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^ Thanks, I think we are doing pretty good conisdering we are going on five years! Time flys!

Ruby Falls was great! Locals probably think it is touristy, but we all enjoyed this place. The caves and actually falls were awesome! If you are ever in Chattanooga, I highly recommend checking Ruby Falls out. Chattanooga is such a nice change from Florida. Next up, Rock City. Amy and Mikke With Amanda Especially with the cool lighting effects. The actually falls were pretty cool. The lighting in the caves was beautiful. Felt like I was in a scene from the movie Aliens, I was waiting for someone to appear in the wall saying "kill me"! The paths through the caves were pretty tight. Brett's sister, Amanda S. (on the far left) joined our group for this adventure.

We started our second day at Dollywood in the Timber Canyon area. Today seemed to be a lot more crowded, but probably because we were hitting the major draws for the park. Also we noticed a lot of school groups at the park. Mystery Mine was a big hit with our group. I thought it was a pretty impressive attraction for Dollywood. I thought it had a good balance of dark ride elements, special effects and coaster section. Thunderhead was a pretty sweet woodie. We all enjoyed the train ride through The Smokies, especially Adrian. Overall we loved our two days at Dollywood. Friendly staff, good mix of attractions and a beautiful atmosphere. Kevin and I can't wait to visit again! We end our day at Dollywood with a peak into Dolly's childhood home. Next up, Ruby Falls! Stay tuned. The train ride was a big highlight for Adrian. couldn't resist, had to take this photo. Kevin and I enjoyed our ride. Adrian got to ride the rabbit from Donnie Darko, kind of freaky, but he didn't seem to mine. It was a pretty carousel. Time for a spin on the Merry-Go-Round. Oh the TERROR! The Smokies will never be the same! Awww, so are Brett and Amanda. Awww, aren't Amy and Mike cute. As Mystery Mine looms in the background, we're about to experience a pretty groovy woodie. The fly-through in the loading station of Thunderhead was cool. Thunderhead is a beautiful site. Adrian was kept occupied in the cool children's area while we hit the thrills in Timber Canyon. 2 thumbs up for Mystery Mine! We all absolutely loved Mystery Mine! Mike, Amanda and I are almost there! Amanda, Brett and I are all set for our ride on Mystery Mine! The highlight of the trip, Mystery Mine! We're off for an expedition in Timber Canyon.

So on Thursday we drove up to Pigeon Forge in the morning and hit the outlet malls and Dollywood. We decided to hit Dollywood at 3pm to take advantage of the next day free pass. After 3, the park was pretty empty. Our overall impression of Dollywood was good. It really had a nice charm to the park. Kevin and I thought the park had a cozyiness of Knott's. We all loved the way it was set in the mountains and the woods. The park gets my vote as one my top ten most beautiful parks. The staff, as many have stated before, were super friendly. I can't wait to visit again in the future. Since it was warm out, we did all the water rides. Mountain Sidewinder was pretty wet, and fast! I loved Rampage, a great rapids ride through the wilderness. Dare Devil Falls was a nice flume, one of the better ones I have been on. We also hit Tennessee Tornado, which was lot of fun and forceful! Since I am a big dark ride dork, I liked Blazing Fury. The only ride we were all not thrilled with was Smokey Mountain Wilderness Adventure simulator ride. I think because we were in the front/bottom part of the theater it seemed very blurry. Checked out the Chasing Rainbows Dolly Museum. I must say I was impressed, it was a pretty large museum/exhibit. So here are the photos from day one. Day two will be comming soon! Lines for the day were pretty empty. Next up day 2 at Dollywood. Even though Tennesse Tornado was kind of short, it was really good! Had quite a kick! Loved the drop into the shack/tunnel. Mike, Brett, Kevin and I loved Mountain Sidewinder, even though we got soaked! With our combined weight, we flew down the mountain! We all felt Dollywood had a cozy nice charm. I loved Rampage! One of the best rapid rides I have been on. Loved the scenery. Even I fell for the fake-out water curtain. Adrain kind of had a look of shock when the cold water splashed him, as we all did! Adrian is about to experience his first rapids ride. Adrian and mom loved the Rockin Roadway. First ride of the day, Smokey Mountain Wilderness Adventure. We sort of like it, wish the film wasn't so blury. We also thought it was super jerky. Kevin is glad to be here! Kevin and I love Dolly! Adrian , Amanda and Brett. We are ready to conquer Dollywood! L-R: Amy, Mike, Adrian, Amanda, Brett, me, and Kevin. Got to love when Adrian gives his painful "say cheese" smile. Adrian is happy to be on his first train ride of the trip. Kevin is super happy to be in the mountains. The three A's: Amy, Adrian, & Amanda Brett and Adrian are all ready to see Dolly!

