Busch Gardens Tampa Announces 2015's Special Event Line Up

Well, can't let SeaWorld have all the fun in 2015 and Busch Gardens Tampa has their own unique and interesting line up for the new year that they've also just released.

A couple of things you'll notice are no longer being offered, but it seems that those are happening at SeaWorld this year instead. So, with that, let's get on with what folks have to look forward to in 2015!

First up is the return of the Real Music Festival that will start on January 5th and runs every Friday-Monday until March 6th. The annual music festival features a band coming in for each weekend, giving folks plenty of time to see the ones they're interested in over their four night runs. So, what's this year's line up look like? Glad ya asked, here's the rundown:

Jan. 5-9: Cornell Gunter’s Coasters
Jan. 12-16: The Grass Roots
Jan. 19-23: Herman’s Hermits w/ Peter Noone
Jan. 26-30: The Diamonds
Feb. 2-6: Fernando Varela
Feb. 9-13: Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
Feb. 16-20: Ricky Nelson Remembered, Featuring: Matthew & Gunnar Nelson
Feb. 23-27: Shirley Jones
Mar. 2-6: Exile & Juice Newton

Following the success of sister park, Busch Garden Williamsburg's Food & Wine Festival, it looks like the folks down in Tampa are gearing up for their own in 2015 and most notably, this does replace both Bands, Brew and BBQ and La viva Musica. Yes, it takes up that much time.

Starting on the weekend of March 7th and 8th, the park's very own Food & Wine Festival will run every weekend until April 26th. However, don't think the music is gone as they will have bands on nearly every weekend of the event.

Right now we only know of one that is scheduled, Pentatonix on March 22nd, but as soon as we get the rest we'll definitely let ya know.

Following Food & Wine, things quiet down again before Busch Gardens takes to the night once again as they bring back their Summer Nights event which starts on June 27th and runs through August 26th.

SeaWorld Orlando Announces 2015 Line Up of Special Events!

Not wasting any time, the folks at SeaWorld Orlando have announced all of dates for their special events in 2015. Definitely interesting to see a couple of things coming back on this list and not that surprising at all for most of them.

Either way, if you're looking to get a jump on things in 2015 and wonder what could be going on when you visit, here's the breakdown of everything coming in the new year.

First up is the Wild Days event that runs for three weekends starting at the end of January and ending early Feb (Jan 24-25, Jan 31-Feb 1, Feb 7-8). This event allows for visitors to get up and close with animals, trainers and world renowned animal experts through interactive shows and other experiences.

A few dates of interest for this one are on Jan 31st, for the Wild Days Picnic that features a BBQ buffet, character appearances, music and other entertainment. On top of that, there's the Jack Hannah weekend, Feb 7th-8th, and features chances for breakfast and dinner with Jack Hannah himself.

Pretty cool stuff right there, even if this event is a little more low-key than others in the line up.

Thunderbird Watch: First Train Car Arrives

Well, it wasn't enough that the track was completed just about three weeks early but now the folks over at Holiday World have gotten another little Christmas present. This time, the first car of the trains for Thunderbird.

Delivered just a few days ago, they didn't waste any time getting it on the track either. At this point, it's looking like they're well ahead of schedule to get things going and that's never a bad thing to see!

Those who have ridden GateKeeper, X-Flight or Wild Eagle in the US, then you've likely encountered the trains before as they're pretty much uniform, outside of the paint jobs and a couple other artistic bits, across the board for B&M's wing coasters. If you haven't, well, it's an interesting thing to experience.

Anyway, there's a shot of the car being lifted into place from the Holiday World Facebook Page. If you're curious as to why theirs no track under it, that's because there are small wheels that help to support the train, much like B&M's trains on Griffon and Sheikra. Definitely a little weird to wrap your head around, but somehow they support the massive weight and pretty awesome to think how that can even happen.

Here's the video of them lifting it in place and you can see the wheel thing in it pretty clearly too, pretty cool stuff.

Post by Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

Stay tuned for more info out of Holiday World and everywhere else that's building for 2015 right here or follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

Laff Trakk Construction Plows on at Hershey Park

It's been a while since we've heard anything out of Hershey Park and the construction of their newest dark coaster, Laff Trakk, but there's been progress being made over the past couple months!

Things are starting to go vertical on the world's first Indoor Spinning "Glow Coaster". From the newest pictures, we can see just where the ride building will fit in with things and the skyline a little bit more. Still, not much but at least it's getting there, right? If you're curious about just what Laff Trakk will be like to ride, check out our coverage of the announcement.

