Canobie Coaster

Carowinds Thunder Road, Joe Cool's Driving School, and Snoopy's Gr8 Sk8 have closed. Lucy's Crabbie Cabbies has been renamed Wilderness Run. Electric Spin should be called Electro-Spin. Flying Dutchman's Revenge is Peanuts Pirates. The index has two separate entries. Here's a photo of Kiddy Hawk. All the photos currently show the ride's former life as Flying Ace Aerial Chase.

1) Tokyo Disneyland 2) Disneyland 3) Walt Disney World (Big Gap) 4) Disneyland Paris

^ Because Carowinds assigns seats on the major coasters (they did seem to take seating requests in 2019), FastLane will get you on the next train in most cases.

Nice report! I agree the indoor drop on Runaway Mine Train is great. I had no idea it was coming and it really isn't talked about enough.

I would recommend sticking with your original plan for two reasons. One, if your primary motivation was to see the National Park in fall colors, you should keep that as the focal point of your trip. Two, Dollywood has longer hours in October so you can maximize your time there. Plus you'll have more time at Dollywood after nightfall and Lightning Rod at night is one of the best coaster experiences in the world. While I haven't been to Carowinds in October, Canada's Wonderland had a similar structure for their haunt event where they open the park for the daytime and have a separate ticket event at night. I went during the day and Canada's Wonderland was a ghost town, which almost never happens. Maybe it's the same with Carowinds if you go in the day?

NASCAR SpeedPark Here are some missing flats. Scrambler Spin Zone Bumper Cars Starship 3000 (I think this one may be permanently closed since it isn't on the website anymore) Stock Car Carousel Tilt-a-Whirl I'm not sure if you want the Go Kart tracks, but the park has a lot of them. Competitor Intimidator Qualifier and Baby Bristol Slidewayz and Family 500 Smoky Mountain Speedway

I'm pretty sure I've driven past this town before on the way to some of the seaside parks. I'm not privy to licensing deals, but this place definitely didn't represent the NASCAR brand well. Speaking strictly to the park, having honest and competent customer service is something critical for any business. That was my gripe with the park. It had nothing to do with the NASCAR brand. Sevierville, Tennessee about 15 minutes down the road from Dollywood.

I'm guessing they walked up to you after you took that photo about Sandy's status?

This is great news, especially since Spin Runway and Splash UFO are so well themed. But I'm most curious what that hand atop the drop tower is holding. Is that a bottle of cough syrup?

NASCAR SpeedPark NASCAR SpeedPark is home to one of the dirtiest kiddie credits out there. While Speedway Draft is actually pretty respectable as far as kiddie coasters go, the fact this park only offers an all-day-wristband separates the credit whores from the super credit whores. If I was going to get the Speedway Draft credit, I was going to at least spend an hour or two trying all the park’s go kart tracks. But as I approached the park, it looked closed. I didn’t see anyone outside. No guests. No employees. Just a vast wasteland of sadness. That should have been a sign to run. During this report, I want you to play a game. Count the other guests that you see. As I walked inside, I made my way to the ticket booth. And there wasn’t a soul in sight. I waited around for 5 minutes until an employee finally popped up from beneath the desk. Turns out the girl was sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor probably Snapgramming or Instachatting. She probably forgot what a customer looked like. I asked if everything was open and she informed everything was except their best and fastest go kart track, the Smoky Mountain Speedway. That was strike one against the park. Supposedly this was the only closed ride. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. So I decided to take a stroll to see if it was worth my while getting a wristband. And I’m sure glad I did because it saved me almost $30…that later went to the Jurassic Jungle Boat and Earthquake the Ride. With literally no one else in the park, I wasn’t interested in riding go karts alone. That’s even more sad and pathetic than riding a kiddie coaster as a lone adult. Intimidator (not 305)...and a huddle of employees chit-chatting. WTF is that thing on the right? I'm going to have nightmares. So I made my way over to the area of the park housing the thrill rides. And an employee told me everything was closed except the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Carousel. He said he went away for three days and almost everything broke down. That included the kiddie coaster. That was my cue to leave. Coaster credit, denied. Flat ride credits, denied. But on the way out I decided to let the ticket agent know about all the ride closures in-case another guest were to show up (lol). She then clarified her prior statement the kiddie rides didn't count and the spinning rides were damaged in a storm. I guess that’s what “everything is open” means to this park. I consider myself a glass half-full person. Even if a park gives me lemons (see my last visit to La Feria or Clementon Park), I try to find something to laugh at. It keeps me sane. However, I can't sugarcoat this one. I have no intentions to ever return to this park.

