Apollo's Chariot

"Space Roller Coaster"

888 pieces  |  HOGO KIDS: HG1006

Assembled by Andrew Deese, Rachel Deese; March 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

June 6, 2022

To celebrate Sarah's birthday, Hunter bought tickets and took Sarah to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Hunter had never been to an amusement park before, and as it turned out, wasn't a huge fan. But he found his courage and rode several roller coasters with her, his thrill-seeker. His first roller coaster ever, and one of Sarah's favorites, was Apollo's Chariot. The coaster doesn't go upside down and is designed for maximum tummy tickles. (There were no exact replicas of the coaster available in brick form, so they chose the space-themed roller coaster since the word "Apollo" also connects to space.) As they crested the first and biggest hill from their perch in the front row, a look of pure terror spread on Hunter's face. Sarah was worried he wouldn't make it through the ride, but he did, and even bucked up the courage to ride two other roller coasters.

While trying to calm mild motion sickness, they enjoyed an Irish trio that played what felt like a personal concert just for them. Hunter later confessed that while they had been perusing a gift shop ring display, Hunter had almost asked Sarah what her ring size was, but couldn't think of a way to make it sound casual, so he didn't. As they headed for the exit, Hunter spotted a snake swimming through the water under a bridge they were crossing. They stopped to watch it travel the bank for a while. Despite Hunter not discovering a hidden love of roller coasters that day, he continues to express his affection for Sarah by gifting her tickets to amusement parks and riding some of the rides with her.

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Hunter trying on an Irish wool hat in "Ireland" at Busch Gardens.