Pantheon
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
LocationBusch Gardens Williamsburg
Park sectionFesta Italia
Coordinates37°14′02″N 76°38′33″W / 37.2339°N 76.6426°W / 37.2339; -76.6426
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMarch 4, 2022
Opening dateMarch 25, 2022 (2022-03-25)
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched
ManufacturerIntamin
ModelLSM Coaster
Lift/launch systemLSM
Height178 ft (54 m)
Length3,328 ft (1,014 m)
Speed73 mph (117 km/h)
Inversions2
Max vertical angle95°
Height restriction52–76[1] in (132–193 cm)
Trains2 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Quick Queue available
Pantheon at RCDB
Video

Pantheon is a steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia. Manufactured by Intamin, the roller coaster opened to park members on March 4, 2022 and features four launches, five airtime hills, and a 95-degree beyond vertical drop.[2] The 178-foot-tall ride (54 m) inverts riders twice and reaches a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h). Its theme is set to ancient Rome with a focus on the ancient culture's deities Jupiter, Mercury, Minerva, Neptune and Pluto. It is also being marketed as the fastest multi-launch roller coaster in the world, breaking a record previously held by Taron at Phantasialand.[3]

History

This ride was referred to as Project MMXX during the early construction stages and replaced an earlier project named Project Madrid, where Busch Gardens filed a 315 feet height waiver for a cancelled attraction.[4]

The initial planning application for the ride was filed in February 2019, and it was eventually announced to be Pantheon on July 30, 2019. The announcement was held in the globe theater at the park and streamed live on the park's Facebook page. Leading up to the announcements there was a series of teasers posted on social media.[5] By October 2019, photos indicated that construction of the track had begun.[6] Pantheon's opening was ultimately delayed by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia. Busch Gardens announced in September 2021 that the ride would open the following March.[7][8] The ride opened to the public on March 25, 2022,[9][10] following a soft opening on March 4.[11][12]

Characteristics

Pantheon is 178 feet (54 m) tall, 3,328 feet (1,014 m) long, and reaches a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) throughout the ride.[13] This made it the second fastest roller coaster in Virginia upon opening, behind Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.[14] The ride's layout includes four launches – three of which occur on a swing launch between the vertical spike and top hat.[13] This swing launch can also be found on Toutatis at Parc Astérix in France.[15] Pantheon also has two inversions, which are a zero-g winder and a zero-g stall.[13] It runs two trains of five cars, each of which seat two rows of two riders for a total of 20 passengers per train.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Pantheon - Opening March 2022 | Busch Gardens Williamsburg". www.buschgardens.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Pantheon Member Preview Dates". Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Pantheon, Fastest Multi-launch Coaster in The World Coming Soon". Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  4. ↑ Zachary. "Born From the Ashes". BGW Fans. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Busch Gardens teases new ride". WVEC. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ Fearing, Sarah (October 3, 2019). "Busch Gardens releases photos of latest Pantheon construction update". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ Tuttle, Brittani (September 8, 2021). "Pantheon opening March 2022 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ The Virginia Gazette (September 11, 2021). "Delayed by pandemic, Busch Gardens Williamsburg's roller coaster, Pantheon, to open in 2022". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ Collette, Christopher (March 25, 2022). "The wait is over! Busch Gardens Williamsburg's new Pantheon roller coaster officially opens to the public". 13newsnow.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Attention, thrill seekers: Pantheon, Busch Gardens Williamsburg's newest roller coaster, is now open!". WTKR. March 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  11. ↑ Collette, Christopher (January 26, 2022). "'Ride among the gods' - Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Pantheon opens to the public March 25". 13newsnow.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Busch Gardens Williamsburg to open newest coaster Pantheon to members for early-access rides March 4". WTKR. January 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Marden, Duane. "Pantheon  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Intimidator 305  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  15. ↑ "Intamin Blitz Will Charge Into Parc Astérix in 2023".
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