WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — "The wolf has returned."
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is bringing a new thrill ride for 2025, and it's paying homage to an old classic!
The theme park announced "The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge" will be North America's longest inverted family-friendly coaster. The original Big Bad Wolf inverted roller coaster was a fan-favorite when it operated at Busch Gardens from 1984 to 2010.
Busch Gardens said the new Big Bad Wolf has more than 2,500 feet of track and reaches speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. That's a bit slower than the original Wolf, which according to Coaster Wiki could reach speeds of up to 48 miles per hour.
Still, Busch Gardens is banking on the new Wolf being a family attraction that's perfect for kids, with a minimum height requirement of 42 inches tall when accompanied by a supervising companion and 48 inches without.
Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, it will be the park's 11 coaster and will be located in the Oktoberfest section of the park, in the area once occupied by Drachen Fire, another long-gone coaster.
Busch Gardens teased the new attraction last month with an online naming contest, offering fans the following choices:
- WölfSturm (Wolf Storm)
- WölfsReign
- GeisterWölf (Ghost Wolf)
In the end, though, the theme park decided to go with none of these, saying in a press release that "fans were loud and clear on their desire to see the park honor the legacy of an old favorite while launching an all-new family-friendly attraction. As a result, Busch Gardens Williamsburg chose the ride's name specifically to build upon a beloved attraction in the park's history with a new twist."
Busch Gardens describes The Wolf's Revenge as "an immersive journey through a Bavarian village." A sneak preview video shows the coaster – with bright red track – zipping through a Bavarian hamlet, invoking the old Big Bad Wolf. The original Wolf, with its sleek red track and suspended black cars, became one of the highlight attractions at Busch Gardens, perhaps second only to the Loch Ness Monster, during its quarter-century of operation. Riders would be steered through a Bavarian village, narrowly missing buildings before finally taking a final steep, 100-foot drop down to the park's Rhine River.
No specific opening date has been announced, but the park said it will be in 2025, in time for Busch Gardens Williamsburg's 50th anniversary.
