middle_keeny

The "landing area" for Slidewinder is big enough for a decent flat. just a matter of which one. That hillside would make a neat spot for a small mountain coaster. They could be the first park to have a mountain coaster inside the park.

In the spring Dollywood has the "Festival of Nations" going on. Other than Christmas, this is my favorite festival. The shows are top notch and they bring in performers from around the world. I would plan on a full two days to see everything. The Steel Drum Band from Trinidad / Tobogo is amazing. The change up their shows so not every one is the same.

somebody needs to get me the names of the two guys in the basket. I'd like to buy them a a beer when this is finished.

The finale of the coaster is an airtime hill going into a corkscrew that drops into a helix with an overbanked cutback which leads into the brakes. Personally im most excited about this section more than any other.

1- I would invest in season passes for you and your guests. Make sure at least one person has a Gold Pass to cover parking. I say this so that you don't have to try and cram everything in but can come and go at your leisure. 2- Get a couple of drink cups. refills are only .99 and they will put water in them for you. All food stands will give you water for free in 8oz. cups but its nice to have to not stop all the time. 3 - There are more mountain coasters in that area than anywhere else in the world. Take advantage of it. 4 - if you want a change of pace, the motor nature trail in Gatlinburg is a nice getaway. I'm a season passholder and you can always PM me with more questions

I live about 40 miles from where the epicenter was and it felt like my clothes washer was shaking the house. Nothing major. I assume damage was minimal if any at Dollywood.

Midweek usually isn't too bad. The only times to avoid the park would be Friday Evenings and Saturdays. The only time it gets crowded mid week is if the temps get over 60.

Two interesting observations: 1. Anyone else notice that the Steelers Logo has been removed from the logo with the bucket pouring steel. This would make the logo more marketable outside of 412. 2. There is a decent opening in the supports at the dive loop. It would be grand if Kennywood moved the bridge to go through the dive instead of keeping it behind it.

I remember while boarding during testing, a guy got off and puked in the garbage can at the top of the steps right in front of where all the techs from RMC, Irvine Ondrey, and DW all standing there watching him. After he was done they all looked at each other gave a look that said, "Mission Accomplished!' It was hilarious to watch.

There is a parody Twitter account called is Lightning Rod Open @LightningRodDW and the first time it shows being down is July 4 so its been down since at least then. ACE southeast is the one who posted the photo from one of their members showing LR testing. It is consistent with what I've been reading that says the target is Columbus Day Weekend (start of Fall Break for most of TN).

If you follow the pattern between SDC and DW you will find that whatever SDC gets, Dollywood will get a few years later. Since the opening of Time Traveler, most are speculating Dollywood will get a Mack in in the expansion. If you watch the coaster parody of Time Traveler, Tyler makes a joke of it at the end of the video. personally, it sounds highly likely that this will happen. My only concern is if Carowinds puts a no compete agreement when Copperhead strike is built. I guess we will have to wait and see.

A Friday once school is in will be pretty dead. the crowd may pick up in the evening, but I would expect a walk on for most. If you are there mainly for the coasters, go left as you enter and make your way around the park counter clockwise. Be sure to take in the atmosphere and take your time there. Lightning Rod is pretty much down for the rest of the year so I wouldn't worry about rushing there. Dollywood is known for their food, there really is not a bad place to get food there. Some say the Pizza is lackluster. I personally eat at Aunt Granny's Buffet it costs almost the same to eat there as some of the food stands. The most popular place to eat at the park is Red's, which is basically a Jonny Rockets. But whatever you do, whatever you eat.... the Cinnamon Bread !!! You will thank me later. In terms of discounts, Dollywood doesn't have many coupons out there.Military ,senior, certain employers, etc. are some discounts they offer. They really push the season pass if you're gonna be there more than one day. Couple of tips: If your hotel is near a trolley stop, look into that. It would save you on parking. - Most rides have places to store belongings when you ride. I carry all my stuff in a string backpack and just store it while I ride. No need to rent lockers. - Most people don't know this but all food stands will give you free water. don't buy water there. If you bring your own cup, they will fill it for you.

That's been the rumor I've been hearing all summer. they are repairing the "Speed Bump" and the seats are getting more padding. For as easy as it is to get into the employee lot and see the drop, you would think someone would have pictures by now.

