Spooky Indoor Rollercoaster DarKoaster Opens at Busch Gardens [Video / Photos]

May 23, 2023 Matt Artz 0 Comments Busch Gardens

The spooky new indoor rollercoaster dark ride DarKoaster at Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia officially opened to the public last week, and we were there among the first to ride it.

Billed as North America’s first all-indoor straddle coaster, riders board “snow mobiles” and race through the snowy grounds of the haunted DarKastle, where the angry spirit of King Ludwig conjures a storm that you must outrun. It features four launches and near-complete darkness punctuated with creepy theming depicting the haunted ruins of DarKastle. The gothic castle itself previously housed a popular dark ride called Curse of DarKastle, in which the murderous King Ludwig chased guests, and DarKoaster now serves basically as a sequel to original ride, with the spirit of Ludwig back in the form of a snow storm, accompanied by some ghostly wraiths.

HDN was invited to media day, where we got to preview the fun, family friendly ride, as well as the official opening ceremony on Friday, May 19, where costumed characters portraying Ludwig himself and his wraiths greeted excited attendees.

You can watch our full video report on DarKoaster, including coverage of our own first ride experience and reaction, line queue details, exclusive interviews with park leadership, and more, and view our photo gallery from both days, below.