Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia is home to 10 roller coasters. As vice president of design and engineering for the theme park and neighboring Water Country USA, Suzy Cheely ’81 Eng has supervised the construction of nearly half of them, along with recent renovations—including track replacement and updated special effects—to the 46-year-old Loch Ness Monster, the first roller coaster in the world to feature interlocking loops.

“Our guests are very passionate about our parks and don’t like it when we take something out,” Cheely says. “Loch Ness Monster is the perfect example. It is a roller coaster that is near and dear to our fans’ hearts.”

After graduating from Penn State, Cheely spent nine years working as a design engineer for Shockey, a construction company in Winchester, Va., before relocating with her husband to Williamsburg and starting work at Busch Gardens in 1990. “I didn’t know too much about theme parks at that point—but theme parks get in your blood,” she says.

Cheely helped open three popular family water attractions at Water Country USA before focusing mostly on roller coasters at Busch Gardens beginning in 2015. She designed InvadR, a wooden roller coaster built over train tracks and under the park’s log flume ride, that opened in 2017; DarKoaster, the park’s first indoor roller coaster, which debuted in 2023; and Pantheon, a high-thrill coaster that opened in 2022. She also oversees the construction of other park amenities, including restaurants and retail shops.

“Theme parks are like little towns in themselves, and there is a lot of upkeep,” Cheely says. “Every project is different, and the months leading up to the opening of a new ride can be stressful, but it is exciting seeing it all come together.”
This year, when Busch Gardens celebrates its 50th anniversary, Cheely will introduce visitors to a new, yet-to-be-named attraction. —Brandy Centolanza