Anyway, here's a couple of shots that the Hershey PA Twitter account tossed up just a little bit ago!

Stay tuned for more updates from Hershey Park and everyone else that's building for 2015 by sticking right here or follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest!

FuryWatch 12/4: Carowinds Tops off Fury 325's Lift Hill

Lots of new projects going on all over the US this off season and Carowinds is no exception with their record breaking coaster, Fury 325. Just earlier today, the park posted up pictures and video showing off some of the construction progress but more importantly, that of the top of the massive lift hill for their newest coaster.

Just to give you an idea, the top of the drop here is 20ft taller than the Statue of Liberty. Yeah, that's pretty high up there and makes Fury 325 the tallest "traditional coaster" in the world. It's another massive project from Bolliger & Mabillard and if it's anything like it's sister coaster, Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, it's going to be one helluva ride.

If you're curious about just what a ride on Fury 325 will be like, check out our coverage of Carowinds announcement just a few months ago.

Things are looking good from the site and definitely going to be one wild ride once they unleash this one on the public in the Spring of 2015. Anyway, enough babbling, let's get on with the pictures. But first, a little ride one of the sections of track as it makes it way to the top!


More after the jump!

Thunderbird Watch: Holiday World Caps Off Thunderbird Track with Piece Number 77

It's been just a little over 5 months since the announcement of Holiday World's first steel coaster, and world's first launched wing coaster, and they've really put the pedal to the metal getting this one done. How fast? Well, just the other day, the folks over at Holiday World posted images and video up of the final section of track going into place. Yep, that's right...the track is 100% complete now.

Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with how fast this one went up and it looks like they'll be well on their way to getting everything in order for their scheduled preview night on April 24th, 2015. They've still got quite a bit of work to do and testing to get finished, but with just about 5months to go, it seems they'll be just fine in that department.

Let's get on with the pictures, but first here's the latest Hard Hat Chronicles from the park that shows the final track piece going into place. Pretty cool that the crew signed it as well.


Check out all the ride details, videos and other goodies from our coverage of the announcement or just keep on scrolling down for the latest pictures out of Holiday World, including a few fun snow covered pics.

More after the break!

The National Aquarium Announces First Ever "Pay What You Want Day"

Image via Wikipedia Commons

Okay, this one is pretty cool and figure that for all of us up north, where no theme park is really open, could use a little distraction. +Carrie H.C. and I love aquariums and the fact that the National Aquarium in Baltimore is doing this is pretty damn cool.

On January 11th, 2015, they'll be having their first ever "Pay What You Want Day" to raise money for their conservation and educational efforts. That means you can drop as little or as much as you like to get to see what they have to offer.

What's even better? If you want to add in their 4D movie for the day, that'll only cost an additional $5 a person. Really not a bad deal at all. Even more so when you think of just how many options there are living up north in the cold month of January.  One thing to note, all the deals above are good only on site. That means no pre-buying tickets or anything like that, so you just have to show and shell out whatever you like.

For more information about the National Aquarium, head on over to their official website for directions, times and a ton more info about what they do!

"Tempesto/Diavolo" Construction Goes Vertical at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Well, Busch Gardens Williamsburg still hasn't made an official announcement about this one, but it's only a matter of time before they do. The main reason? The structure is going vertical and right now that's during their Christmas Town event, so it's starting to be noticed by more people who are in the park most likely. There's no official word on when they'll be releasing all the details, even if most of us out there know what they're up to already.

That said, construction is moving along and considering that this isn't exactly a huge project, they seem to be right on course for an opening to go along with the park's Spring 2015 opening date. Don't quote on me on that though, we'll just have to wait and see but it does feel that way to me.

Just how far along are they? Well, thanks to the ever awesome folks over at BGWfans.com, we can show you!

For those not familiar, the new ride is going into the Festa Italia section of the park and right up against Apollos Chariot. It's an odd placement, and many don't agree with it, but everyone here suspects that it's due to visibility from the road.

If you're curious as to what exactly the ride is going to look like or what it's going to entail, we've already covered that quite extensively in the past. And yes, we're still shaking our heads over why Busch Gardens would put something like this into the park and not something more substantial. Either way, there's no avoiding it, it's definitely coming.

