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A BGT Dark Ride?

I haven't been on here in a hot minute (probably to the relief of everyone) but I can't resist the opportunity to talk about how I think BGT needs some dark rides lmao

I'm sure it's buried in another thread somewhere but I think I found several spots that would be perfect for a dark ride, such as:
  • The Questor building and surrounding land, for an Egypt themed ride
  • The empty plot next to Tigris, for a ride relating to African animals and the jungle
  • The general area with the bumper cars, rc boats, and unused Congo train station for a similar concept
  • Gwazi field for a Sesame Street dark ride
It wouldn't really be a ride but another idea that would be an awesome addition would be a Turtle Trek style 3D show in the same area as the new swing ride, basically highlighting wildlife in the Serengeti instead of the ocean.

There are many arguments to be made for a dark ride though. There's virtually nothing to do at this park anymore when it rains, and nearly every ride at this point is a big thrill ride, primarily roller coasters, which to me seems like having Thanksgiving dinner with eleven dishes of green bean casserole and nothing else. It also gives the park a lot more character when it has rides that actually tell a story. The only real argument against it is that it can be expensive, but the counter to that is that it doesn't necessarily have to be--if Six Flags can afford to put decent Sally dark rides in nearly all of its parks then I'd think a company like SWPE can do the same. When literally every other major theme park in Florida (including Legoland and Kennedy Space Center) has some form of dark ride it seems silly that BGT doesn't.
 
I haven't been on here in a hot minute (probably to the relief of everyone) but I can't resist the opportunity to talk about how I think BGT needs some dark rides lmao

I'm sure it's buried in another thread somewhere but I think I found several spots that would be perfect for a dark ride, such as:
  • The Questor building and surrounding land, for an Egypt themed ride
  • The empty plot next to Tigris, for a ride relating to African animals and the jungle
  • The general area with the bumper cars, rc boats, and unused Congo train station for a similar concept
  • Gwazi field for a Sesame Street dark ride
It wouldn't really be a ride but another idea that would be an awesome addition would be a Turtle Trek style 3D show in the same area as the new swing ride, basically highlighting wildlife in the Serengeti instead of the ocean.

There are many arguments to be made for a dark ride though. There's virtually nothing to do at this park anymore when it rains, and nearly every ride at this point is a big thrill ride, primarily roller coasters, which to me seems like having Thanksgiving dinner with eleven dishes of green bean casserole and nothing else. It also gives the park a lot more character when it has rides that actually tell a story. The only real argument against it is that it can be expensive, but the counter to that is that it doesn't necessarily have to be--if Six Flags can afford to put decent Sally dark rides in nearly all of its parks then I'd think a company like SWPE can do the same. When literally every other major theme park in Florida (including Legoland and Kennedy Space Center) has some form of dark ride it seems silly that BGT doesn't.

Yeah BGT could use a dark ride as a good compliment to its outstanding coaster lineup. My last visit in June 2019 it threatened to storm the entire day which basically shut down the entire park. Sadly I'm not sure if they will be able to afford it after 'rona.

But your "Thanksgiving dinner" comment reenforces why I think the complete opposition to large coasters among certain swathes of Disney fandom (see the mostly pre-Potter sentiment that "Universal is just like Six Flags!") is completely stupid. WDW could really use one, even if I know they won't.
 
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I could see them getting this.


Even with Empire, I feel like they'd be far more likely to give it to Sea World. BGT's design always felt odd to me with some of the backstage and employee stuff smack dab in the middle of the park. Have to wonder if they'd be willing to sacrifice the space for it since they kept Iron Gwazi so confined. Maybe that's not relevant since they intentionally wanted it to reuse the footprint and evoke memories of the original, but still.

BG isn't competing with parks that would build an attraction of that quality while Sea World does directly even if they are pivoting away to create their own niche in the market.

The current Sesame area serves its purpose well at BGT for that park's market and with the company as a whole going more decidedly for thrills, I just don't think the investment would be as worthwhile at BGT.
 
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Even with Empire, I feel like they'd be far more likely to give it to Sea World. BGT's design always felt odd to me with some of the backstage and employee stuff smack dab in the middle of the park. Have to wonder if they'd be willing to sacrifice the space for it since they kept Iron Gwazi so confined. Maybe that's not relevant since they intentionally wanted it to reuse the footprint and evoke memories of the original, but still.

BG isn't competing with parks that would build an attraction of that quality while Sea World does directly even if they are pivoting away to create their own niche in the market.

The current Sesame area serves its purpose well at BGT for that park's market and with the company as a whole going more decidedly for thrills, I just don't think the investment would be as worthwhile at BGT.
As much as I would like a diverse lineup at BGT and SWO, meaning some dark rides, I feel like the dark rides, simulators, and 4D theaters they've had have met their demise pretty quiickly.

One exception is Escape From Pompeii at BGW...who's effects, as far as I'm aware, are still working and on. But it's also a water ride that's extremely popular.

Rides like Akbar, DarKastle, Corkscrew Hill, Atlantis, etc have had effects removed/turned off or been shuttered completely.

I think something like Cobra's Curse is as close as we're going to get for now

Still though, I'm curious to see the numbers a Sesame Safari dark ride or Sesame Arctic Adventure would do.
 
