Lagoon · Operating · 2003

The Spider

53 ft · 38 mph

Photo: BTS Dynamics · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photos & video

2 photos1 video

The Spider at Lagoon — Hero — Photo: BTS Dynamics · CC BY-SA 4.0

Licensed POV · Watch on YouTube

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Family rideLagoon Official park siteSouth Midway

Maurer Rides53 ft · 38 mph

The Spider opened in April 2003 as the first Maurer Xtended SC2000 spinning coaster installed in North America, sending free-spinning cars through a series of tight switchback turns and sudden direction changes across roughly 1,400 feet of track. Unlike traditional coasters, the car's rotation is unpredictable — the same seat can face forward, backward, or sideways through any given turn — layering unpredictable spinning motion on top of the track's own sharp lateral forces. At a modest 53 feet tall and 38 mph top speed, the ride's intensity comes entirely from the combination of tight track geometry and free-spinning cars rather than height or speed. More than two decades after its North American debut, The Spider remains a distinctive, disorienting ride on Lagoon's South Midway and the longest-running installation of its model anywhere in the world.

Specifications

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Ride profile

Scaled against Lagoon's operating coasters

Steel

Park intensity

Height

53 ft

#6 of 10 at Lagoon

Height53 ft

Speed38 mph

Length1,410 ft

InversionsNone

Ride experience

Spinning
Steel

Specs from lagoonpark.com

Learn more

All guides

Dive coasters

A held moment on a vertical edge, then a steep release — signature B&M dive machines.

Floorless coasters

No floor panel under your feet — open views and a different sense of exposure.

Flying coasters

You start seated, then tilt face-down into a flying position for much of the circuit.

Inverted coasters

Trains hang beneath the track so your feet dangle — B&M made the style famous.

History

Sourced timeline and background for The Spider.

Timeline

2003
The Spider opens
Debuts as the first Maurer Xtended SC2000 spinning coaster in North America; runs only 15 minutes before a wheel issue halts operation.
Source
2003
Regular operation begins
After replacement wheels arrive and crews work nearly 72 hours straight, The Spider holds its proper public opening.
Source

Background

After Lagoon's Speedway Sr. closed in 2000, the park redeveloped the vacated South Midway land in two phases, adding Cliffhanger in 2001 before turning to a genuinely new ride category for its second phase: Maurer Söhne's Xtended SC2000 spinning coaster, a model that had only previously toured the German fair circuit before relocating to fixed European installations.

Lagoon documented the ride's construction with near-daily photo updates from December 2002 through opening day, a first for the park. The Spider debuted on April 12, 2003 as the first installation of its model anywhere in North America — but ran for only about 15 minutes before a wheel malfunction forced it to shut down, and the following day's operation lasted just three hours before the same issue resurfaced.

Maurer-Söhne shipped replacement wheels overnight, and Lagoon crews worked nearly 72 consecutive hours to have the ride ready for its actual public debut on April 19, 2003, when sunny weather and eager crowds finally gave The Spider its intended reception. Free-spinning cars threading tight switchback turns generate outsized, unpredictable lateral forces from a modest 53-foot, 38 mph package.

Both other Xtended SC2000 installations built around the same era have since relocated or closed, making Lagoon's Spider the longest continuously operating installation of the model anywhere in the world.

History primarily sourced from lagoonpark.com. See also our data policy.