Episode 22: Dollywood 2.0 (The Bear, the Lightning, and the Thunder)

Season 3 begins with the first of eight stops on my 2024 summer road trip, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN.  This is my second visit to this beautiful park, and since I was here two years ago, they've added Big Bear Mountain, a Vekoma launched family coaster, replaced the launch on Lightning Rod with a high-speed chain lift, and completed more trackwork on the Thunderhead wood coaster.  Join me for my in-depth reactions to new experiences at one of my all-time favorite theme parks.       

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Transcript

Welcome Season 3 of Coaster Redux.  My name is Erik, and this is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom.  For years, I’d all but forgotten my coaster obsession from high school and college.  Then during the pandemic, I started following the amusement world again, and for the last two years, I’ve been on a mission to ride as many new coasters as I can, and share them through this podcast.

It all started with a week-long road trip back in 2022, and I’m now preparing to embark on my third road trip, this time for two full weeks.  I’ll visit seven different parks and go in-depth on my experiences riding new roller coasters as well as some old favorites.

My first stop will be Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN.  It’ll be great to kick this trip off where I concluded my first one two years ago.  Since my last visit, they’ve added their longest and most expensive roller coaster ever, Big Bear Mountain, replaced the launch on Lightning Rod with a high-speed chain lift, and completed even more trackwork on the Thunderhead wood coaster.  Plus, being the most beautiful park I’ve seen, I can’t wait to spend more time at this very unique destination.  By the way, if you haven’t already done so, I’d recommend listening to Episode 7, which covers my first visit to Dollywood before listening to this one. 

Anyway, I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off of a ride they’ve never ridden before.  That’s what I want to share with you.

And with that, join me for the first stop on road trip number three from the Great Smoky Mountains as I roll back into Dollywood on Episode 22 of Coaster Redux.

So it’s been over six months since my last coaster trip to southern California, but I’ve been keeping busy.  The winter time is the peak season at my job in the marine industry in South Florida, and I had my hands full finishing the episodes from all my travels last year.  I did take my brother Karl and his husband Marcus up to Busch Gardens Tampa on New Years Eve, and they loved Iron Gwazi.  Then I took a three day trip to Orlando in April to visit SeaWorld and Islands of Adventure to get my coaster fix.

I’d had my eye on the middle of June for this road trip and started planning it pretty much as soon as I finished my last one in September.  I did the East Coast last year, and I wanted to string together some of the major parks in the middle of the country I’d yet to visit.  Dollywood was the natural first stop before heading west to Branson, MO for my first visit to its sister park, Silver Dollar City.  Next, I’ll head north to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, then Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL.  The southbound leg will bring me back to Cedar Point where I hope to ride the re-imagined Top Thrill 2.  Then I’ll make a quick stop at Kings Island on my way to Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, and Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN.  

It’s a lot to jam into two weeks, but having done several of these types of trips, I know my limits, and try to spread out the driving and parks days.

Not a day went by during the busy winter and spring that I didn’t look forward to this trip, yet as Memorial Day came and went, it dawned on me that it’s right around the corner.  It’s crazy how time flies as you get older.  At T-minus one week, I got the oil changed in my car pre-maturely since I’d be racking up the miles, and planned sixteen days’ worth of outfits because I wouldn’t have access to laundry.  I was mostly packed two nights before I left, only having to put the final touches on everything after finishing work Friday.  Come Saturday morning, it was go time.  Like a good Boy Scout, I was prepared, and I loaded up my car to begin my longest trip yet.   

My first leg would be my longest drive.  893 miles and 12 hours of wheeltime stood between me and Tennessee.  Last year, I drove all the way to Williamsburg, VA on my first day which was 2 hours further.  At least I wasn’t going quite that far.  I was on the road at 7 am after my Dunkin stop for coffee and a doughnut, and set about the relatively boring 5 and a half hour haul just to get out of Florida.  I needed gas at Saint Augustine, and all signs lead to Buc-Ee’s.  What better way to start off a road trip than a BBQ sandwich from this infamous emporium?  

Fueled up, I continued up 95 into South Carolina, and merged onto I-26 where the drive finally became more scenic.  Lush greenery flanked the roadside as mountains towered above, and a flat thoroughfare transitioned to engaging turns and hills, making the second part of the drive far more enjoyable.  It was around this time that I remembered the tiny winding, borderline treacherous two lane roads I had taken when leaving Dollywood on my last visit.  Logic suggests that I would navigate these same roads in my 11th hour behind the wheel on the final approach to my destination.  Using low gears in place of brakes on some of these wild switchbacks, I finally passed the entrance to Dollywood, before reaching the Pigeon Forge Parkway.

