ernierocker

Great HHN preview! Glad you decided to go through with the trip report because that was highly entertaining! Oh by the way, you always seem to be in the right spot to catch these outrageous shark attacks, how do you do it?

I have to agree with Erik here. These are two of the best mini golf courses in the area. The arcade building used to house a Q-zar back in the day. I believe they just have a generic laser tag game in there now.

AND to bring this back on topic, I wanted to say this was a great TR, Erik! I really need to get to Silver Dollar City especially with its similarities to Dollywood.

^That was Magic World. It looked much more exciting from the Parkway with the big castle but it really was just a bunch of spinning rides. At least, we got the dragon coaster credit. I think I made you stay on that tilt a whirl and it was more than just twice in a row.

This appears to be correct. The sewers connect the theatre to the butcher shop. Someone is killing people in the theatre and then using the sewers to take their bodies to the butcher shop and making concession food out of them. I love how it appears we will have three houses with backgrounds that are so intertwined. I am still not sure what the Spawning house will be like. It is pretty clear that we will be going through sewers but what is spawning in them.

The Apple Tree Inn sounds right. We ate there a couple of times on family vacation. We always used to eat at the Apple Barn, Burning Bush Restaurant and the Old Mill just about every family vacation to the area. The Burning Bush is of course gone now. I used to love their little rotating tray of fruits and muffins. I was about to comment on how much you are sacrificing for this thread. I mean you spent money on World of Illusion for pete's sake!

Put me down for six duckies.

I had a feeling the turtle porn would find its way into this update after seeing it on the photo DVD! Wasn't there another shot of our frisky turtle friend with a coaster in the background? We would have seriously destroyed that park if it wasn't for the rain. Still, in the short time the rides were opened that day, we got all but five credits thanks to ERT and Q-bots. Just a good excuse to go back to this awesome park in the future! Loved the update!

I am not sure if they are referring to a specific house, or if they are just there to provide background on what went on at the theater to make it so infamous. Two very important locations mentioned in the stories are the Manufacturing Plant and the sewers. If what I have been reading on other sites is correct, these two locations could play a role in the event this year. If any of you were able to see the leaked photos of the houses under construction, you probably saw one of them.

Website updated again this morning! I am really liking this backstory so far. Looks like we could have a couple of original houses this year.

Like the above poster just said, you can not really get much of a discount off of Dollywood tickets. There may be a small one for participating McDonalds, but I am not sure. They do have a couple of promotions that could work for you. One is if you arrive on the first day after 3:00 P.M., you get the next day free. The other is if you buy a one day admission, you can get the 2nd day for 20 bucks more. I am pretty sure this puts you about 10 bucks cheaper than a season pass, so I wouldn't get the season pass unless you wanted to go for 3 days. As far as the tourist stuff, you can not go wrong with Electerik's thread. I would definitely spend a day or two just exploring downtown Gatlinburg. If you are into corny haunted houses, Mysterious Mansion is a childhood favorite of mine and is just off the main drag in Gatlinburg.

Did you miss the part in his update where Robb mentioned we had ERT on Thunderhead? Also, did you miss the part where Robb said he will have to do the Dollywood update in separate parts because he had so many pictures. Be patient, the group got many GREAT rides on Thunderhead and I am sure it will be featured in due time.

^I think he meant that he had a free ticket to the Universal parks from the Superbowl promotion, not HHN. He will still have to purchase a ticket for HHN, which if that is the case there is no reason not to get the Stay and Scream added to his free ticket. I like the new site update and I can't wait to see what they do with this Universal Palace Theater idea.

You should be able to add the Stay & Scream to your free ticket. Just go to guest services and ask about it. In fact, I believe I saw this exact question on another board, and someone confirmed that you could add the Stay & Scream to the Super Bowl promotion. Maybe, someone else on here knows for sure. I have never been to the event, but I have read enough about the crowds to know that all the houses can have VERY long lines especially on a weekend night. Definitely, pay for the Express Pass. You will guarantee that you will see every house once, and if you get the Stay & Scream, you might be able to see a bunch of the houses twice with careful usage of the Express Pass.

I had no clue that the Sunsphere was free! We will definitely have to check that out when Dylan gets older. Plus, I could use a good wig. Oh, and it was great to meet you guys on Monday. Thanks again for the shrinky-dink, although my creativity seemed to fail me on that one.

GREAT day at Dollywood today! Dylan survived his first theme park trip. He is now fast asleep dreaming of future trips playing with his new friend, Kristen. Thanks to Robb, Elissa, and Pete (I hope that I remember his name correctly) for planning a very enjoyable day! Can't wait to do again tomorrow morning.

Oh, I know all about it (except for the name change). My first year at TDOT, I actually rotated in the Construction department and that was the project I worked on. Maybe, you confused what I said, I meant I hadn't been down the strip since they opened up the new road. I always bypass it now. That is probably the name of the place. I remember it had a haunted house and actually it didn't look to good back then either.

Whoops, sorry about that! It's still a great picture though! We would usually either go to Gator Golf at the Track or Hillbilly Golf when I was a kid. I honestly haven't been down the strip since they opened up the new Middle Creek Rd, so I am not sure if it is still there, but I always wanted to go to that Haunted Golf place.

Great coverage of the park in this report! Where was that Kamp Kidfest at? I don't remember there being a shop that large besides the gift shop at the front of the park. I always thought that with a powerful lens, you could get a unique shot (like yours) of the Tennessee Tornado from those chalets that overlook the back of the park.

Wow! You guys work fast! I am sure that park will appreciate the business.

Ha! Now, I am curious what your comment would of been if you had posted that picture. And no worries Bas.

When I first glanced over the title of this topic, I thought it said "The Megadeth Celebrity Thread" and that it had 58 pages of responses. I was really curious as to how such a topic could garner such attention.

^That's the one! I learned to not turn around and talk to the people behind me on the bus too much after that bus ride.

I got a little "bus sick" on the way to Rye's so I kind of took it easy that night. I think there is a picture somewhere of Candace and I leaning against a fence and I looked like death. I still remember the Old Mill ride. It was a rather lenghthy dark ride, but mainly because there were LONG stretches of absolutely nothing but darkness. I kept thinking someone was going to jump out but nothing happened.

If the list of houses that I have seen is true (it is 5/8 confirmed so far), Saw will be the only licensed franchise that is not already owned by Universal. I personally am hoping that they aren't going to skim over this year's event, so that they can put more money in the budget for their 20th anniversary next year.