As much as I would like a diverse lineup at BGT and SWO, meaning some dark rides, I feel like the dark rides, simulators, and 4D theaters they've had have met their demise pretty quiickly.

One exception is Escape From Pompeii at BGW...who's effects, as far as I'm aware, are still working and on. But it's also a water ride that's extremely popular.

Rides like Akbar, DarKastle, Corkscrew Hill, Atlantis, etc have had effects removed/turned off or been shuttered completely.

I think something like Cobra's Curse is as close as we're going to get for now

Still though, I'm curious to see the numbers a Sesame Safari dark ride or Sesame Arctic Adventure would do.
I agree. That post was written with the caveat of "if at all". Was what I was trying to suggest when I brought up the pivot.

I think if they would add any dark ride, it would be something like that though and a perfect way to replace wild arctic. Unlike Empire, the IP does the work for them and would be an obvious success. I feel like they could just tell Sally or whoever to create a Sesame ride (which I think they've already built several of) and theme it to a freak blizzard or something.

I'll be pretty disappointed if they don't do this in the next 5 years. When Six Flags parks can get JL Battle of Metropolis, it's definitely a bad look when SW can't even provide that.

Edit: Wow, I had absolutely no idea the Akbar Adventures attraction ever existed.
 
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I'll be pretty disappointed if they don't do this in the next 5 years. When Six Flags parks can get JL Battle of Metropolis, it's definitely a bad look when SW can't even provide that.

Have you been on Justice League? It's OK, but no great shakes, and if they don't keep up on maintenance it's kind of pointless to have it. Having seen SeaWorld and Busch's lack of upkeep on themed attractions, I can't see this being a great option for them. Unless it's the Sesame dark ride which they might be contractually required to maintain to a higher standard.
 
Have you been on Justice League? It's OK, but no great shakes, and if they don't keep up on maintenance it's kind of pointless to have it. Having seen SeaWorld and Busch's lack of upkeep on themed attractions, I can't see this being a great option for them. Unless it's the Sesame dark ride which they might be contractually required to maintain to a higher standard.
I feel like they gotta try though. Themed attractions and dark rides are really becoming a "must-have" at theme parks, just as roller coasters have gotten to be in the past few decades. Even ultra-generic parks like Cedar Point are investing in themed attractions like Forbidden Frontier. I'd say if SeaWorld/Busch wants to stay competitive with even parks like Six Flags they're going to have to start looking at creative ways they can affordably create immersive themed rides and experiences for guests. Not that anyone asked for my opinion, but I'd think retrofitting some of the existing rides like Stanley Falls Flume and Sand Serpent with at least partial enclosure, some props, a soundtrack and a themed queue with a backstory would be just as effective and probably cheaper than a new thrill ride. They could even pull a Disney and advertise it as a completely new ride. And if they did do something like enclose sand serpent, they'd be giving themselves a dark ride at the same time.
 
Have you been on Justice League? It's OK, but no great shakes, and if they don't keep up on maintenance it's kind of pointless to have it. Having seen SeaWorld and Busch's lack of upkeep on themed attractions, I can't see this being a great option for them. Unless it's the Sesame dark ride which they might be contractually required to maintain to a higher standard.

I think they could get away with an all screenz dark ride given that it would be the only screenz ride in the park. The reason people complain about screenz at USF is because of the sheer quantity of them.
 
I think Busch Gardens needs a few indoor rides/attractions because when it’s a rainy day, you’ve got nothing to do in the park. A park like Universal Studios or Magic Kingdom fare so well down here because they have enough to get people to the park or keep people in the park even if it’s a terribly rainy day.
 
Some time in the last decade BGT got pretty close to getting a dark ride. Not positive on what happened, but I think it was probably a financial strain that caused them to call off that year’s capex.
What’s really interesting to me about BGT’s development is two things: 1) a lot of it is reactionary 2) it’s really rare for things to be pushed back.

For the first, BGT might be one of the best parks when it comes to keeping the pulse of what people want. RMC Gwazi was not a serious consideration until there was an undeniable rallying cry for it from fans. It was nothing more than a thought in the back of their heads when the ride actually closed. Cobra’s Curse, Tigris, and Jethro were similarly “what does the park need” additions.

For the second, Busch has scrapped a lot of smaller additions over the years when they were In a financial pinch. Usually it balanced out because they also got some of the bigger additions in the years where things were able to go through. Perhaps the most public example of this was the proposed enclosure of Sand Serpent in what I think was 2018. That said, I don’t think Jethro will have this same fate, mostly because I think it’s already been manufactured.
Just for an example/wishlist, what space could Busch build a big enough building for a dark ride.

Only could think of two.

-Questor show building (they would need to expand it but it would be cheaper to build off it.)

-Stanleyville theatre (not sure if they could even make it work with space constraints, haven't been in there awhile so I can't really get a good enough idea.)

Am I missing anything? Take some longshots if need be.

edit: Just realized they still use Stanleyville theatre, whoops. Plus they just remodeled the whole thing not so long ago.
Sorry I'm late lol. Any chance they could use Pantopia theater as well ? There's not really shows there anymore.
 
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