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New rollercoaster Phoenix Rising coming to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay next spring

It will be the first Busch Gardens coaster to have on-board audio.

By Colin Wolf on Mon, Oct 2, 2023 at 10:32 am

Rendering via Busch Gardens

Phoenix Rising

Just months after permanently closing its most painful rollercoaster, SandSerpent, Busch Gardens is now shedding some light on what exactly will take its place.

This morning, the Tampa theme park announced that a new family-friendly suspended rollercoaster called Phoenix Rising is coming to soon to the Pantopia area of the park.

The new ride, which will be the park's 10th rollercoaster, will have a 42-inch height requirement and will be the first Busch Gardens coaster to have on-board audio.

"Riders will feel the rush of the wind and thrill of the flight in this suspended roller coaster that enable ride cars and riders to swing side to side as the train races along the track high above the Serengeti Plain," says the park in a press release. “'Phoenix Rising' will be the first coaster to feature on-board audio, enhancing the ride experience with a one-of-a-kind soundtrack, integrated into an exhilarating array of twists, turns and surprises for families riding together."

Busch Gardens Tampa will permanently close SandSerpent, the park's most painful rollercoaster: The 5-story coaster is correctly billed as a kiddie-ride, because anyone over 5-feet tall typically exits the thing feeling like they just got their ass kicked.

Phoenix Rising is designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, and will travel up to to 44 miles per hour along 1,831-feet of track, says the company.

Construction has already begun, but no exact opening date was announced. As for now, Phoenix Rising is expected to open sometime in the spring of 2024.

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About The Author

Colin Wolf

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Colin Wolf has been working with weekly newspapers since 2007 and has been the Digital Editor for Creative Loafing Tampa since 2019. He is also the Director of Digital Content Strategy for CL's parent company, Chava Communications.

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