UPDATE – 10/13 Busch Gardens Tampa has announced details of their 2011 roller coaster, Cheetah Hunt. Read more about Busch Gardens’ Cheetah Hunt roller coaster.
Rumors of a new Busch Gardens Tampa roller coaster had been making the rounds on the Web for a while. A member of Orlando United did some digging around and hit the mother lode. They found plans for the 2011 ride in a public folder on a construction contractor’s website. The plans align with the survey markers that have been spotted at the park. The new ride’s station will be located in the Edge of Africa area. It will venture to the Rhino Rally ride and back.
A Cheetah-Themed Speed Coaster
ScreamScape has reported via a good source that the park is looking to create a roller coaster that emphasizes speed. The ride is said to be designed by Intamin and it will feature multiple (3) launches. ScreamScape also predicts a Cheetah theme for the new ride based on plans for an interactive animal area. For anyone who hasn’t been to that park, Busch Gardens Tampa integrates African wildlife throughout the park. The rumored ride has drawn comparisons to Maverick at Cedar Point. It’s also an Intamin designed and may be low to the ground like Maverick.
Nothing is official and an announcement wouldn’t be likely until the end of the Summer, but from all of the clues pieced together by Orlando United, ScreamScape, and BGTGuide we may already have a pretty clear picture of Busch Gardens 2011 roller coaster. The concept sounds great to me. In the heavy theme park market of Central Florida, this type of roller coaster would be pretty unique.
ThemeParkTourist has a nice write up with links to all of the sources.
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of this rumored 2011 roller coaster for Busch Gardens Tampa? Leave a comment below. Composite plan/map image courtesy of BGTGuide.