Part one: The best roller coasters aren't limited to Orlando; My Busch Gardens coaster favorites

July 13, 8:19 PMOrlando Theme Parks ExaminerBarbara Nefer

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It's great to live in the Orlando/Kissimmee area because you have the Disney and Universal theme parks right outside your door, as well as SeaWorld and a plethora of smaller attractions (click here to read about Gatorland, one of my favorites). But not too much more than an hour down the road you will find Busch Gardens, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and well worth the journey. It's a treasure trove for me because I am a roller coaster lover. In this multi-part article, I share reviews of my favorite Busch roller coasters, the other coasters, and one additional thrill ride. First, here are my favorites.

SheiKra: SkeiKra (pictured at right, photo provided by Busch Gardens) isn't just my favorite roller coaster at Busch Gardens; it's also in my top three overall. I recently did a report on SheiKra that you can read by clicking here, but here is a summary of why I like it: sheer height and a nearly straight down drop. SheiKra takes you slowly up the lifthill, the goes around a curve and actually pauses while you hang over the hill, looking 200 feet straight down. And you get quite a view because it is a floorless coaster. Then, just when you're wondering if you're going to hang there forever, down you go! I long since have lost the stomach-drop feeling, but if you still get it, I guarantee your stomach will be doing acrobatics. The rest of the ride is good, too, including a second 81-degree drop and a splashing. At the end, you can buy your photo or a DVD with actual footage of you on the ride.

Montu: I love Montu (pictured at left, photo from Wikimedia Commons/ClaudiaTampa39) because it reminds me of my favorite B & M-built suspended roller coaster (Batman at Six Flags Great America). Up until now, I've never found another suspended that I like as much because they all have mid-course brakes. Batman is very short, and the absence of brakes makes it smooth as a baby's butt, so it can't compare with the "big guys" like Raptor at Cedar Point. Montu does have a mid-course brake, but somehow it doesn't seem to break the continuity and smoothness of the ride. It's also a lot taller and longer than Batman. Overall, it's a close second to SkeiKra in my book.

Scorpion: Scorpion (pictured below, photo from Wikimedia Commons/Bgtbbum) isn't so much a favorite for me as it is unique. It's a Schwarzkopf roller coaster and an extremely odd duck because it goes upside down, yet it doesn't have shoulder harnesses. You just pull down a lap bar and hope that gravity will do its job. Every time we've ridden Scorpion they've only been running one train, so on busy days the line can get insane because that's such a low capacity. You can't use Quick Queue on Scorpion, so you'll have to resign yourself to the wait. But if the line isn't too bad, I recommend doing it because it's not too often you'll get the chance to go through a loop without an over-the-shoulder restraint.

These are not the only three roller coasters at Busch Gardens. Click here for part two of this article, which gives my review of the others and reveals my husband's favorite.