Here's your chance to walk, not ride, one of Florida's tallest roller coasters

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay offers the chance to walk on top of SheiKra

TAMPA, Fla. – Want the thrill of a roller coaster, without the drop?

The tallest walking coaster tour in Florida is a drive across I-4 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

"We are currently at the top of SheiKra, 200 feet above Busch Gardens," Norman Snook, Busch Gardens' assistant supervisor of operations, said.

Our News 6 crew made the climb to get the highlights of the adrenaline-pumping tour.

The tour starts at 7:30 a.m., before the park opens. The guide issues ride stops as a safety measure, so the rides cannot start.

Participants can walk next to the tracks of Cheetah Hunt and SheiKra to learn about the engineering behind each coaster.

"There's a giant computer downstairs that basically monitors the entire ride, controls how much air goes to each brake, when to open and close brakes, when to turn on motors," Snook said.

Inside the control panels and maintenance barns, people on the behind-the-scenes tour can see the coaster cars up close.

"Up-stop wheels keep you on track when you're cresting hills and going upside down," Snook said.

Adventure-seekers will then gear up with harnessing equipment and jump aboard a lift that takes the group nearly 200 feet up the side of SheiKra. About 20 steps above the lift, everyone anchors onto the railing and walks along the catwalk toward the coaster car sitting near the famous drop.

"This is the highlight, if you will, of the ride, this is where you get that that suspense that feeling where you're holding over the edge," Snook said. 

According to Snook, the park started offering the private tour on Roller Coaster Day in 2018, and it has remained a popular experience for coaster fanatics since.

"It's a dream come true for a lot of people that take this tour," Snook said.

Participants must be 14 or older. Tickets start at $99 but vary depending on available dates. They include preferred parking and access to one coaster after the park opens.

You can sign up for the limited-time insider tour here.


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