Electerik

I was working at GhostRider on the day of KBF's ill-fated 1999 "5-cent admission on Cinco de Mayo" promotion. When a park reaches capacity at 10:30am and then closes 3 hours early, you know you've been part of a disaster. /But at least I had a good view of the arrests/near riot at the front gate.

I haven't, for much the same reasons that you laid out above. I only finally gave this one a try because I got in free the first time (they had a local employees freebie thing right when they first opened).

^^ That's interesting. I find I like everything in the Expedition series, regardless of area or theme--and I watch them all over and over again. Whereas I only watch the Footage discs once, and I'm pretty much done. I have yet to order or watch any of the RAW discs, because I assume I won't particularly like them (since they're presumably similar to the Footage discs). So I haven't voted in this poll, since my vote would be meaningless. Though, again, I really love the Expedition series.

Agreed. And, moreover, they only ever made any sense at all in Williamsburg. I don't think the giant land-horses being gone will leave an obvious gap at SeaWorld. Count me in the "sounds like good news" crowd.

^ The "build and ride your own coaster" thing is visible in the background of the Air Cannon photo. We've been on it before. It's not really my thing, but it was running, yes. I like WonderWorks. But I certainly don't think it's a "must do."

^ Indeed. Is there actually some example of going from a rides park to strictly a water park where said park then did better?

Perhaps you are now thinking, "WonderWorks? Isn’t that in Orlando?" Indeed it is. But it's also now here in Pigeon Forge. How? Well, because it’s wondrous, of course.... ...what I really want is a WonderWorks toy big rig! Convoy! So, the big question: Is it worth $20? Well, I think it depends on how hard it’s raining outside. Magnets are so blasé... WonderWorks really tops the competition by making you exit the attraction into an arcade, and then making you exit the arcade into a gift shop. Bravo, good sirs! There’s also laser tag and an arcade. She’s just mad ‘cause I grabbed the bars and trapped her there while I took a photo. Ta-da! Okay, this is kind of cool. Shine a light on this goofy pile of wire, and... Optical illusion land. So what? I watch her go to the bathroom all the time, at home. I’m not sure what the point of this thing is, but it looks really cool. I...um...I can’t do that. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to follow the frog. You know you want to. Kind of like the floor thing, but on the wall. The “point” of Mind Ball is to out relax the other person and not really pay attention to what your doing. At last, a sport for me! My favorite thing in the whole place. You drop a bowling ball and it shoots a tennis ball 40 feet in the air. Somebody tell Stan Checketts. In case you wanna get REALLY kinky, there’s a mirror above the bed of nails. Super bubbles!!! Big piano. I’m not really sure what this thing was. But I like what the last person did with it. The answer is no. "Backbeat, the word is on the street, that the fire in your heart is out." Hmmm, sounds dangerous. What I might look like if I were dancing on a pressure-sensitive image-morphing floor. What Smisty would look like lying on her back. (What?) What Smisty would weigh on Mars. (But she would claim it was only 68lbs.) What Smisty would look like if she were pretending to wear a spacesuit. If you jump high enough, you end up in space. (This joke makes more sense if you note the jumpy thing on the left. Otherwise, I just sound retarded.) Basically just video games. But, again, at least they didn’t cost anything extra. My fastball was 34 miles per hour. That’s really good, right? These “peddle upsidedown bikes” were undergoing some sort refurbishment. Yes, it’s just a rock climbing wall. But as least it’s not an upcharge. Predictably, I was quick to start but slow to stop. The first little section features some statistical demonstrations, VR games, and earthquake and hurricane simulators. Spinning tunnel awesomeness! Okay, time to go in. But first we have to get spun around the right way. The lobby is actually quite elegant, outside of the fact that there’s another building crashed into the top of it. The WonderDog Café is new since the last time we visited. But it’s pretty much just a snack bar. There’s also a separate dinner theater at this location, called “Hoot N’ Holler.” But that was not on the agenda for us today. The main lobby and ticket booths. This photo may be slightly crooked. It’s a bit hard to tell, really. "...unless you can do it upsidedown." Though WonderWorks is one of the first things you see as you cross the border from Sevierville to Pigeon Forge, it is set quite a bit further back from the road than its Orlando counterpart. You may remember this van from such updates as, “The 24th Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade.”

