| Python | |
|---|---|
| |
| Park | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay |
| Park section | Congo |
| Opening date | July 1, 1976 |
| Closing date | October 31, 2006 |
| Height | 70ft |
| Drop | Unknown |
| Speed | 50mph |
| Replaced | Unknown |
| Replaced by | Jungala |
Python was a steel roller coaster that operated in the Congo section of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. After thirty years of operation at the park, it was demolished to make room for the park's new Jungala area.
Ride history[]
Python opened to the general public on July 1, 1976, in the Congo section of the park near Stanley Falls Flume and Congo River Rapids. A few weeks after its opening, a 39-year-old heart patient died after riding the attraction.
2003 refurbishment[]
The attraction was refurbished in 2003. The track was repainted, and the Python logo that bore the front of the train was replaced with the park's new logo.
Closure and Jungala[]
On October 31, 2006, Python closed forever to make way for Busch Gardens' biggest expansion yet, a themed area named Jungala. After its closure, Python was demolished for scrap, as was the nearby soft-serve stand and gift shop. Jungala opened on April 5, 2008.
Ride synopsis[]
First, the train left the station and entered a small U-turn curve, followed by the 70-foot lift hill. The train then dipped into a banked turn before entering the first and main drop. After that, it went over an airtime hill into the attraction's famous double corkscrews. The train then entered another U-turn, leading into the final brake system.
Trivia[]
- Python was the first roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa since its 1959 opening.
- This attraction was built by Arrow Development.
- Python was an exact replica of the Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm, now operating at Silverwood.
- In fact, the coaster's design is a stock model.
- Due to the fatal incident several weeks after the roller coaster opened, the tagline, "I challenged the Python and lived!", had to be taken out.