Is Sand Serpent at Busch Gardens Closing Soon?

“Sand Serpent” by tvol is licensed under CC BY 2.0

There have been rumors of Sand Serpent closing on social media and YouTube after a demolition permit was filed for a structure at Busch Gardens. Sure, it could be for the play area in Jungala (which has now disappeared from maps), but with the demo of the looping starship Phoenix, all the chatter has been that this is the area for the next new attraction with survey markers all around Pantopia.

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The Importance of Ride Operations (AKA Channeling my inner ElToroRyan)

Ride operations can be a big part of whether you have an enjoyable or a frustrating day at a theme park, especially on a busy day. If you visit them parks a lot you may start to pay more attention to the workers and the differences between different theme park chains. An operator’s number one priority is safety, but they must also move quickly.

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Was a Small Fire the Reason Wild Surge Closed at Busch Gardens?

So ran into a ride operator from Busch Gardens at another park and I asked him about what happened with Wild Surge. He said the ride had a fire (which I normally would have been skeptical of since there’s been no news of that), but then he showed me a picture on his phone! He said it happened around December and it appeared pretty heavily damaged, thus the reason why a temporary refurbishment turned into a closure.

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The Child Swap Policy at Busch Gardens for Single Riders is One of the Best Using Their Quick Queue Program

So in my family have me ( a roller coaster fanatic), a 44 inch 6 year old (who loves rides, but can’t yet go on everything) and my wife (who likes more tame roller coasters, but not the big stuff like I do). The dilemma we have on many visits is how I can get a ride on something like Shiekra without having to abandon my family for an hour. Thankfully Busch Gardens Tampa has a not too well publicized workaround for this situation when only one parent wants to ride.

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Explaining Cheetah Hunt LSM (Launch) Technology with 3D Printing by Amusement Labs

I’m a huge roller coaster fan and even have a sister blog dedicated to 3D printing (this entry appears on both sites). One of the more recent advances in roller coaster technology has been the use of magnetic launches as opposed to the old school lift hill (think click, click, click up the hill). To be fair launch does go back 50+ years with examples like the Tidal Wave coaster I used to ride at Six Flags Great America as a kid. This defunct ride actually used a falling weight and pulley system to launch the train with a deafening “clank” as the weight hit bottom! One of my personal current favorite launch coasters in Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa where the launches are used to mimic the acceleration and movements of a cheetah.

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