This past week, Kevin and I flew up with one of my best friends, Amy and her fiancee Mike, to Chattanooga. We made the trip to visit with our best friend from high school, Amanda, her husband Brett and thier son Adrian. The main reasons we came up was for Adrain's third birthday party and to visit with wonderful friends. Also to visit Tennessee and Dollywood for the first time. The trip report starts off with our first day in Chattanooga visiting the downtown/riverwalk area. Chattanooga is such a small beautiful town. The riverwalk/Artists Bluff was gorgeous. The weather was such a nice change from the humid mid 90's Florida weather! It was actually kind of chilly at night for these Floridians! But we loved it! So, I have never been a big video gamer, but thanks to Brett, I experienced wii, and Mike and I were pretty much hooked for most of the trip! Next up our 2 days at Dollywood! With Kevin, what an amazing view! We loved Chattanooga! Kind of arty. Thought this was a cool pic. Looking up into a cool gazebo. At sunset, the sculpture gardens and museum areas were beautiful. Our group. Love the view! Our friends Brett, his son Adrian and Amy. With my longtime friend Amy. Our friends Amy and Mike. In Chattanooga, Kevin and I love the mountains and hills! The only hills we have in Florida are the overpasses!

Great trip report Paul! Just missed you by a few weeks! I agree about Tomb Raider, fun ride, not fun on the family jewels! I am jealous of you! You have the Coaster Freak t-shirt I wanted to get when I was there, but forgot! Glad you had a good time.

^ Thanks for all the tips, they should really help. I can't wait to go! A week from tomorrow, Dollywood here I come!

^Thanks everyone for all the responses! It all sounds helpful!

Hi everyone, I will be visiting Dollywood for the first time next week, Thursday the 17th. Our group will consist of 6 adults and a 3 year old. We will be coming from the Chattanooga area. We are definitely planning on arriving for park opening at 10am. According to mapquest, it takes about 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Dollywood from Chattanooga. So I am going to try to get the group out the door between 7-7:30am. I downloaded the park map. I was thinking to hit Mystery Mine, Thunderhead & Timber Tower first thing. From there I'm not sure. We are going to be spending a whole day at the park. We want to hit most of the rides, coasters, thrill rides and quite a few of the smaller rides for the three year old with us. We also want to check out a few of the shows. Basically a well rounded day. Here are some questions: 1. I have heard the roads leading up to Dollywood can really get congested. Any recommendations on less traveled roads or easy ways to get to the park? 2. Because it will be a Thursday in the spring and there aren't any type of festivals going on, I am expecting the crowds not tobe bad. Because of this, I'm probally not going to get the Q2Q. Is this going to be a big mistake? 3. My best friend's 3-year old has a severe nut allergy. The park's web-site says that snacks may not be brought into the park, which is understandable. I would think the park would make an exception if a guest has a food allergy. The Florida parks are very accommodating with issues like these. Anyone know how Dollywood handles this? 4. After arrviving and hitting the Timber Canyon attractions, I'm not sure the order to hit the rest of the park. Should we head to Craftman's Valley or The County Fair area? 5. Do you get super wet on Daredevil Falls, Mountain Slidewinder and Blazing Fury? I assume Smokey Mountain Rampage is like most rapids ride, no one is guaranteed to stay dry or wet. 6. We plan to check out a few shows, probally the birds of prey show and a few of the musical shows. Anyone ever check out the David Tallent Magic Show? Any recommendations on shows not to be missed? 7. I have seen a lot of photos of the skillet type food place that looks yummy. What is this placed called? Any other recommendations on good places to eat for lunch? Any advise will be very helpful and much appreciated. Thanks, EJ

