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The Rebel Yell is actually twin coasters, one running forward and the other running backward on adjacent tracks.
On the Italian Job Turbo Coaster, riders lurch through tight turns before running a gauntlet of fire, water and blinding darkness.
Volcano, the Blast Coaster, is supposed to fly in and out of a rumbling volcano at high speed.
Touted as the country's only compressed-air launch coaster, Hypersonic XLCcreates the sensation of zero gravity. |
By BEN SELLERS
It took very little for me to catch the amusement park bug.
In April, I previewed the upcoming Busch Gardens season with my uncle. The two of us, both advanced in years (24 and up), must have been a sight, howling away as if we were 15 years younger on The Big Bad Wolf.
But after attending the May grand-opening ceremony for Kings Dominion's new Italian Job Turbo Coaster, I knew my job wasn't finished.
On revisiting the park's International Street for the first time in a decade, my inner child awoke once more. I knew I would need to return to the Doswell park, a 30-minute drive down Interstate 95 from Fredericksburg. This time, I had my 21-year-old cousin Ashley in tow.
Immediately upon entering, we were confronted by a massive, yet tranquil, pool of rushing water, bordered on each side by boutiques. At its end was one of the park's defining characteristics, a 33-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, which overlooks the entire park, making it the ideal meeting place for groups or large families.
Just seeing the tower from the interstate sparks excitement. Yet Ashley and I were on a mission, and had little time to spare.
We coasted through the park's Old Virginia section, where one of my all-time favorite rides, the Grizzly, awaited. (For more on this and other rides, see the sidebar.)
On our way we passed several shows, including the brand-new "Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera" in the Paramount Action FX Theatre.
We grew sentimental, remembering that the theater once housed the popular "Days of Thunder" ride, back when Ashley's favorite attraction was Scooby-Doo's Ghoster Coaster.
While the three-dimensional special effects were sure to entice the young at heart, we kept to our destination.
We passed the Blue Ridge Tollway track, remembering the excitement of cruising in its antique cars back before we had our driver's licenses.
Complete with stage dives and guitar solos, the "School of Rock" revue, which opened in the Paramount Theatre last weekend, might have been the ticket on another occasion, but not this one.
We hit up five rides in quick sequence before breaking for lunch.
Kings Dominion has about 16 different dining options. Many, like its shows and rides, have themes based on movies and TV programs from the Paramount family--which includes CBS and Nickelodeon, in addition to the well-loved Hanna-Barbera characters. (No word on whether the park's recent buyout will affect its motifs.)
We passed by places like the Happy Days Diner and Bubba Gump's Shrimp Shack before settling on the Tomb Raider Grill in the park's Congo section.
After lunch, lines were just beginning to form at the more popular rides. Though the wait for the Anaconda looked bad, it flew by surprisingly fast in the pleasant afternoon weather. While in the shade of a willow tree, we watched the coaster skim and dive over a lake, until finally it was our turn.
The line for Volcano, The Blast Coaster, took a good bit longer, giving us ample time to read the T-shirts of our fellow line-standers. No sooner had we blasted off than technical difficulties sent us hurtling backward to the start.
After another 30 minutes of dangling and waiting for the ride to begin, we decided to cut our losses. The Volcano experience had given us an insatiable desire for backward coaster-riding, though, so we made our way to the Rebel Yell, a park favorite that allows riders to choose forward or backward.
First, however, we cooled down with some of the park's sublimely refreshing frozen lemonade drinks. We passed by the games, where employees, like carnival barkers, recruited eager participants hoping to win giant stuffed animals.
After a few more runs, we called it a day. One thing that hasn't changed in the years since Ashley and I had last visited Kings Dominion with our families was how exhausting all the excitement can be.
And so, after making the drive back listening to Hank Williams Jr.'s "Family Tradition," we each decided to resurrect another childhood favorite: nap time.
To reach BEN SELLERS:
Email: bsellers@freelancestar.com
