http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DepDpfOc-k
After having a great time at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, it was on to stop number 3 in the IOACentral Radio Endless Road Trip, Pigeon Forge Tennessee and Dollywood. We had gotten many mixed results from people about the length of the trip, and had heard many different times from 6 to 13 hours for driving time to Dollywood from Williamsburg. Many mountains, rain, 8 hours and one scary *** town later we arrived at Pigeon Forge Tennessee, nestled deep in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.
Ive got to say, right off the bat, Pigeon Forge is Kissimmee
.with Mountains. There are so many little touristy things to do from go-karts, to mini-golf. There is even a Wonderworks and a Ripleys Believe it or Not. And then there is Jurassic Jungle River Boat Ride. Wow
.simply
.wow. Matt and I were just besides ourselves with giddy excitement as we walked up to the red and yellow boats. We forgot our cameras (dammit) so we dont have any pictures. But take our words for it
.its not Jurassic Park.
Its Jurassic Jungle! Its a dark ride, and it is fun
.but there were so many things wrong with this ride. When we told the girl at the admission desk that we were from Orlando and had to see this crazy thing for ourselves she just gave us no refunds look. The whole boat system works on a come-along. There are several little islands and a hook comes along and pulls you around the island. There are giant snakes, and bird-man-bear-pig things around every dark turn. Not a terrible attraction for an independantly owned operation.
After our Jurassic Jungle fix we hit the hay and had dreams of Scarab beetles from Revenge of the Mummy. In the morning, there was no time for doddling as we both slept like dead rocks, and missed our alarm clock. We rushed out of the hotel and jumped in the van. In the daylight, everything looks more like a mountainous version of Kissimmee than ever. We rode through deeper and deeper hills, and our dispair grew. There was no way in hell that a decent park could be way the hell out here! There were graveyards here that were a hundred years old for gods sake!
How could a theme park here be anygood? We got to the park, and our dispair grew into dissappointment. It really looked like a second rate fair in the parking lot. Sure it was pretty, with all kinds of flowers and people dressed in period clothes. But still, their tram was an old rusted school bus that had the sides cut off it. Usually a bad sign.
We got our tickets and rushed inside, where to our amazement, we were still early for opening. The front area looked a lot like Main Street USA in WDW, only a southern version of it. Everything was surrounded by hills, and the path wound around and into them. You could not see the rest of the park over the hills. We checked the park map, which had an odd shape to it, and made our way to what we came for.
The only thing that would drag us to this little park, Mystery Mine. We made our way over to where everyone else was waiting and watching the Rain Maker , a short magic show of sorts in the tradition of the old snake oil salesman. Very entertaining, and it did manage to shed some minutes off our wait time. The rope was let down and everyone went pouring into the Timber Canyon area.
Our first glimpse was of ThunderHead, a wooden roller coaster that from our eyes looked like any other wooden roller coaster we had seen. It looked old, rickety and it was loud. We made our way past that and headed over to where Mystery Mine was. It loomed over in the distance like a hillybilly Hollywood Hotel. It was pretty impressive. It looked run down, and dark and forboding, just like the story of the coaster said it was supposed to be.
There wasnt anyone in line, but there also wasnt anyone in line for Timber Tower that we were able to see run before we decided to ride. It didnt look that impressive, in fact it looked down right puny. It wasnt very tall, and it didnt seem like there was much to it
.until we saw it in motion. This thing was crazy! We decided to give it a try, and wow. You are lifted into the air, and slowly start to spin.
The spinning gets faster as water starts to spray into the air, and you start to hear beavers chattering and laughing. Once you get up a good spinning speed, you start to rock. You are thrown face first into the water, you feel as if you are going to be dropped into the beavers dam, and impaled on the remaining timber stumps. It was so crazy and fun, and such a surprise. Once you are up in the air you start to see that it is themed around a lumber mill, and you are in the tower. Its really a great little ride. Something that would make a great small addition to say Islands in the Toon Lagoon area.
