For more awesome theme park news, check out Screamscape.  Because they freakin’ rock.  Great theme park news from all around the US, and even some international goodness.  That’s where I stole borrowed all this news from.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: WTF Busch Gardens?  Current rumors are going around that the park’s second oldest roller coaster, The Big Bad Wolf, is due to be taken down sometime soon.  For a lot of kids (including myself and my brother), The Big Bad Wolf was their first “adult roller coaster,” and, despite its age and lack of updates in quite a few years, had become as much a part of the park as their oldest roller coaster, The Loch Noss Monster, which just celebrated its thirtieth anniversary.

For those unfamiliar with The Big Bad Wolf, it’s probably one of the oldest suspended coasters in the country, and the premise is that you are playing the wolf, swinging through an old European village (built specifically for this ride).  Ideally, though this ride can be enjoyed at all times of day, riding it at night, while you swing through the village before taking a steep dive towards a large river, is really where it’s at.  I love this roller coaster, and I’d be pretty devastated to see it go.  Unfortunately, because the coaster was built specifically to take advantage of the landscape of the park, it’s not like someone else can buy it and put it someplace else.  My vote, Busch Gardens?  It’s time to bring it into the 21st century – the old village could use some updates (and maybe some gory scenes of wolf carnage?), and the ride itself could use a new paintjob.  This year is the Wolf’s 25th anniversary, but it looks like nothing will be done to celebrate.  For shame.

More after the jump.

Universal Studios Orlando Islands of Adventure: One of the best rides at the Universal Studios’ owned Island of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, is the Dueling Dragons. Using some super duper technology, the ride is programmed to actually race two dragons (one fire/one ice) as two coasters run simulatenously, facing each other numerous times.  Sadly, even though I was looking forward to riding it when I celebrate Pauloween Horror Nights in Orlando this October, looks like I won’t get my chance.

The Dueling Dragons looks like it’ll be shut down in August of this year, in order to be repurposed as a Harry Potter roller coaster, tentatively titled Dragon’s Challenge.   Looks like the ride will be repainted in darker colors.  I’m guessing this will be based on the whole Tri-Wizard Tournament from the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Curse of Genital Warts, or some such.  I kid, I kid.  It’s called the Goblet of Fire.  I think.

Also being updated are the Flying Unicorn (a cheesy fun stupid coaster), now to be called the Flying Hippogriff, and updating of MagiQuest kiosks throughout the park.  Don’t know what MagiQuest is?  Essentially, from I can tell, it involves walking around with wand and doing fun interactive crap throughout the park.  Apparently you can do Wizard Duels also…which is bad, because I’ll pretty much fight anyone I see.  Just to warn you.

Seen behind closed doors at the park are some giant snake heads, which give me the impression that the rumored Hogwarts ride will involve riding through the Chamber of Secrets from the second book, Harry Potter and the Unlikely Dirty Sanchez, or Chamber of Secrets.  I forget.

Angry Harry Potter fans let it be known that I’m going to see the sixth film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Painful Donkey’s Punch tomorrow night.  So don’t be too mad at me! 🙂