Where are these "amazing women" I was promised?? Oh well, thanks for the TR anyway!

I love what they've done with the Eiffel Tower. Thanks, Chuck!

^ Misty and I quite enjoy The Apple Barn. But yeah, it's very much the sort of place that parents would drag children who would much rather be doing something else.

For the last time: I am not doing an "As Seen on TV" store update! larrygator's TR

Great photos. Thanks for posting this!

I hope to one day visit a park that's better than Knott's was in its heyday. Maybe then I won't be quite so sad about it all. You definitely should have ridden Log Ride, though--for what it's worth.

I love Holiday World, but I wasn't particularly impressed by Pilgrim's Plunge. And I agree that The Voyage is too long. The first 3/4 of it is probably my favorite wooden coaster, though. In other news, I have also decided to stop reading this TR, now that it's finished. Whiner.

I have not yet been to Europe, but Tripsdrill definitely looks like my kind of park. Thanks for posting this!

As well you should! I bought it, and it made me a better person. Not only does it have Lotte World on it, but Everland, too! (Complete with Eagle's Fortress POV!) /Not paid for or solicited by the Alvey's in any way. //But really, you should get it.

The Apple Barn is located on the border of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, and consists of several different shops and eateries, all of which heavily feature apples. You didn’t think I’d end this update without a shot of the telephone wires across the street, did you? The Apple Barn. Take your mom. And then buy her an iPhone. Though it’s certainly not in the same category as Toft’s, The Creamery at The Apple Barn is probably my favorite ice cream place in this area. Because we’re five. And now, dessert! (Note the apple trees on either side of the walkway.) Pop quiz: In this photo, is Misty barely tolerating: a.) her turkey, dressing, fried okra, and mashed potatoes? b.) having to pose for this photo? or c.) my ordering an entire pie as my lunch? Instead of starting you out with, say, bread or chips, these folks give you apple fritters and apple juleps! But I needed something hardier. The Apple Barn actually has two restaurants--one on each end of the property--but they basically have the same menu. Watching people make candy is always entertaining. And, this store features something I’d never heard of before: chocolate-covered potato chips. Wish I’d tried one, now. ...and a candy store. ...a winery (featuring lots of yummy apple-flavored wines)... There’s also a Christmas store... Yes! Just the thing I need to get this patch jacket started! There are also lots of apple accessories. Like one style of headset (available in white only). Actually, there’s just fruit inside. But slap an apple logo on it and smug hipsters will pay through the nose for it. (I swear I’ll stop soon.) This is where the Amish make iPhones. (I’m not proud of that joke.) Seriously, though, apples really don't look all that much like the letter A.

I'm not sure. When I first started this thread, I planned it as strictly a 2009 thing--a sort of farewell to the area before we moved away. But now it's looking like we aren't going to leave until mid-2010, so I'll probably keep going so long as there's stuff to do. Also, I thought there would be more coasters/parks so far, honestly. I had planned to do Nascar Speed Park (but their coaster was down most of the year), Belle Island (which stalled out during construction), Ghost Town in the Sky (their big coaster opened for one day), and Santa's Land (which I was going to do at the same time as GTitS). So any or all of those could still potentially be done next year. As for the rest of this year, I'm sitting on about eight updates right now that I just have to sort through and post. And things around here mostly stay open through New Year's Day. Right off the top of my head, I can think of at least five more mini golf places, four or five "museums," and quite a few other unique and/or unclassifiable things I haven't quite gotten around to yet. I don't want to give away all my plans, because I think the element of surprise adds to the fun, but a few of the things I'm for sure planning are: WonderWorks (since I was wrong about them not allowing photos inside). Zorb Ripley's Haunted Adventure Titanic (when it opens next year) The Fun Time Trolley "Tour of Lights" And, of course, at least two more Dollywood updates (Gospel & Harvest Festival and Smoky Mountain Christmas). So, yes, I can see this going on for just a bit longer. Thanks, everyone, for the positive responses. It's always gratifying when someone takes the time to post something.

Space Mountain at Disneyland...maybe. I do have a vague recollection of riding something distinctly toboggan-y, which might possibly have been before that.

While SeaWorld San Antonio certainly has its charms (chief among them, Steel Eel), I think it's a bit weak as a "SeaWorld." Great photos, though--as always!

