Going, going, gone: Rides you never get to ride
Not long ago it was reported that the beloved Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Europe would be removed early this September. When I read that this nostalgic structure would be cleared to make way for a new attraction, one word immediately sprung to mind; bugger. Big Bad Wolf was a roller coaster at the very top of my to-ride list if I ever had the time to visit the United States. The theme park world is truly going to lose one of its best, and it's a shame that many enthusiasts who live abroad, like myself, will never get to ride it. This event in the coaster industry has led me to think of the other greats from the past that I have missed out on, which I will never get a chance to ride on.
I remember about 10 years ago when my dad came back from a business trip in Miami and brought back some maps and brochures for theme parks like Busch Gardens, Universal Studios and of course Disney World. Looking at the Universal Studios map, I was blown away by all the awesome attractions, but the one that caught my eye the most was "Back to the Future: The Ride". Now my best bet to ever get a chance to truly ride it instead of watching a POV video on YouTube is to go to Japan. The huge downside is that it would probably be in Japanese. I guess there wasn't really anything that I could do to actually get a chance to ride it before it was removed from both Hollywood and Orlando's Universal Studios, but it would have been a great experience. I'm happy that it was replaced with a fantastic ride which pays homage to its predecessor in a very humorous way.
My next story takes place at Movie World in 1997. I was six years old and easily intimidated by certain dark rides like the old Gremlins and the original Batman ride. Still, I went on the Gremlins ride and nearly crapped myself on it. For that reason I didn't go on what was the original Batman ride and I completely regret not doing so. Since then I've had to cure my curiosity with a crappy quality video of the ride on YouTube... In German (now I wish I had taken German seriously in primary school...). I guess I really couldn't help it seeing as I was six years old and a total coward. However, the Tim Burton Batman movies, particularly Batman Returns, the movie which the original ride was based on remain some of my most loved memories. At least everything about the Batman ride apart from the original video remained the same.
My last story is a fairly recent one compared to the last two and more close to home, metaphorically and literally. It takes place at Dreamworld where my very first two coasters, Thunderbolt and Eureka Mountain have now been removed for White Water World and well... nothing. The Thunderbolt, despite being rough as hell and having banking that could be compared to a Wild Mouse coaster, remains as one of my all-time favourite coasters, even to this day. The very same applies to Eureka Mountain (which is coincidentally a Wild Mouse coaster). These were milestones in spawning my love for coasters and a significant piece of my childhood, which are now gone. And because of that I would at least like to see them be replaced by something worthwhile instead of storage space for the park...
These are just a few memories of mine concerning rides that have been removed from their respective parks. I'm sure I am not alone in losing a piece of my childhood or a plain awesome ride at a local theme park, but after all, they ARE machines are have to be replaced some time or the other, for better or worse. If you have any stories to share about a lost ride, please do post them in the comment box below.
P.S. I'd really appreciate if anyone could fix me up with a good POV of the original Batman Ride, Thunderbolt or even Eureka Mountain. I have yet to find a decent one for each of them.
Photo: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
