Busch Gardens Williamsburg has applied for a height waiver that would allow them to build an attraction that is 315 feet tall. Naturally, the only thing that comes to mind for an attraction that large is a new coaster, which has been rumored for quite some time.
But there's something larger at play here, besides just a big, new coaster. Could Busch Gardens Williamsburg finally be looking at adding on a new country?
The new height waiver meeting will be August 8th, and could include a sneak peek into what's coming next. The most interesting thing to come from all of this is the permit. Fan site, BGW Fans dug up a permit for the new project. The interesting part? The title calls it Busch Gardens Madrid.
As in, Madrid, Spain.
The rumors have been swirling around about a new country for several years now. The latest new land was Sesame Street Forests of Fun in 2009. While that's a great area, it doesn't have the same and charm and bustle as a country does.
Our friends over at Screamscape suggests that the new country is coming but in two phases. The first phase will see Busch Gardens open the new land, which will be located in "Festa Field" behind Festa Italia and the Rhine River. The new country will feature restaurants, shops and smaller rides. The smaller rides could be anything from small flat rides, to a dark ride. The suggestion is that the dark ride would be some sort of interactive shooting ride, where the "guns" would be themed to crossbows. The ride could be themed to something like this he inquisition, or at least set in that time frame with a bit of a supernatural element.
It could also be a simple dark ride that takes you through some of the history and architecture of Spain, and could have scenes that rotate out easy for holiday transitions.
The second phase would call for the 315 foot attraction, which would likely be a B&M giga coaster. B&M has built several attractions in the park, including Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot and Griffon.
The height variance exceptions lists that the project would need to start within 36 months of approval, so the land could get the go ahead first with the coaster being the centerpiece that tops it off at a later date.
Personally, I love the idea of more dark rides, as the only one now is Darkastle. It adds a little more variance to a park that has a great amount of different attractions.
We should hear a little more about the project in the next few weeks, as the project will likely be approved and as BGW holds their annual passholder information session close to Labor Day.
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