November and December are not good months for a roller coaster enthusiast. Unless one is fortunate to live in either Florida or California, most other parks are closed for the season. So following my October trip with Guy to Cedar Point and Holiday World, I figure that was it for my coaster riding until my trip out west for New Years. However, thanks to Ms. Rhonda Ledbetter and the Chattooga High School Chorus, I was able to help "chaperone" a trip to Dollywood and take 12 laps on one of my favorite coasters, Thunderhead.
This was my second year in a row to visit Dollywood. This time I had lots of fun mainly wondering around by myself. I got in 4 laps on Myster Mine as well as another ride on the Tennessee Tornado in addition to my Thunderhead rides. The park has the three coasters listed above plus a dark ride/coaster called Fire in the Hole (which scores in the 5 range and is not really worth its own individual review) as well as a Topple Tower, and a couple of fun water rides which are among the best rides in the park. I definitely avoided the few water rides that were working due to the cold weather but feel free to ride them all if visiting in the muggy summer season.
The park was not crowded at all during our visit. I planned on putting up more laps on Thunderhead, which is the main attraction at the park without a doubt, however there were problems with one of the train which led them to run only one train after lunch. When the park opened, the ride was a walk-on and I rode it 7 times in less than an hour. Like many woodies, some of the early rides were a little rough due to the cold weather and the fact that the track was still warming up. Then just when I took a couple of great rides after lunch, the problem came up with the train and wait times went up to over 30 minutes. However, with only 2 previous rides before this trip, I was able to get a better feel for this great woodie and it is still solidly in my Top 10 although I will be the grade back to a very high 9 instead of the 10 I previously ranked it at. The best seat is by far the very front with rides there being silky smooth with massive pops of air.
Four laps on Mystery Mine did not change my opinion of it. It is still a very fun ride which due to the immersive themeing, is best the first time. It is a Disneyesque attraction which loses a little luster after multiple rides. It is a solid 8 and is a great addition to Dollywood.
The Tennessee Tornado is an Arrow sit-down looper which has a great drop through a tunnel and some massive inversions. Readers of this site know my feeling about inversions and the restraints that go with them, so I will not go into details there. However, the TT is fun and worth a couple of spins when visiting the park. It scores in the 7 range.
Other than the Thunderhead, most people visit Dollywood for the shows and the food. I personally have cannot comment on these parts of the park, but they are consistently ranked among the best in the amusement park industry each year.
Overall, Dollywood is a great place to visit with a great atmosphere and one of the best wooden coasters on the planet. Special thanks to the entire CHS Chorus for letting me tag along and ride some roller coasters with all of you as well as Dr. Perry for the great pics you find posted on this review. I had a great, and surprising, weekend trip full of coaster riding and fellowship.
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