster at ZooTampa has closed and dismantled. The ride itself was simple, but it had some pretty iconic tiger trains. It was also relocated from Wild Adventures where it previously operated as Tiger Terror (great name), but we’ll discuss that more later. The coaster opened at ZooTampa in December of 2008 and has given more than 4.5 million rides to zoo guests during its life. The ride area has a sign by it mentioning this fact and its retirement in general:

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If you Visit Fun Spot Atlanta, Be Sure to Make the Short Drive to Truett’s Luau, the Hawaiian Themed Chick-fil-A

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If you make the pilgrimage to Fayetteville, Georgia and Fun Spot America Atlanta to ride the amazing ArieForce One, there’s also another unique restaurant experience less than 15 minutes down the road. Truett’s Luau, often referred to as the “Hawaiian Chick-fil-A”, that is also located in Fayetteville, Georgia. This is not your standard Chick-fil-A with different as in addition to the standard Chick-fil-A staples, the restaurant features unique, tropical, and Polynesian-inspired items like fish tacos, Kalua pork, mahi-mahi, and bubble tea. The restaurant was opened in December 2013 when att 92 years old, Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy created this special project to share his love of Hawaiian vacations. He even handpicked the decor to bring the island spirit to his home state.

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The Best Six Flags Dark Ride is Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia

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Monster Mansion is also an opening day attraction at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967. It was formerly known as Tales Of The Okefenokee (1967–1980) and Monster Plantation (1981–2008) and now it’s Monster Mansion. There’s a ton of history here and even connections to Disney. This was the first “dark ride” at Six Flags Over Georgia and most reviews claim it is the best in the whole Six Flags chain or any regional theme park. It is also a source of original characters for meet and greets and some cool merchandise for the park. So let’s dive into what makes Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia so special and it’s evolution that continues today.

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Large Section of Alapaha Trail at Wild Adventures Reopens

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Wild Adventures is several types of family entertainment combined into one that is equal parts theme park, water park, concert venue, zoo and nature center. The Alapaha Trail is a large section of elevated boardwalk through authentic Georgia swampland. For the 2026 season the trail has more than doubled in size with a large section closed for over a decade reopened. The entire trail has been refreshed with more than 6,000 board feet of new wood. The Alapaha Trail is a peaceful, shaded boardwalk that provides a nice break from the neighboring rides with the opportunity to see several of the park’s animals along the way.

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The Use of 3D Printing at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to Bring Howl-O-Scream to Life by Massivit and Hatch X

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Queen Sculpture (Courtesy of Hatch X and Massivit)

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.

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The Speakeasy at Busch Gardens Williamsburg isn’t so Secret Anymore, but Maybe that’s Not a Bad Thing?

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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.

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Dude Perfect Theme Park to Open this Summer as Part of New Dig World Location in Grapevine, Texas

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Dude Perfect Exca-Putter Golf challenge at Dig World Grapevine (Courtesy of Dig World)

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!

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Do You Have Some Favorite Coaster Merch? Carowinds Does a Great Job with Fury 325!

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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!

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NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood Appears Slightly Delayed

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NightFlight Expedition (Courtesy of Dollywood)

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.

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Review of the Spectacular New Splashville Water Park in Bartow County

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Splashville Entrance Sign

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.

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