Day 16: Dollywood / Lake Winnie
Day 16: Dollywood / Lake Winnie
Credits
Report Compilation: Chris Hull, David Elvey, Phil Coates and Susan Ellis.
Paul Freeman
Dollywood: With exclusive sessions on the two main coasters and a quick unofficial take over of the next biggest coaster most of the coasters were done swiftly in the morning. Thunderhead was a great woodie and the looping Arrow coaster surprisingly smooth. The heat got to me after this though so little else was ridden.
Lake Winnie: A lovely lakeside setting for this park and exclusive sessions on both the woodie and the mouse. Park and food were very good. Still not convinced about the idea of "deep fried giant Snickers bar on a a stick" though.
Chris Hull
Woodie weekend continued with a visit to the very well themed Dollywood. Far far better than I expected and I left being very impressed with this park. The staff were all very friendly and interested in our visit. The park itself showed an incredible attention to detail and had a great selection of well maintained rides. A great woodie (Thunderhead) and Arrow Steelie (Texas Tornado). Another dark ride/coaster also provided much amusement after a great lunch.
The surprise park - Lake Winnie - showed again that the smaller parks can give the big ones a real run for their money anyday. The park laid on a great evening meal and two ERSs on their coasters with that added southern hospitality. A fantastic couple of parks to end the weekend. Thanks to all the management and staff involved!
John Coffield
Thunderhead was even more twisted then Kentucky Rumbler, with great speed and tons of airtime. Dollywood had some of the best food of any of the parks we have visited. It is also one of the most beautifully landscaped of all parks.
Mr M.Valt
Lake Winnie still has some of the most charming rides you will find in any park. The 'Boat Chute' being one of the most unique you find anywhere.
andycoasterboy
Dollywood today and Thunderhead - another great GCI creation, the Arrow 'Tennesse Tornado' was very smooth!! - the Slidewinder water slide has to be done. The park is very picturesque and has very friendly staff. Our surprise park was Lake Winnie with the oldest water chute I have been on, very unique. Cannon Ball was a great, very well maintained woodie and looked great lit up at night. They have also added a drop tower ride this year which was amazing. A long but very enjoyable day.
Jeff Holmes
This was my second visit to Dollywood and it is still a very quaint park, Thunderhead was running very well and so was the Tennessee Tornado, upon which we had ERS. On our 3rd surprise park we visited Lake Winnie of which it is affectionally known. This has a great setting over a lake and comprises of a great woodie called Cannonball and a very sharp bended wild mouse.
Kim Varde Lassen
What a nice place Dollywood was and so different from all the other parks. It had a real blacksmith where I was filming a lot. The coasters where really good. Thunderhead had the same qualities as Kentucky Rumbler yesterday - same manufacturer in fact. Lots of banked turns and airtime - me like.. The ride ops on the ERS really got into it- smiling and friendly, just great. Tennessee Tornado had almost the same smoothness as a B&M and reeeealy pulled some G's that made you go lightheaded. furthermore, this was the best lunch meal on the trip - was especially impressed by the bread...yummi!
Mick FK
Hi Liz, Crystal & Karl. What a beautiful park with surprises around every corner. The theming is amazing. A great woodie with a lot of speed, not a lot of airtime but a little airtime in the 3rd seat. I've met some great people - staff and public. All very friendly. Surprise park - Lake Winnie. A gem out in the southern backwoods. Welcomed us with open arms. A great wild mouse and Cannon Ball - A woodie. We had both for an ERS while the park was open. Now that is southern hospitality. The staff again were fantastic. 3 of us were even shown the workings of the 1916 carousel. We had our own behind the scenes tour. Timber structured with original horses. We had a great time - thanks to everyone - management and staff for making our visit so special.
Steve Fagin
The name put me off, but Dollywood turned out to have real charm, with a location of Knoebels-style loveliness. Riding a real steam train up the mountain was a first for me, and I bear the soot streaks to prove this. Our visit to Lake Winnie was a great way to round off the day, with real local charm and a great welcome from both ride ops and park management. The Wild Mouse was fearsome at first, but became quite re-rideable once practised. One ride-op apologised for the lack of big thrill rides in the park - quite unnecessarily - because the park complemented our trip schedule very well.
