Aided by the power of five Roman gods, Pantheon is quickly changing the landscape of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Located in an area of the park formerly used for animal pastures (which have since been relocated), the world’s fastest multi-launch coaster...
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Inside Iron Gwazi with Project Manager Andrew Schaffer
Last month, we visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to cap the end of a trip to the IAAPA Expo in Orlando. If you haven’t been paying attention to the park’s mass of purple steel and wood reaching into the Tampa...
Continue reading...Iron Gwazi Construction Update
Following the 2019 IAAPA Expo, where we saw the unveiling of Iron Gwazi’s crocodile-themed lead car, we headed south down Interstate 4 to Busch Gardens Tampa last Friday, to check on the construction progress of the latest Rocky Mountain Construction...
Continue reading...Hersheypark Tops Off Candymonium at 210 Feet
Hersheypark yesterday installed the topmost section of track of its new-for-2020 Candymonium hypercoaster. The Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) hyper coaster towers 210 feet above the park. The Hersheypark Construction Services team carefully hoisted the surprisingly lengthy last section of the...
Continue reading...Rare Tennessee Tornado Construction Photos
Tennessee Tornado is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, and to commemorate the milestone season, we’re sharing rare photos of the Dollywood coaster under construction. Dollywood announced Tennessee Tornado in June of 1998. At a cost of $8 million, the...
Continue reading...Expeditions On The Horizon: Kings Dominion Begins Teasing Volcano Replacement
One of the things I was most excited to see during my recent trip to Kings Dominion (other than Grand Carnivale, of course!) was the progress that was being made on the former location of Volcano: The Blast Coaster. After...
Continue reading...Maxx Force Construction Update
When we planned our annual Coaster101 writers’ trip to Six Flags Great America, we were banking on a Memorial Day Weekend opening of Maxx Force. As you might be aware, that hasn’t happened quite yet. The track is complete, the...
Continue reading...Wildwood Grove Dollywood Construction Update March 2019
Dollywood officially opened for the 2019 season this past weekend. At a kickoff media event on Friday, Dolly Parton herself announced that Wildwood Grove, the park’s largest expansion to date, will open on May 10, 2019. On Saturday, I was...
Continue reading...ACE Winter Warm Up 2019 Recap (& Copperhead Strike Construction Update!)
One of the best way to beat the theme park off-season blues is to attend a coaster enthusiast event. This past weekend, I joined 187 fellow coaster enthusiasts at the southeastern chapter of the American Coaster Enthusiasts‘ Winter Warm Up...
Continue reading...Tigris Construction Tour at Busch Gardens Tampa
The construction of Tigris at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is well under way! Recently, the Tigris track was completed, and Coaster101 was invited for an exclusive behind-the-scenes construction tour of the Premier Rides Skyrocket II coaster. For background, SeaWorld Parks...
Continue reading...January 2019 Copperhead Strike Construction Update
Back on New Year’s Eve, we were able to get a good look at the construction of Copperhead Strike with an “unofficial” tour from Steve Jackson, Director of Construction and Maintenance at Carowinds. While there’s no such thing as a...
Continue reading...New Year, New Coaster: A Copperhead Strike Construction Update From New Year’s Eve
Back on New Year’s Eve, prior to Ringing in 2019 on Afterburn, I was in the right place at the right time, as I ran into Steve Jackson, Director of Maintenance and Construction for Carowinds, who happened to be filling in scanning tickets...
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