So, enough rambling, let's get to a few more pictures form the BGW Fans folks showing off how the construction has come along since our last visit to the park. If you'd like to see more, head over to their site for all that and tons of talk about Busch Gardens Williamsburg. 


Now for a few more pictures!

Twisted Colossus Trains Unveiled and Construction Update!

The folks over at Rocky Mountain Construction have been doing quite a bit of work the past few months on Six Flags Magic Mountain's revamp of Colossus. Despite the challenge of dealing with the fire that occurred a couple of months ago on the lift hill, it seems that things are going quite well for the crew out in Southern California.

For more info about the ride, including the animated POV and other goodies, check out our coverage of the announcement back in August.

Not only that, but during this year's IAAPA event in Orlando, they unveiled the trains for Twisted Colossus as well! So, first up, here's a look at the brand new trains that will take riders through this all new steel and wood wonderland.

Now, for the construction pics!

Knott's Berry Farm Announces All New 4-D Interactive Ride for 2015 - Voyage to the Iron Reef

Last week Knott's Berry Farm announced an all new dark ride will be coming to the park for the 2015 season. Voyage to the Iron Reef will be a 4-D interactive experience that pits you up against some truly bizarre and dangerous underwater foes.

For those curious, this ride is similar in design to Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland and there's good reason for that, it's being built by the same company, Triotech.

Gotta say, that I'm definitely loving the addition of more dark rides lately and Wonder Mountain's Guardian was a lot of fun, so definitely a great addition for Knott's here as well.

So, what can you expect as part of the experience? Well, for starters this is a 3-D experience and will feature other elements as you travel over 600ft of track and try to survive 11 scenes of mayhem.

This one definitely sounds fun and the concept is a bit reminiscent of the video game Bioshoc, which is never a bad thing to try and emulate.

You can't have a ride like this without a story and thanks to the folks at Knott's Berry Farm, we've got that for you in it's entirety:

Thunderbird Construction Continues at Holiday World

It's been a while since we've checked in with Holiday World and the progress of Thunderbird, the world's first launched wing coaster. Now, however, there's been a few new pictures released from the park and they're definitely well under way to get things opened on time for the 2015.

Thunderbird, unveiled earlier this year, is the park's first all steel coaster and features a unique launch system that's definitely going to be interesting to experience.

Anyway, before we get to the pictures, here's the latest Hard Hat Chronicles video from the folks at Holiday World.


And now...here's the pictures of construction so far from Holiday World's Facebook Page!

Canada's Wonderland- Wonder Mountain's Guardian goes to the Zombies!

Canada's Wonderland gives 'Wonder Mountain's Guardian' over to the Zombies!

 Confirmed today by Canada's Wonderland, the beauty of their new 4D attraction, Wonder Mountian's Guardian, is showing up for Halloween Haunt!

 For the Halloween Season at Canada's Wonderland the popular dark ride, Wonder Mountain's Guardian, will be changing format. Moving the ride into an interactive 4D dark ride featuring everyone's favorite video game past-time, killing zombies!  The park has been bragging that this will likely be a season thing, with the ride changing 'versions' as often as needed to keep it fresh and attractive to guests.

 We're just seeing the opening shot, so to speak!
 You can read more about "Zombies!" by visiting the website- Canada's Wonderland 
 You can also check out all the details and events for Halloween Haunt by checking- Halloween Haunt at Canada's Wonderland

Six Flags Announces Identical Flat Rides for Great Adventure, Georgia, Discovery Kingdom and America

Along with the announcement of far more interesting things this morning, the folks at Six Flags announced that 4 "new coasters" would be coming to their parks in 2015 as well.

Six Flags Great Adventure, America, Discovery Kingdom and Over Georgia will be getting the clones for 2015 and while they're labeled as "roller coasters" they're not. Not even the largest, pretty much stock and not that uncommon out there at all. Bad Six Flags, bad!

Anyway, what goes where from the image up there? Here's the little run down:

• Six Flags Great Adventure - Looping Dragon
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - DareDevil: Chaos Coaster
• Six Flags America - Bourbon Street Fireball
• Six Flags Over Georgia - The Joker: Chaos Coaster

Interestingly enough, Six Flags Over Georgia is also adding a Harley Quinn themed tilt-a-whirl named Harley Quinn: Spinsanity. Okay, so not really that interesting, but there it is.

That said, all of these are not coasters, so don't be fooled by the Six Flags marketing machine. These Larson Loops are typically found at carnivals and county/state fairs throughout the US and elsewhere. They are fully powered and there's really no "coasting" going on with them. How they're passing these things off as new coasters is a bit of a mystery and a huge disservice to park guests. Six Flags, just stop, they're flat rides. Get over it.

