shivtim

There are several really good options in Atlanta, since you're starting and ending there. Your best bet is Hop City, which has two locations - Westside, and inside the Krog Street Market. It's basically a local beer store that also has a bar. They both have about 60 beers on tap and a huge selection of cans and bottles, many of which are local or regional. They're focused on beer, so the bartenders can give you good advice on what to try. You can get growlers or bottles/cans to go. http://www.hopcitybeer.com/krog-street-market/ http://www.hopcitybeer.com/west-midtown/ Another good Atlanta option if you have time is the Georgia Beer Garden, which is a bar that only serves Georgia beers. It has a great outside area if the weather is nice. But you have to drink there, no beer to go. Look for beers from Wild Heaven, Three Taverns, Orpheus, Monday Night, Second Self, Burnt Hickory, and Scofflaw. Those are the best Atlanta-area breweries. In Birmingham, J Clyde's is probably the best restaurant for beer, and Good People is the local brewery you should try. While in North Carolina, keep an eye out for Wicked Weed beers. It sounds like you'll be driving through Asheville on the way from Dollywood to Carowinds. You should try to stop here - there are a number of amazing breweries, including several in walking distance from each other in downtown: http://ashevillealetrail.com/trail-map/ Unfortunately the Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg area is devoid of good beer. I'm not super familiar with Memphis/Nashville beer.

I was there a few weeks ago and it was closed on Thursday and Friday, opened Saturday with one train, and on Sunday it was one train operation with the second row closed and it went down for an hour at 10:15AM. It also has developed a wicked jolt at the bottom of the first drop, which is surprisingly strong from the back of the train.

Does anyone know if Lightning Rod is open this week / weekend? I don't see any information on Dollywood's website, and the ride isn't listed in the wait times app.

Phantasialand and Everland just put in brand new log flumes.

There was a proposal in the late 1990s for a park in Indiana called "Garfield's American Adventures." It would have had several coasters, including a CCI woodie.

False. He said Disaster Transport was his biggest mistake. The direct quote was that Top Thrill Dragster was the "dumbest decision" he ever made as CEO. It's a maintenance nightmare and was closed for about 1/2 of its first season, and it's incredibly expensive to run on a daily basis. "That's far and away the most expensive ride we have in the park to run."

Rendering from Tobi, via freizeitpark News

Sounds like a fun trip. A few tips: The Alum Cave Trail in Smoky Mountains National Park is a nice hike. It's on Hwy 441, which is a nice scenic drive. Not booking hotels ahead of time is tricky. Yes, it will give you more flexibility, but you also could run into issues where prices are very expensive or everything is booked up, specifically on Memorial Day weekend. Booking ahead in the big cities (DC and Atlanta) as you've planned is a very good idea. You might also consider using AirBnB, which has some unique options. If you have extra time, considering driving off the Interstates. The Interstates (I-90, I-40, etc) are by far the fastest route, but you'll miss a lot of the scenery and local flavor. You can check this list for scenic drives that might be near your route. Stick to the interstates if you're just looking to drive fast and make good time. Don't forget there are 4 alpine coasters near Dollywood if you're interested in those. I have plenty of advice for Atlanta, especially things to do and local places to eat. Feel free to send me a direct message if you want any tips for this city. This might be a particularly good place to buy clothing since it's your last stop, and there's everything from cheap outlets (Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, Tanger Outlets, North Georgia Premium Outlets) to huge malls (Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza) to unique shopping areas (Ponce City Market, Atlantic Station, Little Five Points, Westside Provisions, Virginia-Highland).

Tig'rr at Indiana Beach didn't have any restraints until recently. It was a bit unnerving going over the first drop with no restraints whatsoever. Photo By: DerekRx

There's a sit-down version at Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge TN.

Great update again, Andy! I think your assessment of Indiana Beach is spot-on. While it has flaws and has really gone downhill in the last decade, it's still an incredibly unique park and it's easy to have a good time there. I do miss the late 90s and early 00s when the park was amazing and the coasters were all running well. Also, once I threw an entire loaf of stale bread to the carp. It was a feeding frenzy of epic proportions.

I went this past summer, and the standouts were Nemesis and Blackpool Wild Mouse.

From Freizeitpark News. These aren't official, but are based on the existing footers:

The park looks really neat on Google streetview. The neighborhood looks like it's seen better days, with lots of boarded up old commercial and industrial buildings. But it seems ZDT has used this to their advantage, with go-karts tracks going through old warehouses, and a "silo climb" in old silos.

I do think ValRavn could have the world's tallest inversion. Depending on how you count a loop, it would have to beat either Gatekeeper (170ft drop/inversion), the Lewa Happy World Mack loop (164ft?), or maybe the 2016 Wanda Hefei coaster that is supposed to have a 55m (180ft) loop.