Busch Gardens Williamsburg today revealed its plans to refurbish the Virginia theme park's most iconic attraction.
Loch Ness Monster will close to the public at the end of the month for its transformation into Loch Ness Monster: The Legend Lives On next year. The 1978 Arrow Dynamics double looper will retain its iconic layout, but will be getting 900 feet of new track on its 3,240-foot layout, as well as new storytelling elements, including an all-new soundtrack created just for the ride, the park said.
The ride's queue also will feature "new storytelling elements," and Busch Gardens also said that riders will "catch a glimpse of something monstrous lurking under the water" on the ride's first drop.
Loch Ness Monster will close to the public on October 31, though park membership holders will have exclusive ride time on the coaster on November 4 and 5. Loch Ness Monster: The Legend Lives On will open in 2024, with no date announced at this point.
There are two attractions in this world that represent canon events for me. The first is Tom Sawyer Island, which was my favorite attraction as child and the first attraction I worked as a cast member at Walt Disney World. The second is Loch Ness Monster, which was the first roller coaster with an inversion that I was brave enough to ride... and then became the first coaster with an inversion that my daughter ever rode, too.
I do not want to imagine a world without either attraction, so Busch Gardens' commitment not only to maintain but to enhance Loch Ness Monster while keeping its layout thrills me as much as my first trip through its interlocking loops. Stay tuned for more details on the refurbishment of Loch Ness Monster as we move toward to reopening next year.
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Whatever they do I hope it doesn't involve changing the entrance sign/logo to whatever that atrocity is that they released (that is featured on the homepage of this site and the official BGW site). Cringe to think someone actually bought off on that.
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The initial rumors were that LNM was going to be fully re-tracked, so it's curious that they're noting only a bit more than a quarter of the layout will be re-tracked. My guess is that the track leading into and out of both loops are the targets of the re-tracking, and perhaps the turn after the first drop - those spots are the roughest and most notoriously headbanging moments on the coaster.
I kind of like the idea of putting Nessie into the water, where guests walking on the pathway between Scotland and German can view the mythic beast, but if they don't bring the effects and creature back to the lair, then it will be incredibly disappointing.
I'm not sure how they can rework the queue any more than it already is. Most of the "story elements" were brought back during the 25th Anniversary celebration, but the line is rarely long enough to warrant using the extended queue. The main queue house (before the station) could probably be themed and eliminate the switchbacks, but aside from creating a pre-show type area, I'm not sure how the experience would be significantly improved beyond forcing guests to walk the entre length of the highly-themed lower queue.