The main drag in this tourist town is home to go-kart tracks, a pirate adventure, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and countless neon signs competing for a traveler’s attention.  It’s wacky layout has attractions stacked one in front of another, with confusing alleyways leading back to the second layer of businesses.

My destination was the Wayback, and Google sent me making U-turns and circling some of these alleyways before I found the place.  This hotel is part of the Marriott Tribute Portfolio which features independently owned properties showcasing the vibe of the area.  This place did just that.  It’s a recently renovated three story motel with an art deco flare, a new pool area with a bar in an Airstream trailer, and very welcoming hosts.  I checked in and made my way to the second floor as the sun set, and the distant wail of the Dollywood Express reverberated off the mountains.

It was great to stretch out after a long day on the road.  I settled in and ordered a pizza for delivery.  While I waited, I bought my park ticket online for the next day, and checked the weather.  Rain.  Like all day rain.  70% chance of rain.  I ate my pizza, and got ready for bed.  This is part of the fun of road trips.  Sometimes, there are curveballs.  It’s all about being fluid and just going with the flow.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

I woke up and opened the blackout curtains to see a soaking wet parking lot, grey skies, and a steady drizzle.  It was about 9:30, and the park didn’t open until 11.  I made a cup of coffee in the Keurig in my room, and pulled up the radar.  We had a line of rain over us that looked like it was about to end, then a large gap before another big blob of precipitation over Missouri.  It looked like I’d have a window to at least get some rides in, so I hopped in the shower and got ready for the day.

There was a very light drizzle as I walked to my car.  Everything I wore was quick-dry, and I was prepared to give this day my best shot, even if I got wet.  I entered the parking lot right at 11, and I was shocked by how many others were rolling the dice with me and heading for the park.  Families clad in rain gear walked towards the park gate as the drizzle intensified.  It wasn’t a soaking rain, just an inconvenience.  In Florida, we call it liquid sunshine.

I passed through security and entered the front gate.  I could hear Lightning Rod’s high-speed chain lift from here.  In years past, the strategy was always to bolt for the launched RMC if it was open because it could close at any time.  By all accounts, the coaster’s reliability issues were solved by removing the launch, so I’d save that for later.  My priorities were different this visit.  Not knowing what the weather would do, I wanted to at least get one ride in on Big Bear Mountain, the new for 2023 Vekoma multi launch family coaster.  Priority two was lifthill Lightning Rod.  

So I went left at the entrance and started the uphill climb towards Wildwood Grove.  The pathways wound steeply upward, passing Thunderhead, the phenomenal GCI wood twister, and Mystery Mine, the highly themed Gerstlauer Eurofighter.  I glanced way upward and saw Wild Eagle’s trains majestically spiral through its loops as I made my way into the park’s family section.

Upon entering Wildwood Grove, Big Bear Mountain seems to be everywhere.  Despite the clouds, its orange track is still vibrant against the green backdrop.  Test trains snake their way through its winding layout that follows the hillside.  It makes an awesome visual impression.  A handful of guests are queued up outside the entrance as the ride has yet to open, so I decided to start my day on Dragonflier.  

This Vekoma suspended family coaster opened with Wildwood Grove in 2019.  Despite high praise from enthusiasts, I didn’t ride it on my last visit because it had a long line due to popularity and only having a single train.  This morning, I only waited about ten minutes before climbing aboard.

The train sports ten cars, each seating two riders with a lap bar only.  Rows were being assigned, and I was placed close to the back.  It’s a very comfortable seat, and before long, we were checked and gliding out of the station.  You slowly ascend the bright green tire-drive lift hill with a great view of Thunderhead off to the right.  Upon cresting the top, you turn slightly left, and head down a mostly straight first drop into a tunnel.  It’s pretty darn punchy in the back, and you’re then whipped through an overbanked reversal to the right.  You stay low to the ground then hop up and bank left into a 360 degree helix, feet nearly missing the ground and station.  You fly up over the station, then twist through another helix before turning into an S-bend in a trench and the final brakes.

Dragonflier was a pleasant surprise.  It’s got some solid moments, combined with great visuals.  It stays close to the ground and interacts with the station and other parts of the ride to amplify the sense of speed while remaining family friendly.  It’s super smooth and it looks great in the park.

As I left Dragonflier, Big Bear Mountain had yet to open, so made my way out of Wildwood Grove towards Mystery Mine.  It had just gone down, so I retraced my footsteps back downhill to ride Thunderhead.  The line extended just down the stairs leading into the station, and while it was only ten minutes or so, it was the longest I’ve ever seen for this coaster.  There was a grouper at the entrance to the station assigning rows, and I was sent to the middle of the train towards the back.  

