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After spending most of the last few years with minimal travel, the bug to get out of Orlando was itching and I set my sights on the Smoky Mountains... The last time I had been here was with TPR during the Deep South Tour in 2009. I'd kept up with the growth and development of attractions in the region during that time, especially of Dollywood which had nearly doubled in size since my prior visit, so I knew this could be an option to enjoy a long weekend. Our first day was focused on some of the nature, kitsch and touristy elements of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, saving Dollywood for our second full day. Why goats? Well Goats on the Roof was our first stop of the day... Due to a storm the night before, the alpine coaster here wasn't up and running but we'd be back later in the trip to give this one a go. On the drive to Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge we witnessed the Shrine Fun Fest Parade under way on the main stretch. Next up was a ride to the peak of Anakeesta Mountaintop Park. This "adventure park" is not unlike a ski resort with shops, dining and activities, minus the skiing. It is a more modern buildout which definitely made it feel more comfortable/inviting and less "kitschy mountaintop attraction." They have an alpine coaster here (the region's only single rail alpine coaster) but unfortunately it was closed due to rain and fog during our visit. It is important to note that general admission to Anakeesta is required to ride the Rail Runner, plus an added cost to experience the coaster. Had this not been the case, we would have happily returned on a different day of our trip just to ride the coaster. Plenty of great views to enjoy here! They've done a really nice job dressing up the facilities to fit into the mountain setting. The path to the top of Anakeesta is certainly picturesque! Postcard worthy. AnaVista Tower is downtown Gatlinburg's highest point accessible to visitors. And the views of the Anakeesta complex it delivers are great! Tell me more. You can see Ripley's Mountain Coaster (formerly Rowdy Bear) in the distance. The Glider Coaster sits above it but is not currently operational. There are glass flooring sections at the top of the AnaVista Tower for those that like the thrill of having transparent flooring beneath them at heights. I was honestly very impressed with the design, landscaping and overall feel of Anakeesta. Time for a BearVenture! I definitely wasn't going to trip and fall on my face in an embarrassing fashion here. Definitely not. Not sure what to make of this but here it is. There are some fun treehouses for the kids to explore. No dancing on your toes here. The Treetop Skywalk ended up being our favorite activity at Anakeesta and it is included in your base admission price. You can go through it as many times as you'd like! It's like I'm in the Ewok Village on the forest moon of Endor!!! Seriously fun stuff here! In both directions you can take the "Chondola" to/from the mountaintop or you can ride the "Ridge Rambler" which is an all-terrain vehicle that takes you on a scenic road trip up/down the side of the mountain. This Rowdy Bear location recently became Ripley's Mountain Coaster. This is the shortest of the mountain coasters in the region (approximately 5 minutes long). Unfortunately the pricing options were a little unreasonable with only two rides per person for $25 or three rides per person for $29 available (no single ride options available per person). By comparison, Goats on the Roof was offering single rides for $10 and several others were between $12-$15 per ride (with coupons available to bring down that price). For this reason we passed on this experience. I was hoping to get to ride the Glider Coaster during this trip but it wasn't open and it isn't even referenced online or in the ticket office. Over in Downtown Gatlinburg I couldn't visit without experiencing Earthquake The Ride. Having grown up with the attraction at Universal Studios Florida, this piqued my curiosity. The entry to the attraction is decently themed and there are people in line already! (Spoiler: they're not real people, they're mannequins, which is a common trick at all of these knock-off attractions.) I'll give credit in that the ride entrance is cleverly themed. Sitting down in the "train" my life choices already seemed questionable. Also these seats tilt in all kinds of wonky directions as you move (back and forth) through the experience. The ride starts with another train coming at you from the subway... Which makes sense. The ceiling collapses from the earthquake, which also makes sense... But random other things like an attacking gator start to happen around you which... Makes less sense. Don't mind the angry gorilla trying to escape his crate in the subway station during the earthquake. It all makes sense. There's a couch (with a man sleeping on it) and a locker room in the subway station because that is exactly how subway stations are in San Francisco. It makes sense. Angry gorillas often break out of their cages that they were being transported in on the San Francisco metro... Authentic and makes sense. A flood of rats pour from the fallen ceiling... Totally logical and a great way to end our authentic, realistic, true-to-nature journey on Earthquake The Ride. We rewarded ourselves for surviving that realistic catastrophe with edible cookie dough. Also wine. The Moonshine Mountain Coaster ended up being our first alpine coaster of the trip. No photos allowed while riding but this one has a fun layout and solid speed (if you don't brake). The icing on the cake is that Mario Kart music starts to play right as you exit the lift hill to start down the track! We ended up riding this one twice during our weekend. We decided to visit the DreamMore Resort at Dollywood to explore the grounds and grab some lunch. The property is well designed with some solid resort amenities. Definitely going for a moderate-to-deluxe style feel when compared to the higher end properties at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Lunch was good and solid in The Lounge at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort. Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort is being constructed right by DreamMore and will open in the Fall of 2023. The Alpine Coaster Pigeon Forge was another great alpine coaster! We ended up riding this one twice as well. The layout is fantastic in that it has lots of turns, dips and helices! Plus night rides are awesome on this one! Back at Goats on the Roof... Goats on the Roof has the fastest alpine coaster in the region. I love the lift hill the brings the karts over the entrance to the parking lot. You can feet goats on the roof by pedaling food up to them on a conveyor bike. It worked. Baby goat! You can also buy goat feed from inside the shop for a more up-close goat experience. The real reason I came to Pigeon Forge. I love the trick of putting mannequins at the entrance of these knock offs to make it feel like people are going in. "Time... The ever flowing river..." The technology inside is astounding. Some of the dinos are actually pretty realistic... Others, not so much. My favorite part of the entire experience is a kid getting picked up by a Pteranodon and flown away. Meet this dino's biggest fan. I feel like I'm really there. Feaster's on Teaster's biblical dinner theater was definitely tempting... I saw it and kept moving on... Like anyone should. What happened to the other half of the ship? Could they only pick up one half from the ocean floor? I strongly debated trying Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud (I'm ashamed typing that sentence) but the ticket price and the fact that all I really cared about was the zipline coaster deterred me from biting on the rough $40 per person price of admission. We ended our night at the Mountain Mile... Unfortunately all three of the thrill complex's attractions were closed. There's a drop tower... There's also a slingshot on this side and a more traditional skycoaster style experience (though seated instead of face down) that swings from the arch opposite side. Given that I couldn't experience any of these thrills for the evening, we pivoted to moonshine tastings at the Junction 35 Distillery in the same complex.

