Imagineer Josh
Mega Poster
Okay everyone. This was posted a lot sooner than I thought. I literally was just at the park yesterday! (Well that happens when a park closes at 7:00) Let's get started!
Dollywood overall was a phenomenal park, the best I've been two. Great staff, extremely fast operations, and there's not a single bad coaster in the collection.
I think we've found the right turn
Big blue B&M means we're here!!
Taking the tram...
Wow! I never thought the day I visit Dollywood would come so soon!
Besides being the best park I've visited, I gotta admit that it's probably the most charming park I've been to as well
You can't hide from me back there!
The band on Showstreet was very good
Jukebox Junction - One of the best theme park areas in the country
Unfortunately, when we first got there, the ride was stuck on the brake run. So we moved on.
We'll eat your heavenly wheat products later!
Just out of curiosity, does anyone regularly refer to Barnstormer as Dueling Daredevils?
Coasters themed to Eagles are cool...
But that doesn't mean real eagles aren't!
Because Lightning Rod was closed, Tennessee Tornado was the first coaster of the day.
The ride had some very cool theming
This ride blew me away! The first time I rode in the front row was utterly underwhelming, but when I rode in the back, man... what an intense, SMOOTH Arrow coaster! Short, but very satisfying. 8.5/10
Next up was FireChaser Express
It was a very action-packed family coaster! The launches are on the gentle side, but it was still very fun, with some little airtime pops. 7/10
Wild Eagle was bigger than I thought
The large Eagle sculpture looked AWESOME!
Overall, it was very good. The theming and atmosphere really made the layout feel appropriate! The drop was much better than expected, all of the inversions were fun (my personal favorite was that last corkscrew), and there were some forceful moments. 8/10
We made a beeline when we saw Lightning Rod opened up!!
Loved the little props in the queue line!
Almost there!
After riding, I instantly declared Lightning Rod my new #1 over Maverick. There is nothing wrong with it. The interactions with the terrain were great, the launch was just bonkers, it never loses the relentless speed, it feels like a very long ride when you are riding, and the airtime is :emoji_zipper_mouth:. 10/10
The car design was awesome too!
Lots of merch
This is where I had lunch. Got some great views of Lightning Rod launching from our window!
Cool globe
We'll ride ya later
Pretty cool waterworks
After missing out on SkyHawk (or whatever the one at Kings Island is called), I've always wanted to try an S&S Screamin' Swing
There's the goon known as me, wearing my Lightning Rod swag, wondering how to work this thing
What is that face??
The ride was very mediocre at best. There was some great speed, and I got a facelift when plunging down, but otherwise it felt way too short and uninteresting to me. 6/10
Random Wild Eagle lift shot
Blazing Fury was cool. Felt more like an guided tour than a coaster to me though. The drops were good however.
After one last ride on Tennessee Tornado (because it's so :emoji_zipper_mouth: good), we went over to Mystery Mine. And wow, did this thing blow me away! Everyone had told me how mediocre and not good it was, and comments like those just lowered my expectations to the point that I was considering skipping it. And was it a complete surprise! It feels much longer because of the unique layout, the drops were excellent, the inversion combo was excellent, the theming was excellent, the whole coaster was excellent! Sure, there was headbanging at times, but I was able to fend it off. 9.5/10 (fight me)
Last credit I need!
Lots was going on here today. Construction workers were everywhere, and the base of the station was put in. They also started test runs of Drop Line.
The coaster was fab! The back row was disappointing, maybe because I was put in with a GP boy who thought Thunderhead was faster than Lightning Rod, and he tried to force me to put my hands up on the lift hill. But when I rode in the front row, it really redeemed itself! I don't like wooden coasters that are B&M smooth, and Thunderhead definitely brings that rough, out-of-control wooden coaster experience that I love. 9.5/10
We got back to Lightning Rod for a second ride, only to find out that everyone had been evacuated. Luckily, we stayed in line and it started testing pretty soon!
Mechanics working their magic
This is what happens when a ride closes and everyone leaves to ride other things!
Funny story - When I was about to be sorted, I asked politely if I could have a back row ride. The employee that was sorting gave me a dirty look because I was wearing my Goliath (GAm) shirt on, and she said that I didn't deserve it (love it when coaster enthusiasts work at park). But then I pulled out my Lightning Rod sweater, and she let me on the back row!
Lightning Rod was so much better in the back. The launch was more of the same, but it felt more out-of-control, the relentless speed felt faster, and the airtime was also that much more crazy! :emoji_metal::emoji_metal::emoji_metal:
And yes, we did eventually get some cinnamon bread before we left.
