Coaster reviews

Inversions Location Fun Harness Discomfort

My biggest problem with this ride was definitely the restraints. The vest portion was kind of tight, but that wasn't the main problem. The lap bar portion comes down super tight throughout the ride, and as a dude it got extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully the ride itself is pretty good. The first drop has some solid airtime in the back, and there were some pretty intense moments particularly the first loop. The zero-g roll and corkscrew were really fun. The ride also had pretty decent pacing. Wild Eagle, like most coasters at Dollywood, uses it's terrain amazingly, and it might be the most photogenic coaster I've personally ridden.

Theming Location Duration Dead spots

This was my first alpine coaster, and it was really fun. They were doing karaoke in the queue line which made the hour long wait much more bearable. It was also a night ride, which made the coaster much more fun. As far as the ride it's self it was fine. There were some pretty fast sections, but it could have been more intense. The theming throughout the ride also added to the whole experience. Overall it was a pretty fun ride.

Theming Location Fun

This is an amazing family coaster. It's not to intense, which is to be expected, but the ride never felt boring. The theming on and off ride is really well done, and the location is very scenic. The launches were also punchier than I was expecting. My favorite part of the ride was the backwards section. It felt a bit more intense than the rest of the ride, and it was just plain fun.

Airtimes Location Pace Reliability

Lightning Rod has been a major bucket list coaster for me ever since I became an enthusiast, and it was by far my most anticipated coaster at Dollywood. However, in recent years I've heard a lot of people saying that Lightning Rod is running a lot slower, and that it isn't nearly as good as it once was. I was a worried that I was overhyping this ride and was going to be disappointed by it, and my first ride made it seem like that would be the case. It was a morning ride, and I got stapled at the bottom of the main drop. That made the airtime much less pronounced, and was not super comfortable. Thankfully, I learned how to get room and keep it during the ride, and having just an extra inch of room completely changes the ride. This is right up there with some of the best coasters I've ever ridden. The airtime and pacing is some of the best I've ever experienced, and the location gives it a very unique feel compared to other coasters I've ridden. The launch is a great way to start off the ride. It was decently forceful, and going up the hill while accelerating like that is just a fun feeling. The hill after the launch and the first drop are the only moments on the ride that I would say are better in the front. Pretty much all the other elements feel the same in every row. When your in the front you get pushed over these hills which results in some weak ejector, as opposed to the back where the first moment gives some decent floater. The drop is awesome though. In the back you get a gradual moment of ejector. In the front you get ejector going over the crest of the drop, then stay suspended out of your seat all the way down. This is the one moment of the ride where you could tell it's not as fast as it really should be. I can only imagine what it would be like going full speed through these moments. After the drop is an intense an surprisingly smooth valley that leads into the wave turn. This was the most surprising moment of the ride for me. I got a good 3 to 4 seconds of borderline strong ejector airtime, and the fact that it's sideways only makes that much better. This moment always caught me off guard with how much it threw me out of my seat. It's probably my second favorite moment on the whole ride. The following valley is the one place that had noticeable jackhammering. It was worse towards the back, but overall it wasn't too big of a deal. The twist-n-shout is just a pure fun element. It combines weak sustained ejector with some really fun laterals. The second twist-n-shout is the one element that I was a little disappointed by. It was still an amazing moment with some incredibly strong ejector, but it didn't feel as sustained as I thought it would. The pacing through this element is phenomenal though. The hill going into the quad down is a really underrated moment of powerful ejector. Then comes the quad down. This is one of the most legendary moments in the coaster community, and it deserves all the hype it gets. The airtime isn't quite as strong as some made it out to be, but it's still extremely powerful, and it's super rapid fire. This honestly might be my favorite moment on any coaster, just due to the pure fun factor of it. Getting repeatedly launched out of your seat while while barreling down the mountainside is just a euphoric feeling you can't get anywhere else. After that you charge into this small dip that give another moment of strong ejector. You then enter the half loop finale which gives some decent positives going into it, and a pretty good moment of ejector coming out of it. That's when you slam into the break run and end the ride. All in all Lightning Rod has one of my favorite layouts ever. The pacing and airtime are unreal, and the elements flow in a very fun and natural way. The biggest concern going into Lightning Rod, and it definitely proved to be unreliable during my visit. Lightning Rod went down for about an hour on both days I was there. This is definitely the biggest issue with this ride, and I hope that it can be fixed at some point. Thankfully the operations were pretty solid. The dispatches rarely hit 3 minutes. This allowed me to get 9 rides in on Lightning Rod over 2 days, despite the downtime and large crowds. Although this ride is admittedly unreliable, It's still a one of a kind experience, and easily one of my favorites.

