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You're putting way too much thought into this.

I'm not doing this to advertise this trip or to get attention. Aside from Cedar Point, I've never been to any of these places. I reached out to the TPR community to get advice from people who have been to these places. The advice I've received has been really good, and it'll help me plan the trip more effectively. I'm pretty grateful that this community exists, and that people are so open to sharing their wisdom and experience with me. Yeah, I used to plan trips without getting this type of input in advance, but that frequently resulted in all sorts of "I wish I knew this beforehand" moments. I created this thread to avoid that.

But on the other hand I've always planned stuff out. The internet just makes it easier. I mean when I was 10 we took a big road trip and I actually wrote letters to the Chambers of Commerce in all the towns and cities we were driving through to ask about things to see and do. Got a crap ton of brochures mailed back to me. It was fabulous. Sometimes the anticipation of planning is half the fun.

Jumped in to say make sure you check out Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge and Earthquake The Ride in Gatlinburg. They are both "Now Open" and always have guests hanging around outside (mainly because they are mannequins!). These are two of the absolute cheesiest rides I have ever done, but for some reason I giggle like a little kid every time I ride them. I will say they are both a little scary for young kids as Jurassic Jungle is very loud and incredibly dark, while Earthquake has a giant ape that may frighten kids. Also, if you're a Simpsons fan, the "Wigsphere" (aka the Sunsphere) is about 30 miles away in Knoxville and it's free to go up and look through the gold colored windows and enjoy a very yellow view of the city. Never found any wigs up there though! And finally, I recommend Local Goat, Applewood Farmhoue and The Old Mill as places to eat. All 3 were great!

It totally matters! It’s a THEME park. Attitudes like yours allows the slide to start. I used to be so impressed that “good enough” did not seem acceptable for this fairly small regional park. It should be LESS acceptable as they move into the real of national destination. And to use some past examples… Mystery Mine effects haven’t worked in the right sequence (green snaking fuse, green lantern, explosion) in years, the spark fountains that actually told the story of “big Bertha” igniting on FireChaser worked sporadically the first season then never again, the prop burning fireworks have never been cleaned of black soot (making it obvious the effect has happened over and over, lightning rod had had numerous tools ripped off of the queue work benches and never replaced… etc. the park is NOT as focused on the details as they once were, but I guess neither is Disney, so if that’s their new competition, then they are following right along.

^ One statue isn't enough?

^ Oh Bill. . . . .

Per Park President Jeffrey Siebert's twitter update, the Midcourse drop is now complete! so a big portion of this beast is complete, and only 21 more sections of track to install and they'll have full circuit! can't wait.

I recommend Berardi's in Sandusky. http://www.sanduskyberardis.com

Or some sort of outdoors park, even the loading are keeps the feel. And it feels similar to the bird show area. And of course the trains still looks great. (And glad the lines aren't out past the statue anymore...) FCE just felt like few random items scattered around the queue, but I've only been through 2-3 times. Not worth the wait to me. LR has so many areas outside the theming coupled with the long waits it just never felt well themed. A few nice bits (the welding behind the doors). And while the trains at first looked good, that didn't last. And no, it doesn't matter to me. That's why the tree WWG doesn't bug me and exceeded my expectations.

Its only gonna be awkward if one of you gets a boner. (Kidding, the ride ops would probably not let two grown men sit in one car, but then again its Kings Dominion where nothing makes sense so ymmv.) So you're willing to deal with the clusterf*ck of the six of you trying to line up in six rows just so you can ride in separate rows on the same train? JFC. Just jump on where you can and move along to the next ride. Bill is 100% right, you're putting way too much thought into this.

Two things... 1. It's crazy that Cafe Mickey is finally disappearing!!!! 2. How do we still not have a date for Avengers Campus!?!?!

I mean the lower que and station area for Wild Eagle has a major national park visitors center vibe to it, atleast it always did to me. Does Tennessee Tornado or Thunderhead have any themeing besides some random junk laying around here and there? No, does it matter? Not really.

Wild Eagle has theming?

They are the reason it's there. Most of the grove is oriented to younger kids. As long as the kids are impressed the parents will take them. As I said my teenager (soon to be 18) likes it as well. I'm not impressed but better that I expected. Sure could have been better, but I expected a lot worse. Like art and music, it can be good while not being exceptional.

<sighs> I miss the old days, where nobody knew where you were really going for holidays. Now, it's like a Massive Project to be planned for. And executed. Online. Just saying.

Looks steeper (and longer) than Yukon Striker’s post-MCBR drop… Not that that’s saying much Impressive considering the smaller stature of the ride in general. Should provide a good pop of air!

There any season pass deals going on right now? Looks like I'm going to get 4 of them for myself and the kids.

Dude can you get me a discount on them Dippin' Dots?

This is a weird take, but I actually feel like if this park just went back to exactly the way that it was in 2015 it would be a better park. Much prettier, better food, better Mystery Mine, Slidewinder and no coaster that never works making you feel like you're missing out when you show up and it's closed 50% of the time. The only thing that I'd miss is Drop Line and a few infrastructure upgrades.

Yeah, I expect this ride to be exactly the same unless you haven't been on it yet and you ask a coaster dork about the refurbishment in which case the old version was way better and it's a shame that you didn't ride it before they ruined it.

Excellent article.