^ Those concrete trough alpine slides scare me. I know I'd have no self-control and wipe out.

^ Agreed. You had a prototype suspended launch coaster and a flat that's quickly going extinct. Mack still lists the bobsled on their website, so they probably still provide replacement parts (if needed).

I've always had my Radiator Springs Fastpass in hand a half hour before official park opening once they let you into the park. I'm guessing those are available immediately once you scan in.

Out of curiosity, does Disneyland release the rope drop crowd before, just as, or after the boarding passes go online? Hollywood Studios smartly holds people back for a minute to avoid a stampede of people blindly looking at their phone.

It's a shame their 2,117 attractions weren't enough.

I love the lead car!

^ I didn't notice any scare actors outside calling for customers, but I also believe I was the last tour of the night. I just barely made it before they closed! I don't even recall passing that last year at Playland, but then again I was there during the PNE so it was wall to wall with people.

^ In an age where arcades are pushing redemption games that are over in a flash, it's refreshing to find an arcade nowadays with so many pinball machines. If you think that's good, you should see the pinball parlor at Canobie Lake Park.

^ I'm glad Mysterious Mansion survived the wildfire because it was so good and those efforts probably helped. I have no doubt they had backstage areas to maneuver around the house because the scare actors were everywhere despite there only being 2-3 of them. Ripley's at Halloween sounds perfect since the scare actors would really elevate it. Carowinds is a great park, but I do love myself a good tourist trap area. Thanks and you should fix that! All the moonshine places on the walkable strip seem right up your alley.

I agree the jankiness of it helped the ride, except for the second turn. That second turn was brutal! But the rest of the ride had some good airtime and laterals on the turns that were way too tight. Also in my 2017 and 2018 visits, I didn't find Mine Blower rough. It shuffled, but I found it plenty reridable. On my visit a few weeks ago, I thought it was running considerably rougher. Has anyone else noticed that? I know people have called the ride rough from day 1, but I would defend it until my most recent rides. I still love the coaster's aggressive layout, but I did get a headache after a few rides. Meanwhile I could and did marathon Hurricane.

