Tigris (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tigris |
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| Busch Gardens Tampa | |
| Location | Busch Gardens Tampa |
| Park section | Stanleyville |
| Coordinates | 28°02′16.5″N 82°25′29.8″W / 28.037917°N 82.424944°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | April 16, 2019 |
| Opening date | April 19, 2019 |
| Replaced | Tanganyika Tidal Wave |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Premier Rides |
| Model | Sky Rocket II |
| Lift/launch system | LSM Launch |
| Height | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Drop | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Length | 863 ft (263 m) |
| Speed | 62 mph (100 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 18 riders per train. |
| Tigris at RCDB | |
Tigris is an exciting steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park in Tampa, Florida. This thrilling ride was built by Premier Rides and officially opened on April 19, 2019. It is named after the tiger, one of the fastest and most powerful big cats.
Contents
How Tigris Was Built
The area where Tigris now stands used to be home to another ride called the Tanganyika Tidal Wave. This water ride closed in April 2016.
Planning the New Ride
In March 2018, the company that owns Busch Gardens Tampa, SeaWorld Entertainment, started planning a new attraction. They even filed trademarks for names like "Tigris" and "Uproar." This showed they were thinking about a tiger-themed ride.
Later in 2018, documents confirmed that a new project, called "Project TEEL," would be built where the old Tidal Wave ride was. This new attraction would be next to the Jungala area and a tiger exhibit.
Construction Begins
On September 12, 2018, Busch Gardens Tampa officially announced "Tigris." They said it would be a Sky Rocket II model from Premier Rides. The park also mentioned plans for a new area in 2020, which would become Iron Gwazi.
By January 2019, the tall towers of the roller coaster were nearly finished. The entire roller coaster was completed in February 2019. The park showed off the ride's vehicles, or trains, on March 1, 2019. Tigris had a "soft opening" on April 16, 2019, which means it opened to a few guests before its official grand opening on April 19, 2019.
The Ride Experience
Tigris offers a unique and thrilling ride for its passengers.
Waiting for the Ride
The waiting area, also called the queue area, for Tigris was once part of the old Tanganyika Tidal Wave ride. As you wait, you can learn interesting facts about tigers. There are displays that teach about how tigers live in the wild. You can also learn about what wildlife conservationists do to help protect these amazing animals.
What the Ride Does
Tigris is a launched roller coaster, meaning it uses powerful magnets to shoot you forward.
- First, the train launches out of the station and goes up into a partial twist.
- Then, it falls back down through the station.
- Next, it launches backward into another twist.
- Again, the train falls back to the station.
- Finally, riders are launched forward to a top speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h)!
The train then zooms up to a height of 150 feet (46 m). At the top, it completes a special move called a non-inverting half-loop. This means you go upside down, but the track twists so you stay upright! It then goes through a heartline roll, which is like a corkscrew where your heart stays in line with the center of the twist. This is one of the tallest inversions in the world! After that, it goes through another non-inverting half-loop before returning to the station.
Ride Features
Tigris uses a special track design and colors that make it stand out.
Track Design
The roller coaster's track is bright orange, and its supports are a dark black-grey color. This color scheme makes it look bold and exciting. The ride is a Sky Rocket II model, which is known for its compact design and thrilling launched elements.