Anyway, here's video of one of the new rides. They're all the same so it'll give you enough of an idea of what's going on with each:


Stay tuned for more updates from the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis Coming to Six Flags Over Texas and St. Louis!

In a bit of a weird twist, the newest interactive dark ride additions to the Six Flags parks is actually coming to two parks for 2015. Both Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags St. Louis will be getting Justice League: Battle for Metropolis as their new attractions.

Sorry, no new coasters, but this one definitely looks like an interesting spin on things as well.

“Introducing a dark ride that combines this level of technology and the popular DC Comics brand will bring an unmatched, interactive experience to our guests in 2015,” stated Tom Iven, senior vice president of U.S. park operations for Six Flags. “The addition of JUSTICE LEAGUE: BATTLE FOR METROPOLIS is another example of our company’s commitment to delivering new and innovative thrills in every park, every year.”

The pair represent a first for Six Flags and definitely nice to see more dark rides out there. So, what's the whole story behind this? Well, here's the rundown from the park on just what riders will get to experience before and during their ride through the Hall of Justice and the rest of the 20,000sqft attractions:

After touring the fully immersive 3D Hall of Justice, you’ll receive your very own stun gun to battle the bad guys then it’s a swift ride through a dazzlingly designed Metropolis cityscape, deep into the shadows of Lex Corp. Lifelike animatronics, cutting edge special effects, 3D video, eye-popping graphics, real-time gaming and a mind-tingling sound-scape make this journey to justice an utterly interactive experience. Will you help SUPERMAN and BATMAN rescue the other members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE from Lex Luthor’s and The Joker’s evil plans? Join the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team today to save your favorite superheroes!

For anyone that's ridden Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Orlando, the concept is pretty much the same as here. Well, except for the 3D part that is. So, now that we know the details, here's a little video of what to expect as well. Interesting thing to note, the ride cars in the video aren't the ones that will be used for the ride at all, they only seat four people and the ones at Six Flags will seat six.


Stay tuned for more updates from the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Six Flags New England Announces Wicked Cyclone!

Along with the rest of the Six Flags parks, Six Flags New England has announced that the classic Cyclone wooden coaster will be getting the Rocky Mountain Coasters treatment as well.

Not that much of a surprise for the coaster community, but it's definitely an interesting move and seems to be a trend with Six Flags as of late. So today's announcement of Wicked Cyclone for 2015 at SFNE is definitely an interesting one. Sure, it's not as big or crazy as what's happening with Twisted Colossus at Magic Mountain, but Wicked Cyclone is no slouch either!

“We take great pride in creating incredible, one-of-a-kind experiences for our guests here at the Thrill Capital of New England,” said John Winkler, Six Flags New England Park President. “This project has been years in the making, and the addition of Wicked Cyclone enhances our commitment to delivering world-class thrills to Six Flags New England every year.”

Wicked Cyclone will take riders up 109ft and reach speeds of 55mph on over 3300ft of track and feature a 200 degree stall, two Zero G rolls, and the world’s only Double Reversing Bank Airtime Hill.

Interestingly enough, this will be the first hybrid coaster of it's kind on the East Coast as well, which is a bit weird if you really think about that.

Curious about what it'll actually look like? Here's a rendered video showing just what to expect from the newest Rocky Mountain Coasters creation!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags New England and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Twisted Colossus Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2015!

One of two major Rocky Mountain Coasters conversions, the classic Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain is set to become a whole lot more insane. From the remains, RMC will work it's magic and by doing so create the world's longest hybrid coaster, Twisted Colossus. Featuring over 5,000ft of track and two lift hills, this one looks to be a great tribute to the original while making huge upgrades.

So, what can riders expect? Here's a breakdown of all the elements!

Top Gun Stall – an inversion where the train slows down upside down, the Western Hemisphere’s first “High Five” – where both trains pass through an overbanked turn facing each other with the illusion that you can reach out and “high five” other riders, a Zero G Roll, a 128-foot drop at 80-degrees, 18 airtime hills, two lift hills and four minutes long and nearly 5,000 feet of track!

Yeah, that's a lot to take in right there. “At Six Flags, innovation is in our DNA and with Twisted Colossus, innovation will go to an extreme level with record-breaking elements, faster speeds and steeper banks.  This cutting-edge technology marries the best of both classic and modern coaster designs. It is definitely a twist on a traditional wooden coaster experience,” said park president Bonnie Rabjohn.

