Busch Gardens is Making Changes Pt. 2

Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay

In 1999, Busch Gardens opened its first Wooden Roller Coaster “Gwazi” and it was a massive undertaking. The Lion and Tiger themed ride consisted of two large wooden tracks fighting each other at every twist and turn simulating a wild brawl between a lion and tiger. As a native Floridian, I have ridden this ride many times and it’s still my favorite wooden roller coaster I have had the pleasure of riding. Over the years in the blistering sun, the track and wood took a beating and the ride became very rough to ride and often was inoperable due to needed repairs. The ride also claimed a human life when an elderly rider suffered a fatal heart attack while on the ride. On September 12, 2018 Busch Gardens announced they they would be completely rebuilding Gwazi from scratch and the ride is set to open in 2020.

What to Expect

Busch Gardens  General Manager Stewart Clark stated that Gwazi was getting a new look that we “will be hanging on to your seats” Clark promises the once great Gwazi will be returned to its former glory and it will be another great and thrilling attraction to the already great theme park. If I had to guess what they might do is make Gwazi into a Hybrid Steel Coaster which blends smooth steel stracks and a wooden roller coasters base and look. It’s a relatively new concept that allows wooden coasters to easily invert and make all sorts of thrilling movements they could have done before. Six Flags Great America, just opened a Joker themed Hybrid Coaster to a resounding success.

Summary

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is truly a great and underrated theme park. The company really goes above and beyond in wildlife conservation and treats every animal with the utmost regard. The park is very transparent with how the animals are cared for and enclosed and invite attendees regularly to behind the scene enclosure to see the day to day animal operations. Within the past decade, Busch Gardens is building a great name by adding great new and thrilling rides all while maintaining its dedication to the endangered african wildlife. The best part about the park is it’s usually pretty quiet and no waiting in lines for the rides. Do yourself the favor and book a trip as soon as you can. Have fun!