Wildcat's Revenge: What to know before you ride Hersheypark's newest roller coaster

by: James Wesser

Posted: Jun 1, 2023 / 08:13 AM EDT

Updated: Jun 1, 2023 / 10:17 AM EDT

HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) — The time has come for the Wildcat to come back and officially seek its vengeance.

The brand-new coaster at Hersheypark officially opens to the public on Friday, June 2.

abc27 has put together information regarding the new ride and everything you should know before you ride.

Wildcat's Revenge serves as the replacement for the Wildcat wooden roller coaster, which sat on the same plot of land.

Wildcat's Revenge is a steel-wooden hybrid roller coaster. A hybrid coaster can be a wooden structure with a steel track or a steel structure with a wooden track. These coasters are not seen very often; however, the company that designed, manufactured, and built the coaster, Rocky Mountain Construction, is known for its hybrid coasters.

This coaster features a steel track with a wooden structure. Many parts of the wooden structure are reused portions of the Wildcat wooden structure. For example, the underflip inversion uses parts of the first drop of the old Wildcat. The station for the new coaster has also been reused, as it was the station for the old Wildcat.

This coaster features a 140-foot lift hill, followed by a drop angled at 82 degrees. The coaster also features an underflip, which is a roll to the left as you ascend, followed by a swooping dive to the right.

The coaster also features a zero-gravity stall. That is when the track rotates 180 degrees while traveling uphill, causing the riders to fully invert. The coaster features two zero-gravity rolls and features two wave turns, which angle riders at 90 degrees as the track turns 180 degrees.

The coaster also features three custom-designed trains, featuring either a silver, charcoal, or black-colored wildcat on the front of each train. Wildcat's Revenge also opens 100 years after the very first Wild Cat opened in 1923. That coaster was the first coaster Milton Hershey purchased for the park.

Use the slider below to see the visual difference between the two coasters.

All riders who are in a wheelchair or ECV must transfer to the ride vehicle.

Outside of the entrance to the attraction is a test seat for those who wish to make sure they can ride the attraction safely and comfortably. Hersheypark states that this ride may not accommodate guests of a larger size, either by height and/or weight, due to the configuration of the safety restraint system.

Hand-held items are prohibited from the attraction. Many roller coasters designed by Rocky Mountain Construction are very active. If hand-held items are not secure, you will lose them.

As quoted from Hersheypark, the following rules need to be followed to ride Wildcat's Revenge:

There are free lockers available in the queue line before you enter the coaster station. These lockers are double-sided, meaning you will put your items into the locker on one side and retrieve your items on the other side of the same locker. You will need to remember your locker number and provide a 6-digit PIN to access the lockers.

Wildcat's Revenge is for any guest that is 48 inches or taller. This means riders in the Hershey's, Twizzlers, and Jolly Ranchers height categories can ride the attraction.

The ride is slated to be open for the summer, Halloween, and Christmas seasons. Hersheypark's Fast Track system is also available for purchase for the attraction.

This ride is rated as an aggressive thrill ride. This means riders will experience many unexpected, rapid changes in speed, direction, and/or elevation and requires a rider's full body control.

To view a virtual ride on the attraction, you can watch the video below! More information about Hersheypark can be found here.

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