This GCI wood twister built in 2004 amazed me in 2022 with an intense and smooth ride.  They’ve since done even more work on its track, including adding epay, a Brazilian hardwood to the top layers of track in high stress areas.  While this ride was great, I remembered that the front of the train is the place to be on this ride, so I resolved to return later.  Weather permitting.

Mystery Mine had just reopened, so I walked right onboard this quirky coaster.  I hadn’t noticed the theme song playing along the midway on my last visit, but it was a cool touch.  The ride itself starts with a dark spooky section inside the mine before a vertical lift hill brings the train outside for some steep twists and drops.  It’s got some jank, and the shoulder harnesses aren’t ideal, but it’s fun.  The second half includes another vertical climb up the mind shaft before a vertical drop leading into an inline twist and a half, a hangtime moment, and an exiting half loop.  I really like this coaster.  It’s not the world’s smoothest, but it doesn’t bother me.  I love the theme, and the building squeezed against the mountainside really nails the aesthetic.  

I left Mystery Mine and returned to Wildwood Grove to find Big Bear Mountain was open, but the app said the wait was 45 minutes.  I hate waiting in long lines for family coasters when I can walk onto a thrill coaster, but I wanted to check this out because it’s gotten nothing but high marks from enthusiasts as being a great overall package.  Turns out they were only running one train which caused the line to absolutely crawl.  I’m guessing the reason for the delayed opening was a problem with the second train.

Anyway, the story goes that we’re searching for Big Bear, which is, well a black bear that’s much larger than normal, and he’s been terrorizing the Smokey Mountains for generations.  The ride begins in the Smokey Mountain Adventure Outpost.  Ned Oakley is the guide here, and you’ll be riding in one of his Jeeps on today’s bear hunt.  The queue features walls filled with the outpost’s gear, a map with Big Bear sightings, and recordings of eyewitness accounts.  The whole area is beautifully done, as would be expected from Dollywood.

The queue then heads back outside for two more switchbacks before you encounter the grouper.  Rows were being assigned, and I ended up pretty much right in the middle.  The train is compact and open with just a small comfortable lap bar.  This is the first of three Vekoma family coasters I’ll be riding on this trip, and so far so good.

Big Bear Mountain features onboard audio, yet unfortunately, it was not working on this day.  That may also have been part of the reason for the delayed opening.  I was still excited to try out this new ride type, and it was time to head out in search of Big Bear.

The train launches straight out of the station, then banks left 90 degrees into the main launch.  This coaster uses LIMs, or linear induction motors to get things moving, and they’re punchy enough.  You stay pretty close to the ground, increasing the sense of speed, performing undulating turns with some pretty quick transitions.  It’s butter smooth and pure fun.  You pass under the waterfall feature and hear Big Bear growl, then reverse course to the left to start heading back.  

The train twists through a few more undulations and enters yet a third launch where you hit your max speed of 48 mph, and climb up a swooping turn right over the midway by the station.  Here’s where you really feel the nearly 4,000 feet of track as the ride just keeps going through a twisting spaghetti bowl of turns and helixes.  It’s all very fluid and fun.  The coaster concludes with dive under the pathway where Big Bear can be heard again before rising up into the final brakes.

Big Bear Mountain is a huge win for Dollywood.  It’s a great family coaster that everyone can enjoy.  It interacts beautifully with the pathways and the terrain, and it’s a long experience.  Unfortunately the second train was not added, and the line remained the longest in the park, meaning this was my only ride on this coaster for the day.

Dollywood says 2026 is the year for its next major roller coaster, and I couldn’t help but notice that they went to the effort to make the ride dive under a bridge right before the pathway dead ends with a temporary looking fence.  On my last visit in 2022, I looked around at all the space that had been cleared around the area, and thought for sure the park was up to something in the area where Big Bear Mountain now stands.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Dollywood is planning another attraction for this site.  There’s still so much room to work with.

As I left Wildwood Grove, I started heading back towards Lightning Rod.  I passed Thunderhead and noticed absolutely no line, so I took two rapid fire rides with zero wait in the front of the train.  Now this is where it’s at on this coaster.  It’s so smooth and so intense with those perfect pops of airtime right before a jolt of laterals in GCI’s sensational Millennium Flyer trains.  Even with a mostly empty train, Thunderhead was even better than I remember!

I continued back downhill towards the entrance on my way to check out Lightning Rod.  Showstreet is like Dollywood’s Main Street, and it’s located to the right upon entering the park.  This year, they hung hundreds of brightly colored umbrellas directly above the pathway creating a whimsical aesthetic.  Hopefully they’ll keep that rain away!