Six Flags Darien Lake is teasing the re-tracking work taking place on Predator!

Most times they have people in front of the Flash Pass booth handing out the bands and it takes no time at all, but it’s also Six Flags and policies are subject to change on a dime to something entirely nonsensical and then change again every 3 days all season.

So the park just did a Facebook Live where they went around the park talking about different projects for 2022 as well as 2023. Here's a few notable updates: Cheddar Chase will be the main new dry ride for the year and they plan to open it up in June, but not this opening weekend. Rampage received over a million dollars in work this offseason. The old water fortress was removed and will be replaced by a brand-new attraction by the end of this season, meaning the park will have made both a major dry park addition, a kiddie ride addition, and a waterpark addition for this year. The park has started construction on a major new addition behind Rocket Racer for the 2023 season. They have equipment onsite and they said you'll be able to watch the construction over the summer. Given most of their construction projects don't start until well into the offseason, I think it is a good sign that it is something major being added, probably for the waterpark since it is behind Rocket Racer. That being said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it'll be a water coaster. My bet would be that it'll be something like Thunder Rapids at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

Magic Mountain has scenery and theming?

Took a quick spin around the park today after not having visited in some time. Low crowds, but a lot of stuff down as well, presumably due to a combo of high winds, construction, and staffing. Single train ops on quite a few things, but that's to be expected on low-crowd days. Here's a couple more pics of the new coaster as it looks like they've made some progress since the last ones went up.

This will be the only "major investment" your park gets for the next decade; cherish it.

