Dollywood!

[SkiBum]

I wouldn't go as far as to say they were sold on "Gattlingburg Hagrid" when they already have a coaster with launches and forward and backwards sections (and show scenes) that opened 5 years earlier (than hagrids). It's just that we expected more with the description. At least a romp in the actual woods but really, there are no more woods in that area so you get what you get.

A real bear would not be happy with the lack of cover.

 

[shiekra38]

Good god....Big Bear Mountain coaster looks like Slinky Dog on steroids!

Needs more trees

I'll go ahead and say Wildwood Grove sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of lack of trees and shade

Especially when compared to the lush nature of the rest of the park

The fact that this has basically zero landscaping is concerning

 

[Freak]

Now y'all know how the SFMM fans feel whenever we get a new coaster. Not only do they cut down every tree in existance to put a new coaster in there, they put it over a slab of concrete!

 

[SkiBum]

Now y'all know how the SFMM fans feel whenever we get a new coaster. Not only do they cut down every tree in existance to put a new coaster in there, they put it over a slab of concrete!

Cedar Fair's track record isn't that great, either, with regard to trees. Cedar Point's midway is a furnace devoid of shade. When KI added Orion, they removed any trees within 50 feet of the coaster's path in either direction. They did better with Mystic Timbers but they could have left or planted trees back by the turnaround. I wish that parks would be forced to add trees back.

 

[wutisgood]

I just went to Silver Dollar City for the first time over Christmas. Some people like it even more but I definitively think Dollywood is better. It just feels more set up to handle bigger crowds. The cave at SDC is amazing though.

What I like about these parks is that they really offer something for everyone. You could spend a day seeing the entertainment/doing rides. or just enjoying the food/atmosphere. Also there are really no duds in the ride collection. I think the Dollywood area is easily may favorite place to vacation in America outside of the parks around Orlando or LA. Everything is a much better value too and the national park is something that those other places can't replicate. We are talking about doing a big family vacation this summer and there really is not an affordable place within driving distance that offers the variety of Dollywood and the surrounding area.

On the coaster I thought I heard it was 50 million which is pretty significant or just how much major coasters are going to cost now with inflation. Maybe its because of the long track in this case. I imagine Disney spent at least as much for slinky dog for a worse coaster.

 

[JoeCamel]

I just went to Silver Dollar City for the first time over Christmas. Some people like it even more but I definitively think Dollywood is better. It just feels more set up to handle bigger crowds. The cave at SDC is amazing though.

What I like about these parks is that they really offer something for everyone. You could spend a day seeing the entertainment/doing rides. or just enjoying the food/atmosphere. Also there are really no duds in the ride collection. I think the Dollywood area is easily may favorite place to vacation in America outside of the parks around Orlando or LA. Everything is a much better value too and the national park is something that those other places can't replicate. We are talking about doing a big family vacation this summer and there really is not an affordable place within driving distance that offers the variety of Dollywood and the surrounding area.

On the coaster I thought I heard it was 50 million which is pretty significant or just how much major coasters are going to cost now with inflation. Maybe its because of the long track in this case. I imagine Disney spent at least as much for slinky dog for a worse coaster.

Getting a vacay cabin in the hills with a view is almost enough without the parks but that is the way you do Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Their strips ugliness is magnified by the stretch of NPS between them. It's kinda a feel good about all the business they brought to the area but the natural beauty is only inside the park boundaries any more.

 

[SkiBum]

I just went to Silver Dollar City for the first time over Christmas. Some people like it even more but I definitively think Dollywood is better. It just feels more set up to handle bigger crowds. The cave at SDC is amazing though.

What I like about these parks is that they really offer something for everyone. You could spend a day seeing the entertainment/doing rides. or just enjoying the food/atmosphere. Also there are really no duds in the ride collection. I think the Dollywood area is easily may favorite place to vacation in America outside of the parks around Orlando or LA. Everything is a much better value too and the national park is something that those other places can't replicate. We are talking about doing a big family vacation this summer and there really is not an affordable place within driving distance that offers the variety of Dollywood and the surrounding area.

On the coaster I thought I heard it was 50 million which is pretty significant or just how much major coasters are going to cost now with inflation. Maybe its because of the long track in this case. I imagine Disney spent at least as much for slinky dog for a worse coaster.

While not cheap, I would endorse a trip to the Biltmore Estate if you go to Gatlinburg. It is an hour and a half away with a beautiful drive and the estate is breathtaking. Going in early May is a color explosion from all the flowers and flowering shrubs but it is beautiful in all seasons.

 

[mainejeff]

Not exactly heavy theming but definitely looking better....