I haven't been this excited about a Busch Gardens roller coaster since I first rode the Python way back in the era of rotary phones and letter writing.
I got to experience the thrill of the Cheetah Hunt at a media event last night. The ride was smooth, fast and sometimes scary with dips, rocket-like accelerations and dips galore. It had me giddy like a little kid, shouting, "Again!"
The new steel coaster that swiftly takes corners and dives into trenches debuted today, May 27.
Unlike the park’s chain-lifted roller coasters, Cheetah Hunt's trains are propelled by the force of repelling magnets and accelerates from 30 to 60 miles per hour in one and a half seconds on a straight run.
Its yellow support columns are designed to look like pickup sticks, and cheetah spots adorn the carts on a bright green 7-acre track that’s integrated into several areas of the park.
The ride encompasses the old monorail station, which was converted into a loading station, and winds into the Rhino Rally's river canyon and over top of the Skyride's cable cars, guest pathways and the park's new collection of real-life cheetahs.
Also, riders can now share their shrieking gapes with friends instantaneously by purchasing an add-on "web photo."
To quote my esteemed colleague Joe Bardi, “We finally have high-speed rail!”
In your face, Gov. Scott! Melanie Wiesen contributed to this report.
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2011.