You can say that again, but like Six Flags Fiesta Texas' announcement, there's more to this one as it seems the whole area of the park will be getting a bit of a make over as well. Twisted Colossus will be the focal point of the newly themed area, Back Alley, where guests can expect the unexpected through whimsical experiences in entertainment, food and retail.

No clue what that means exactly, but I'm sure we won't have too long to wait. Definitely seems like an interesting move, but that area of the park wasn't themed much at all so it should be an upgrade.

In the meantime, check out the rendered video of what to expect from Twisted Colossus!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags Magic Mountain and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas Announces the World's First Free Spinning 4D Coaster, Batman: The Ride

Well, it looks like our hunch was right and while not a B&M Flying coaster, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is getting something truly unique out the mess that is the chain wide 2015 announcement this morning. We've been following this one for a while and while we're not sure what else is changing, we do know that a Batman themed ride is finally coming to SFFT in 2015.

Similar to it's bigger cousin at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Batman: The Ride will feature a spinning motion but unlike X2 the spinning will be completely unpredictable. The seats are free to flip and roll as they will as the trains make their way through two raven drops, and spin at least six times upside down after climbing vertically to the top of the floating track.

“Every year we continue to provide more and more innovative technology and excitement for our park guests and season pass holders. BATMAN™: The Ride is an entirely new concept in ride engineering and will provide a sensory experience like no other coaster. The unanticipated tumbling will add even more thrills as riders travel along the dipping and swirling track,” said park president Martin Bozer.

Batman: The Ride will feature a 120ft vertical elevator style lift hill, at least six inversions due to the spinning of the seats and of course the two over 90 degree raven drops. One of the interesting things is that the trains only seem to seat 8 people in an inward facing set up. This means that riders will face each other and that capacity is absurdly low. Not as bad as Green Lantern at SFMM, but still low.

 But that's not all, it seems as if the entire Rockville area of the park will also be getting a make over too. Not sure if it will be Gotham City or just a general DC theme, but the theming elements going around the new coaster seem to point to either possibly happening. A full-scale Batmobile, the Bat-Signal, plus cutting edge special effects throughout the ride make this the ultimate way to experience the world of Batman.

Curious as to just what this thing can do? Well, here's a video rendering of the ride in action!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags Fiesta Texas and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Carowinds Announces Fury 325, the World's Tallest and Fastest Traditional Coaster, for 2015!

We've been speculating for a long time now about just what Carowinds has been hinting at and today they finally made their big announcement. This new announcement for 2015 puts the cross-hairs on the park and definitely makes them a major regional park, as if they weren't already.
 
This morning Carowinds announced the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, Fury 325, as their newest coaster addition!

The new coaster will open in 2015 and feature 325ft tall lift hill, will be 6602 ft long, have an 81 degree first drop, and reach speeds of 95mph over the 3:25 minute ride length. The coaster will turn and bank completely sideways 190 feet in the air in a barrel turn, a 90 degree horseshoe turn, dive underground under a new guest entry bridge, and features an 111ft airtime camel back hill.

The park will be revamped from top to bottom to celebrate Carolina culture including new rides and attractions, signature Carolina food offerings and entertainment. Opening in Spring 2015, Fury 325 will be the centerpiece of a new 8.2 acre main entrance plaza that includes a state–of–the–art ticketing and season pass processing area and expanded guest service facilities.

Here's a look at some of the renderings showing off just what the newest record breaking coaster will look like, including the ride's full layout!

Not enough for ya? Here's the full rendered POV video of what to expect from the newest monster coaster at Carowinds!

Centurion vs Fury 325 - What is Coming to Carowinds in 2015?

Okay, now we can officially say that we're confused. We know it's a coaster and we know it's likely to be from B&M, but outside of that, no clue at all. Carowinds has leaked yet another logo out there somehow and it's not Centurion. This time it's for Fury 325 and it seems a little more official since their main website even has a similar honeycomb/hive pattern on it as well. Of course, this could be all one giant ruse to throw us all off again before the announcement this Thursday.

So, we're back to square one here it would seem. Well, not entirely since we do have two logos which are both possibilities for the name of the new coaster now. That's more than we had at the start of this whole thing as well. The only question is which, if either, will be the name.

