Dollywood had always been a top tier bucket list park for me, and I finally got to check this park off the list in December. I was especially excited to see all of their Christmas decorations and holiday theming. The park did not disappoint, it was everything I hoped it would be and more. The setting of the park is almost unbeatable, it is nestled into the Smoky Mountains with a lot of the coasters built into the mountains. And the coasters are incredible in their own right, everyone has their favorites but after my initial visit (missing out on Big Bear Mountain and Blazing Fury, which were both closed), here is my ranking.
8. Whistlepunk Chaser
It’s a kiddie coaster. What can I say, a credit is a credit. You go around the layout three times, so at least it’s a long cycle. This coaster is also placed in the middle of Thunderhead’s layout, so there are great views of that coaster going around as well. Other than that, there isn’t much to say. This ride’s entrance sign has a working train whistle that you can pull, so bonus points for some interactivity.
7. Dragonflier
Family suspended coasters have been on the rise recently with other installations of this Vekoma version, as well as B&M models at the Busch Gardens parks. This was one of the earlier models, and has held up just fine. For some reason, I found the first drop on Dragonflyer to be extremely forceful, and gave me a strong butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation. I can’t explain why, and nothing else on the ride had much going on, but the first drop was enough to be memorable. Writing this out now I am coming to the realization, this park is full of incredible drops: Dragonflyer, Wild Eagle, Tennessee Tornado, Mystery Mine, and Lighting Rod all have incredible drops. Maybe our next article will be “best drop collection at a park.” Stay tuned!
6. Tennessee Tornado
I had essentially no expectations for Tennessee Tornado, if anything I expected not to like it, so I was pleasantly surprised. It just looks like a big, uncomfortable Arrow coaster, but it’s actually just a big, mildly comfortable Arrow coaster. The first drop is actually pretty good, and offers a forceful plunge into a tunnel. The inversions are huge and drawn out, offering some good hangtime. I debated putting this over Firechaser Express because of the first drop alone, but ultimately, I never had the urge to re-ride this, and it was a one and done for me.
5. Firechaser Express
This was one of the first coasters I remember following from announcement to opening as an enthusiast, so finally riding it was a full circle moment for me. I was impressed with both launches, forward and backwards, and the rest of the layout is just a great family coaster. There is not much to say about this coaster, but that’s not a bad thing, it just speaks to how solid the layout is. There’s no standout element except for the backwards launch in the themed shed section, with real fire effects that took me by surprise.
4. Wild Eagle
I rode my first B&M wing coaster this year at Cedar Point, and after riding Gatekeeper I knew I would be a fan of this type of coaster. Wild Eagle has an incredible setting, climbing its lift set into a mountain and diving into the trees below. This also features a regular drop instead of an inverting wingover drop, which I actually found to be more thrilling than the inverting kind. The first half of the layout is packed with sweeping, graceful inversions that truly capture the feeling of flying. Similar to Gatekeeper, I wasn’t as much of a fan of the back half of Wild Eagle, helixes and curves don’t pack the same punch as inversions. However, the front half is good enough to put Wild Eagle at number four on my list.
3. Mystery Mine
I had purposely stayed as spoiler-free as possible for this coaster, and I am glad I did. This is one of the more unique ride experiences outside of a resort park. The theming is quirky and intricate, and the coaster inside is genuinely good. Mystery Mine is more than just a standard Eurofighter, it offers some of the weirdest, most fun elements on any coaster. The finale of this coaster is unlike any I’ve ever seen, a beyond vertical drop directly into two inline twists, and a hangtime-filled dive loop. Much like Thunderhead, this ride should be talked about much more. It’s just so fun, and of all of these rides, I wish I could’ve ridden this more times. The small drop in the new section is also a highlight, and the drop out of the station is a great start to the ride too. This coaster is so much fun, and gives Dollywood a much-needed highly themed ride.
2. Thunderhead
I haven’t heard this ride talked about much, but I was genuinely impressed with the length of the ride and the amount of airtime it offered. This is probably one of the most underrated wooden coasters out there, probably because Lighting Rod overshadowed it, but now I’m hoping this will get its flowers. Thunderhead also has probably the most comfortable seats on any coaster, which is a huge plus and makes the ride experience much more enjoyable. There is a slight rattle, but nothing that brings down the overall experience. There are so many more airtime moments on this than I was expecting, and a station flythrough is always appreciated. The length of the ride was maybe the most surprising thing for me, every time I thought the ride was about to end it just kept going. I had heard that after Lightning Rod removed the launch that Thunderhead was the best ride in the park, it doesn’t quite reach that for me because the setting of Lightning Rod is simply too good, but in terms of ride experience, it absolutely gives it a run for its money.
1. Lightning Rod
I never rode the original launched version of this coaster, but even in its current form, Lightning Rod still packs a punch. Lift or launch, flying over the Smoky Mountains through wave turns and airtime hills is undeniably fun. While it is a bummer knowing what could be, once you clear the lift it doesn’t matter. My favorite elements were the drop off of the large first hill and the last two hills on the quad down. I was very glad to get two night rides, because you can see almost nothing in the pitch black of the mountain after the lift. There are a few rough spots during the wooden portion, and the left seat is inexplicably rougher than the right, but those are fairly minor for the engineering feat that is this coaster. This ride will always be overshadowed by the infamous issues of the past, but the biggest compliment I can give is that it stands on its own and stands above the issues. Lightning Rod is one of the most iconic coasters in the enthusiast community, and in any form it is a joy to ride. I can’t wait to ride it in the summer when it is warmed up, I’m sure it will only get better.
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