Cobra’s Curse is a steel spinning roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, tucked into the park’s Egypt section beneath a towering 80-foot statue of the fictional Snake King Venymyss. Manufactured by Germany’s Mack Rides, the coaster opened to guests on June 17, 2016, becoming the park’s first new ride since Falcon’s Fury debuted in 2014.
Unlike traditional thrill coasters, Cobra’s Curse skips inversions in favor of unpredictable spinning motion. Riders climb a 70-foot vertical elevator lift before their individual cars rotate forward, backward, and eventually into free spins as the train winds through overbanked turns and passes beneath the park’s Serengeti Railway.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Manufacturer: Mack Rides
- Opened: June 17, 2016
- Height: 70 feet (lift); 80-foot statue
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Length: 2,100 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Cobra’s Curse begins with a vertical elevator lift that carries trains up 70 feet, a departure from the chain-driven lift hills found on most coasters. From there, cars are released into a sequence of spinning maneuvers, first facing forward, then backward, and finally rotating freely as riders navigate banked turns and dips at speeds up to 40 mph.
Because the spin direction and intensity vary by car and by ride, no two trips are identical. The layout keeps riders relatively close to the ground, and the absence of inversions makes it approachable for families and younger guests while still delivering an unpredictable, disorienting thrill.
Theme and Setting
The coaster’s story follows Snake King Venymyss, a fictional Egyptian ruler said to have cursed his own kingdom. The queue winds past live snake exhibits and projection-mapped scenes depicting archaeologists from the in-universe ‘Viper International Survey and Excavation’ uncovering the king’s tomb.
Cobra’s Curse occupies a 2.65-acre site in the park’s Egypt area, replacing the former King Tut’s Tomb walkthrough exhibit. Its centerpiece snake statue and themed queue tie the ride into the surrounding Egyptian-themed section of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
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Cobra’s Curse FAQs
Does Cobra’s Curse have any inversions?
No. Cobra’s Curse has zero inversions; its thrill comes from the free-spinning cars rather than loops or rolls.
How tall do you need to be to ride Cobra’s Curse?
Riders must be at least 42 inches tall to ride.
Who manufactured Cobra’s Curse?
The coaster was built by Mack Rides, a German manufacturer known for spinning and family-oriented coaster designs.
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Photo: Adog / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.