There's a good case to be made for both, so let's take a little look at just what evidence we have to support both. Centurion leaked first and it's a good a place as any to start this off here. Something Roman themed would make sense in quite a few ways.

For starters, there were the banners seen inside the park as well as columns and even Roman numerals out there.

I mean come on, the thing even says "Rome wasn't built in a day..." right on it followed by the date of August, 21st, 2014 in roman numerals right below. If that's not a good indication, then I don't know what is. The fact that the Centurion name was also trademarked by Cedar Fair makes a strong case for this as well.

So, there's that much of things and then there's even more evidence to support the whole Centurion name with the columns going up in the construction area and even a website leak showing the countdown with logo and and all too. Interestingly enough, the website leak, sporting the countdown splash page image below, was after the whole beekeeper thing.

However, this is just the first side of the puzzle and the website that was leaked had a little of the old publishing trick of "Lorem Ipsum" going on with at as well. So, while it looks like Centurion is coming for sure...there is another way. A much more...stingy way.

Just released was another logo image this time featuring the Fury 325 name with a hornet over top of a honeycomb/hive background. Before this was another series of clues that had some people thinking that it could be themed after the Charlotte Hornets. Phrases like "You can't stop it, only contain it" and other clues led folks to believe that was happening.

However, the one thing that really had people wondering was the bee keeper deliveries that happened on and around August 6th. This was the first thing along with the quote above that happened which was really against the Centurion/Roman theme that had been hinted at all along.

The boxes that were delivered had the same quote on them and inside was a net and a card, the writing on it not known at this time at all. Though, it's probably nothing of significance here either.

Around the same time, the splash image on Carowinds website showed up with a honeycomb/hive background. So, it would appear that whatever is planned has something to do with bees or hornets from the looks of it.

Curious indeed. It seems as if there's two entirely different things happening here and none of us here at ISI can make heads or tails of this. Is it possibly two new rides coming, like Kings Island did with The Bat and Banshee, or is it just a very complicated distraction to throw folks like us off? Again, not sure at all.

The new logo that's shown up today definitely fits with the new line of images and events, but until Thursday there's just no way of knowing.

However, that's not all that's been going on either. There's been even more clues and hints as to possible elements and other things going on from the park too.

Three days after the whole beekeeper stuff was going on, another image was sent out via Twitter from the park and this time they were talking about, what I assume is a ride element.

Definitely seems like they're talking a possible tunnel or something else going on with the coaster. Which, if the earlier fan made video based off of the blueprints of the ride are any indication will be part of the layout and this sign at the park entrance just seems to confirm that.

So, we have two possible names, and a bunch of clues that support both. We also know that it's likely going to be built by B&M, who also built Intimidator. The whole bit about lightning striking twice could be that it's is another B&M hyper.

The 325 in the newest name could also be hinting at the height, which would make it the tallest traditional non-launched coaster in the world as well, topping Millenium Force at Cedar Point and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland.

UPDATE: A Cedar Fair Coaster Construction Facebook Fan Group has posted up this image of track being spotted at the park. Teal with green/yellow and white supports...yeah, at a total loss here too.

And there ya have it, pretty much everything we know and have speculated on so far as Carowinds has slowly streamed out the info to us. Anything is possible here and either name/theme could easily happen at this point.

Stay tuned as we'll be bringing you all the information from Carowinds on Thursday, August 21st as they reveal to the world just what they're up to. Be it Fury 325 or Centurion, based on what we know it is going to be truly awesome either way!

Falcon's Fury at Busch Gardens Tampa Surprises Guests with a Soft Open Today!

Image courtesy of BGTfans.com

It looks like the wait is finally coming to end for Busch Gardens Tampa fans. There's been a series of delays for their newest drop tower, but it looks like all the kinks have finally been worked out. It might be National Roller Coaster Day, but that's not stopping the park from doing a soft open for it's latest mad creation, Falcon's Fury.

First GP riders! Image via @mist3rm4tt on Twitter

Guests at the park today have spotted Falcon's Fury taking it's first general public riders on it's death defying plunge. Earlier this week there were reports of increased employee testing going on and it looks like the official full opening won't be too much more of a wait.

So, for all you drop tower adrenaline junkies out there, keep an eye out as it seems you could get lucky and score a ride before the ride officially opens what's likely to be the within the next week or so. Of course, with any soft open, the ride will open and close at random, so you'll have to be quick!

Curious as to what those lucky riders are experiencing? Here's the official POV!