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This was an epic night! Can't wait to see next year's plan.

^Not exactly sure what you are asking. Last year, for each season pass bought you got three buddy passes. One pass was good during the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival, one was available during a time period in Spring (something like late April - Mid May) and the last one was available from August 14th - September 1st.

I could also see them expanding towards the top of the hill behind Mystery's Mine first section. It is a fairly large, flat area that they use to store equipment and ride parts. (see below) They will have to do quite a bit more grading to get ADA access up to the train loop, but this could be a nice initial expansion and could house quite a bit of attractions.

I am going to disagree on this. I think there is too much involved with building inside the loop and that idea is scrapped. Mmmkay.

My guess is that this will make room for the expansion up to the train loop. They need more space so they can make the elevation change ADA accessible so shifting the walking path into River Battle's footprint will allow them to do construction/grading where the rest of the ride was and the retaining wall/owl photo op is.

Why not show some love for the new kiddie coaster? Since I have a 7 and 8 year old I was happy to get them a ride on Whistle Punk Chaser. Quick photo report below: Theming is definitely a step up from the Sideshow spin. Kayla is ready for an new credit! More theming. You know you wanted to see a kiddie coaster control panel so I obliged. Really nice job on the station. My kids were shocked that all of this fit in where the old playground was. The ride does three circuits. If this was a Cedar Fair park in the 90's it would of been called Thunderhead Jr. Looks good in the Thunderhead's footprint. Follow the rules. Another credit for my kids.

Thank you for not feeding the troll and reporting it instead. We had a past trouble maker making posts in this thread that has been dealt with.

Everyone please read this again.

My prediction on the #shed scene at the end:

Most of our regular members know this but it is worth mentioning that any posts leaking real or false information will be removed so it isn't worth posting it here for internet cred. As everyone else I am looking forward to the official announcement!

Knox County starts August 7th which has the highest population in the region.

Good to see you again, Andy. Great photos and looking forward to seeing the rest of the trip.

^You are both being watched.

^Exactly, and my iphone autocorrected brash to brass but you got my point anyway.

Or... maybe I've been busy enjoying the park?? There will be more details, and answers to questions when I make it back to the hotel tonight. Why post anything if you're "busy enjoying your day?" We're not on the edges of our seats... I'm just pointing out how obnoxious it is to post two contradicting, wishy-washy opinions with no reasons for either. You ride it once, say it's crap, ride it again, say it's amazing... Nobody needs the play-by-play of how your opinion is changing in real time. How about you digest the ride a little bit before spewing half-baked, non-explained opinions? I don't think we need details on the thought process for that initial "review" of Lightning Rod. I think while chickenbowl could be a little less brash in his posts, he has hit the nail on the head. Let's move on and not start a flame fest about this.

Just a friendly reminder...When someone is obviously a troll or someone that we have banned before, please just report them and we will take care of it. Responding and egging them on just creates more work for site moderators. Thanks!

^Ober Gatlinburg has one but if you weren't planning on going there, I wouldn't bother as to me it is the weaker/rougher of the four alpine coasters. Not surprisingly it is the only one that wasn't manufactured by Wiegand. Gatlinburg seemed to be the most thrilling of the 4 but it was just too short and was a dollar more than the others at the time I rode it. In order for me, it would be: 1) Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster 2) Goats on the Roof 3) Gatlinburg 4) Ober Gatlinburg

They do this because they are stealing video. You can't be serious. They are stealing video from other sources and putting it in compilation videos that isn't authorized by the original creator. You are justifying vertical videos by citing a workaround to the "rules" of stealing content/videos.

It is probably feeding off your negative energy and refusing to work...

^I was curious how much of the original show was retained. The dinner show wasn't closed down very long so I assumed they couldn't have made that drastic of changes.

Was that the fun water playground? If so, kind of a bummer. More kids can enjoy that than another kiddie coaster. They have the larger, more interactive one by FireChaser Express still. My kids spent an hour there last week getting soaked. We never spent much time in that one because it always seemed to be roped off when we visited. All I remember was the little flume that they could play with so not sure if that is the one you were referring to. It was mainly a large standard playground where Whistle Punk Chaser stands.

They do have the new area where kids can bang on crap, so that technically is something in the area to distract little kids while the big kids ride.