Very nice TR. Anakeesta looks great. Last time we went to Gatlinburg (October 2019), the line to buy tickets was completely overflowing onto the main sidewalk, and this was a Tuesday! We were later told it was Fall Break for schools in the region and that the week we picked to visit was not a good one if you don't like crowds. Noted for future visits! So glad others enjoy Earthquake. I laughed so hard the first time I rode it, especially at the "surprise" at the very end. I recommend this to anyone who loves a classic tourist trap because despite how stupid it is, you can't help but have fun. Ditto on Jurassic Jungle. If only World of Illusions was still open... And speaking of Paula Deen, we made the mistake of eating at her restaurant over at the Island. We had heard good things. We obviously heard wrong. My "world's greatest" fried chicken was soggy, the mashed potatoes were like soup, and the biggest sin was that they don't have biscuits of any kind during non-breakfast hours. How do you not have biscuits in the south? Thankfully, the fried chicken at Applewood Farmhouse over in Sevierville was much better and while no biscuits, the "apple fritters" were amazing! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to the Dollywood report!

Did you happen to snap some pics of it to share because. . .

Thanks!! Appreciate the compliments. Cooking is one of my big hobbies/enjoyments (focus on BBQ and Pizza if you didn’t notice!). Some people question or don’t understand why we never go out to eat unless on vacation, but we just have so much more fun cooking up whatever we want at home. Usually tastes better, too! So here are the pies from last night… This time, dough utilizes a touch of dark rye flour. Overnight ferment, high hydration to give it a bit more of that ‘Neapolitan’ style texture. It was so delicate/soft, minimal chew and just was like a pillow. Heavenly! Will likely make this again, but with a touch less yeast and perhaps a 2-day ferment to see how it influences the flavor/texture. Tried some new tomatoes I found at the store as well. While I typically use the Cento San Marzano tomatoes as my go-to base, tried out Bianco Organic California Tomatoes (with some fresh extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and oregano/basil added). So delicious! Nice acidity and freshness, bright flavor. Big fan! Cheese mix was whole-milk mozzarella, asiago and monterey jack blend. One pizza had broccoli, olives and italian sausage (ground pork with salt, paprika, fennel, garlic, onion, black pepper, Italian seasoning and chili flakes added). The other was pepperoni and black olive. Home run on these two. We couldn’t pick the favorite.

Yes.

I live closer to SFFT now but never quite understood the super-rave reviews either. It doesn't stop me from going and marathoning iRat and Superman, and I certainly don't dislike the place, but SFMM wins out by a long shot for me in terms of scenery, theming, ride selection, and overall experience.

Not an expert but been enough times for some pointers. I've never been RECENTLY In the heart of summer, but for a Friday, even with a holiday weekend, I don't think you'll have an issue getting everything given your itinerary. If it's nice weather your longest lines are going to be the water coasters, but, mammoth and wildebeest both have single rider lines and they will group you with others. Most people are family's and don't utilize it. I didn't notice if cheetah chase had one, but I don't think it did. That one was tough given the weight distributions for my party we had to find other people to ride with w/o the help of the ops. When you say water park, I'm just assuming the 3 water coasters and nothing else. You can spend all day in just the water park if you are doing all the other slides... easy. There are some other fun ones (but with no single rider lines be prepared to wait a LONG time for things in the waterpark), but really, for the truly unique experience just go with the 3 "coasters". There are dividers meaning people won't be in your lap for wildebeest and cheetah chase, but you'll still get people's feet near/to the side of you unless you're in the back row. Mammoth is a non issue and is very comfortable and you'll get on quick in the single rider line. Don't make the rookie mistake of doing the dry coasters in order from the top of the hill when the park opens (UNLESS you can beat the rush) because pretty much EVERYONE goes to Raven first. And then when people see when that line is too long they go next on the pecking order to Legend. Etc. The lines for those two are long around opening time / the first hour or two until the water park opens. Probably best to make the VERY long trek to Thunderbird (+ rerides) FIRST if you get there at open, then do voyage (+ retyides) and then do gobbler getaway right near the Voyage, then hop on over to the drop tower, log flume, and finally Legend and Raven. Then do the waterpark with single rider lines. Then if there is any extra time after the waterpark that's when you'll want rerides on the dry side and there will be no lines for Raven and Legend. Let me know if you have any other questions. Some other locals might have better advice but that's generally what I've seen and my order of operations that I'd recommend to cram in as much as possible. Don't forget the time zone difference from the rest of the area! Another rookie mistake, lol