Thanks Chuck for the photo additions. They came out great. I forgot about the muppet hat! Glad you finally got the Grizzly bear confrontation shot!

esvadj, We hit BGE on Friday. We went to KD on Sat (an hour drive from Williamsburg). Stayed in Fredericksburg on Sat. night (about 30 minutes from KD). On Sunday we drove from Fredericksburg to SFA (about an hour and a half drive). Chuck please correct me if I'm wrong with any of the times. After SFA we drove back to Williamsburg, took about 3 hours. Something to keep in mind, we didn't have any traffic. We drove around the DC/Baltimore area on a Sunday, so no traffic. I can imagine the traffic can get pretty rough in that area.

^^Thanks Cameron. BGE is worth the trip alone! And yes, I agree that picture of Chuckilly Wonka was kind creepy but awesomely creepy at the same time! ^ Hey Chuck, can't wait to see your photos!

On day three and the final day on my Mid-Atlantic Weekend Adventure, Chuck and I hit Six Flags America. I hadn't heard that much about this park. So I was pleasantly surprised that we had a great day. I loved Batwing! Wild One and Roar were great wood coasters. Overall the atmosphere was nice. Hopefully the back part of the park will have more shade in the future. It was cool riding Wild One, since it was re-located from the defunct Paragon Park in MA. My parents rode this coaster when they were young. Superman was great, only got one ride on it because it was broken down most of the day. Best ride operator of the entire trip was on Superman. (With a major lisp), he said "You all ready to ride the Man of Steel?" I was like oh yeah!!!!!!!! Gave me a chuckle throughout the ride. Again thought this park was nice and I can see it has potential. Six Flags America was a nice small park. I think it has a lot of possibilities. We enjoyed our day. Roar was fun, loved all the twists and turns. I wish Mind Eraser would erase the headache it gave me! My turn for the front. Chuck riding in the front. I loved Wild One, a great old woodie. Taking a smoke break! Ok, even I think Catwoman is super hot!!!! Overview of Joker's Jinx and Superman: Ride of Steel. The naked version of Flight of Fear was so much smoother! Joker's Jinx was up and running. I loved Batwing, going up the lift backwards like X at Magic Mountain added to the excietment. Loading onto the train was pretty freaky. First new credit: Batwing Once entering the park, we met up with some friends. So far Six Flags America looks like a nice park. We finished the day at SFA with a good meal! I love working for Outback, the discount rocks!! Filet, Sirloin, beer, girlie liq. drink, side of grilled onions, and homemade apple pecan cobbler all for only $33! Thanks again to Chuck for being such a kick