Yesterday, Theme Park Review was invited to the grand opening of Dolly Parton's newest dinner show. Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Adventures replaces the former Lumberjack Adventure on the Pigeon Forge strip. If you have been to Dixie Stampede and/or Medieval Times, the show follows a similar format. Each side of the audience is assigned one of two families to root for, the Owens or the Partons. The basis of the show takes you back to 1939, when Dolly Parton's parents were dating and their families didn't exactly like each other. The show combines a dynamic stage with acrobats, stunts and yes, explosions! I was extremely impressed with the show and very thankful to have had the opportunity to attend the grand opening. If you like these type of dinner shows, you will not be disappointed! It also didn't hurt that the food was delicious! Let's look at some photos now! In a town full of an upside-down mansion, the Titanic, a wizard's castle and a building with King Kong climbing the side of it, it is very important to have an exterior that stands out among the dozens of attractions. The Lumberjack Adventure exterior remains largely intact and is very effective in standing out in the crowd. I think someone important is in that bus. The pre-show area is themed after a 1930's "market" of sorts called Bass Mercantile. Here you order refreshments and look around at all of the merchandise that is available to purchase. Back Porch Games was a very nice touch. Here you can find one of the more "retro" arcades out there which includes these vintage "peep show" movie viewers. Here's a game you can rarely find anymore. If I had a quarter, I would of definitely checked out Peepshow Popeye! yeah, going to leave that one alone, LOL! Some of the drinks that can be had in Bass Mercantile. Kids can get their face painted here. Here is the premise of the story. Following the success of the made-for-television movies, Dolly decided to continue her parent's story with this new show. The Owens Family and a reflection of Bass Mercantile. And the Parton Family. Laugh Out Loud. The stars of the show! Not sure where Dolly got that blonde hair!! LOL! A special presentation began the show to pay tribute to the effort to support victims of the recent wildfires that devastated many homes and lives in the area. The My People Fund was put in place to raise money for those that lost their homes from the fires. Several of the recipients of the funds were shown telling their stories and given their thanks to Dolly and all of those were apart of the relief efforts. Dolly then came on stage to thank everyone involved and to introduce her newest attraction. The main stage! The stage was very dynamic and involved lots of surprised including these amazing lighting effects! Apple Jack is the show's storyteller as well as the "emcee" of the competitions. As I said above, the theme of the show revolves around the Owens and Partons Families who have an ongoing feud which can only be settled during the annual hootenanny competition at the Pigeon Forge Mill. The competition is on! The left side of the audience is assigned the Parton family (blue) and the right side of the audience is assigned the Owens Family (yellow). One of the ways to solve a feud in 1939, was to climb poles in uncomfortable looking ways. Synchronized pole climbing was also a choice of many feuding Appalachian Mountain families. Joshua was the comedic relief for the show. He is always looking for a new "Inovention". We have ourselves an official Hootenanny! And what does a hootenanny involve you ask... Naturally, you start with individual somersaulting. and then group somersaulting. Followed by some axe juggling. Then, some acrobats. And of course trampolines were a must in your standard 1939 Hootenanny. Finally, you were required to end with some silks. Did I mention that the food was delicious! Not pictured was the creamy vegetable soup that I ate before I had a chance to take a photo. Families that jump off barrels together and cause other family members to somersault onto a pad, stay together. Definitely, some bonding going on here. Comedic relief time. No one really knew but this was the actual moment that Dolly Parton's parents fell in love. It's time to bring the audience members/kids down to take part in the show. Stunt Dogs, yes! Another example with how dynamic the stage was. These Golden Retrievers were awesome! The show also paid homage to the former occupant of the theater. And then this happened! Very Cirque Du Soleil! Crazy Joshua's "Inovention". And it doesn't end well! But that's okay, we got ourselves a wedding! Followed by dancing. And that's a wrap! If you like Dixie Stampede you will love this show!

Yesterday, Theme Park Review was invited to the grand opening of Dollywood's newest thrill ride, Drop Line. While the day started with a showing of Dolly Parton's new dinner show, Smoky Mountain Adventures, I am going to concentrate on the new ride in this post. If you would like to see photos from Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Adventure, you can click here. I may have posted a few times in the past that Timber Tower's former location would make a perfect spot for a drop tower. So, I was definitely thrilled to hear the announcement of Drop Line. The ride is a perfect addition to Timber Canyon and with the upcoming addition of Whistle Punk Chaser, Timber Canyon is going to and does look great! Drop Line reminds me of Acrophobia at Six Flags Over Georgia with the rotating seats as you rise to the summit. It adds one final rotation before making a slight rise once again before dropping. While I feel the drop on Acrophobia is more forceful, the seats on Drop Line are much more forgiving than on Acrophobia if you know what I mean, guys. One last thing, the views are spectacular! We sat both times facing Thunderhead and you basically have an close up aerial view of the layout. You can see all of the roller coasters including Lightning Rod and some great views of the surrounding mountains. On to the photos! A new addition rises in the sky from the preferred parking lot. New sign! It's tall and hard to get in one shot. Park Staff were setting up for some reverse POV shots for media when we arrived. Pete Owens, Dollywood's Director of Media/Public Relations got to ride and he appeared to enjoy it! If you have been on a drop tower you know the drill. Ride goes up. Keeps going up and then drops. The rotating seats make a nice change to the standard drop tower. The seats were very comfortable which is always a plus for a drop tower. Let's take a look at the ride's queue. A little history and an explanation for the ride's name. One of the better names for an engine ever made! More of the queue. Time Saver will let you skip the majority of the line which I am sure will be long this summer! Some of the theming surrounding the ride. Looks good! A lot of the pond that surrounded Timber Tower has been maintained and spruced up for Drop Line. Lots of news stations/media were on hand for the event. I didn't see many of them ride, LOL! Another group heads up! It's great to see a drop tower here! Overview of the ride area. Whistle Punk Chaser is directly adjacent to Drop Line and sits where the old playground was. Looks like it is about ready! One more overview of the area. Definitely get out to Dollywood and ride this!

The portion of the media event for Drop Line doesn't start until around 1:30 or 2:00. No clue how this will be set up since they usually have new ride openings in the morning before the park opens and let members of the public fill in the back for the ceremony.