Jive

I would agree if this was a thrill park. Ozark Wildcat and Thunderhead have both been successful in the family parks though.

We were lucky enough to score a spot on Wild West World’s Media Preview list so we headed down the morning of the event to check out the new park. Wichita is just a 3 hour drive for us so we were able to get there just as the opening ceremony was starting. I’ll start with the main entrance to the park. It’s the first evidence of the theming that can be found inside and it’s large enough to keep the peeps moving through. There’s cowboy theming surrounding the area and plenty of photo spots. Once inside you’re on Main Street, which is lined with shops, restrooms, eateries, lockers and a game or two. The store fronts are colorful and the path is wide enough to accommodate even the busiest days. Park owner Thomas Etheredge led the opening ceremony and walked the crowd through his dream that became a reality that morning. He of course thanked everyone involved with bringing his dream to life and the list included his wife Cheryl, Park City, several banks, the ride manufacturers and of course the 500-600 employees that they’ve recently hired. Building a park from the ground up isn’t something that happens very often and it looks as if Thomas hand picked a great team. The enthusiasm from all of the employees was evident. A ribbon (actually barbed wire) cutting ceremony followed and the first cut was made by reps from Park City. Next up ride reps from Chance and Rides 4 U cut a wire and finally the Etheredge family cut the last wire. Entertainers from the park closed out the ceremony on stage while the rest of us began checking out the park. They still had some finishing touches to put on the park so only a small portion was open. They were confident that 90% of the rides would be operational when the park officially opens to the public this weekend. The log flume and condor ride are still waiting on parts and will probably not be ready in time. After walking through and seeing what was available we decided to have a quick snack (or two). Pablo’s Pizza was the first stop and a quick taste test got our approval (not that we’re picky). Across the path was San Antonio Rosa’s, which serves Mexican food. They weren’t quite ready for that and instead they served bar-b-que brisket and potato salad. We were told that this will be a staple within the food offerings at the park and even though we’re bar-b-que snobs we enjoyed the sandwiches. Next up was some ride testing. We started with El Diablo and had a blast. It’s more comfortable than previous experience on Power Surges but still intense. We then took a spin on the La Fiesta Carousel. The detail that went into the ride is amazing. Wild West World really knows how to use a theme. Our last ride was on the Moser spring ride. It had a great pop to it and was our first ever experience on such a ride. The coasters were still in need of final inspection and the rain would have prevented them from opening anyway. Continous rain put a damper on most of the day. We were able to confirm during a quick conversation with Thomas that the park does intend to add a $4.5 million coaster in 2009 and they have the center of the park reserved for this ride. He’s narrowed it down to two manufacturers but he would not spill the beans on who they are. He plans to finalize a deal at IAAPA later this year. We at Coaster Community feel that a Great Coasters International installation would be the perfect fit for the park but this is just our opinion. Thomas started with a vision several years ago and we are impressed with the results. The theming and detail in the rides extends to the fences and landscaping as well as the shops and pathways. The color is vibrant throughout the park. The focus on family attractions will likely make this a park a winner early in its existence. The possibility of a thrill coaster will add to it success in the future. Wet Photos

^ You said it better than I did.

It really seems as if we're in the minority with our MM opinion. We just didn't dig it.

