Credit: Inside The MagicIf you are a Florida resident or you plan on visiting the Orlando area while on vacation in the future, we have some bad news for coaster fans out there.
When many think of an Orlando vacation, typically, the first theme park that comes to mind is Walt Disney World, and considering it is the size of San Francisco, we are not surprised.
Disney World is home to four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — as well as two water parks, Disney Springs, golf courses, over 25 sprawling resorts, hundreds of dining locations, and so much more.
At Walt Disney World, it is nearly impossible to take a vacation to the most magical place on earth and feel as if you had seen everything the resort has to offer by the time you leave. There is so much to explore; even living in Orlando likely means you still have only scratched the surface when it comes to all the things one can see at Disney.
Then, of course, there is Universal Orlando Resort, which is catching up very quickly to Disney World in terms of sheer size and popularity, especially with the soon-to-open new third theme park, Epic Universe.
While those are the top two tourist attractions in the Orlando area, there are a ton more for guests to enjoy with it comes to theme parks like Fun Spot, SeaWorld Orlando, LEGOLAND, and more.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is located just about one hour from Disney World and holds some of the most thrilling coasters in the state. It has a fun animal theme that will have fans of Disney’s Animal Kingdom clawing to enter.
But, as we recently shared, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced the closure of Scorpion, the park’s oldest roller coaster, with its final day of operation set for September 2, Labor Day.
No replacement has been revealed yet.
“This closure paves the way for exciting new future attractions, with more details about what’s coming to be revealed soon,” Busch Gardens shared in a news release on Friday morning.
Located in the park’s Pantopia section, Scorpion debuted in 1980 as the park’s second coaster, following the Python, which was closed in 2006.
Compared to Busch Gardens’ more modern rides, Scorpion’s stats are relatively modest. It reaches a top speed of 41 mph, with a maximum height of 60.7 feet, according to the Roller Coaster Database. The ride lasts 90 seconds and features a 39-foot-tall loop, notable for being achieved without shoulder harnesses, and its distinct bright orange color. The height requirement for riders is 48 inches.
Once Scorpion is retired, Kumba, which opened in 1993, will become the oldest roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, followed by Montu, which debuted in 1996. Earlier this year, Busch Gardens introduced a new coaster, Phoenix Rising, which travels above the Serengeti Plain.
In the below post on X, the theme park shared the news, stating, “Time’s ticking! Don’t miss your LAST CHANCE to take a ride on the iconic Scorpion roller coaster before its final run on the track on Labor Day, 9/2. 🎢 And stay tuned… this closure paves the way for future thrills.”
Time’s ticking! Don’t miss your LAST CHANCE to take a ride on the iconic Scorpion roller coaster before its final run on the track on Labor Day, 9/2. 🎢 And stay tuned… this closure paves the way for future thrills. pic.twitter.com/gbiv9xT9ge
— Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (@BuschGardens) August 23, 2024
While it is always exciting to hear of the prospect of new attractions and development in a theme park, fans have been less than thrilled with this last-minute announcement for the ride’s closure.
One guest commented, “Closing just before I fly out for my first visit 😭”, another wrote, “Less than 2 weeks notice? That’s kind of rude. Do you not want anybody to have time to get a last ride? I’m more mad that I won’t have time to make the trip, than I am that it is closing.”
Another said, “SCORPION CANNOT CLOSE”, some guests even tagged Fun Spot America in Orlando asking if the park had room to add the coaster there.
It seems that the main thing guests are upset about is the lack of notice that was given, “I wish it would stay open longer! I and many other coaster enthusiasts won’t be able to get one last ride on Scorpion. I hope something great will replace it.” Another comment read, “only giving a ten day closing notice for a coaster…. you guys suck.”
While many other theme park attractions are often praised once they are removed to make way for something bigger and possibly better, Scorpion seems to have coaster fans grieving, “It was a fun ride; I will miss it”. Many took the time to comment their confusion as it “was not a bad ride”.
Other fans of the park are predicting more coaster closures as well, “With all the older rides being replaced (Scorpion, Sand Serpent) it seems like the writing is on the wall for Kumba next.”
Other dissatisfied comments read, “please tell me this ICONIC coaster is not going away its a one of a kind i hope at least you will be relocating it and not scrapping it or at least moving it to another location on property”, and “Your management really needs to put some money into getting better guest experiences. The quick queues processes you use in both parks are very inconvenient compared to other parks. Also, communication really needs to improve when rides are closed/closing.”
Most recently, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay suffered a multi-day closure while the bands of Hurricane Debby rolled through. The park is thankfully back to its full operations now, and is gearing up to launch Howl-O-Scream.
Are you sad to see Scorpion leave Busch Gardens Tampa Bay?