Theme Park Review was invited to experience the opening weekend of Knott's Boysenberry Festival! The tasting card has raised another $5 in price compared to the last event to now be $50 for adults, but now offers a 6th tasting item. Here are a few helpful tips for attending the event: -We recommend starting at food locations towards the back of Ghost Town instead of making an immediate left towards the booths near Ghostrider, as just like with Halloween Haunt, a large number of attendees go there first. Come back to the booths near Ghostrider at the midpoint of your visit. We very much enjoyed the "Boysenberry Lane" section of the festival which offered a large food booth with many umbrella-shaded benches to enjoy your Boysenberry overload! -If rides are a priority during your visit, we recommend you arrive right at park opening, and ride as much as you can. With a park opening of 9am, and arriving at 10am for our visit, we were surprised to see a 120-minute wait for Ghostrider, 130-minute wait for Silver Bullet, 30-minute wait for Pony Express, and a 45-minute wait for HangTime, just 1 hour into the operating period. -Many food items can be found at multiple food locations, so check to see if one of your desired items can be found at a location off the beaten path. The event is scheduled to run through April 24. To plan your Boysenberry overload, visit this link for more details: https://www.knotts.com/events/boysenberry-festival We love these continual Knott's food festivals, giving us a reason to come back again, and again. Thank you so much to the Knott’s team for your hospitality! Welcome back to the Boysenberry Festival! This suits us: First item: Boysenberry Filled Donut Open-faced Chicken Sandwich topped with a Bacon Jam and Arugula (though it seems just to be bacon bits and not a bacon jam, as a bacon jam and boysenberry seems redundant). Mini Crab Sushi Roll with a Boysenberry Aioli. Surprisingly refreshing on a warm day, and one of the seemingly best "values"! All-Beef Meatballs in a Boysenberry BBQ Sauce on Mashers. Consistently great year after year! Boysenberry BBQ Chicken Pizza. Picture=Terrible. Taste=Perfection! Trio of Sausage with Peppers and Onions on Boysenberry Polenta. Another "good value" dish, very sharable. The sausage and peppers were good, though the boysenberry polenta didn't translate for us. Boysenberry Mudslide. Yes, yes, and yes again! Now for desserts! You can (jokingly) choose between either the listed "Boysenberry Mousse Chocolate Cake", or the written out "Boysenberry Mouse Cake"! Either way, you can't go wrong! Our favorite sweet item of the day! Finishing up with a Boysenberry Pie Bar! We visited Town Hall in Ghost Town to learn a bit about Knott's history. The Blacksmith is always a great place to see the old-time charm of Knott's alive and well. Oh hey, Catawampus! A fun photo backdrop in Boysenberry Lane just beyond Ghostrider. We highly recommend this area. Finishing up with a bit of entertainment, we visited the Camp Snoopy theater and enjoyed a show with the Peanuts friends: Finally, The Bird Cage Theater in Ghost Town present a Melodrama, all centered around Boysenberry Schnapps! What could be better than that...and air conditioning! At more than 30 minutes in length, this is a great way to enjoy the shade and relax between Boysenberry courses! Thank you again to Knott's for inviting us to the opening weekend, and here is to a great Spring full of food!

I feel like dragster is as likely to be removed as the F-150 is to stop production. Dragster is going to open just how it operated before, no new launch system. The safety upgrades will be barely noticeable on the track components and trains. They don't have to do much to make the public come back, and they already passed their government inspections with contingencies to fix the issues.

No kidding?...

I know we have our own opinions but I feel Screamscape does deserve some respect in the coaster community. Lance was (and still is in some capacity) one of the only main source of coaster and theme park news AND RUMORS site that has survived all these years. Hell, he's been around as some of longer than some coasters lol. I don't see the need to rag on the site as if it purposely states things as truth and leads people on. And c'mon, making a joke that it still looks like the same site from 1995 lol. Does it really matter that he focus more on content than aesthetics? I mean TPR looks the same and I have no issue with either it or screamscape finding what works for them and sticking with so an iconic design. With a lot of new and info site for coasters and parks dwindling, I have nothing but respect for Screamscape and TPR because they have proven one thing, they are two powerhouse in the community and you don't have to have a flashy site when your name supersedes itself.

Let's not pretend that Dueling Dragons was removed for any reason other than to expand Harry Potter land and appease JK Rowlings ego.

I'm pretty sure most people book cabins in Pigeon Forge for the view of the Smokies. I picked cabins with views of Dollywood's coasters. I was able to get some unique shots of Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle the past few days. Speaking of Lightning Rod, the coaster only opened for the final 8 minutes of the day on Sunday due to the prior day's snowstorm and then it ran like it's usual self on Monday with a delayed opening and multiple breakdowns.

I mean if want to talk 'complete' Sorry, not sorry. I'm excited for what 2022 will bring though. Now that we've heard a bit more from the new management structure it sounds like effort is being made to elevate the chain - even food.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. . new signs going up today, to warn that the Railroad might not operate consistently due to how close to the tracks the construction work is: OMG. . I love this park & Park President.

Quick update from today Closed rides. No movement on Montezooma yet. Supreme Scream has reopened but only with one tower. Green Tower Xcelerator is back open on weekdays (for 4 weeks it was only operating on weekends) Wipeout has been closed since Sept. Lastly Log Ride still has a week or two left of refurbishment.

That's the way Ninja was designed though, Ninja was designed to be a steel coaster with a "feel" of a wooden one, same with Blue Hawk from SFoG, but its gotten a lot worse as it's aged though. I could be wrong but I think they are still using the original trains from Arrow, which.. Werent great to begin with.. Most of the parks who have the same track type have upgraded to the 6 car Vekoma trains and a different style of restraint system which reduce the awful jerkiness of the ride by a ton. Blue Hawk in SFoG a few years ago got some track refurbishment and new trains which apparently makes the coaster (which is identical to ninja in terms of roughness at the time) basically smooth and has the added benefit of making the coaster run faster.