Last weekend I was finally able to get my kids to Kennywood. Growing up in SW Pennsylvania, it has always been on my bucket list to visit with the family. The way I explained it to my kids is that its more than just rollercoaster like the Six Flags parks we visit, They have a great collection of flat rides to catch... 1. Turtle - the only operating one right now. Dont ride in the afternoon cause the metal seat will burn. 2. Bayurn Kurve - a great flat ride designed by Schwarzkoph. I think its the only operating one in the states. Its more intense than it looks. 3. Noah's Ark - fun walkthrough. 4. Kangaroo- my personal favorite. Fun airtime. From what I've read, Skyrocket had a fire in the control room and is pretty much done for the Summer. That a bummer because thats the only cred I needed from that park. Ok... on the topic of the new coaster. I found this concept video of a T-Rex that supposedly RMC debuted at IAPPA a few years back. (can't confirm that). But the video is very similar to what the layout drawing that was leaked looks like.

If my memory serves me right. The regular Timesaver uses a punchcard with ten spaces to punch out. There are squares printed that specifically say LR and DL on them. The unlimited says unlimited on it.

I found this photo on coaster 101. It shows a steel supported section at the bottom for an maintenance road. I'm no engineer but the bump could be from the steel being stiffer than wood and not flexing as much. On a side note: I have always thought that a cool theme element would be to put an old fashioned police car with a radar gun displaying your speed at the bottom of that drop.

As to local places to eat. Pittsburgh is known for "Primanti Bros" look them up. I agree with everyone else on here concerning the rides and coasters. enjoy!

expanding in the train loop has been thrown around for years. Back when Adventure Mountain was built there was discussion of a path going up that way. IMHO there are two reason why it wont happen in the loop and the expansion went behind Thunderhead instead. 1. A highlight of the train ride is the upper loop and the Mountain views you get from up there. If they expand up there it would completely change the atmosphere of the train ride and I think a majority of the GP is against that. 2. There would be a lot of infrastructure that would have to be built up to the train loop. There are no bathrooms from MM to Blazing fury so a lot of plumbing would have to installed up the Mountain. By the size of the land cleared behind thunderhead, it looks like they have a few years of projects in that spot. Just a random thought. but do any of you know why they haven't torn down the old restaurant next to Heartsong and expanded back that way. My kids think that would be a great spot for a coaster.

About a month ago on page 1640 I brought up that it makes perfect sense that River Battle could be reused and showed on the map where it could be. This was long before Screamscape posted about it and few people laughed at me. Personally I didn't care for the ride. It was fun on busy days (when the ride was full) there was a lot of interaction with the guests. On slow days, I would not ride it and shoot at my kids on the ride from the sides just so they had someone to shoot at. One time my wife inadvertently wore a white shirt and white bra. I think every guy in the park was aiming at her...lol

Goliath is definitely at the top of my hyper list. Second only to Nitro. Be sure to ride back seat and leave some play on the lap bar every hill will have you out of the seat.

The picture of the front of the train in the station looks like a stripped down version of what used to be. It looks like they are going to add the ones on the grass at a later time. I do know there's some function to the hood because it houses the unit that oils the track. So possibly the new design will allow maintenance easier access to the oiler. As for the trunks, they were removed then there was a bunch of issues with the coaster in 2016. I forget the exact reason but I always heard they would be reinstalled eventually.

I like how they referenced the Locomotive as "Klondike Katie." I always thought she was given her name by the marketing people at Dollywood. Never realized she had that name long before. I learned something new today.

Well it’s not the same shape. I don’t think they would retro fit track sections lol Its really not that hard. I'm sure the track sections are interchangeable to change the layout. Even if not, they could just fabricate new channels for the boats and recycle the boats and props.

Has anyone else noticed that the ride kinda in the middle left could be River Battle recycled. Last time i was there, all the boats and props were being stored in the Splash country lot. If they are going for the family area, nice water ride would balance out the area nicely.

Just a word of advice. Seems like everyone goes to Dollywood on Saturdays in May to use their bring-a friend pass. Its pretty busy. I personally avoid Saturdays there. You would be better off ,if possible, to go on a Sunday/ Monday.