Day 2 of my Mid-Atlantic Adventure continued with a visit to Kings Dominion. Like Busch Gardens, I had only visited KD once ten years ago. So I got to experience a lot of new stuff: Volcano, Italian Job, Ricohet, Hypersonic, Drop Zone, Tomb Raider, & Scooby Doo and The Haunted Mansion. Chuck and I had a fun day! Volcano and Italian Job were great! Loved Scooby Doo and Tomb Raider. I gave Hypersonic a chance hoping for the best, but I am really not sad if the coaster leaves the park. Maybe after riding 4 launch coasters back to back, my head just couldn't take Hypersonic. I loved Rebel Yell backwards and Grizzly at night! Grizzly was insane in the dark, after the lift hill we couldn't see where the track was, it just disappeared into the wooded darkness. And the shed, good god that surprised me! So we had a great day and night at the park. Onto to the photos! Enjoy Kings Dominion was a absolute blast! Up Next: Six Flags America, stay tuned! Grizzly at night was insane. Much more intense ride in the dark! The mini coopers with lights on are so cool! The Italian Job Stunt Track at night is so much better than during the day. Another new attraction: Tomb Raider: Firefall. After all the chances on the UK trip, this was actullay my first Top Spin. Tomb Raider was awesome! Nightime is always my favorite time to visit theme parks. Hurler was running excellent with two trains. My head wishes that I hadn't got the credit. Got another new credit: Hypersonic. Same with the car ride. A nice scenic ride. I loved the way the Shenandoah Lumber Company flume snaked through the wilderness. The Flyers were fun! I rode a movie star! I forgot that Rebell Yell was in the late 70's movie "Roller Coaster". Got a new credit this time: The backwards Rebel Yell credit. Backwards is awesome! I enjoyed Flight Of Fear 100 times more with the lap bar restraints. When I rode it 10 years ago, I got my skull bashed inside out with the OTSH! Volcano The Blast Coaster kicked ass! A new attraction for me: Scooby Doo and The Haunted Mansion. A fun Sally shoot out ride. I liked the queue a lot. Set the mood for a good old-fashion Scooby Doo mystery. Met up with Scooby. The fountains on International Street were nice. View of Hypersonic, Grizzley and Hurler. Volcano: The Blast Coaster. This baby broke into my top ten! Frist up, a birds-eye view of the park on top of The Eiffel Tower. Entering Knott's-Paramount-Cedar-Kings Dominion!

^^ That sucks Paul that were going to miss each other by a week! You should have a great time next week! You have a great tour guide at Kings Dominion! ^ Hey Mike, good to hear from you! I'm sure you're going to make TPR proud in the Griffon commercial!

Thanks again for taking me to the airport at that god awful hour! Hopefully work wasn't too bad today for you. Thanks again, had a great time!

^&^^ Thanks guys. So after we left BGE and had dinner, we stopped by The gigantic Yankee Candle Company store. This was like mini theme park type store. Very themed and it even snowed in the Christmas section of the store! One the hour, there is an animatronic type song show featuring bunnies. Very surreal, but fun. I finally get to see snow!!! The ceiling was themed to a constantly changing sky, pretty cool.

