2011 Brings Ten New Attractions to Parks Across the Country

Hey Fans! In case you haven’t heard, 2011 is a really exciting year for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. We’re opening ten – that’s right, ten – new attractions in our parks across the country! Here’s a quick download on everything that’s coming to your favorite parks this year.

Just announced this morning, a new killer whale show is opening at all three SeaWorld parks. “One Ocean” connects guests to the sea, and to these amazing animals, with a new level of excitement while it educates and inspires you to make a difference in this world. The show is scheduled to premiere at SeaWorld Orlando at the end of April, SeaWorld San Diego on Memorial Day weekend and SeaWorld San Antonio in June.

SeaWorld San Diego also is opening a second major attraction this summer – Turtle Reef where you can get an up-close look at 60 threatened or endangered sea turtles. And don’t miss its new ride which takes you on an exciting animal rescue mission!

SeaWorld San Antonio also opens Sesame Street Bay of Play this spring which will include three acres of exciting rides, shows and play areas and will be home to a colorful carousel with all the friends of Sesame Street.

Just across the street from SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove is opening an all-new area called The Grand Reef. You can experience this new adventure in a variety of ways: there’s plenty of shallow water areas; a chance to snorkel among thousands of fish and rays in deeper water; and, for the most thrill-seeking fans, there is SeaVenture – an underwater walking tour using dive helmets.

If your favorite part of a park visit is thrill rides, then the Busch Gardens parks are the place for you! Busch Gardens Tampa is opening Cheetah Hunt, a multiple launch-point coaster that uses repelling magnets to launch riders from 0 to 60 mph in a matter of seconds. At the new Cheetah Run animal habitat, you can witness the world’s fastest land animal in action during daily sprints.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is opening a drop tower called Mach Tower, where you’ll be lifted almost 200 feet in the air before a breath-taking and exciting drop. Also in Williamsburg, Water Country is opening Vanish Point, a new thrill attraction where you can choose which way you drop out of sight: either plunging down after the floor drops out from under you, or horizontally on a 300-foot speed slide that drops you straight down.

And, for our littlest fans, you can have tons of fun at Sesame Place, near Philadelphia, during “Neighborhood Street Party” with all of your favorite Sesame Street characters, then scoot on over to the park’s newest ride – Elmo’s Cloud Chaser.

Pretty exciting stuff, right? We'll keep you updated on all of the latest developments on these attractions right here on our blogs, so check back often!

Press Release Link | Image Link

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announces Cheetah Hunt

For more than five decades, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has found inspiration in its animals. Animal care experts have turned that inspiration into adventure with immersive natural habitats like the Serengeti Plain and Myombe Reserve. Engineers have also turned it into adrenaline, capturing the spirit of the animals in wood and steel with coasters like Kumba, Gwazi and SheiKra.

Now, the next generation of thrills emerges from the crossroads where up-close animal encounters and awe-inspiring rides come together. Spring 2011, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay introduces a mega-attraction that invites guests to feel the spirit and feel the speed of the cheetah.

Cheetah Hunt
The centerpiece of the new attraction is Cheetah Hunt, a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster that uses the force of repelling magnets to launch riders from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds – not once, but three times.

The first launch propels the train out of its station and into the grasslands that surround the new area. Moments later, a second burst of speed accelerates riders to 60 mph and up into the ride’s signature tower element that climbs more than 10 stories above the African landscape before plunging 130 feet into a subterranean trench. At the far end of this three-quarter-mile path, a third burst of speed rockets the train back across the plain toward the station in a thrill-ride experience unlike anything Busch Gardens’ guests have ever experienced.

Cheetah Run
But this one-of-a-kind coaster experience is only a portion of the new realm. Building on Busch Gardens’ unrivaled ability to combine thrills with immersive animal encounters, Cheetah Run will set a new standard for bringing nature and humans together in a really unique way.

Located in the area that formerly housed the Budweiser Clydesdales, this expansive new habitat will give visitors the opportunity to get closer to cheetahs than ever before with elevated, glass-paneled viewing areas. Even more exciting will be the chance to witness the world’s fastest land animal in action. Busch Gardens’ trainers will conduct daily sprints with the cheetahs for an awesome opportunity to see one of nature’s true wonders in full form!

Families can also explore interactive touch screens to learn even more about these big cats and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s work on their behalf. Through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the adventure parks have been helping cheetahs in the wild since 2005.

Cheetah Hunt and the Cheetah Run open in spring 2011. Together, they form a unique experience – the kind you’ll only find at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Cheetah Hunt Facts

• Type of ride -- Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster
• Launches -- Launch 1: 30 mph ... Launch 2: 60 mph ... Launch 3: 40 mph
• Other elements -- 130-foot drop into an underground trench ... over-banked turns ... "air time" parabolas ... heartline roll inversion.
• Track length -- 4,429 feet -- more than three quarters of a mile!
• Maximum speed -- 60 mph
• Maximum force -- 4 G
• Height -- 102 feet
• Ride duration -- 3 1/2 minutes (including loading and unloading)
• Seats/Train -- 5 trains, 16 passengers per train
• Guest capacity -- 1,370 guests per hour
• Height requirement -- 48"
• Location -- Crown Colony Plaza, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
• Manufacturer -- Intaride LLC, exclusive U.S. supplier of Intamin rides.

Press Release Link | Video Link