I turned right off Show Street and entered Jukebox Junction, the 50’s themed area.  Lightning Rod is naturally themed to a hot rod, and I was psyched to see the ride running, and the posted wait only five minutes.  The queue was empty.  No need to use that single rider line that came in handy two years ago.  Gone was the grouper at the bottom of the stairs leading into the station.  I just walked right up to find a handful of riders in front of me, and two trains in operation.  

There was a grouper assigning rows, only allowing 1-2 trains worth of guests onto the platform at a time.  I politely requested the back and took my place for a few short minutes before climbing aboard.  I looked toward the front of the station and saw Ian working the ride.  A fellow enthusiast, he and I had chatted a fair amount during my first visit as he was the grouper at the bottom of the stairs.  Unfortunately, I never got to say hello.  Properly secured in the back row, the train left the station to the same engine revving sound that used to preclude the launch.  This time around, it just didn’t have the same effect.

The train engaged the high-speed chain lift, and it’s loud as expected from RMC.  It doesn’t really feel that fast.  Nothing like Skyrush at Hersheypark that makes you feel uncomfortable like we really shouldn’t be going this fast.  The launch as it was in 2022 cut off well before the top of the hill, allowing the train to slow to a supposed 13 mph at the apex.  This chain lift is supposed to run at 13 mph, guaranteeing the same ride experience once the train disengages.

We crested the top, which has a dip down before pitching back up into the main drop, it’s called the Dollys.  The back row gets suitably yanked down the 165 foot drop at a 73 degree angle.  It’s a wicked descent and it hits hard!  You climb back upwards into a massive wave turn.  Here, I was disappointed.  I remember being awed by the prolonged sideways airtime on this element, the last time, but today it lacked ferocity.  Down we go into the same valley where there was a nasty pothole the last time around.  If it was still there, it was much less noticeable.  After that, Lightning Rod was just as I remembered.  The Twist and Shout had all the whip and sideways ejector I could want before two quick hops in the ravine, the sensational quad down, and that epic reverse up into the brakes.

Lightning Rod is still good.  It’s really good, but it seemed to start off slow.  I was hungry by this point, and with no rain in sight, I resolved to return later.  I headed up the pathway on the right side of the park and entered Craftsman’s Valley.  This is the most beautiful area in the park as a sharp mountainside rises on the right, and water occasionally drips down from an overhead aqueduct.  It’s covered by a canopy of trees, and there’s a massive netted enclosure of the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.  Looking up, there could be hundreds of bald eagles peering down from their perches in America’s largest home for non-releasable eagles.

I made a pit stop at the Hickory House BBQ stand and ordered the Big Bear Feast, a sandwich with brisket, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and melted cheddar.  Everything was fresh and flavorful, and after using more than my fair share of napkins, I continued upward.

The next roller coaster was Tennessee Tornado, the last traditional looping coaster from Arrow Dynamics.  While there was no line, Dollywood had two trains in operation.  I climbed right into the back row and enjoyed being whipped down that first drop into a tunnel before three gray-out inducing inversions.  It’s an intense ride that I was happy to experience again.

Continuing into Wilderness Pass, the highest point in the park, I skipped waiting in the long line for Firechaser Express.  I’d waited 45 minutes for this on my last visit, and it’s a great family coaster, but I didn’t feel the need to ride again, especially given the looming clouds.  Instead, I headed next door to Wild Eagle.  

This was the first of four B&M wing coasters in the United States, and it’s situated on top of the mountain in the middle of the park.  A lot of enthusiasts mock this ride because it’s the GP favorite.  Understandably so, since those wacky winged contraptions inverting above the mountain are a visual spectacle.  I liked this better than Gatekeeper at Cedar Point on my last visit, and with absolutely zero line, I took a couple laps to refresh my memory.  I’ll be riding all four wing US wing coasters on this trip, so might as well rank them.

I rode three times.  Front left, back right, and front right.  I really like the first drop in back.  Because it’s straight, and profiled more like a hyper, you get some great float going down.  Front left is the best seat for near misses.  There’s good hang time on the zero-G roll and corkscrew, and in the front, you do get a mild pop of air on the bunny hill.  It’s absolutely not the most thrilling coaster in the park, but it’s dang fun, quite smooth, and has an awesome setting.  Color me a fan.

Now having ridden all the coasters I wanted to at least once, I pulled up my weather app to find that the rain line was still pretty far away, and there was one non-coaster attraction that I really wanted to ride, the Dollywood Express.  My first childhood mania was trains, especially steam trains, and this may be the best theme park train out there.  It departs from the Village area, right next to Country Fair every hour on the hour, and I had 30 minutes.  That’s just about enough time to walk from Wild Eagle with time to spare.