Gatlinburg Fun Whenever I visit the Smoky Mountains, I always try to stay in Gatlinburg. Not only is Gatlinburg a charming and walkable town littered with tourist traps, but it saves me the frustration of trying to find parking. Gatlinburg is a really nice town to walk around. You have Christmas trees. Pumpkin men. And a wood carved dachshund sign paying tribute to the passionate love between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. My day began with a trip to the Pancake Pantry, a restaurant that has always had a prohibitively long line in past visits. This time I was going to visit this breakfast establishment through Hell or high water, so I set my alarm for 6:30 am and was the first guest there. And per Murphy’s Law, this was of course the one day that this restaurant never developed any sort of wait. However, I don’t care one bit because the pancakes were delicious. Gatlinburg takes Christmas very seriously. Yummy! And since I was still hungry, I paid the Donut Friar a visit. After walking around town for a bit, the attractions started to open and I began my day with Ankeesta. This is one of Gatlinburg’s newest attractions and it’s home to the area’s best mountain coaster. However, Rail Runner is a bit of a time-consuming and expensive credit. Rail Runner costs $12-13 per ride and that doesn’t include the $25 ticket required to reach Anakeesta’s summit. I personally don’t mind the scenic 20 minute ride up-and-down the mountain, but it is a bit of a time commitment. Protip- buy your ticket online. If only a park in Connecticut had a sky ride on a mountain... The views from the summit are incredible. It’s also entirely possible Rail Runner could have a sizable queue if you arrive later in the day. Rail Runner starts at the highest point and unlike most mountain coasters that dispatch riders with the smallest interval possible, Rail Runner doesn’t dispatch the next car until the prior rider has hit the brakes. While this is awesome for people (such as myself that like to go full tilt), it creates one heck of a line. But I’d almost say this mountain coaster is worth even a sizable queue because of how aggressive it is. The laterals on this thing are insane. Most mountain coasters at least have minimal banking on their turns. This one has no banking. You will literally fold over sideways on some of these turns. I personally love it, but it’s not for everyone. 8.5 out of 10 The descent is steep and unbanked. Did I mention the views at Anakeesta were incredible? One experience that never has a wait is Earthquake the Ride. Do not be fooled by the wax figures in the queue line. That’s just a sign a ride is going to be spectacularly awful. As you wait for the employee to finally get off their phone and open the door, an audio recording hypes you up promising a “real train” and “real effects”. You’re also informed this ride earned four stars according to some magazine or website I’ve never heard of. But you know what? I agree with that. This ride does deserve 4 stars. 4 stars out of 10. It’s a dated simulator with the most random effects possible, but it’s so bad it’s funny. 4 out of 10 Now open! How do these wax figures keep beating me into line?!? Rowdy Bear Mountain is home to the worst mountain coaster I’ve ever ridden, but they are home to the unique Mountain Glider. In my spring visit, I took a lap on the left side. So this time I wanted to try the right side. But this was one of the hardest credits ever for me to get. My weight was an issue. Now I'm about 160 lbs, so it wasn't because I was too heavy. In fact it was the other problem; the operator was worried I'd travel too slowly and find the ride boring. I assured him I was a dirty credit whore (just kidding, I said I wanted time to enjoy the view) and he didn’t have a problem. I have to say, I think the right side was running wilder than the left side. The brakes on this side slowed me down a lot less (maybe because of the concern of it stalling). This made a few of the turns towards the end have some nice swinging. 6 out of 10 I think I was the only one who wanted to ride this. The mountain coaster seemed more popular among guests. After an evening at Dollywood, I returned to Pigeon Forge to try a haunt that I’ve heard nothing but positives about in Mysterious Mansion. And I have to say, this is everything I could have wanted from a haunt. For one, the atmosphere was top notch. The house was decked out with theming and it reminded me of those creepy houses from the old Scooby Doo cartoons. Second, the scare actors were amazing. I think there were only 2-3 total, but they run throughout the house and are much less predictable than scares in the other haunts I’ve done. Last but not least, this one isn’t a straight forward haunt like others. This one is also a maze with all sorts of dead ends and hidden pathways. This really heightened the sense that you were trapped in a haunted house. This is what set Mysterious Mansion over the edge. 10 out of 10 Now this is how you do a haunt! Just for comparison, I decided to try Ripley’s Haunted Adventure immediately afterwards. And it was also quite good, but for an entirely different reason. This one had barely any live scare actors. There were maybe only 3-4 spots in the 10-15 minute attraction with a live actor. However, it more than makes up for it with all the gigantic animatronic jump scares. The finale in particular stood-out and made me jump twice. I won’t spoil the ending, but it really is fantastic and it’s so well done that it would fit in perfectly at Hollywood Horror Nights. This haunt also had all sorts of fun-house effects too like a vortex tunnel and shifting floorboards. From a hardware standpoint, Ripley’s is better than Mysterious Mansion. But I don’t like it quite as much due to the lack of live scares and linear path. 9 out of 10 Not quite Mysterious Mansion, but this was impressive too. One other thing I did was visit the Red Rocket Retro Arcade, which is a bit of a deceptive name. This place is decked out with all sorts of newer arcade games; however, I still loved it because it had like 10-12 different pinball machines. I wouldn't call this retro, but I would call it fun.

Great report! That's awesome you could pick your seat on Thunder Dolphin. I really wanted to try the front, but I went on a day where it had a consistent 2-3 train wait.

Still one of the best deals for pay per ride. Meanwhile, the SBF spinners at a FEC could cost $5-10 alone.

^ No problem. The Smokies really are a beautiful part of this country.

^ Maybe I'm misreading your post, but it sounds like Mom would hold a spot in line for the boy? I wouldn't recommend doing that since it's considered line jumping and against the rules of SeaWorld (and most parks).