Pace Smoothness Duration

This is a great family coaster, and a really good fit for Dollywood. The launches are more intense than I was expecting, and there lots of fast-paced transitions and decent positives. The ride also holds it's speed really well, especially in the second half. My minor gripe with this ride is that the area it's in hasn't really grown in yet, so it's basically just on a field right now. I do think it will get better overtime, though.

Lap Bar Pace Smoothness Capacity

This is a great family coaster. It's not too intense, but it's not boring either. I love the open train design, and the first overbank was really fun. My one main issue is the fact that this coaster can only run one train, which leads to some very long lines.

Location Pace Intensity Too short Harness

My biggest problem with this ride was that it was extremely short. Thankfully the ride never had more than a 10 minute wait, so it didn't feel like a waist of time. However, a ride that's less than 30 seconds from drop to brakes is going to feel a little incomplete no matter what. My other complaint is that arrow trains aren't very accommodating , especially when your on a wheel seat. Besides those two complaints however, this ride is fantastic. The pacing is relentless. The sense of speed is amazing, especially when you're going past all of the trees. The individual elements are also very strong. The drop going into the tunnel is super unique, and gives good floater in the back. The first loop gives great sustained positives going into and out of it, as well as a bit of hangtime at the top. The overbank is has some decent laterals, and the following loop and sidewinder give the best moment of positives in the park. This moment was basically a guarantied grey-out for me. The following turn feels similar to the first overbank just a bit more intense and faster paced. You then end the ride with an ejector pop into the brake run. It is a rather short layout but it manages to pack a lot into a small space. I also appreciate the fact that despite this being an intense arrow looper it's relatively smooth with little to no headbanging. This is a strong number three in the park for me, despite a couple of flaws.

Theming Smoothness Dead spots Layout

This is a very average ride. It's basically a dark ride with a couple of drops near the end. It's a cool ride, but it doesn't really have a lot of re-ride value. I did appreciate the fact that there was air conditioning, especially since it was about 90 degrees outside.

Airtimes Theming Inversions Harness Discomfort Dead spots

This ride is a mixed bag. The whole presentation of the ride is fantastic with the massive looking structure and Wild Eagle looming in the background. The restraints on this ride definitely aren't the best, as they they're pretty restrictive and can lead to some headbanging. I didn't think they were too bad, but this ride could really benefit from some lap bars. The ride starts off with a really cool dark ride section with some great theming. The first outdoor section is mostly just slow dips and turns that just sort of jostle you around. The retracked section with the steep drop and the low to the ground turn are pretty intense without being uncomfortable, but that's about all this section really has to offer. After that, you hit a second vertical lift hill. At the top there's a cool fire effect before you hit the best part of the ride. You have an awesome beyond vertical drop that gives ejector airtime. You then traverse a whippy heartline roll which immediately transitions into hangtime filled dive loop. This is an awesome way to end the ride and it's the best part of Mystery Mine. Overall this a very solid roller coaster that combines great theming with some thrilling moments. The main things that drag this thing down are the restraints and the dead spots in the middle. Other than that, this is a great ride.

