InvadR is a wooden roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia, built by Great Coasters International and designed by Jeff Pike of Skyline Design. The ride opened on April 7, 2017, in the park’s New France area, giving guests a family-friendly wooden coaster themed around a Viking raid on a coastal village.
The park let the public help name the ride, running an online poll where ‘InvadR’ beat out ‘Viking Raider’ and ‘Battle Klash.’ A fun bit of coaster trivia lives in its trains: the cars were refurbished units salvaged from Gwazi, the shuttered wooden coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, giving InvadR a second life for hardware that once ran a very different ride.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Manufacturer: Great Coasters International
- Opened: April 7, 2017
- Height: 74 ft (drop)
- Top speed: 48 mph
- Length: 2,118 ft
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
InvadR’s layout is built for repeat airtime rather than one big drop: after the chain lift, the coaster rolls through about nine airtime hills, weaving between trees and past a tunnel before finishing with a turning helix back into the station. Riders sit two-across in single-row cars, restrained by simple lap bars, which keeps the wooden coaster’s out-of-your-seat moments feeling more pronounced.
At 46 inches, the height requirement is lower than most of the park’s marquee steel coasters, making InvadR one of the more accessible thrill rides for younger riders and families looking for a taste of wooden-coaster speed without the intensity of Verbolten or Pantheon nearby.
Theming and Legacy
InvadR sits in the New France section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and its Viking-invasion story is woven into the queue and structure, tying a Scandinavian raiding theme into a French-Canadian-styled area of the park. The coaster’s wood structure and GCI-style layout give it a classic, rustic feel that contrasts with the park’s newer steel rides.
Since opening, InvadR has been well-received by enthusiasts, placing fourth in the Golden Ticket Awards’ Best New Ride category for 2017, and it remains a staple mid-sized coaster in the Busch Gardens Williamsburg lineup.
Explore more: Explore more roller coaster guides.
InvadR FAQs
How tall do you have to be to ride InvadR?
Riders must be at least 46 inches (117 cm) tall to ride InvadR.
Who manufactured InvadR?
InvadR was built by Great Coasters International, with the layout designed by Jeff Pike of Skyline Design.
Does InvadR have any inversions?
No, InvadR is a wooden coaster with zero inversions, focusing on airtime hills instead.
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Photo: Martin Lewison / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.