There has been tremendous conversation about the future of ArieForce One, the World-Class RMC roller coaster at Fun Spot Atlanta, with its impending closure. Enthusiasts are desperate to see this coaster saved rather than demolished with tremendous speculation of where it could possibly relocate. One of the parks that has been continuously mentioned in the enthusiast community by people like Theme Park Brandon and Coaster Studios is Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. Could it happen? RMC has already confirmed ArieForce One is very moveable, so it’s just a matter now of determining if it makes sense for someone to move it and if Wild Adventures would be a good home for it.

For ArieForce One to relocate to a park several things are required. First, the park has to have a place to put it. ArieForce One is not a small roller coaster and has a somewhat unique s-shape. The coaster is essentially 900 feet in one direction and 800 feet in the other as you can see in the graphic below from Coaster Studios. Many parks simply don’t have that amount of open space.

However, Wild Adventures easily does have space in a large field between the overflow parking and the campground. It’s the area behind Boomerang and Tasmanian River Rapids (which hopefully stays put for a long while as it’s one of the best raft rides out there). This field isn’t used too often and one of the few times it appears to get use is for events like camping for the Scouting America Adventure Weekend. However, there may be ways to integrate it even closer to the core of the park. There’s currently the space where the old go-kart track and Ferris Wheel and placing part of it here would make quite a first impression at the entrance to the park. The coaster may also fit over near Twisted Typhoon or a couple other places out near the campground where Cheetah used to run.

The second thing is to be able to rework the terrain to accommodate the existing structure. ArieForce One at Fun Spot is not on completely flat land and varies plus or minus 40 feet. The cheapest thing would be to sculpt the terrain to match what’s at Fun Spot Atlanta, but this may not be an option for parks looking to work the ride into an area with other attractions. Wild Adventures has an area that’s essentially a blank slate, so no problems there. ArieForce One is 100% steel, making it essentially a giant erector set to be disassembled and put back together. In a quote to WCPO News, Darren Torr, president of Rocky Mountain Construction, stated that either a site or the coaster itself could be modified to make a move possible:

“The coaster is definitely moveable. Based on ranking by coaster enthusiasts, it’s a top 10 coaster in the world.  It has angle iron structure, which means it will require new hardware.  It has some topography changes, so a new site will need to be modified or the structure will be need to be reworked to match the site elevation. Ballpark, the cost to move is probably ~$10M less than building new. I have no idea what the future holds for AF1, hopefully, it continues to deliver smiles for guests.”

-Darren Torr, President of Rocky Mountain Construction

Then there’s desire as ArieForce One is a thrill ride that is not in the mold of a “family coaster” that so many parks are opting for recently. Marketing the ride would require focusing on a slightly different demographic than the park’s typical family focus. However, a coaster like ArieForce One would certainly put Wild Adventures on the roller coaster map. The park hasn’t seen a new coaster in over 20 years either since Swamp Thing, a Vekoma invert, in 2003. The park doesn’t really have a signature unique coaster and hasn’t had one since its wood coaster Cheetah closed in 2020 (its station is now a beautiful pavilion with the train inside). Its most thrilling ride is its Vekoma Boomerang (probably the best one anywhere).

There’s the saying, “if you build it they will come”, but that didn’t exactly work out for Fun Spot Atlanta, even with its proximity to Atlanta and its airport. Would the increase in attendance for Wild Adventures justify the cost? Families are where the money is with enthusiasts being a more vocal, but smaller group. One could argue that a family coaster like a “mini Big Bear Mountain” or even a Wild Moose by RMC (love the Wild Moose Wild Adventures potential) may be a better fit in the same space for the park. Wild Adventures really is a family paradise with its combination of animals, water park, nature and theme park, so this would change the vibe. The park has done a great job cultivating this image with great press about having the best lazy river or a cool giraffe and zebra friendship.

The final thing is money. Wild Adventures is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment, so if there’s a desire there’s probably a way. This is the same company that’s putting millions into NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood and Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom. The reported cost of ArieForce One was around $18 million ($13 million for the coaster and $5 million for site prep, install and everything else). If Darren Torr is correct, we’re looking at a park having to put up $8 million (plus whatever Fun Spot would want for the coaster). You’d have to assume that number is several million dollars or Fun Spot may find the tax write-off more economical, but if it’s sold someone else probably pays to disassemble it. Moving the coaster from Atlanta to Valdosta may be a tad cheaper compared to other options too given the close geographical proximity. To get a Top 10 World-Class coaster for ~$10 million is a bargain! However, the real question is if Herschend is looking to put that level of investment into Wild Adventures for 2027 and in the “thrill” direction. Water’s Edge in 2025 was a very nice addition, but ArieForce One would be on a different level. This also assumes the coaster is even for sale as Fun Spot could always try to keep it and fit it into their Orlando park.

So could ArieForce One end up at Wild Adventures? Maybe. As it’s sometime said, it’s an honor to be nominated, and I think it’s great to see Wild Adventures considered a potential good home for this coaster by so many. I would personally love to see it, but a few other options are probably more likely. My most likely would be RMC reworking the coaster to get it to fit at Fun Spot Orlando. This probably makes the most economic sense and keeps the “Arie” in ArieForce One. Wild Adventures certainly has the space to accommodate the ride, but given its target family demographic there are probably other coaster options that would be a better fit for the park. However, sometimes there’s a deal that’s too good to pass up and adding a top 10 in the World roller coaster for ~$10 million isn’t something you have a chance to do everyday. Maybe ArieForce One (probably under a new name) ends up at Wild Adventures, but if it doesn’t hopefully it gets relocated somewhere where riders can continue to enjoy it for years to come.