Wildcat's Revenge

Wildcat's Revenge is a hybrid roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States.

The ride traversed a 90-foot lift hill and twelve banked turns, subjecting riders to forces of up to 3.5 Gs.

From 1998 to 2009, Wildcat ranked among the top 50 wooden roller coasters in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today.

The renovated coaster added four inversions and additional track length to the previous layout, as well as increased the height, drop, and maximum speed.

[9] Work on the ride was complicated by the North American blizzard of 1996,[5] during which workers reportedly "had to dig out wood from snow".

[19] At the time, a spokesperson for Hersheypark refused to confirm rumors of Wildcat's future, saying: "We will share details on what's next before the end of" 2022.

[24][25] Hersheypark began selling 160 pieces of wood, salvaged from the original GCI coaster, at a gift shop just outside the park that November.

[26] During the design process, Hersheypark dictated the parameters for the ride to RMC, such as height, length, and number of inversions.

RMC and Hersheypark workers collaborated to determine which elements should be included in the ride, eventually deciding upon four inversions: an underflip, zero-g stall, and two rolls.

[27][28] The next week, Hersheypark publicly displayed the front car of one of Wildcat's Revenge's new trains at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando, Florida.

[35] Test runs of WIldcat's Revenge commenced in mid-May 2023,[35] and Hersheypark announced the ride's final opening date shortly afterward.

The train next curved right and traversed another series of lift hills before entering the final brake run and making a sharp right turn into the station.

[7] Wildcat also contained an on-ride camera; guests could purchase photos at a booth near the roller coaster's exit.

[45] The ride features the world's largest underflip inversion, which Hersheypark officials described as ascending upwards before the train twists counterclockwise into a 270° roll before descending down.

[27] The ride's station has a gable roof, which was intended to be reminiscent of the Wild Cat roller coaster that closed in 1945.

"[6] Elizabeth Arneson of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Daily News wrote in 1998: "The top speed is listed at 45 mph at Hersheypark's Web site, but the ride feels much faster.

[51] When Wildcat's Revenge opened, a reporter for the Harrisburg-area Patriot-News wrote: "For people who don’t mind a lot of twists, turns, dips and spins, it’s definitely something they’ll want to check out.

"[40] A writer for LNP Lancaster Online wrote: "An immediate joy about Wildcat’s Revenge is that, from the moment the ride takes off, it almost instantly jolts off instead of giving you a few seconds to ponder the next minute and a half of your life.

"[41] National Amusement Park Historical Association's 2024 survey ranked Wildcat's Revenge as its "favorite new attraction", tied with Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood.

Wildcat from the Kissing Tower
Wildcat's lift, drop, and large twister segment