Midas van de Graaf:
Dollywood must be one of the prettiest parks I have ever seen. The theming here is not just a themed area, it's everywhere and it's real. Thunderhead makes a perfect wooden twister. The way the train runs through the station again is superb. Blazing Fury was something different. A very surprising and fun ride. Sorry we had to leave so early.
Lake Winnie was a nice surprise. Such a lovely little park. They maintain their wooden coaster so well. It's a delight to ride a woody like that. Also a good job in keeping that water chute running. I will surely remember Lake Winnie.
Jeppe Nygaard
Dollywood takes the title as far as being the most themed park throughout the whole trip. It was very beautiful, and I loved the atmosphere there. I enjoyed the staff that worked in the park because of their ages and experience. The park was spotlessly clean, and the food looked so tasty that I wanted to have a progressive meal around the park to try all the types, and I normally do not fancy park food. The ERS on Thunderhead was great, and I loved riding the coaster. Tennessee Tornado was the probably the best looping Arrow coaster I have ever ridden - why couldn't Arrow make the others like it? I liked the hospitality of the park especially for allowing us to have a full hour of ERS on Thunderhead even though we got started late because of minor maintenance checks. We were allowed to ride both coasters even though the public was already in the park, and the park was opened.
Lake Winnie was a surprise park of the day, and it turned out to be a really good surprise. It has a beautiful setting by the lake, the Boat Chute was a unique ride, and, of course, I loved the wooden coaster Cannon Ball. It was running well, and the maintenance crew does a great job in keeping the coaster in very good shape. The atmosphere there today was friendly and relaxing, and I noticed the quite a few of the staff approached us to see what we were doing and to get to know us since they knew our group would be at the park tonight. All in all, I had a very good day that ended with a excellent ERS that completed the night. Thank you so much, Lake Winnie.
Yvonne Janik
Dollywood is an amazing and beautiful park. Thanks to Pete Owens, Michael Headla, and Chris Cate for making all this fun possible for us. Both exclusive ride sessions were awesome, and we had a perfect day at Dollywood. I had at least 15 rides on Thunderhead, and every seat on the coaster gave an excellent ride. The food was delicious, and I especially loved the peach cobbler.
I love coming to Lake Winnie. I appreciate the family hospitality and the way the park is maintained with such love and care. WOW! Cannon Ball was running great, and I loved the night time ERS. Thanks so much Talley and Adrienne - what a fun night we had at your park!
David Elvy
Today started off early at Dollywood, early. We started with an ERS on Thunderhead, the Parks latest roller coaster. One hour on this, and it's a great ride. A nice twisting, smooth, fast and well paced ride. We were then lead up to Tennessee Tornado, the park's arrow looper - a very smooth, but very short ride. After a great lunch, we had a few more hours in the Park before making our way down to Lake Winnie. Our bonus afternoon at Lake Winnie was nice. Another great Park meal, and an ERS on Cannon Ball at the end of the day. A good day all round - though the trip is drawing to a close now.
Tim Herre
Being on the ECC Team, I knew about this day a while ago as being the "nasty" day. Well, that expression was absolutely appropriate. After no more than 3 hours of sleep it was very hard to get out of the hay. Then came what will be known of as "the Trolley hike" in the future. Thanks to the Trolley company not knowing where there own location is we had a (sort of) nice walk through the baking Tennessee heat. It already hit over 80 degrees at eight in the morning, so we knew what we were in to at Dollywood. That park I knew very little of and it completely blew me away. Absolutely excellent theming, top notch attractions, including the highly rated Thunderhead coaster and an surprisingly smooth Arrow looper, as well as very good operations made this park storm my top ten. It's got very original rides, for example the unusual Mountainn Slidewinder waterslide. Having Sahara climate, water rides were the deal of the day, and their rapids and flume got us a drenched to the bone. Unfortunately, Dolly and her twins did not show up. But at least Lisa B. will meet us tomorrow at Six Flags over Georgia, that will be a nice compensation. After Dollywood it was time for Lake Winnie, the final surprise park of the trip. Their Cannonball woodie is smooth as silk, and I have never experienced a coaster litterally flying into the brakerun like this one before. Nice one! Matthias and I got the strange idea for the ERS to ride the Wild Mouse twice for each ride on the Woodie, so we had 10 consecutive goes on it, which left the ride op shaking his head in disbelief. Then we went over for our deserved 5 rides on the Cannonball, but Matthias left and spent the rest of the ERS pretty much alone on the mouse. Die spinnen, die Onrider! Thanks Lake Winnie for the great hospitality!
