Reigning supreme at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Apollo's Chariot is a B&M creation. Opening in 1999, this ride brought the famous Switzerland firm into the hypercoaster realm, as well as held the record for the most feet of drops on any coaster in the world. And, since its debut, Apollo's Chariot has received various awards and has been on many top ten lists, and it's pretty well into mine (as of this writing =P).
Apollo's Chariot follows the story of Phaethon, the son of the sun god, Apollo. After several nags and pleas, Phaethon took control of his father's reins for a day and literally drove the sun for a day with horses carrying him. However, Phaethon lost control; when the sun went too high up, parts of the Earth got cold, and when the sun got too close, it made everything hot and dry (supposedly forming the Sahara Desert). Then the big bad leader on campus, Zeus, was infuriated at what he saw and, mercifully, struck Phaethon dead with a thunderbolt. An intriguing story for an incredible ride, no doubt. Though I don't think Apollo's Chariot can quite rival Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, its length and seemingly never-ending drops are quite fun. (This was my mom's and my brother's first hypercoaster, so it holds a special place in my heart, so to say :) ). When going to Busch Gardens, be sure not to miss Apollo's Chariot. If you do, Zeus might get infuriated once more, and then...you know =P (Picture courtesy of www.andyscoasterpage.com/index.htm)
