Dollywood Discussion Thread

[jjzadero]

Dollywood's site now says...

 

Jun 29 Lightning Rod has reopened in technical ride rehearsal after the Rocky Mountain Construction recall on June 17. The ride may be subject to temporary closure or delays from time to time.

 

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

[LiftThrill]

Must feel good to be the park and RMC right now. Finally got all of that technical stuff worked out. Hopefully nothing else pops up.

[moneygrabber]

Dollywood's site now says...

 

Jun 29 Lightning Rod has reopened in technical ride rehearsal after the Rocky Mountain Construction recall on June 17. The ride may be subject to temporary closure or delays from time to time.

 

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

So I'm still not 100% sure what technical ride rehearsal means for me if I go tomorrow... I'm feeling dumb

[UrbanLegend]

Dollywood's site now says...

 

Jun 29 Lightning Rod has reopened in technical ride rehearsal after the Rocky Mountain Construction recall on June 17. The ride may be subject to temporary closure or delays from time to time.

 

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

So I'm still not 100% sure what technical ride rehearsal means for me if I go tomorrow... I'm feeling dumb

 

"Lightning Rod is open but will probably have a bunch of downtime until we're confident enough to say that it's Open No Guys For Real This Time We Mean It"

[larrygator]

Dollywood's site now says...

 

Jun 29 Lightning Rod has reopened in technical ride rehearsal after the Rocky Mountain Construction recall on June 17. The ride may be subject to temporary closure or delays from time to time.

 

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

So I'm still not 100% sure what technical ride rehearsal means for me if I go tomorrow... I'm feeling dumb

 

Technical ride rehearsal, means it will be open at times but can shut down at any time without notice. Basically if you get to ride treat it as a bonus.

[jjzadero]

Dollywood's site now says...

 

Jun 29 Lightning Rod has reopened in technical ride rehearsal after the Rocky Mountain Construction recall on June 17. The ride may be subject to temporary closure or delays from time to time.

 

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

So I'm still not 100% sure what technical ride rehearsal means for me if I go tomorrow... I'm feeling dumb

 

Eh, don't feel dumb. If I were you and in the area I would head to Dollywood and go for it. I have a few friends that got rides in today and browsing twitter it seems like it's pretty much open with lots of people riding. Go for it!

[SFOG1991]

After tons of failed July 4th Weekend plans, my bf and I have decided to head to Lake Winnie then Gatlinburg/Dollywood for the weekend (we are season pass holders) to finally take a stab at Lightning Rod. I REALLY hope it is fully functioning. I have a few questions...

 

 

Has Lightning Rod been added to the Time Saver pass before the latest closure? If so, I am hoping it'll be on there this weekend (if it already is, please let me know!)

 

Is Time Saver exactly like Six Flag's Flash Pass Regular?

 

Since we will have a few days in the area, what are the top suggestions (other than the mountain coasters and hikes, both of which we have fulfilled extensively) for other entertainment. Great restaurants and other fun activities. We love mini golf and drinking so moonshine and mini golf activities are a win for us! Open to really any suggestions.

[ernierocker]

^It had not been added. It will probably take a couple weeks after the ride is running reliably before it will be added. The Time Saver is somewhere between a regular Flash Pass and a gold Flash Pass. I am not sure percentages but it will reduce your wait compared to the standby line. We were told in the Lightning Rod station that the most you would ever wait would be 55 mins with the Time Saver no matter if the line is 2 hours or more.

 

Go to the Island in Pigeon Forge. Moonshine tasting, plenty of restaurants and a ton of attractions/rides completely unique to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area.

Edited June 29, 2016 by ernierocker

[SFOG1991]

^Thank you for the input! I hope the lines for it aren't too unbearable this weekend.

 

I forgot to mention that I've done The Island and it is fun but we felt it was very generic and commercialized. It's a great place to eat but overall it felt like any outdoor mall with restaurants. Still very nice though and we might go back since our last visit was brief! I'm curious about more hidden gem/unique places.

[nannerdw]

Is the Fun Stop slingshot worth riding? I drove past it the other night, and it was flipping like crazy. It looked very intense

[appel]

So are they running 2 trains during this rehearsal?

