BESSEMER, Ala. — The iconic wooden roller coaster at Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is officially back in action, marking the return of one of the Southeast’s most beloved classic thrills after two years of closure.
The park announced that Rampage, its 120-foot-tall wooden coaster, has reopened to guests as of Friday, June 19, 2026. The reopening comes as part of the park’s summer season offerings, which now include late-night Saturday operating hours and weekly fireworks shows under the “Adventure Summer Nights” program.
Rampage opened with the park on May 23, 1998, built by Custom Coasters International at a cost of about $4.3 million. The coaster drops 102 feet, reaches top speeds of 56 mph, and features 13 curves and 9 crossovers along its 3,500-foot track. It remains the tallest wooden coaster in Alabama.
The ride did not operate in 2024 or 2025 due to needed repairs. The park had initially planned to reopen Rampage for the 2025 season after a planned $500,000 refurbishment, but the work extended further. In February 2026, Alex Ramsey of Alabama Adventure announced at the 2026 ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala that the wooden coaster would likely reopen during summer 2026. The park is collaborating with CGI on phased retracking work.
The park also announced that people who bought a daily ticket before June 10 are welcome to return and try the new and improved attractions for free as an apology to loyal visitors. Season pass holders receive doubled discounts for the month of July.
Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure was originally built as VisionLand, a project largely driven by then-Mayor of Fairfield Larry Langford, who sought to provide recreational opportunities and boost development in western Jefferson County. Langford led the creation of the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority, which included representatives from 11 municipalities.
With help from the Alabama Legislature, the group borrowed $65 million to build the $90 million park. Construction began in March 1997, and the park opened 14 months later on May 23, 1998. Langford helped create the park, which was first called Visionland Theme Park before becoming Alabama Adventure.
The park filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in June 2002 and was purchased at government auction in 2003 for $5.2 million by Southland Entertainment Group. In 2006, the park changed its name to “Alabama Adventure.” In early 2014, Dan Koch and his family purchased the 89-acre park. Koch restored Rampage for the 2015 season after the ride side of the park had closed in 2012 due to operational difficulties.
Larry Langford died January 8, 2019, at age 72. Visionland was a collaborative effort by eleven cities aiming to create a premier amusement destination. While the original aquarium Visionquest was never built, the park remains operational today as Alabama Adventure.
The reopening of Rampage is not the park’s only return to past attractions. This Halloween, Alabama Adventure is bringing back two haunted houses for the first time since the late 2000s.
Summer operating hours run from Saturday, May 24 through Saturday, August 9, with Sunday through Thursday operations from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Adventure Summer Nights will have the park open until 9:30 p.m. once a week on Saturdays with a fireworks show.
The park is located at 4599 Splash Adventure Parkway, Bessemer, AL 35022, with phone number 205-481-4750.