Author: printingddd

Did you Know Desperado Falls at Great Escape Used to Operate at the Short Lived Busch Gardens in Van Nuys, California?

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The log flume is one of the most iconic rides at Busch Gardens. At Busch Gardens Tampa the recently closed Stanley Falls Flume opened in 1973 as the park’s first “thrill” ride and was built by the famous roller coaster company Arrow Dynamics. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg there’s Le Scoot which opened in 1975. However there was a third Busch Gardens log flume known as Ya-Hoo Barrel Ride (sometimes known as Busch Barrels) which opened at Busch Gardens Van Nuy in 1972. You might be wondering, “There was another Busch Gardens?” Well sort of, but not as extensive as the parks we know today and the log flume closed in 1976 and the entire park closed in 1979. However, this ride would be moved and still operates today as Desperado Plunge at Great Escape.

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Switchback, the Former ZDT Wooden Shuttle Coaster, is Sold Giving Hope for an ArieForce One Relocation

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The first modern wooden shuttle roller coaster Switchback has been sold and will be headed to a new home. ZDT’s Amusement Park in Seguin, Texas closed a year ago and the coaster along with it. The owners have been trying to find a home ever since and have announced a year later that it has finally happened. No details at all about the new location are known yet. Hopefully this is both encouraging and calibrating for fans of the recently closed ArieForce One at Fun Spot Atlanta. It’s encouraging to show there is a market for coaster relocation, but also calibrating in that it took a year to happen.

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Busch Gardens Launches Great 2027 Fun Card Deal of 16+ Months Including Adventure Island for Only $114.99

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2027 Fun Card Promotion (Courtesy of Busch Gardens)

Busch Gardens Tampa has begun selling 2027 Fun Cards that include the rest of 2026 as well for only $114.99. As an added bonus you also get an Adventure Island Fun Card included! Fun Cards have their limitations compared to season passes in that there are some blackout dates and there’s no in park discount or free parking. However, you do get the most important thing, admission to the parks at Busch Gardens until December 31, 2027 and until October 24, 2027 at Adventure Island. Blackout dates are really light for 2027 too, just 8 days for BGT and 7 for Adventure Island. This year Busch Gardens plans to offer “Fun Card Rewards” that include “special offers and discounts to limited-time experiences and free guest tickets to bring a friend”. If you visit more than a handful of times a season pass may make more sense with the free parking and food discount. However, a season pass is nearly double the cost of a fun card, only good for 12 months and doesn’t include the water park. Just consider your situation before picking one or the other and often in you’re planning a weekend trip 1-2 times a year a Fun Card can be way more economical than standard tickets. Busch Gardens says this is their best offer of the year, so if you’re planning a trip in the next 16 months it could make sense to get a Fun Card.

Six Flags Darien Lake has an Awesome Old School Nighttime Show with its Laser Light Spectacular

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Six Flags Darien Lake has a great nighttime show called Laser Light Spectacular. The show takes place on select nights from May 16 to September 6 and starts at 9:15pm on nights the park closes at 9pm. The show takes place in a grass amphitheater near the Boomerang coaster and is nearly 30 minutes long. It uses vibrant lasers, fireworks, fire, water, fog and music transform the night sky into an electrifying experience. This isn’t a formal review, but I walked away impressed as I can’t think of another Six Flags park with a nightly show like this.

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The 2026 Six Flags Souvenir Drink Bottle Refill Program and Paper Cup Plans

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Six Flags drink plan

Six Flags offers a great way for frequent visitors to save money with their souvenir bottles with free refills all season long. In the hot summer it’s important to stay hydrated and this is a way to do it without worrying about the costs of individual beverages adding up. These bottle are only $39 and can be refilled every 15 minutes at locations across the chain. With many approaching year-round it doesn’t take long to get your money back out of a souvenir cup. In addition to the sports bottles, Six Flags also offers a “paper cup” plan at a similar price where you just show your season pass and get a paper cup of soda instead. There is also an upgraded option where you can add ICEE, hot cocoa and coffee as beverage options.

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August 18th is the First National ICEE Day, a Theme Park Favorite!