Thanks so much for reading! I had a great time, and I always like hearing feedback
Dollywood overall was a phenomenal park, the best I've been two. Great staff, extremely fast operations, and there's not a single bad coaster in the collection.
I think we've found the right turn
Big blue B&M means we're here!!
Taking the tram...
Wow! I never thought the day I visit Dollywood would come so soon!
Besides being the best park I've visited, I gotta admit that it's probably the most charming park I've been to as well
You can't hide from me back there!
The band on Showstreet was very good
Jukebox Junction - One of the best theme park areas in the country
Unfortunately, when we first got there, the ride was stuck on the brake run. So we moved on.
We'll eat your heavenly wheat products later!
Just out of curiosity, does anyone regularly refer to Barnstormer as Dueling Daredevils?
Coasters themed to Eagles are cool...
But that doesn't mean real eagles aren't!
Because Lightning Rod was closed, Tennessee Tornado was the first coaster of the day.
The ride had some very cool theming
This ride blew me away! The first time I rode in the front row was utterly underwhelming, but when I rode in the back, man... what an intense, SMOOTH Arrow coaster! Short, but very satisfying. 8.5/10
Next up was FireChaser Express
It was a very action-packed family coaster! The launches are on the gentle side, but it was still very fun, with some little airtime pops. 7/10
Wild Eagle was bigger than I thought
The large Eagle sculpture looked AWESOME!
Overall, it was very good. The theming and atmosphere really made the layout feel appropriate! The drop was much better than expected, all of the inversions were fun (my personal favorite was that last corkscrew), and there were some forceful moments. 8/10
We made a beeline when we saw Lightning Rod opened up!!
Loved the little props in the queue line!
Almost there!
After riding, I instantly declared Lightning Rod my new #1 over Maverick. There is nothing wrong with it. The interactions with the terrain were great, the launch was just bonkers, it never loses the relentless speed, it feels like a very long ride when you are riding, and the airtime is :emoji_zipper_mouth:. 10/10
The car design was awesome too!
Lots of merch
This is where I had lunch. Got some great views of Lightning Rod launching from our window!
Cool globe
We'll ride ya later
Pretty cool waterworks
After missing out on SkyHawk (or whatever the one at Kings Island is called), I've always wanted to try an S&S Screamin' Swing
There's the goon known as me, wearing my Lightning Rod swag, wondering how to work this thing
What is that face??
The ride was very mediocre at best. There was some great speed, and I got a facelift when plunging down, but otherwise it felt way too short and uninteresting to me. 6/10
Random Wild Eagle lift shot
Blazing Fury was cool. Felt more like an guided tour than a coaster to me though. The drops were good however.
After one last ride on Tennessee Tornado (because it's so :emoji_zipper_mouth: good), we went over to Mystery Mine. And wow, did this thing blow me away! Everyone had told me how mediocre and not good it was, and comments like those just lowered my expectations to the point that I was considering skipping it. And was it a complete surprise! It feels much longer because of the unique layout, the drops were excellent, the inversion combo was excellent, the theming was excellent, the whole coaster was excellent! Sure, there was headbanging at times, but I was able to fend it off. 9.5/10 (fight me)
Last credit I need!
Lots was going on here today. Construction workers were everywhere, and the base of the station was put in. They also started test runs of Drop Line.
The coaster was fab! The back row was disappointing, maybe because I was put in with a GP boy who thought Thunderhead was faster than Lightning Rod, and he tried to force me to put my hands up on the lift hill. But when I rode in the front row, it really redeemed itself! I don't like wooden coasters that are B&M smooth, and Thunderhead definitely brings that rough, out-of-control wooden coaster experience that I love. 9.5/10
We got back to Lightning Rod for a second ride, only to find out that everyone had been evacuated. Luckily, we stayed in line and it started testing pretty soon!
Mechanics working their magic
This is what happens when a ride closes and everyone leaves to ride other things!
Funny story - When I was about to be sorted, I asked politely if I could have a back row ride. The employee that was sorting gave me a dirty look because I was wearing my Goliath (GAm) shirt on, and she said that I didn't deserve it (love it when coaster enthusiasts work at park). But then I pulled out my Lightning Rod sweater, and she let me on the back row!
Lightning Rod was so much better in the back. The launch was more of the same, but it felt more out-of-control, the relentless speed felt faster, and the airtime was also that much more crazy! :emoji_metal::emoji_metal::emoji_metal:
And yes, we did eventually get some cinnamon bread before we left.
Thanks so much for reading! I had a great time, and I always like hearing feedback
