The eagerly anticipated Cheetah Hunt roller coaster officially opens to the public at 9 a.m. on May 27th, but for now its still in the construction phase. I was lucky enough to don a cheetah-spotted hard hat be part of a special construction site tour at the theme park today and got lots of rare up-close construction photos, plus video interviews with Mark Rose, vice president of design and engineering, as well as the cheetah trainers. The videos are still being edited, but meanwhile, click the slide show at left to get up close and personal with the construction zone.

Cheetah Hunt is designed to mimic the speed and power of its namesake animal, and Busch is simultaneously opening the Cheetah Run exhibit where you can see the big cats up close and even watch them do daily sprints. The coaster features multiple launches, a figure eight that Rose promises will give an amazing view of the park and a heartline roll. He also says there will be some surprises, so you'll have to wait until the 27th to see those for yourself.