The circa-1927 Cyclone at Coney Island is still delivering its rough-and-tumble thrills. And riders are still braving the 50-year-old Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, the world's first tubular track steel roller coaster. But the suspended coaster, the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, will cease operations this Sept. 7 after a mere 25 years on the prowl. The news surprised many coaster fans who consider the ride a classic favorite. Unlike inverted coasters, which also hang beneath the track, suspended coasters pivot on a moveable arm. Busch Gardens has not released any info about what will replace The Big Bad Wolf, but its demise will free up a huge swath of land that includes the adjacent area where the Drachen Fire coaster once stood.
Are you a Big Bad Wolf fan? Are you saddened by its closing? Take the poll and voice your opinion. Then join the conversation by clicking on the Comments button below to share your Big Bad Wolf stories and thoughts.
Photo: The Big Bad Wolf swings through the woods at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Busch Entertainment, 2009. Used with permission.
Busch Gardens should not kill the Big Bad Wolf! This coaster is a fan favorite. Parks across our nation keep their coasters running, why can’t Busch Gardens? Are the new owners too “new” to realize this ride is one of the reasons ahy people go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
I have ridden the Big Bad Wolf and its long lost black sheep sibling The Bat. I was saddened to see The bat go but as physics deemed it and unsafe ride, so be it. As for the Big Bad Wolf, I thoroughly enjoyed it every year but if it is living on borrowed time… I would hate to see a park as wonderful as Busch Gardens Williamsburg have to deal with tragedy if the ride failed. Besides, safety checks have been making the line unbearably time consuming. Make something bigger and faster a la Millenium Force using that perfect ravine.
i think it will be a big lose to the parkI think the best thing would to buy the coaster and build it some werew new, and may be starety a small park with other atrections that leave other park sdo the is a plase they can go and be saved and salviged
It is a very sad day. I thorughly enjoyed riding BBW and it was a great starter Coaster for my kids. Cedar Fair has three of these rides still in esistants and manages to mantain them. This is another example for the owners to ignor their fan base.
I am a roller coaster entusiast. I travel all over the states going to different amusement parks. Last year in June, we rode the Big Bad Wolf. I was a little dissapointed in that the ride was short. I have been on better iverted rollercoasters that had more twists and turns etc. It just wasn’t exciting enough for me but we still had fun and rode it a couple more times.
I’m not even getting my hopes up on this one. The day I saw pics of Drachen Fire being cut up made me so sick, I actually took the day off work. DF was my first big boy coaster. Wolf is quite honestly the best suspended in this country. Shame to see it go. It amazes me how Six Flags has managed to reinvent themselves, these last couple of years, as family-type parks that preserve their heritage (Monster Mansion – SFOG…SkyTower Museum – SFMM). All the while, the parks we’ve depended on – Busch, Disney – seem to have forgotten why parents like to bring their kids back…generation after generation. Hope somebody opens their eyes up there. Maybe SF can buy Busch as well and let us have something to pass on.
Six Flags is in no position to buy the AB parks. Besides the AB management is much better than Six Flags. Even if they were to make a miraculous recovery from bankruptcy to a position where they could buy new parks, this would mean a huge drop in overall quality and cleanliness of a park (Busch Gardens) that has consistently been voted the most beautiful in the country.
If Six Flags bought ANY of the AB parks, I wouldn’t go to any of them. Their maintenance sucks, the parks are dirty, and the employees are crap!!
I went to Busch Gardens in 2009, and rode all the coasters there multiple times. I only rode Big Bad Wolf twice, but it was a fun and surprisingly intense coaster. It really should be kept open, seeing how it is the oldest suspended coaster left. But I was happy to ride it while I had the chance.
I enjoyed the many times I’ve ridden the Big Bad Wolf and hate to see the ride retire. What I don’t understand is that it was closed due to it reaching its service life. However, why hasn’t the Loc Ness Monster closed???? It’s been around since 1978!
I remember first riding the BBW back in the mid-eighties and absolutely loved it. It was so unique in its design which set it apart from other suspended coasters and was always my #1 favorite in that category. Living in Pittsburgh I would make a trip to Busch Gardens every so many years and it never disappointed me. It has been a few years since I have been to Busch Gardens and was thinking of visiting this summer. What a disappointment to find out this info. I am glad that I got to enjoy it while it was here. I am sad that it is gone. RIP BBW.