Amusement Park Gets 'Whole Lotta Love'

As reported to The Sun News, a roller coaster synchronized to Led Zeppelin's 1969 song "Whole Lotta Love" will be the signature ride at the Hard Rock Park, Myrtle Beach, SC, spiraling 4,000 feet over a lagoon and reaching a height of 155 feet.

Before riders embark on the 90-second ride, they'll be treated to video footage of Led Zeppelin performing. The coaster includes six upside down turns, and peaks planned to match moments in “Whole Lotta Love”.

Band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones picked the song and worked on the ride's development, said Steven Goodwin, the park's CEO.

A 15-foot statue of "The Hermit," a cloaked man carrying a lit lantern that was featured on the band's Led Zeppelin IV album, already has a place at the park, unveiled Friday near the park's office off George Bishop Parkway.

The $400 million Hard Rock park is under construction and scheduled to open in spring 2008. A preview center, dubbed "Backstage Tour," debuts Wednesday and will give a glimpse of what the park will look like. A concert featuring Sister Hazel, the Marshall Tucker Band and a Led Zeppelin tribute band is scheduled for that night.

The 140-acre park will include six music-themed zones, three roller coasters, a Jamaican- themed water play area, a 10,000-seat amphitheater, restaurants and a live comedy show featuring acrobatics and pyrotechnics.