On March 23rd of this year, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced they were retiring their Redwood Falls log flume, but they teased something new would be coming to replace it. Yesterday, Monday June 28th, just 97 days later (and 74 days after they announced it) the zoo officially opened Tidal Twist, a Twister Coaster from Zamperla.
??There’s new adventure underway at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium! The Redwood Falls log flume ride, a part of the Adventure Cove region, is being retired this offseason. But stay tuned, as we have a whole new “twist” on fun coming this summer!? pic.twitter.com/rKYdbglpXU
— Columbus Zoo (@ColumbusZoo) March 23, 2021
Tidal Twist: Family-Friendly Fun
The new roller coaster is located in the Columbus Zoo‘s Adventure Cove region, across from the sea lion habitat and right next to the swinging ship ride.
The view looking across from the sea lion platform.
The family-friendly coaster stands 36 feet tall and reaches speeds up to 30 mph along the 1,066 feet of track.
Each of the five cars comfortably seats four riders with a T-bar style lap-bar only restraint.
Unlike any other roller coaster in Ohio, halfway though the course the cars “unlock” and begin spinning. The spin is uncontrolled meaning no two rides are exactly alike. For optimum spin, try to unbalance the car as much as possible by putting the heaviest rider on one side. Or if you’re like me, and you’re not a huge fan of spinning, keep the weight distribution even, and if you have one or two riders sit in the middle seats. As someone who gets dizzy easily, I thought the coaster had the perfect amount of spin: just enough to make the ride thrilling but not enough to get dizzy.
This new roller coaster will have a family-friendly height requirement of 42” if riding with an adult and 48” if riding alone. Joining the Columbus Zoo’s classic Sea Dragon wooden roller coaster, this new addition makes the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium the only zoo in the United States to feature two roller coasters. Tidal Twist is the perfect addition to the Columbus Zoo’s Adventure Cove for their target audience.
The former log flume station is still standing and is being used for stroller parking. Plenty of space to add more rides in the future.
During the grand opening, we had the opportunity to talk to Anthony Sabo, Vice President, Waterpark Operations and Guest Services · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium about the decision to remove the log flume, the speed at which the new coaster was built, and how they came up with the name Tidal Twist. See his responses and the coaster in action in the video below:
Tidal Twist POV Video
Take a ride on Tidal Twist by watching the video we filmed (with the zoo’s permission) during the grand opening. The coaster is very smooth and very re-rideable. I can’t wait to go back and ride it with my kids.
Rides on Tidal Twist are included for all Gold Members, individual ride tickets or as part of the ZooMore ride wristband.
Special thanks to the zoo for having us out for the grand opening and to Anthony for taking the time to answer a few of our questions. Learn more about the zoo here.
Have you experienced Tidal Twist yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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