Busch Gardens Tampa
Tampa, FL
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(11/27/2024) Family Awarded Millions From Busch Gardens Tampa in Child Injury Lawsuit
(9/17/2024) Busch Gardens Tampa To Create Wild Oasis in Spring 2025
(8/31/2024) Busch Gardens Tampa Extends Closing Date for Scorpion Just A Little
(8/24/2024) Busch Gardens Tampa To Close Scorpion Forever
(7/3/2024) Busch Gardens Tampa To Open Phoenix Rising in Mid-July
Ride Rehabs - These dates are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as refurbishments are subject to change.
Congo River Rapids - NOW CLOSED to TBD
Serengeti Express - NOW CLOSED to TBD
Kumba - NOW CLOSED to TBD
 General Park News - (11/27/2024) According to the local news, Busch Gardens Tampa has lost a lawsuit filed by a family whose child was injured at the park in Sept. 2022. According to the article, the family turned down a $40,000 settlement offer and was awarded $8.15 million from the jury in the trial.
The injury was not ride related, but instead the child discovered an unlocked door into the Stanleyville Theater, entered and climbed onto the stage area where an acrobatic trampoline was set up. The child fell from the trampoline, suffered ‘blunt force trauma that lacerated his chin, liver, and right kidney, which resulted in the loss of his kidney function.” As a result, the child will have to “endure renal protective measures for the rest of his life”. However, the family was found to be subject to “comparative fault”, said to have contributed 35% of the injuries for their own action (or inaction) in this case, reducing the final lawsuit verdict down to $5.3 million.
(8/24/2024) Bad news from Busch Gardens Tampa shocked the coaster community yesterday when the park suddenly announced that you have only a matter of days left to ride Scorpion before they closed it for good on Labor Day, September 2nd.
For those who havn’t been, Scorpion is a classic Schwarzkopf looping coaster that opened way back in 1980 and has been thrilling guests for 44 years. It’s always disappointing to lose a beloved roller coaster, but even more unfortunate when a park doesn’t give enough warning time to allow fans from out of town to make a trip to ride it one last time. (Like, letting it run through to the end of Howl-O-Scream would have been a better way to handle this, but that’s just my take on it…)
It is worth mentioning that the announcement does tease that something new may be in the works, claiming that “this closure paves the way for future thrills.” The problem is that Scorpion is kind of land-locked where it is, with the train running directly behind it and then the equally ancient Stanly Log Flume (which probably should be retired as well) providing the only real possible place to expand and add a bigger ride. Having just opened the family friendly Phoenix Rising, the park really is due to add a bigger scale thrill ride of some kind.
So what will become of Scorpion? I’d guess that it would be heading to the scrap-pile, with maybe a piece or two saved for the National Roller Coaster Museum. Though I can’t help but think that Indiana Beach surely put the Scorpion trains to use on the All American Triple Loop as a replacement for the horrible trains they are using now, removing the problem of having OTS on a ride that wasn’t never meant to have it.
2025 - Wild Oasis - Confirmed - (9/17/2024) Guests have been waiting for years for Busch Gardens Tampa to do something new with the Jungala area of the park. According to a new release from the park a new adventure zone called Wild Oasis will be added to Jungala in Spring 2025 that promises to blend rides within an immersive environment, along with encounters with wildlife.
“Wild Oasis is designed to ignite the imagination and engage all the senses, promising non-stop excitement for every member of the family. Prepare to be captivated by the sights and sounds of the rainforest, the rush of a newly reimagined drop tower featuring state-of-the-art digital and sound effects, an interactive water-play wonderland, and a multi-level climbing canopy. Plus, discover an all-new, multi-species animal habitat for up-close encounters with some of the world's most fascinating animals.”
???? - New Coaster / Project Halcyon - Speculation & Rumor - (7/21/2023) While I don’t really know what is going on yet, we’ve been told that the next big project for Busch Gardens Tampa is being called “Project Halcyon”. According to our source a work permit related to Project Halcyon mentions the construction of a new 70,000 sqft building. For comparison’s sake, I’m told that the structure at Busch Gardens Williamsburg used for DarKoaster (formerly the Curse of DarKastle ride) is about 40,000 sqft.
So while 40,000 is a bit small for an indoor coaster, 70,000 sqft would be a more appropriate size for a decent indoor coaster, or for a massive dark ride. We all know Busch Gardens Tampa could use a killer dark ride, but based on the company’s poor record of maintaining them for very long (RIP: DarKastle & Antarctica) so between the two I’m leaning towards this being a coaster.
However, one more item to consider. The name “Halcyon” may be a reference to the Greek goddess Halcyon, daughter of Aeolus, who was the ruler of the winds. Halcyon married a mortal King and as Greek stories tend to always do… their relationship ended in tragedy and death. In reaction to their love the two were resurrected as sea birds so they could live together once again by the beautiful seaside. So a project name that brings to mind flight and wind makes me wonder if this could be the company finally preparing to embrace the concept of adding a Flying Theater attraction.
|