[ernierocker]

 

I forgot to mention that I've done The Island and it is fun but we felt it was very generic and commercialized. It's a great place to eat but overall it felt like any outdoor mall with restaurants. Still very nice though and we might go back since our last visit was brief! I'm curious about more hidden gem/unique places.

 

Everything is generic and commercialized in that area. Not sure what all of your tastes are, so it would be hard to know what you consider a unique place.

[SFOG1991]

 

I forgot to mention that I've done The Island and it is fun but we felt it was very generic and commercialized. It's a great place to eat but overall it felt like any outdoor mall with restaurants. Still very nice though and we might go back since our last visit was brief! I'm curious about more hidden gem/unique places.

 

Everything is generic and commercialized in that area. Not sure what all of your tastes are, so it would be hard to know what you consider a unique place.

Ha very true. I just mean any single attractions that aren't as well known or part of a big complex. I feel like we do things like The Island but miss out on quirky small stuff that is actually a lot of fun and just hard to find.

[dstephe9]

Is "Zorb" still open? If so it's unique to do once.. not many places around to go zorbing. It's still listed on the Zorb website.. it's fun, I have done it once

 

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[coasterfreaky]

Is "Zorb" still open? If so it's unique to do once.. not many places around to go zorbing. It's still listed on the Zorb website.. it's fun, I have done it once

 

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Yes it's open under a different name now.

 

The Outdoor Gravity Park

Outdoor Gravity Park (formerly known as Zorb)

[dstephe9]

That's kind of a unique thing to do for those looking for unique things.. not many places around that offers zorbing.. it's fun!

 

It's kind of hidden as well. I enjoy ir

 

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[coasterfreaky]

For those of you looking for additional things to do in the area then you should check out this comprehensive report from Erik and Smisty from a few years back. They did a great job covering a lot of the area's offerings.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50372&p=738176&hilit=golf#p738176

[SFOG1991]

^Thank you so much guys! I will look into all of that!

 

Any updates on Lightning Rod? Running consistently? two trains? etc...

[STDog]

Since we will have a few days in the area, what are the top suggestions (other than the mountain coasters and hikes, both of which we have fulfilled extensively) for other entertainment. Great restaurants and other fun activities. We love mini golf and drinking so moonshine and mini golf activities are a win for us! Open to really any suggestions.

 

 

As far as food, Paula Deen's and the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant are great (I prefer the 2nd).

 

The new distillery in Wears Valley (http://www.jakescreek.com) is worth a visit. Some need differences compared to the ones in Gatlinburg. For example they have rye and wheat liquor not just corn. And the whole atmosphere is different.

The Cades Cove Distillery still isn't open.

 

Tennessee Legend Distillery (http://www.tennesseelegend.com) is fairly new in Sevierville (east on 411)

 

I still need to make it by the Old Forge Distillery in Pigeon Forge (Old Mill area).

Speaking of the Old Mill area, I've heard good things about the Old Mill Restaurant but haven't eaten there yet.

 

Oh, and this place was fun. http://www.deerfarmzoo.com

 

And don't forget ziplines/horse rides. There's a bunch to choose from, some off the beaten path, like http://www.nexttoheavenmountainadventures.com/

 

And I still want to check out http://www.jayellranch.com/

Edited June 30, 2016 by STDog

[SFOG1991]

^Thank you! These are some wonderful suggestions I may not have found myself.

[coreyb]

As of 6:15, l is up and running one train with two rows roped off!

[SFOG1991]

^Better than nothing! All day two train ops are hopefully a thing very soon!

[SFOG1991]

Heading to the park this weekend. Leaving Atlanta soon so I may go in for a few hours tonight, especially if Lightning Rod is up and running today.

[bluestreak]

Any word on whats going on with LR today? Still 1 train Technical Rehearsals I'm assuming...

[Dollywoodlover20]

It's running and everyone seems happy, but those 4 rows are still closed off?

Oh and Danny has to be the happiest Op haha

https://instagram.com/p/BHUmMqTjXLh/