Visited CW for the first time since 2016 on Friday and had a decent visit. Here's my observations: Good - Yukon Striker is outstanding. In my opinion, this is the best B&M dive coaster that I have been on (that list includes Sheikra, Griffon and Valravn). The first drop into the underwater tunnel is a great thrill with an imposing headchopper visual, the "inline twist" element (?) was disorienting and the ride as is of course tradition was glass smooth. I also got a kick out of the mobile Loose Item bins. More rides should use something like that! - Leviathan was still running beautifully. While I feel it is the weakest of the 3 B&M gigas I have been on, it still boasts an incredible first drop (again into a tunnel offering a nice headchopper effect), the train flies through the course and even has a moment or two of nice floater air, and like Yukon Striker, the ride is as smooth as a baby's bottom. Great stuff, especially riding in the front seat. - Vortex was running great. I seem to remember a pothole on a portion of the track, but the train flew and swung smoothly through the course. Like its twin at Kings Island, the ride is too short, but is still quite fun. I like the new mine car-style theme on the trains too. - SledgeHammer is awesome. I know it may not be a popular opinion, but this one of a kind Huss Jump2 is a unique ride experience that offers some unusual sensations all without being nauseating. My only complaint about the ride are the absurdly bulky restraints. They are a bit too claustrophobic and can cause some headbanging on the "jump up" moments, but overall, if this ride is operating, I say ride it. Average - Behemoth. What happened here? Perhaps it is early in the season, and perhaps it was because temps were in the low 60's (Fahrenheit), but Behemoth seemed to be running a bit sluggish. It's a good ride still, but it didn't seem to fly through the course like Diamondback at Kings Island. Heck, Intimidator at Carowinds seemed faster than Behemoth. Bad - Ride Cycle times. It seemed that most of the flat rides here had painfully short cycles. Psyclone literally swung 5 or 6 times and then slowed to a stop. Soaring Timbers went around 6 times and that was it. The carriage didn't even flip. And the Swing of the Century's cycle timed in at 47 seconds. Yes, the park was semi crowded, but these are just crazy short ride times. On the plus side, SledgeHammer runs for about 2 minutes and Klockwerks ran a respectable cycle, but most other rides were not even worth lining up for. - Carrousel "music". I didn't know if this should be considered bad, but the park's beautiful Antique Carrousel (the sign did have two R's) is lacking a band organ or recorded music, so one of the ride ops sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" while the ride spun. Now that is an odd choice of tunes! - And finally, the food lines were simply insane. Thankfully I had a very limited amount of time to spend at the park and ended up eating elsewhere, but jeez, those lines looked like they could sap at least 45 minutes out of your day. It was great to be back in Canada again and I hope to visit CW one more time before the season is over. The park is well maintained, the employees were friendly (and were all wearing masks), and the ride selection is definitely one of the more varied ones in North America. I see Duran Duran is playing the Molson Amphitheater in August, so a trip to visit the CNE, Wonderland and a concert with newly inducted Rock And Roll Hall of Famers sounds like a plan to me!

Try as they might, there is nothing in the vast multiverse that can save Predator. Even RMC would look at it and give up.

^ Your last two posts .... even though I am saying it now ..... there are no words ..... really awesome creations, there. And that brisket (and those sides, too!) ...... <DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL> ..... on it's own or on a pizza. Really looks beautifully done. Thanks for sharing all the pizzas (AND brisket) you've created, cooked, and shown us! So far, hah hah.

Hi - it's me again. Took the little guy yesterday. Park was EMPTY which was nice. Actually had 2 walk-on rides on Daredevil Dive. I'd forgotten how much fun that ride is, as the line is usually miserable so I skip it. I finally got to ride Catwoman Whip, which was okay. Not as good as the Wheelie was, but maybe that's because I'm old. I'm really grateful that my kid is a daredevil, and will ride anything he can....but he decided Blue Hawk / Ninja is his favorite ride there. The new trains and track work make it tolerable and okay for a ride every once in a while.....but a mini-marathon on it almost killed me. I remember being a kid and being able to ride the roughest rides around with no problem. I sometimes feel like a kid on the inside, but my body is reminding me today that I am certainly one no longer.