Airtimes Lap Bar Pace

This ride blew away my expectations. I had heard it was running really well, but I didn't think it was going to be this good. The best GCI I had ridden up to this point was InvadR, so I was excited to experience one of the better GCIs, and I was blown away. For starters, the lap bar on this ride is so good. Even when it locks it still has a lot of give to it, so it's super easy to get room. Compare that to InvadR which has some of the worst stapling I've experienced, and it's already an improvement. However, what really shocked me was how well this ride runs. The pacing is absolutely insane. There's basically no dead spots, and the second half especially feels like it never looses speed. The elements are also super rapid fire, which makes it feel even faster. This ride also has lots of great forces. The hill right before the station flyby gives sustained ejector, and the entrance of the second turnaround was another surprising moment of sustained ejector. The second half also has about 4 or 5 really good ejector moments, but pretty much every hill gives some kind of airtime. The laterals on the ride are also surprisingly good. The low to the ground turns in the second half are taken with a lot of speed, so you get thrown to the side a lot. This thing is super underrated an definitely the best wooden coaster I've ridden so far, not counting Lightning Rod.

Theming Location Fun

This is an amazing family coaster, with top notch theming, a decently intense layout, and a massive fun factor.

Location Launch Pace Capacity

This was my first straddle coaster I've ever ridden, and I'd say it was an enjoyable ride overall. I never got to experience the original Darkastle, so I don't really have much to compare it to. My biggest problem with the ride was a capacity. The day I rode it everything else was a walk on, and this had about a 30 minute wait. I know it's a new ride, but that shouldn't have been the case. The theming is also a pro and a con. The theming in the que line is really well done, but it doesn't do a very good job of explaining the actual storyline of the coaster. Then the theming in the actual coaster portion is almost non-existent except for some Spirit Halloween props and an admittedly cool projection at the end of the ride. As for the coaster itself it actually exceeded my expectations. I really like the fact that you go around the coarse twice, otherwise it would've been a very short ride experience. The coaster was also more intense than I expected. The launches were decently punchy, and there were some surprisingly whippy transitions, especially after the launches.

Airtimes Location Pace

The retrack really did improve the overall ride experience. The first two thirds of the ride are incredibly smooth. Even though I didn't mind the roughness before, but it does make Grizzly more re-ridable. They also smoothed out the exit of the second turnaround, which used to be the worst moment on the ride. The ride also runs a lot faster. the airtime moment in the tunnel gives legit strong ejector, and the airtime moments in the second half are noticeably stronger than before the retrack. Add on fantastic pacing, great laterals, especially on the last turnaround, and an amazing setting it all comes together to form a fantastic coaster that's one of the most underrated I've ever ridden.

Airtimes Lap Bar Location

This ride is awsome, but you have to sit in the back row. The first drop gives good flojector and a great stomach dropping feeling. The first camelback gives great sustained floater, and the twisted Camelback gives even stronger floater paired with laterals. The helix is kinda forceless, but still fun, and the second half has lots of good small drops with strong floater airtime. I love how the ride is constantly diving in and out of trenches, the second Camelback is especially cool, because it's so close to the lake. I also love the clamshell restraints. I found a way to get tons of room, and it really adds to the ride experience.

Rattle Disappointing! Pointless

People tend so say this ride is either really fun or really boring, but almost everyone says it's smooth. I thought it was rough and boring. No where near as rough as Wildcat, but paired with a boring layout, a rattle isn't a good thing.

Pointless

This is literally the most forgettable coaster I've ever ridden.

Location Fun Dead spots

This was a decently fun family coaster, with a great location. The ending part over the water was also decently intense.

Left side is better

Airtimes Fun Smoothness Dead spots

I don't know why people say this has no airtime. The first half has several fun floater moments, including an awesome first drop. The drop of the turn around actually gives ejector, and the second to last hill gives a weird ejector moment. A lot of the second half is a dead spot, and it's not super extreme, but it's a very fun ride

Airtimes Inversions Fun Discomfort Dead spots

This ride was kinda boring, kinda fun, and kinda rough. All in all it was fine, but nothing special. UPDATE: I got a re-ride and it was definitely better. It was less jerky and I appreciated the quirky layout more. Floater air on the drops and positives on the loops are definitely the highlight.