This past weekend I flew up to the Burg to visit Chuck (cfc) and do a quick Mid-Atlantic park tour. I must say that Chuck is a gracious and awesome host! Thanks again Chuck for everything! After arriving Friday morning, Chuck and I hit Busch Gardens Europe. I had only visited BGE once back in 97', so I was really looking forward to visiting this park again. This place is, in opinion the most gorgeous theme park that I have ever visited. I absolutely love the theming, landscaping and the way the attractions are intergraded throughout the park. Got to experience 3 new attractions since my last visit: Apollo's Chariot, Corkscrew Hill and Darkastle. Thumbs up for all 3! Apollo's Chariot has cracked my top ten coaster list, smooth as glass! I loved Darkastle, I have heard it wasn't that great especially with the Spiderman comparisons. I thought it held it's own and is a great addition for the park! Enough talking and onto the photos! Before leaving Italy, had to make some wine! I forgot how much I loved the special effects in Escape From Pompeii. During lunch we enjoyed the first part of the Viva Italia song and dance show. Until a crazy thunderstorm cancelled the show. We planned lunch at the perfect time to ride out the storm. Had one of the best lunches I have had at a theme park for a long time at Ristorante della Piazza. Chicken & Beef stuffed cannelloni, spaghetti, breadsticks with sauce, yummy cherry chocolate cake and a drink for only $15. I was pretty full for the rest I wish my home park Busch Gardens Africa had more flats! Busch Gardens Europe has reclaimed it's position as most beautiful theme park I have visited. Sorry Alton Towers you were bumped to second place. I loved Apollo's Chariot! Apollo and the Roman Rapids. First up, a new credit: Apollo's Chariot. This park is drop dead gorgeous! Big Bad Wolf is still one of my favorite suspended coasters. The interaction between the landscaping, Rhine River and German town is pretty sweet! Had to stop by and say hello to Chuck's friend, the Hummel Boy. After Darkastle, Chuck and I took a whirl on the Waveswinger. Curse of Darkastle was fantastic! I don't know how people could not like this ride! I think it was a great addition for the park! "Nice wolfie! Be a good boy" We headed over to Germany to one of my most anticipated new attractions: Curse of DarKastle. Griffon testing got lots of oohs and ahhs! I was sad I couldn't ride, but gives me something to look forward to on future visits! Are these two related? I must say Griffon looks awseome in its new home. Chuck is already for Griffon's opening in a few weeks! Alpengeist is a good ride. But I love my baby, Montu at my home park. Thanks Busch Gardens Europe, you are just as cool as I remembered! A very rare shot of The Loch Ness Monster. Still one of my favorites, Nessie still rocks! The wolves exhibit was pretty groovy. I didn't know that Chuck was Willie Wonka's double. Next up, a new re-themed land: Ireland home to a new attraction for me, Corkscrew Hill. I thought it was a lot of fun. The galloping of the horses was a bit much, but all in all fun!

Dave, congrats to both you and Jodi! Best wishes to your new expanded family! -Eric J.

Chuck if it snows when I come up in a few weeks, I will freeze to death!!!! I'm a Floridian and we die in the cold! The funny thing is, that I have been dying to see snow forever (haven't seen snow since I was 8 years old living in New England). It would be cool to be at a park with snow, but I'm sure I wouldn't survive riding a coaster while it's snowing! Eric

Nice trip report, my TPR swimsuit calendar superstar friend! I can't wait to visit in a few weeks! KD is going to be fun! I can't wait to ride Volcano and The Italian Job. I am even looking forward to the Scooby Doo dark ride!

