BGW and KD advice?

RCMAC said:

One exception- Dollywood’s 1999 custom creation Tennessee Tornado.

I respectfully disagree. On my trip to Dollywood last year I was looking forward to it, but it was just as bad as every other Arrow looper.

Loch Ness and Viper are the only ones that I feel aged well, but it's been 5 and 15 years respectively since I've been on them so YMMV.

Is the Monster, the last Arrow standing with inter-locking loops? Or is there something overseas?

There are points from a visual iconic and historical standpoint like the Corkscrew in Sandusky that makes this more worthy of preservation then say Darien Lake's Viper or even the beloved Vortex, in my opinion.

It is also milder then the average Arrow looper. The lack of successive inversions makes it less brutal.

I stand with the machine that dives into inter loching bright yellow loops over the Rhine bests.

On my one trip to Dollywood in 2005, Tennessee Tornado was fantastic.

BrettV said:

I admittedly really enjoyed Vortex. Maybe it was nostalgia? Viper at Magic Mountain is pretty great too.

Definitely nostalgia for me. Those were two coasters that I rode as a kid when I started getting into roller coasters and being brave enough to get on the "big ones". Love me an old Arrow looper.

BrettV said:

Call me crazy, but I'd rather have the 70s Arrow looper over the B&M Dive coaster. If I was going to pay for a day of admission right now, Loch Ness Monster would need to be on the list, but Griffon wouldn't.

You're crazy.

We booked a long weekend on April 9th - 11th to go to BGW and Williamsburg. We have reservations for the 9th and 10th, and the 11th we visit the historic area.

Hitting up SFA with your pass is worth it considering everything is covered. They have a decent collection of coasters. We didn't activate our season passes from last year yet.

The Williamsburg Bounce pass that includes BGW is worth it when available. With only part of the park being opened you'll be able to reride coasters as much as you want. In the fall we were able get on every coaster within a train or two. You can do BGW in a day, but you'll want to go back when the full experience(shows and entertainment,) have returned.

We are waiting to see when the new coaster is going to open. We are already planning another trip for when that happens if it's not open when we're there.

Coasterfantom2 said:

We are waiting to see when the new coaster is going to open. We are already planning another trip for when that happens because there's no way Busch will have it ready anytime soon

Fixed that for ya :)

We are going to end up going two days, April 1st and April 2nd. For $87 for the two days it isn't that much more than the $50 price for one day. April 2nd starts their food and wine festival. We'll get as many rides in as we can on the 1st and stuff ourselves on the 2nd.

Trackwork on Pantheon has been complete for about a year now. They are still advertising opening in Spring 2021. That could mean anywhere from the end of March until the end of June. This year my money would be on June.

Last time I rode Viper was about fifteen years ago. It was my last time, period. It was down right brutal. If you want proof that Arrow loopers don't age well, this is it.

Loch Ness is a rarity. Part of what makes it more tolerable than other Arrows is that there are no inversions with lateral forces (corkscrews, batwings, etc.) and most of the drops are essentially straight as well. The other things that set it apart are nostalgia, the wooded setting, and the iconic interlocking loops over the Rhine; it's an absolute must for any first time visit to Busch Gardens.

That said, I've ridden it enough that it doesn't wow me anymore, and the newer coasters there are arguably just as, if not more enjoyable.

Now it seems quaintly old fashioned or something.
But it sure didn’t when BGW hosted ACE’s first ever Coaster Con in 1978. And the average guest likely sees it as another one of the park’s huge, thrilling coasters, not the one that started it all.
I was at the park when the coaster celebrated its 40th birthday with a cosmetic refresh, a revitalized cave section, redone trains, and special ceremonies and events. It was clear how much the park valued its original star attraction and I was relieved to realize they intend to keep it around.
If I had to chose one last Arrow looper to save this would likely be it.

Absolutely.