I was directed onto one of the middle cars on this mostly full consist.  Right on time, the locomotive sounded two short whistles, and we were on our way.  What makes the Dollywood Express stand out is the locomotives.  They’re not mock-ups, recreations, or miniatures.  The conductor tells guests all about these pieces of rolling history.  Leading the train on my visit was #192, Klondike Katie.  Built in 1943 she served on the White Pass and Yukon Route in Alaska and Canada.  Dollywood opened as the Rebel Railroad in 1961 with the same loop of track used today, with Katie being their first steam engine, and she’s an impressive sight.  My favorite part is that she’s coal fired, and that wonderful slightly sweet aroma fills the air every time the train passes by.  

We’re warned that tiny coal cinders are launched from the engine’s stack as we pick up speed, and to notify park personnel if we get one in our eyes.  Dollywood’s other locomotive is called Cinderella; a clever play on words.  Anyway, we pass through the woods in the middle of the park with the central mountain to the right, then get a great view of the back side of Thunderhead and Wildwood Grove as Katie pours on the coals to begin the ascent.  Cinders are raining down freely as we wind our way up the mountainside.  Wildwood Grove is now below us on the right, and we’re at eye level with Wild Eagle’s inversions.  At the top, the train navigates a turnaround loop where Klondike Katie and her crew give a full performance of the steam whistle.  This is undoubtedly what can be heard from miles around, and it’s so cool! 

We wind our way gently down the mountain and return to the depot after about 20 ride.  The Dollywood Express is a must do attraction for the history, the sights, sounds, and smells.  I can’t recommend it enough.

I stayed in the front of the park after the train ride and decided to take a few more laps on Lightning Rod.  My second ride for the day was in the front row, and this one was much better.  I’m guessing the ride needed to warm up, because the wave turn was as wild as I remember.  It’s gotta be a top ten roller coaster moment for me.  I love the powerful and prolonged sideways airtime way up on the hillside.  The rest of the coaster was as aggressive as I remembered.  I took two more rides in the middle of the train and they were both great.  While I miss the launch, I’d gladly take this incarnation of Lightning Rod because it ran reliably all day with two train ops.    

I then returned to Thunderhead for two more rides in the front, and it too was flying despite mostly empty trains.  I can only imagine how incredible this ride would be fully weighed down.  The way this thing is running, I can’t help but think it may beat out Mystic Timbers and Ghostrider in my wood coaster rankings.  It’s that good.  Fortunately, I’ll be at Kings Island next week, and I’ll get to try another strong GCI, Prowler at Worlds of Fun in only a few days.  It’ll be fun to compare these coasters over the course of the trip.

I’ll also be riding all three RMC Topper Track wood coasters in the US this trip.  Lightning Rod being the first, the others are Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City and Goliath at Six Flag Great America.  We’ll see how Lightning Rod stacks up.

As I returned to the pathway, the sky opened up bringing the rain I’d been watching all day.  It was an all-out deluge, and I was saturated in seconds.  I braved the walk from Thunderhead back to Lightning Rod where I bought a T-shirt.  On my way to the exit, I walked underneath those magnificent umbrellas on Showstreet, and they did nothing to keep me drier as the rain just fell between the gaps.  It was after 5:00 pm, and I was psyched to have gotten a full day in the park.  The threat of rain kept the crowds pretty light, and I got all the rides in that I wanted.

As for the best coaster in the park?  There was a time in the middle of the day after my slow ride on Lightning Rod when I thought I might like Thunderhead better.  Then after Lightning Rod warmed up, I reverted to my original opinion.  Still, it’s a phenomenal one-two punch, and I can’t wait to get back for more of the Lightning and the Thunder.

Fortunately, neither of those weather phenomena accompanied the driving rain.  I was soaked through as I entered my car and made the quick jaunt back to the Wayback, where I dried off, cleaned up, and posted my Instagram reel for the day.  I really enjoy picking a song and making a sort of music video to capture the experience of my park days.  I’m @coasterredux on both Instagram and Facebook, and my socials are really a companion piece to the podcast.  With that done,  I went to bed prepared for another long drive in the morning.  

I’ve got 673 miles and 10 and a half hours of drive time between me and Dollywood’s sister property;  undoubtedly my most anticipated park of the trip.  Join me for the next episode when I leave the Great Smoky Mountains in favor of the Ozarks.  My first ever visit to Silver Dollar City is coming up next time on Coaster Redux.