Theming Nice surprise! Fun Too short

This is a fun ride. It was my first free spin and with all the horror stories I've heard I was a little scared, but I really enjoyed the flipping. The theming and the music going up the lift was welcome.

Airtimes First Drop Location Rattle

This is an awsome B&M hyper. The first drop gives that great combination of floater air and a stomach dropping sensation, that B&M drops do so well. The first two Camelbacks give great sustained floater airtime, and the speed hill gives awsome flojector. The second half might not be as forceful as the first, but it has very fun and unique elements, and some awsome interaction with the midway and the kisses fountain. My only con is that it had a noticeable rattle, even though I rode it only 2 months after opening. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was a bit of a distraction.

Airtimes Lap Bar Layout Theming

While the lack of theming is disappointing, the ride itself more than makes up for it. This is one my favorite layouts ever. With a realitivly limited amount of elements it managed to pack in so many great forces. The section before the main launch section is a great warm up. The launch is decently punchy, the first inversion delivers great hangtime and positives coming out of it. The small outer banks also give good floater in the front, and some fun laterals for all riders. The multi-pass launch is one the most insane sequences I've experienced. Combing punchy launches, surprisingly strong positives going in and out of the spike, and insane ejector on the speed hill. The top hat is slow, but the drop in the back gives one of the best sustained ejector moments I've experienced. It's right up there with Skyrush's drop in my opinion. The vally of the drop also gives good positives, as it rises into the most underrated part of the ride, the outerbank. People say this has weak airtime, but every ride this has given me ejector airtime. I especially love this element in the back, as it starts off with strong floater, but turns into strong ejector going down the outerbank. The stall is amazing with the mix of hangtime, laterals, and near misses. The turn after the stall is another surprising moment of positive gs. The s-bends and wave turn have great laterals that are best experience on the right side of the train, and the wave turn even has some weak ejector airtime. This ride manages to combine an array of amazing forces with fantastic pacing. It also does all this with one of the most comfortable and open train designs out there. Of my favorites for sure. Plus night rides are amazing with that light package.

Intensity Layout Ejectors Too short Harness

This ride is super underrated. All though I've been going to Busch Gardens since 2019, I haven't appreciated this ride until my 2 most recent visits during their halloween event. I love the layout. You have two great ejector moments going up into, and down out of the heartline roll. Said heartline roll gives awsome hangtime. The launches are fast and fun, and there are lots of great positive gs. My only complaints are that the trains are very inconvenient to get in and out of. They don't harm the actual ride for me, but the train design is very annoying. The ride is also pretty short. If it was like Galeforce, and had a second lap, this might be top 10 for me. So despite being a flawed ride, this ride still has very strong pros that put it in my top 25.

Airtimes Fun

These rides actually have two ejector moments, if you sit in the back. I enjoyed this one more than the KD version, not sure why.

Airtimes Fun Dead spots

Underrated

Location Smoothness Disappointing! Intensity

I heard people saying that this thing had ejector, and I got mild floater at best. The location is nice, and it's remarkably smooth for how old it is, but it was overhyped in my opinion. Still the best woodie at HP though.

Fun Smoothness Layout

I like the versions of the Wild Mouse that have the little bunny hills at the end more than this version, but it's still fun.

Location Fun

This a fun and unique family coaster, that I hope isn't closed for good now.

First Drop Pace Intensity Rattle Harness Discomfort

I love how the whole ride keeps up a great pace. The first half is great with boarderline ejector on the drop, and two intense loops back to back. The second half isn't as good. It's fast paced, but it's very rough. I kept my head forward and managed to avoid headbanging, but it was still uncomfortable. I also hate arrow looper trains. This ride could be really bad, but the good first half, and fast pace saves it.