Busch Gardens' Cobra's Curse Begins Testing

TAMPA, FL — Thrill seekers don’t have too much longer to wait to give Busch Garden’s new Cobra’s Curse a whirl.

The Tampa theme park announced Tuesday that the final piece of track on the new spin coaster was bolted into place on Saturday. The placement of the 4,475-pound track piece marked the end of construction and the beginning of the new ride’s testing phase.

“The spin coaster will be the only one of its kind in the world, featuring a menacing 30,000-pound snake king icon and a 70-foot vertical lift that will take riders within inches of its 4-foot-long fangs,” the park announced in a media release. “The three-and-a-half-minute ride will then spin forward, backward and then freely, taking riders on a whirlwind of exciting explorations.”

Park goers who stop by the new ride when it opens this summer will also find a 400-cubic-foot snake exhibit to keep them busy in the queue line. The exhibit will contain Angolan pythons, Jameson’s mambas and rhinoceros and gaboon vipers.

“This multi-level exhibit reflects the theme of the ride while featuring several animal husbandry and enrichment components designed with the snakes’ welfare in mind, including naturalistic design elements, controlled heat sources and humidity control,” the park said.

An exact opening date for Cobra’s Curse has not yet been announced.

To find out more about the park, visit it online.

Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens

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