Cobra's Curse set to open at Busch Gardens

Image 1 of 11

The newest ride at Busch Gardens is opening up this Friday, and today we got a sneak peek of it. The attraction is called Cobra’s Curse and is a distinctive family thrill ride. The rollercoaster takes the rider through an archeological dig that has stumbled upon cursed grounds, trying to escape the evil ‘cobra’s curse’.

The attraction begins with an air-conditioned queue line, the only one of its kind at Busch Gardens. Inside the queue, there is a 400-square-foot snake enclosure complete with several venomous snakes, as well as a 3D projected background story for the ride.

Once on the ride, you start off going up a unique 70-foot vertical track elevator.  At the top, your cart is dumped toward an 80-foot snake statue before veering just left of it and spiraling down toward the earth at 40 mph.

While you start off facing forward, eventually the cart is turned 180 degrees as the ride continues through twists and turns.  Finally, the carts are left to spin on their own, twirling the riders as they go through the final curves and dips in the track.

While it sounds rough, the ride itself is quite smooth. And even though it’s billed as a family thrill ride -- with a minimum height of 42 inches --  it provides plenty of excitement for even the more adventurous riders.

Park officials say Cobra’s Curse features 2,100 feet of track and can have up to eight trains going at once.