Malcolm Marr
In Tennessee it is illegal to catch fish with a lasso but someone is capturing mullets as I expected to see loads in this state and saw none. After a unecessary hike down Pigeon Forge, morning Wood eventually came in the form of some Thunderhead (fnar fnar hyuck hyuck) and in the best themed park of the trip the ride is actually pretty decent. The biggest surprise of the park was Tennessee Tornado, a smooth Arrow looper, yep, you read that right, a smooth Arrow looper. Ironically the last one that Arrow made before they went bust; a shame it took them so long to do things properly. The park is quite surreal being full of old dears and Disney-esque electric people movers. The evening was spent at the best surprise of the trip; Lake Winnie, a lovely small park set around a picturesque lake. Hospitality was great here and they have some good rides; Cannonball is a well-loved woodie that is running really well. There is also a wicked drop tower and a very surreal custom built flume ride here. Definitely consider visiting this park if you are in the area; Cannonball beats Coney's Cyclone hands down!!!
Michael Badelt
I really did not know much about Dollywood until today. And boy was that a pleasant surprise today. A beautifully themed park with a variety of rides you don't find on every corner like the excellent Blazing Fury. What concerns the other coasters I can only second what the others already wrote. Thunderhead is a really decent ride located in an amazing scenerie. What a way to start off your morning. The Arrow looper then was the next big surprise. As smooth as a B & M.
The second half of the day was filled with another surprise park. Lake Winnie welcomed us with great hospitality. What can be more beautiful then riding a classic wooden coaster in the dark with all the chaser lights on? A great sight, a great ride. Thanks to all the folks a Lake Winnie for this wonderful evening.
Stefan Rothaug
Dollywood ist fuer mich eine der grossen positiven Ueberraschungen der Tour. Bei unserem BesuchsWetter besonders wichtig: Viel Schatten! Ausserdem nette und ausserewoehnliche Achter- und Wasserbahnen und durchweg ueberzeuendes Theming. Die Holzachterbahn im zweiten Park Lake Winnie hat grossen Spass gemacht und auch die originelle Wildwasserbahn ist durchaus eine Fahrt wert.
Andrew Lamb
After effects from the 'nasty day' where in action first thing this morning. but were quickly gone after a walk to the trolley stop and two ERSs on Thunderhead and the Tennessee Tornado. The park itself was very well kept and has some very original rides including Mountain Slidewinder which is a must for anyone reading this who is planning a trip to Dollywood. later on in the day we made a suprise visit to Lake Winnie which boosted loads of great ride inluding the Cannonball which we had an ERS on. It has great airtime moments and really is a fun ride, and has been looked after very well. All in all another great day despite some hickups earilier in the day.
Mark Riley and Jenny Lamb
Everyone felt the effects of having just a couple of hours sleep last night - but thankfully Dollywood blasted away those cobwebs. Thunderhead was wonderful but it was Tennessee Tornado that really surprised us. This easily ranks as one of the best loopers of the trip. And Blazing Fury was an absolute joy. Dollywood is without a doubt the most beautiful park I've visited in the US. Our surprise trip to Lake Winnie was a great way to end today. The Boat Chute is a gem of a ride dating back to 1928. The Cannonball is obviously very well looked after and runs like it opened only yesterday. Thanks to both parks for the great food too!