After our whirl on Timber Tower, it was over to the Mystery Mine. There is no video or waiting room like there is in Tower of Terror, but with the eerie music, and posters of old newspapers all over the walls, and the old prospector walking right through the line poking his dynamite in your face, you get the same vibe that youre doomed.
We were able to pretty much walk right on. The cars reminded me a lot of Revenge of the Mummy in that they were shaped the same. Only there were two rows of four. The shoulder harnesses were really different as well, they seemed to work on a magnetic lock, which allowed for us bigger folk to get in without a lot of squeezing. Once we were locked in we were on our way. The beginning of the ride is a dark ride, warning you about the mystery mine, and warning that if the canary died, all was lost. There was the canary singing bright as could be, with lots of crows peering back at you with dead red eyes on one side, and rats on the other. Just as you turn the corner of the mine, the canary falls down dead on its side
.this is going to be a good ride. You go whipping under an Indiana Jones style falling ****y trap, and whisking around in the dark. From there you are drug up a 90 degree straight up lift hill. You are looking straight up at the ceiling, and what comes next cant be good. Over and out of the building you go as you take a hard bank turn on the side of the mountain, back into the mine.
Then once you are back in the dark, again you go straight up. You cant see anything until
.well
Ill save that part. But lets say the ride has an explosive finale as you go hurtling 95 degrees straight down, and back into the open sky as you roll into a heartline roll and seem to stop before going through a half loop back to the station. We loved it so much we jumped back into line and did it again.
My only complaint that it was too short. It could have had so much more, but I dont think my fat heart could take anymore of it.
After we stopped for some trademark silly pics it was on for Thunderhead. Upon entering the station we could see that it had won the golden ticket award for best wooden coaster. Again, we thought nothing of it, and jumped on. The take off was immediate and fast. We were surprised at how smooth it took off too, unlike any other woodie Ive been on. Up the lift hill, and even from that height you couldnt see the rest of the park, the mountains were in the way. That first drop was a doozy, 100 ft. and just as fast and smooth as any steel. The only thing we could exclaim as we dropped over hill after turn was OH MY GOD THIS IS SO FAST!!! There is even one point where it does a flyby of the station. Truly more than we expected from this coaster. It really lives up to that Golden Ticket.
After that we hit the rest of the park. Walking through we got the sense that everyone was just so laid back. No one was going crazy trying to plan every step of the way of their trip, all of the staff were smiling and talking with you as passed. And the smell of food was everywhere.
We were pleasantly surprised by the Tennessee Twister, yet again. We walked up thinking Oh God, this is going to hurt but were surprised by the smoothness of the track, and the furocity that the train tore through the giant loop that literally went through the mountain. We hit an indoor coaster/water ride called Blazing Fury which started out as a redneck version of Pirates with Ma an Pa sittin on the front porch with their shotguns. No joke, it looked like a Bsquare family reunion.
It was a lot of fun being whisekd around figures that had the voices of Jim Neighbors and Dolly Parton. Again, we were surprised by the wallop the ending coaster portions packed and the really neat effects that it had. From there we checked out the kids area, which is a huge treehouse, and water play area, complete with foam ball shooters. It was simply huge. The Mountain Slidewinder had us hiking up a hill with little kids running past us as we stopped and died a few times. When we asked about the water for this little toboggen ride, where they got it from and how they filtered it we simply got We just pump it right outta this mountain here And they did, as it was FREEZING.
After screaming down the slidewinder we stopped for some eats, which ranged from normal park food like chicken and hamburgers to some down home cookin. I opted for the Fried Green Tomatoes (maters to yall) and some fried taters. It was cheap, and good. And warmed us right up.
We did a few more rides, but pulled out a little early, as we were on to our next stop on the Endless Roadtrip: Carowinds in North Carolina.
We literally walked into Dollywood expecting to be let down, and walked out just amazed at how great a park it was. From the first rate attractions, to the staff that was just unbelievably friendly to the food all over the place, it was just one surprise after another.
Next week: Carowinds.
