{"id":359902,"date":"2026-08-01T12:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/359902\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:33:09","slug":"after-33-years-this-iconic-theme-park-coaster-is-set-to-close-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/359902\/","title":{"rendered":"After 33 Years, This Iconic Theme Park Coaster Is Set to Close Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"

An iconic Florida theme park attraction<\/a> is about to close FOREVER.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9Busch Gardens Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

Kumba, a once-record-holding roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is set to close on August 2nd after thrilling guests for three decades.<\/p>\n

Busch Gardens first opened as a side attraction to the then-new Busch Brewery location. Over the next 30 years, the park grew with the additions of rides and animal attractions, becoming a popular tourist destination. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the park\u2019s braintrust became interested in adding a massive new thrill attraction to BETTER compete with Disney and Universal. They reached out to coaster designers Bolliger\u00a0& Mabillard, who came back with a record-breaking design.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9Busch Gardens Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

Kumba, which opened in the park\u2019s Congo section in 1993, featured the world\u2019s tallest vertical loop at the time (114 feet), and was the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Florida. The ride, which also offered a 135-foot drop, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a cobra roll, and a pair of interlocking corkscrews, was an immediate hit, putting the park on the map as a thrill destination.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9Busch Gardens Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

While Kumba was initially very popular \u2014 and developed a devoted fanbase \u2014 the ride became less of a draw over the years as the park added more and more advanced coasters. Finally, in 2026, Busch announced that the coaster would be closing later that year, just a few months after its 33rd birthday. Busch Gardens paid tribute to the ride on social media, writing, \u201cDebuting in 1993, Kumba set a new standard for thrill rides! It was Florida\u2019s tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster when it opened, and it featured the world\u2019s tallest vertical loop. From its 7 exhilarating inversions to its iconic roar sound, Kumba has left its mark on Busch Gardens and will be remembered as an icon of the park.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, as part of the same statement, Busch Gardens also announced that a sequel coaster was coming. They wrote, \u201cAs part of our evolution and commitment to delivering innovative attractions, we are happy to announce Kumba\u2019s Revenge! This new attraction is a part of our $100 million investment that will elevate Busch Gardens as Florida\u2019s thrill leader and enhance our guest experience. Kumba\u2019s Revenge is an extension of an already legendary coaster, and it will allow its spirit to live on as we enter a new era of thrills.\u201d The company has yet to provide details on whether Kumba\u2019s Revenge will be a retrack or rebuild of the current Kumba or an entirely new construction.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a9Busch Gardens Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Florida\u2019s most iconic attractions and all of the latest theme park news, updates, tips, and tricks.<\/p>\n

This Universal Orlando Land Desperately Needs an Update<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you ridden Kumba? Will you miss it? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

Post a Comment <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An iconic Florida theme park attraction is about to close FOREVER. \u00a9Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Kumba, a once-record-holding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359903,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-359902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}