INSIDE LOOK: Coastersaurus ROARS back into action at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort launched us into the future of roller coasters, and now Coastersaurus is rolling us back to the past, reopening as Florida’s only remaining fully wooden roller coaster… where it all started with thrill rides.
Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns LEGOLAND Florida Resort, could have rebuilt it into something else, but instead decided to invest in this piece of theme park history, and we’re so glad they did.
A fully wooden coaster isn’t like other coasters. It feels and sounds different. You could say it’s like experiencing history in real life.
The ride, which originally opened as Triple Hurricane in the former Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in 2004, has been fully rebuilt and refurbished to look exactly as it did before, and we got to meet up with two of the people on LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s team who helped it ROAR back to life: Cory Lytle, Technical Services Director, and Andrew Walker, Head of Ride Maintenance.
This wasn’t a small project! It’s been a long time in the making, happening in stages. Tell us about the work and how you maintained the history of this ride.
Andrew Walker: Over the last three years, we’ve replaced everything from the ground up: all the structure, the running surfaces, all the nuts, bolts, nails, the screws that go into it, so a complete overhaul of the control system, yeah, a lot.
Cory Lytle: It’s great because we have so many families that say, I rode this ride when it was Triple Hurricane in the Cypress Gardens days; now they're bringing their kids back and actually riding the ride as well, so it's really great to have that connection with the old versus the new.
Walker: I would say, for coaster enthusiasts, there's nothing like a wooden coaster, so that's why we want to keep it here. It's not as smooth as a steel coaster, so you'll hear all the knocks and bangs, but it's just part of it. It's part of what makes it great.
Lytle: We’ve been really proud to maintain that history, that connection with the Cypress Gardens days.
Rebuilding this ride must have kinda felt like building with LEGO bricks!
Walker: Timber is very light; as with LEGO, the more you add together, the more strength you get. Each piece on here is giving the others strength. So, same as building LEGO.
Lytle: It’s all the interlocking that goes on between the two; the wood here interlocks together. It's just like LEGO.
Walker: Each piece is different. You've got several different ones. You've got vents, ledges, diagonals, cross ties, loads of different pieces. And a lot of that's manufactured on site, so we'll get a delivery of timber. Then the local carpenters will assemble it for us.
Florida’s weather can be hard on all structures, especially wood. How was this rebuilt to last for another generation or two to enjoy?
Lytle: All the wood is pressure-treated wood, so it's going to be able to help out maintain the structure over the years. It's going to go against termites and rot, and our team goes through and inspects every single board, every single section of the track daily, to make sure it's safe for all of our riders.
Walker: We're planning the next 20, 30 years. We want to keep this ride and then invest in it again. So we've improved the overall ride experience. We've made it more comfortable for the guests, improved some safety functions, so we're just trying to keep it up to modern standards, but keep that old feeling.
Lytle: You get a little bit of history with this kind of ride, but then you go to our technical ride Galacticoaster and see something that's a little bit more technically advanced. So you can get the best of both worlds here.
What was your journey like to this career to work on rides like Coastersaurus?
Walker: I think it's something with theme parks, not just engineering, you just kind of fall into. I lived local to a theme park in the UK previously. I always wanted to do something with my hands with the trade, and I was working part-time, and then the opportunity came up to work as a maintenance technician engineer with a theme park. So, yeah, just kind of fell into it, loved it, and carried on.
Lytle: Yeah, for me, I was in the manufacturing industry for over 25 years, so I came into this on the maintenance and engineering side of it. I always dreamed of being part of ike a roller coaster company or an amusement park. So yeah, I'm really, really glad to be here.
What's your advice for kids who want to do what you do when they grow up?
Walker: I would say go to school. If you're interested in it, you really want to do it, go to school, get the training, come work for us. We want those young people, young kids to come through and be the next generation.
Lytle: Stay focused on your STEM classes and definitely go back and get your vocational degrees if you would like to do something with your hands. And obviously in engineering fields as well, it's something we would be looking for. I would say if you're interested in building anything construction-wise or working with your hands, this is the type of industry to get involved with for sure.
Ok, we have to know. Where is the best seat on this ride in your opinion?
Walker: So if you look at all the coasters around the world, a lot of people say the back row because you get more g-force, more whip. I prefer the front row personally because I like seeing everything that's going on. So every seat is different. Every part of the train, you'll feel a different experience.
Lytle: I’m the same way. I love the front of the coaster. I love seeing the hill as you're dropping down and feeling like you're suspended because of all the weight still in the back and then the speed that comes along with it.
Fun Facts at Coastersaurus at LEGOLAND Florida Resort:
- Coastersaurus is a classic two-seater coaster.
- Kids must be 42 inches or taller to ride.
- It reaches speeds of 32 miles per hour.
- It was originally called the Triple Hurricane, named after the three hurricanes that delayed the reopening of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in 2004: Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne.
- When LEGOLAND Florida took over, it re-themed the ride to prehistoric dinosaurs.
- The original coaster structure was designed and built locally by Martin & Vleminckx Rides, which is based in Haines City.
The Coastersaurus Connection to Real LEGO Sets:
The Coastersaurus story goes beyond its connection to the park’s past. It also clicks right into LEGO history, based on the LEGO Adventurers Dino Island sets, released in the early 2000s. After all, you will find Coastersaurs in Land of Adventure at LEGOLAND!
When you enter the ride, you are walking into the Dino Island Research Facility, and it’s your mission to help ‘The World’s Greatest Adventurer' Johnny Thunder (based on a minifigure from the Dino Island sets) find Tony, a young brachiosaurus that ventured out too far. You might also spot some other mischievous LEGO brick dinosaurs along the way. Some of these old LEGO sets were based on Johnny Thunder rounding up wayward dinosaurs.
You'll also spot him at Lost Kingdom Adventure, also in Land of Adventure, which you could say is also likely based on the old Adventurers collection.
Related LEGOLAND Florida Resort stories you might LOVE:
- INSIDE LOOK: Brick-or-Treat 2026 at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
- INSIDE LOOK: Adventure Awaits at Pirate Island Hotel at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
- INSIDE LOOK: A peek inside LEGOLAND Florida's Master Builder Workshop
Want to see more LEGO dinosaurs at LEGOLAND Florida Resort?
Head on over to MINILAND USA, where you’ll see several scenes of dinosaurs walking along the streets of New York and even in the water.