^ Awesome. Not that it really affects me, mind you. But the top three were all top notch. Congratulations to all.

In past years, Dollywood has had a BBQ & Bluegrass festival around September. They didn't do it this year, though. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe they just felt the park stood up well enough on its own in the summer. I certainly do. God shines his heavenly light down upon you. And also lens flare. The Emporium. Because every park must have an Emporium or Trading Company. In fact, just to make sure I'm covered, when I get my own my park, the main gift shop will be called "The Emporium Trading Company." The Friendship Garden, heading back towards the main entrance and exit. SATANIC DECEPTION!!! Heh heh, "tit." (Well, "TTiT" really, but still.) I really like this photo, but I have no caption for it. Somebody help me out here. Cozy, eh? Dolly's (recreated) childhood home. Smisty enjoying a chili dog at Red's. (Or at least she was enjoying it until I took this photo.) Actually, just go ahead and make that "best car ride ever." Best car ride station ever. Rockin' Roadway and Red's Diner. Action shot! The lift is right at the beginning. Misty's artsy photo of Smoky Mountain Rampage's station. A new haystack dryer has been installed by the rapids ride. Here, we see Misty indicating the cost of using said dryer. The view from the Ferris Wheel has its points, but it really should be turned the other way, so that you can look at the other rides in the Country Fair area. The most terrifying ride in the park. Veggie Tales kiddie coaster and the Sky Flyer. The Dizzy Disk Disk'O. Circling around the Country Fair on the way back to the station. The train's butt. (Because everyone takes photos of the engine.) Let's read it together: "Please touch with your eyes only." "Hey buddy, wanna buy a geode?" Craftsman's Valley overview. Inside the General Store. The lye soap stand, after having been moved from Craftsman's Valley to the (then) empty path between Tennessee Tornado and River Battle, and then booted out of that spot for SkyZip, now resides here. In case you were keeping track. Taken approximately half a second before I leapt down the stairs. At what other park do you get a view like this? I finally got a good shot of this saw, after trying for about 3 years. (Yes, my life is very sad. I know.) "Well, we're movin' on up...." So let's go for a ride! This is probably my most ridden, most photographed ride in the park. Inside the blacksmith shop. Misty made me try one of these. It was less good than my attempt at the hi-striker. One of the SkyZip guides getting fresh. "God, how come school isn't still so primitive?" - "I'm not allowed in schools." Appalachian wisdom. "Go over there, dosey-doe, something something, fire in the hole!" Always looking for a new photo, especially of Blazing Fury. Tennessee Tornado exits into an arcade. (But at least it's themed.) The Tennessee Tornado cul-de-sac. There's a hi-striker near Tennessee Tornado now. You are witnessing the first time I have ever played one. I did not do well. 2009's delayed-to-2010 project finally under construction. Pretty much what it feels like to be on the ride: Water everywhere and hard to figure out what's going on. On-ride water-cannon POV! River Battle. I'm not quite sure how, but somehow I managed to talk Misty into riding this with me again. (Note SkyZip in the background.) The best part of the ride. I love the distressed theming. Mystery Mine's first drop, right out of the station. Smisty, a really big tree, Lumberjack Lifts, and Mystery Mine. Timber Tower remains awesome to watch, and fairly uninteresting to ride. Yes, I did take a photo of the on-ride photo screen. But it's not really cheating, because we also bought the photo. This is a photo of the Lucky Sluices, so quit looking at Thunderhead! (Hello, my troughs are down here.) Thunderhead. Or as Dollywood calls it, "The Thunderhead." Let's see if anything's different since TPR came through.... Elissa! Shame on you! Heading left. If I ran things at Dollywood, I would look to put at least some kind of flat ride somewhere on this long path. Turnstiles. I know they're no toll booths, but still.... Oooh, toll booths! This year, Dollywood added more than just SkyZip. They also got a spiffy new parking entrance.

^ Now, now--it was a very nice report. Besides, you're the keeper of the Park Index. That kind of makes you like a supervisor. You don't have to be good at the grunt work.

^ Well, not "rent," exactly.... The cat chooses you.

My theory on why this park wasn't more talked about used to be that it was because all of their coasters were models. But then they got Cheetah and that didn't really change anything.