This has been my home park for almost 25 years. The reason why I love Busch Gardens Africa, is because it offers something for everyone. A good balance of world-class coasters, water rides, thrill rides, children's area, elaborate shows and is one of the largest and top rated zoos in the U.S. This is my advice if you want to see the best of Busch Gardens. Because it is going to be Easter/Spring break, expect the park to be more crowded than usual. Be sure to arrvie before park opening (which on Monday is 9am, so arrive by 8:30am). Enter the park in Morocco and grab a park map. If you want a really up-close animal interaction, I highly recomend taking the Serengeti Safari. It is a extra charge: I think it is anywhere from $30-$40. It is a 45 minute tour on the back of a flatbed truck. The tour drives out onto the park's open-air, free-roaming animal habitat, the Serengti. You get to hand-feed different animals including many giraffes. It may sound expensive, but it will be something you will always remember. After entering the park, if you want to take this tour, the adventure tours reservation building will be towards your left. Capacity for these tours are around 10 guests and sell out fast. The tours leave every hour. I would suggest making the reservation for around 1pm or 2 pm. After making the reservation, or entering the park, head towards Rhino Rally in Narobi. The park may have the area before Rhino Rally roped off until 9:30am. Wait at the rope. While waiting you can checkout the animal habitats in that area. Once the rope drops, head for Rhino Rally. Not the best ride by any means, but can be fun and unique. I suggest hitting it early, because it can be an extremley low capacity ride, even having a 60 minute wait after opening. After Rhino Rally, hit the Timbuktu area. Ride The Scorpion (single loop coaster) and Cheetah Chase (wild mouse coaster). As mentioned before, these are low capacity coasters and may have a wait later in the day. If you want ride the 2 flats in the area: The Sandstorm, a flying scrambler type ride and The Phoenix, a upsidedown swinging boat ride, enjoy them at this time. If you like 3D movies, than checkout Pirates 4D at the Timbuktu Theater. I am spoiled with the 3D movies at Disney and Universal, so this is not one of my favorite 3D movies. After Timbuktu, head into the Congo area. First hit the Kumba coaster (a 7 loop steel coaster), The Congo River Rapids (you will get wet). Ride the Ubanga-Banga Bumper Cars if you want. Most of Congo is under renovation and will be walled off. Head over to Stanleyville. It's time for Sheikra! Most will say to hit Sheikra first, which is fine. But Sheikra has a very high capacity. Even if the line looks long, it keeps moving. I like all the seats on Shiekra, but the front does rock! And the last 2 ends seats on each side, on all three rows are awesome. If you like flumes, hit The Stanleyville Falls, this can become an awful wait most of the day, so take advantage if there is a short line. If you like getting wet, hit The Tanganyika Tidal Wave. You will get drowned! There usually is never a wait. It's probally lunch time, I suggest the Zambia Smokehouse. They have ribs, chicken, chicken fingers, salads, warps and homemade bread pudding. As mentioned before, the view of Shiekra is worth it. After lunch, take the Skyride from the Stanleyville area to The Crown Colony area. You will get fantastic views of the animals in the Serengeti and the rest of the park. When you exit the Skyride Station in The Crown Colony area, this is next to the meeting spot for the Serengeti Safari Tour. If you do the Safari, be sure to be in this area 15 minutes before your tour. Explore The Edge of Africa. This area features up-close animal exhibits including Hippos, Lions, Meerkats and many more. Next up, Egypt featuring Montu, a fantastic large inverted coaster. The line may seem long, but should continue to move. The front is great (usually has a long wait), but I think any seat is just as good. You can hit Tut's Tomb, a 5 minute walk-through replica of King Tut's Tomb. After exiting the Egypt area, you can view the Clydesdale Hamlet. Find out when the next showing of Katonga is, an elaborate African inspired broadway type show. Either see the show then, or check out the Alligator exhibit and the Myombe Reserve: The Great Ape Domain exhibit. Then it should be time for the show. After the show or the above animal exibits, check out Curosity Caverns, featuring reptiles and nocturnal anmials. The Nursey is also nice. Take the Train from the Narobi station towards the Stanleyville station. On the way, you will be able to see more animals on The Serengeti. The train will stop at the Congo station, stay on and continue to the Stanleyville station. After exiting the Stanleyville Station, if you want to hit Sheikra again and the wait is not to long, this is your chance. Otherwise head over to the Bird Gardens. If it's not to late and it is still open, visit Lory Landing. For a couple of bucks you can feed lorikeets in this free-flying aviary. Continue on through the Land of The Dragons and the Bird Gardens. If anyone in your group is of age, stop by the Anheuser-Busch Hospitality House for free beer samples. Check out the American Bald Eagle Exhibit. And finally hit Gwazi, a pair of dueling wooden coasters. Most likely only one side will be open. I perfer sitting anywhere in the middle, towards the front for a some-what smoother ride. After Gwazi, you will be back in Morocco. I usually will grab an awesome dessert next to the Marrakesh Theather. Grab a seat with your dessert at the open-air Marrakesh Theather, and enjoy the song and dance show. As mentiond above it is now called Mirage Canteen. It is a new show that I haven't had a chance to see yet, but I'm sure it is great. It is probally now around park closing time (8pm). So that should end your day. Hopefully this guide helps. Have fun! -Eric

Awesome trip report Chuck! Can't wait for next month! Our Mid-Atlantic tour is going to be a blast!

I am so there! I haven't been to the Strawberry Festival since I was 12. I can't wait for some homemake strawberry shortcake! It's only a few weeks away!

I would totally eat that! Chuck, I think you have gold mine in the making!