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National ICEE Day Logo (Courtesy of ICEE)

August 18th is the first ever National ICEE Day (NID) and participating retailers at over 1,800 locations will give out free small ICEE drinks. Although a “slush” beverage has been around a long time, an ICEE is different as it is actually carbonated like soda, giving its unique flavor and texture. The ICEE was invented by Kansas Dairy Queen owner Omar Knedlick, who placed some carbonated soda in his freezer during an equipment issue. The resulting beverage was a hit with customers and the rest is history. The ICEE is a theme park staple with many parks offering refillable bottles or including unlimited ICEE’s in its beverage plan. Some places even have some crazy flavors like banana, but I personally really like the Orange Cream you can get at Six Flags Darien Lake.

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Did the “B&M Rattle” Cause Bolliger & Mabillard to End Their Relationship With US Based Track Supplier Clermont Steel?

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Signature B&M Track Design on Kumba

Coaster enthusiasts have claimed for the last several years that new B&M (Bolliger & Mabillard) coasters aren’t as smooth as they used to be with a rattle or shake. Complaints have centered on rides like Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando and Iron Menace at Dorney Park. It seems like sport now every time a new B&M opens, like Tormenta, to wait for reports of if it has the B&M rattle. There has been much speculation as to the cause ranging from issues with the ride bearings or something with the train to inconsistencies with the track gauge causing the train to go “hunting” for center. This rattle is not like riding an old school wooden coaster or anything, but merely a departure from the glass smooth rides B&M has gotten a reputation for over the years. So did something in the design change? Is it a quality control issue? There are rumors of B&M ending a long relationship with track supplier, Clermont Steel, could this all be related?

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Win a Trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain with Zaxby’s

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There’s a fun restaurant theme park promotion going on with Zaxby’s and Six Flags. It’s the “Sauce Boss August Summer Challenge” which you’ll be entered into if you buy two GO BIG meals on two different days (tracked with the app) before August 31, 2026. Four grand prize winners will receive a Trip for 2 to Six Flags Magic Mountain including tickets, airfare, lodging, a $150 transportation gift card and $500 for expenses. Six Flags Magic Mountain is located in Valencia, California (greater Los Angeles) and is known as the “Thrill Capital of the World” with 19 roller coasters. Of course the odds of winning Six Flags tickets are long, but even if you don’t you’ll still end up with some great Zaxby’s chicken. It’s also great to see a Magic Mountain trip being given the visibility as part of a national promotion.

Florida Teachers Can Get a Free Season Pass to LEGOLAND Florida!

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Florida Resident Teachers (Grades PreK-12) can get a free annual pass to LEGOLAND Florida that also includes Madame Tussauds Orlando, SEA LIFE Orlando, and The Orlando Eye! There are about 60 blackout dates (like spring break, Saturdays in the summer, weekends in October, Thanksgiving week and Christmas week), but free is free. Admission to the LEGOLAND Florida Water Park is not included in the standard Teacher Pass but you can purchase the Teacher Pass + Water Park for $59.99 which will remove those blackout dates too! You could use it for a scouting trip for your school as LEGOLAND Florida also offers tickets for field trips as low as $19.99/student.

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Could a Lawsuit Dismissal Lead to More B&M Surf Coasters like Pipeline at SeaWorld Orlando?

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SeaWorld Orlando built Pipeline, the world’s first “surf coaster” by B&M (Bolloger & Mabillard) in 2023. It was a prototype that was meant to be an improvement on the old stand-up coasters. It could also potentially provide B&M another genre of coasters to sell along with it’s wing, hyper, Giga, dive and other models. Pipeline got rather solid reviews from the public, but another surf coaster has yet to be built. However, it turns out there was a good reason why, but that may now be about to change. In 2024 Vekoma filed suit against B&M claiming the “surf coaster” design violated their patent US7987793B2. However, several months ago according to PatSnap a judge dismissed this case with prejudice (meaning Vekoma cannot sue again) and thus B&M is now clear to sell its design to other parks without fear of subsequent patent infringement lawsuits. This could potentially open the door for more surf coasters in 2027 and beyond.

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