WILLIAMSBURG – Verbolten: Forbidden Turn may feature a fresh retheming, but it still leans into its past, with subtle nods to its predecessor woven throughout the updated coaster experience.
The ride reopened to the public May 30 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On Wednesday, WYDaily attended a media day to experience the coaster and speak with those involved in its redesign.
Busch Gardens officials said the coaster reaches speeds of up to 53 mph and stretches more than 2,800 feet of track. It retains signature elements including a drop-track section, where a segment of track lowers to connect to a lower portion, and an 88-foot drop into the park’s Rhine River-themed area.
During the months-long closure for retheming, the ride also received new animatronics and updated interior scenes inside the ride building, including a large tree, lightning effects and a familiar orange Volkswagen Beetle that previously sat outside the attraction.
The project was led in part by GuernseyTingle, a Williamsburg-based architecture, interior design and planning firm that helped shape the ride’s updated look and storytelling elements.
Richard Smith, an architect and project manager with GuernseyTingle, said preserving those callbacks was intentional.
“I love easter eggs. I grew up here, this is my home park so I remember all these rides when they opened up going back to Big Bad Wolf,” Smith said. “I wanted to keep the lore of the original ride.”
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Park President Kevin Lembke said early reception has been strong.
“It’s been months and months in the making, and it’s always amazing to see the initial reactions from guests,” Lembke said. “The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. People are really blown away at the level of storytelling, the thematics and the new technology we’ve incorporated.”
