![]() ![]() He made a shortlist of five roller coasters, seeking a prospective designer for a new Busch Gardens attraction, and eventually settled on Great Coasters International (GCI) for the project based on the company's Wildcat installation at Hersheypark. Mark Rose, the park's vice president for planning and design, chose the builder for the wooden roller coaster after touring several amusement parks over 17 days. ![]() The park wanted to differentiate itself from other Florida theme parks, which had modern ride technology. To replace the brewery, the park chose a wooden roller coaster rather than one made of steel due to growing preferences for antiquated attractions. The brewery closed in December and was demolished afterwards. In October 1995, Anheuser-Busch announced the closure of its Tampa brewery, which had operated in the middle of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay since the park's inaugural year, 1959. Iron Gwazi debuted to positive reviews from critics, later winning the 2022 Best New Roller Coaster category in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today. The refurbished ride was marketed and opened as North America's tallest, steepest, and fastest hybrid roller coaster, featuring a height of 206 feet (63 m), a maximum speed of 76 mph (122 km/h), and a track length increase of 567 feet (173 m) over its predecessor. Iron Gwazi soft-opened to passholders on February 13, 2022, and to the public on March 11. It was initially scheduled to open in 2020 but was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. ![]() The park hired Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to retrofit the original wooden structure's layout. In 2019, Busch Gardens announced the replacement as Iron Gwazi, a steel-tracked roller coaster. The park indicated it would refurbish the wooden structure, and site preparation began in late 2018. The wooden structure sat dormant for several years, and the park considered several replacement attractions, including a remodeled roller coaster, an amphitheater, and a new attraction. Following rising maintenance costs and declining ridership, the remaining side was closed in 2015. Over time, the wooden roller coaster became difficult to maintain, resulting in the Tiger side closing in 2012. Gwazi opened on June 18, 1999, and received positive reviews from critics and the public. Trains riding on both tracks, each named Lion and Tiger, reached a height of 105.4 feet (32.1 m) and a maximum speed of 51 mph (82 km/h). The ride was named after a fabled creature with a tiger's head and a lion's body. Great Coasters International (GCI) built Gwazi, a wooden dueling roller coaster with two separate tracks. Development of the original Gwazi began in July 1998, when Busch Gardens announced that it would build a wooden roller coaster on land formerly occupied by the Anheuser-Busch brewery. Passport to Thrills rewards guests for visiting the park between now and the opening of the ride this summer.Iron Gwazi (formerly called Gwazi) is a steel-track hybrid roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. ![]() From now until May 14th pass members can opt-in and begin to qualify for exclusive access and bonus experiences just by visiting Texas’ Biggest and Best Theme Park, SeaWorld! The centerpiece of Passport to Thrills is Catapult Falls, a new attraction for 2023 that is a first-of-its-kind ride that is part coaster and part flume ride, with a vertical lift elevator leading to a steep drop and a water splash down. SeaWorld is launching Passport to Thrills, an exclusive program for pass members. ![]()
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