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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Dude 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 readingCelebrating the 30th Anniversary of Wild Adventures
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners declared May 9th, 2026, as Wild Adventures Day, a local holiday in honor of the park’s 30th Anniversary! This great event included a talks from the park’s Marketing & Sales Director, Adam Floyd, and the park’s General Manager, Donald Spiller. There was also a reading of a proclamation by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners declaring the day Wild Adventures Day. Additionally guests had the opportunity to enjoy new and fan-favorite menu items including lemon pepper wings, churro bites and boba lemonade.
Continue readingJon Vigue Named New President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has named Jon Vigue park President (as first reported by @SaxOnTracks). Mr. Vigue formerly served as Vice President and General Manager of Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia. At Wild Adventures he was part of several major projects including the opening of the Safari Campground and developing the park’s 10-year master plan. Mr. Vigue replaces Brian Bacica who left Busch Gardens in late 2025 to become park president of LEGOLAND Florida Resort. Mr. Vigue is the park’s 3rd president in as many years, but he’s potentially a great long term fit for the park. There are many similarities between Busch Gardens and Wild Adventures given the mix of animals, rides and adjacent water parks, so the fit is obvious. Mr. Vigue is also very active in IAAPA, serving as the Chair of the Food & Beverage Committee. We wish Jon tremendous success and look forward to seeing him at the park.
Ever Wonder How Disney World Controls Mosquitoes? Would you Believe it Involves Garlic and Chickens?
Disney is famous for being built on former Florida swamp land. Given that Florida is known for being a mosquito mecca, how does Disney assure you’re not spending your vacation swatting away bugs? It turns out it’s not just one thing, but a combination of things in an eco-friendly comprehensive program. The heart of the program is a barely detectable liquid garlic spray coupled with constant water circulation and design considerations to prevent standing water. Disney also uses mosquito natural predators like bats along with traps as part of a comprehensive control strategy to target the whole mosquito life cycle. There are even chickens involved in Disney’s mosquito strategy, but more about them later!
Continue readingSplashville Sign Up and Pools Filled for Memorial Day Weekend Opening of New Bartow County Water Park
The “Splashville” sign is up at the new water park at Hamilton Crossing in Bartow County. It looks sincerely great with “Bartow County” in small red text and then a big blue wave. The sign also has a great internal lighting package that the crew was showing me pictures of from a test the night before that looked stunning. This sign will pop both day and night and lights on both the front and the back.
Review of the Spectacular New Splashville Water Park in Bartow County
Continue readingIs the Theme Park Industry Going Virtual?
During IAAPA 2025 I was struck by the number of virtual and digital attractions on display. What also surprised me was how exceptional most of them were in creating a totally immersive experience. Also, many of these attractions were of a size that could allow them to be used by any park, family entertainment center (FEC) or even arcade. Some would require a building, some a room and some were as small as a single chair. Some were purely ride experiences where others were enhanced versions of classic sit down arcade shooters and many combined both. The Rilix Coaster VR stood out as a compelling immersive experience in a traditional arcade format. The virtual theme park probably isn’t replacing your favorite roller coaster anytime soon, but it does offer operators another option to entertain guests.
Continue readingMinecraft World Opening in 2027 at Chessington in the UK
Minecraft World will open at Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London (UK) next year in 2027. The land will include new attractions including a world-first Minecraft coaster, themed retail and dining, plus a host of fan favourites and ridiculous fun from the Minecraft universe. The coaster looks especially intriguing and could perhaps follow the model of the well received Galacticoaster at the US LEGOLAND parks being indoors with controlled rotation cars (think Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) , screens and launches.
Continue readingBusch Gardens and SeaWorld Parent Company United Parks Sued by Sesame Street Over Unpaid License Fees
Sesame Workshop (the company behind Sesame Street) has sued United Parks & Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens) over unpaid royalties. Sesame Workshop file in federal court in New York on March 12, 2026 and is seeking to end its licensing agreement with United Parks & Resorts. United Parks & Resorts operates full themed park lands around the Sesame Street IP with rides, shows and parades and for many locations it is the centerpiece of their kid’s area. In addition to unpaid royalties Sesame Place also alleges plans for a 3rd Sesame Place theme park were shelved and that United shortened seasons or completely closed Sesame Street themed lands without proper notice.
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BGT Safari 