Over twenty five years ago riders at Busch Gardens Williamsburg rode at the “speed of fright” when Big Bad Wolf opened. It took riders through a German village, through the woods and into the Rhine River waiting below. The last dive and dark woods around the coaster made Big Bad Wolf a legend among coasters. Last week a new legend was born as the all new coaster, Verbolten opened. The Legend of the Black Forest.
Verbolten utilizes the same location that the Big Bad Wolf once did. It takes the same pathway as Wolf did from the station, and also over the Rhine River into the trees. Verbolten takes everything that was great about the Big Bad Wolf and turned it into a fun coaster with tons of special effects that the family can enjoy. But be warned, the spirit of the Wolf still lives on within Verbolten.
Verbolten is full of themeing. From the queue, to the station, to the ride itself, there is so much to see. The entire ride is themed to a Bavarian Visitor Center owned by Gerta and Gunter. Gerta keeps up with the Inn and bringing visitors in, while her brother Gunter is in charge of the car rental services. Little do visitors know their car is going to loose control and they’re going to end up in the Black Forest. In fact, Gerta and Gunter invite you to take their tours and Fahrt everywhere. Many of Gerta and Gunter’s visitors come to them because they are the experts on Fahrting. No one on earth has more experience Fahrting than these two. They have Fahrted in more places in Bavaria than any other Fahrter. If you’re curious about all the Fahrting…Farht is a German word that means to journey or travel. Fart is what happens when you eat too much schnitzel at Das Festhaus.
As everyone knows, Verbolten stands on the site of the once legendary coaster-The Big Bad Wolf. Wolf closed in 2011, and we can happily say that while Wolf holds a place in our hearts and memories, Verbolten definitely lives up to the new legend. Check out our all new video showing construction from 2011 all the way to today:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRsFAly2xQw
The ride itself was built by German coaster manufacturer, Zierer. The ride has five trains, each a different color (blue, green, red, orange, yellow) with different designs and different license plates themed around the ride. It takes riders though 2,835 feet of track at speeds of 53 miles per hour. It features a 88 foot drop over the Rhine River.
While the coaster is definitely the main attraction, one of the big features that makes this coaster stand out are the events that happen inside the show building. Riders are whisked out of the station and onto a dark road. Through a series of mishaps, riders end up riding through the Black Forest where several different things await them.
“I have to say that when you experience the ride it is an amazing beautiful dreamlike and psychedelic experience.” said Stan Meyer, the designer of the interior portions of Verbolten. Meyer was not at the Verbolten Media Day, but spoke to us exclusively about what it took to bring the Black Forest to life. “It took 22 months from concept to loading in the physical scenery for the show.”
Unlike any other attraction at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, riders can have a different ride experience every time as the scene in the building changes.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the thrill of experience that is the actual ride in those beautiful vehicles that take you through the theatrically imagined and designed environment.” Meyer continued “Maybe I am a little biased but it IS an amazing experience. There is so much to see that you have to ride many times to be able to take it all in. Hats off to Busch Gardens and my Producer InMotion Entertainment for giving me this wonderful opportunity to design this theatrical environment.”
Verbolten is perfect for families as it features a 48″ height restriction. Verbolten is a fairly intense coaster, but even the smallest of thrill junkies will enjoy it. From the vertical drop inside the Black Forest, to the two launches, and to the drop over the Rhine River, it has plenty to offer for everyone. Verbolten is the first roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg to feature built in on-ride video cameras that will capture your experience while you ride the coaster.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp6-kQNLKXg
Verbolten was part of a two year rejuvenation project for the country of Oktoberfest. Last year featured the opening of Mach Tower, a new pretzel shop, and fresh touches to the Oktoberfest section of the park. For more information about Verbolten, visit http://verbolten.com/. For tickets, click the banner below.
