This weekend, I braved the Labor Day crowds to venture out to Dollywood in hopes of riding Lightning Rod again, nearly three months after I first rode it in June.
Thankfully, the weather couldn’t have been better. Highs were in the 80s but cooled to the low 70s as the sun set — a perfect temperature for coaster riding.
So let’s start out with Lightning Rod:
The coaster was open more than it was closed Saturday and Sunday. I arrived at the park around noon on Saturday, but on Sunday morning I was in line before ten when the queue opened (the above shot was taken before the queue opened).
On Sunday, the coaster initially only ran one train (with two rows closed), which led to a hefty two-hour wait. A ride op said a second train would be added later.
Also on Sunday, Lightning Rod’s wait time was added to the Dollywood app. It had dropped to 80 minutes later in the day, so I’m assuming the second train was added.
The coaster was running just as well if not better than my last visit nearly three months ago. The ride still has a few bumps and jolts here and there, but for a 73 mph launched wooden coaster, I think that’s understandable.
The ride was down from time to time. The longest stint of downtime I recall was for an hour or two Saturday afternoon. The ride went down for a few brief moments here and there while I was waiting in line, but for no more than 10 minutes.
Hopefully this is a sign that the coaster’s kinks are closer to being worked out. Hopefully.
I was able to get in two more Lightning Rod nighttime rides on Saturday evening: one at dusk and one in pitch-black darkness. When I say you see nothing, I mean that you see absolutely nothing. Unlike other “in-the-dark” coaster rides I’ve experienced, there are no service lights, no nearby city lights, etc. to give you some idea of what’s ahead. It doesn’t matter if your eyes are open or shut — you will see nothing.
If you haven’t already, watch our off-ride Lightning Rod video below:
While I’m confident in saying 2017 will be a relatively quiet year for Dollywood, there is some interesting activity around the park’s Inventor’s Mansion. If you’ve ever been to Dollywood, it’s a building you may not have noticed but probably walked under:
An area of the mine underneath the mansion has been fenced off:
This space has been used for various purposes over the years, including an arcade and a touring roller coaster artifact and history museum.
A sign reading “it all started here” is certainly curious. It will be interesting to see what Dollywood plans to do with this structure, which has been around since the park’s early “Silver Dollar City” days.
Unfortunately, the Dollywood Express train was closed both Saturday and Sunday.
Does anyone know what’s up? A trip to Dollywood without at least one ride on the train felt very strange.
One unexpected highlight of the trip was my up-close look at Wild Eagle from Mountain Slidewinder’s queue. I’ve never ridden Slidewinder (why? I don’t know.), but when I heard its queue paralleled the first half of Wild Eagle’s layout, I had to check it out.
If you want to take photos from here, you’ll have to tell the Slidewinder entrance attendant your plans. All riders have to store their objects at the entrance (because the slide ends back at the bottom of the mountain near the entrance).
I think I spent about a half hour admiring the coaster from this vantage point — it was really fascinating to see it from a totally different angle.
I’ll definitely be back (and hopefully to ride Slidewinder as well).
From the Slidewinder queue you’ll also get an elevated view of Barnstormer.
The edge of Craftsman’s Valley near Tennessee Tornado is one area of the park that tends to bottleneck on crowded days. But it’s also one of the most beautiful sections of the park, so I don’t mind slowing down a bit to admire the trees, landscaping and 1800s architecture.
Unfortunately, Tennessee Tornado’s one-train operation resulted in a longer-than-usual wait. The other train has supposedly been sent off site for a complete rebuild. Although the lengthier wait time wasn’t fun, I fully support the park’s efforts to keep this unique and fun coaster operating at its best.
The only major coaster I didn’t ride during my visit was FireChaser Express. It consistently had a 30-45 minute wait, and I’m not a big enough fan of the coaster to justify that wait.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s fun and a much needed “gateway coaster” for younger riders. But it’s not worth waiting longer than 10-15 minutes for.
If I had to pick a ride to remove from Dollywood, it would without a doubt be River Battle. Its placement is awkward, and I think it takes up too much valuable space. But families seem to like it, so I’m assuming it’s here to stay.
I think Silver Dollar City’s RiverBlast is so beautifully incorporated into the park — it’s a shame River Battle doesn’t do the same.
I go back and forth on Mystery Mine. Sometimes it’s a decent ride, other times it’s uncomfortable. I would love to see the over-the-shoulder restraints replaced with lap bars. I think that would help immensely.
The coaster’s finale fire effects weren’t working — hopefully this was only temporary.
Timber Tower’s former ride pad is once again empty after having been used for a nighttime show earlier in the season. My hope is that the platform is repurposed in the future. I think it would make a prime location for a drop or observation tower.
It’s hard to believe that Thunderhead has been open for 12 seasons.
Thunderhead is a perfect counterpart to Lightning Rod — the two balance each other very well. Now all the park needs is a traditional out-and-back wooden coaster.
Despite the crowds, many of the wait times were tolerable thanks to the always fast and friendly Dollywood ride operators.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas event doesn’t begin until Nov. 5, but strings of lights were already beginning to appear.
One last note: if you’re ever at the park on a day with a fireworks display, do yourself a favor and ride Wild Eagle, front row, during the show.
I timed it perfectly: on the front right row, I was treated to an unobstructed view of the display (I believe the fireworks are launched from behind Thunderhead — please correct me if I’m wrong).
Cresting the lift hill, I saw just a sliver of sunlight peaking over the mountains, which provided a twilight-tinged backdrop to the fireworks.
It was a magical experience and will probably remain a top-five moment in my roller-coaster riding career.
This Labor Day weekend spent at Dollywood was certainly one of the more crowded visits to the park in recent memory (aside from last year’s Smoky Mountain Christmas). However, I’d pick a crowded day at Dollywood over almost any other park for these reasons:
- many guests are there for the shows (which translates to shorter lines),
- Dollywood’s efficient ride ops keep the lines moving and…
- cinnamon bread.
Did you or have you visited Dollywood over a Labor Day weekend? Share your experience in the comments section below.
According to Dollywood’s website, their train is currently closed for maintenance.
This is not true, River Battle is the best ride. It’s always the best ride. Somehow, ya’ll removed my ride. It was one of my faves.