We flew into the Knoxville airport, which is tiny and extremely easy to navigate. Getting to Pigeon Forge was also pretty straight forward and it's only about an hour from the airport in Knoxville. An event that goes by the name of Rod Runs made Pigeon Forge the worst possible place to be. It took over an hour and a half to get across town and to the cabin that we had rented. If you can avoid this mid April event I would recommend it. Everyone within a six state area that has a hot-rod shows up and cruises the strip to show off their car. Onlookers put chairs along the road to watch the event and everyone that's not involved becomes involved whether they like it or not. The cabin was pretty much as good as it gets for $100/night/couple. It was 3 levels with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 hot tubs and two full sized decks that looked out into the woods. It was clean, comfortable and away from the loud strip. If you're out that way be sure to check out Mountain Vista Getaways. We got up nice and early Saturday morning in an effort to beat the crowds to the park. The traffic wasn't an issue at all at 8:30am and the cabin was only a couple of stop lights away from the park, so it was a quick and easy drive. Our Silver Dollar City All City passes got us free parking and we scored a spot in B-Lot. We would have walked, but a tram was just sitting there so we took the easy way out. We got into the park just after 9am and again the Silver Dollar City passes came in handy because admission was also covered. We went straight to Timber Canyon and found an extremely short line at Thunderhead. We had a one train wait for the front and then a walk-on for the back. Both rides were simply amazing. I've now been on 31 wood coasters and this one moved right to the top. The only straight section of track is the station fly through, every other part is twisty speed filled airtime. Next up was Timber Tower. This was a 1 cycle wait and it was a fun ride but didn't require a 2nd attempt. I never suggest this but it might have actually been better if it got everyone wet. It teases riders with water and with man eating beavers but doesn't come through on any of them. Mystery Mine was part of the reason for the trip but it didn't open with the park and the line had already reached an hour and a half even though it wasn't moving. We decided to skip it and come back later in the day. The park was starting to fill up so we decided to eat before the lunch rush and found a Philly Steak place right near the fountain. The SDC pass scored us a 30% discount so the sandwich, home made potato chips and drink were only $10. The chips were great and the sandwich was average. We should have waited a little while longer because we saw better options as we headed up towards the Tennessee Tornado. We hit Blazing Fury first and found that it closely resembles Fire in the Hole at SDC. It might actually be an exact copy. Like Fire in the Hole it's a fun ride and with a 10 minute wait early in the morning it's well worth the stop. Tennessee Tornado was right next door and only had a 10 minute wait as well. We tried the back and found it to be very forceful. It's definitely one of the better Arrow loopers out there, but still not our kind of ride. It's probably because of the way that I fit into their trains. At 6'4" I just don't fit very well. We made our way down to the County Fair section and took a spin on Sky Rider. It was a 20 minute wait and even though it looks really great it's pretty tame. Families will enjoy it if they can talk the little one's into riding something so tall. I prefer the wave swingers. We met up with Ben and Sarah around this time (11am or so) and took a ride on the train. If you decide to ride the train try and sit near the back. It's coal powered and the closer you are to the front the more noticeable it is. I had small flakes of coal landing in my lap from the engine and the smoke just about killed me. The ride is self was scenic and long. While on the train we spotted the cars over at Rockin' Roadway and had to ride them. It's probably the coolest car ride around. The cars are 50's and 60's models and the station is themed to a used car store. The cars even play old music and commercials. Everyone was ready for a real lunch, so we made our way to Granny Ogle's Ham N' Beans. It's a sit down joint with outside seating and great food. We all had something different and everyone enjoyed their meal. It's good to sit down out of the sun and take a break every couple of hours and Granny's is the perfect spot to do it. Another attempt on Tennessee Tornado was next so we trekked back up the hill and gave it another try near the front. It was the same result but this time included a 25 minute wait. It was time to make our way back over to Mystery Mine and this time it was open. A 45 minute wait didn't seem to bad for a brand new ride. We just weren't big fans of the ride though. The theming is great but the ride is lacking something and I just can't put my finger on it. The drops are pretty good but I got banged around by the restraints and that's just not something I enjoy. The one ride was enough for us. We went back to County Fair to get some more flat riddin' in. On the way we stopped for some sweets at the Spotlight Bakery near the front gate. This was another great idea. The eclair that I had was on par with eclairs I've had from even the most expensive bakeries. The Country Fair area was packed except for the Waltzing Swinger. It was only a one cycle wait and Janessa and I squeezed into a double seat. Once it started tilting our seat started twisting like crazy and it increased the fun factor on an already fun ride. Ben and Sarah split off and headed for Blazing Fury while Janessa and I decided to pan for precious gems in the Luck Seven Mine. She landed several gems from the small bag. We had to finish the day at the star attraction, Thunderhead. It was a 25 minute wait but well worth it. I didn't want to leave the park regretting not riding. Our final ride was in the back again. I couldn't decide whether I liked the front or the back more and Janessa was set on the back so we went with her vote. I can't say enough good things about this ride. There really isn't a dull moment. In summary the park is really hilly and spread out so take your walkin' shoes. At the end of the day we were absolutely beat. It's an attractive park with great scenery and theming. Over crowding became an issue as the park filled up. The walkways were clogged and the low capacity flat rides had extremely long lines. Be sure to get there early and hit the big rides before the crowds develop. Coaster Ratings Thunderhead: 8 out of 10 Mystery Mine: 5 out of 10 Tennessee Tornado: 5 out of 10 Blazing Fury: 3 out of 10 Flat Ride Ratings Timber Tower: 4 out of 10 Sky Rider: 4 out of 10 Rockin' Roadway: 3 out of 10 Waltzing Swinger: 5 out of 10 Park Photos

Holly Cow!

That's too bad. I've really been wanting to ride Roller Coaster/Nightmare

^ I think that you need a ^^ instead of a ^

Kids say the darndest things

Schlitterbahn will be just a few blocks away from the GWL. They haven't done much except tear down old buildings. Construction has progressed much at all since last fall.

Opening the coaster would probably be the best thing that they can do.

Is the park even open yet?

I like the colors. A shiny barn swing wouldn't make any sense.

Manual is fine when it's tough to get the shot that you want but I stick to Aperture Priority to Shutter Priority. Even in full auto the shots turned out great. I also shoot in RAW so I can make small adjustments to white balance and exposure afterwards.

Don't get your hopes up to high. TW did not receive a full re-tracking. More structural work was done and some areas have had track work but the project expected to stretch over a couple years.

Timber Wolf is rumored to have recieved extensive work during the off-season. This leads me to believe that it's demise is not imminent.

A similar plan has already failed in the Kansas City area and Lee's Summit is plan B. Even though it looks like a done deal a lot of stars still need to align prior to any dirt getting pushed around.

Boo! I spent a weekend power washing that coaster last spring and I've been waiting for it to open ever since.

Freakin' sweet! The only way out is busting through the gate.

Capacity is a real pain on these rides. Spinning Dragons down the street consistently has one of the longer lines at WoF. They should try unloading and loading two at a time.

That would be one sweet ass gig. Do you guys ever lean over the designers shoulders and tell them to add in another airtime hill here or there? I know it's probably tough to find a spot for any more elements on one of their rides but it would still be tempting.

I guess that these are the new wild mouse coasters. Everyone is eventually going to have one.

I've always wondered just how much trains cost. I'm guessing (and probably right) that X's trains are the most expensive out there.

I'm dumb. I meant the Spider.

This ride actually caused me to take a look at Lagoon and now I have to visit the damn thing. The Bat and Wicked just look to good to pass up.