DOSWELL, Va. -- After more than 20 years of erupting in Doswell, Kings Dominion has decided to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster.
"Part of getting ready for a new operating season includes an expert evaluation of our rides and operations. As a part of that evaluation, every aspect of our rides and attractions are analyzed, from guest satisfaction, throughout and rider capacity to reliability, uptime and maintenance," a park spokesperson wrote in a Friday blog post. "After thorough evaluation, the decision has been made to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster. This wasn’t an easy decision for us, because we know that people love this one-of-a-kind coaster; however, over time it became nearly impossible to keep the ride up to our high standards of reliability and guest satisfaction, and for these reasons we had to make the tough call."
No immediate plans were announced for that section of the park which was once home to rides like "Smurf Mountain," "Haunted River," and "The Time Shaft."
"We apologize to anyone who is inconvenienced by the removal," the park's blog posted continued, "but hope they will understand that it was done to enhance the overall guest experience here at Kings Dominion."
Last season Kings Dominion debuted Twisted Timbers, hybrid a roller coaster.