Peter Jackson ( AKA DuckMan LYSMB)
Last night we only got to our rooms approx 3am after a long drive & had to be up at 7am. We all gathered exhausted in the car park at 8am & then headed on our short walk to the trolley bus stop which ended up being in the wrong direction. Dollywood was a lovely park and after a initial delay the ERS started on the Thunderhead woodie, you couldn't get me of it for the whole ERS. The ride woke me up and was really enjoyable. Lunch was good to, Chicken, Corn on the cob, Meat loaf and sliced potatoes in butter. Got my Duck fix after lunch and fed them with the 3 rolls I stashed for the purpose at lunch time. Rode the big steam train on it's 5 mile route up the hill, most enjoyable. Finished the day with a low calorie ( NOT ) chocolate Ice Cream
Steve Davies
Enjoyed ERS on Thunderhead, a twisting woodie v.similar to Kentucky Rumbler yesterday, much fun with the station "fly through" and very re-rideable. The Arrow steel looper was OK, very smooth for this type of ride, but feel these are now "old hat", very "1980's !" Dollywood itself was great, all done authentically like a western town, good shops etc, different to the usual theme park tat, would have liked bit more time here. And everyone out here talks funny, like Beverley Hillybillies, or is it the Waltons? Till next time......
Darren and Mary
Wonderful park something in it for both of us, Darren really enjoyed the ERS on Thunderhead he never got off until the ERS finished, lunch was very nice with a good variety of food. A lady in a shop said that she felt that it was the best place to work, everyone was so friendly and helpful. A very enjoyable visit.
Odd Arne Roste
Another brilliant GCII coaster at Dollywood today. Thunderhead must be Kentucky Rumbler's big brother. The trains was perfect for all the twists. Dollywood was a really good themed little park. I'm very sorry that Dolly wasn't there, but after all this is a coaster trip.
Even Stangebye
Had some nice hours in Dollywood. Not too many rides there, but a very nice and clean park with beautiful themeing and far from only plastic-fantastic-shops. Great ERSs on Thunderhead and Tennessee Tornado. But where was the real Dolly??? I heard she will be coming to the park next week... Well, at least I took a picture of a picture of her... Good enough??
Nina Kleppe
Dollywood was a nice western themed park. Had a great ERS on Thunderhead, a good twisting woodie. Tennese Tornardo was good for an Arrow coaster. The indoor coaster Blazing Fury was a nice surprise. We also got to to see Sponge Bob film for the second time on this trip. Sad you missed out on that one again Eirik. We kept a chair empty for you...
Peter Jackson ( AKA Duck Man CTD-LYB )
A Suprise visit to lake Winnie for an ERS on a Woodie and a wild mouse. Did the old Ghost train, the train around the lake, the drop tower day and night. Then Found Geese and a pair of Ducks. Picnic was at 8pm followed by a 9pm shared ERS on the Cannon Ball Woody and wild mouse. Even the coach drivers had a ride on the woodie tonight! Back on the bus now at 22.15 for an approx 12:30am arrival at the hotel. Back on the coach at 8am. Phone definately on silent tonight for a good nights sleep.
Kaaaa Procter Peterman
YEAY today was the best. I met my future wife. Ok well I met a lovely girl who didn't run away scared! Lovely Jocelyn Wacky Worm Girl (sung to tune of Lovely Rita by those little known Beatles)!! I'll say it again - you're lovely! (I'm the guy with the long hair). Purleeeaaase mail yourself to me like you said you wanted to. I will pay the postage! Oh we rode some coasters too. YEAY!! 0ohhh very lovely eyes :)
Marty Simms
Yeah escaped on to bus 2 away from the germans lol :P had a great time at Lake Winnie today even though I did get the wrong coaster and ended up ERSing on the wacky worm. What a great night and great ride op see you soon bye
Ole Bredesen-Vestby
Had a great time at Lake Winnie. Started with the train around the park to get a view, and ran into the wildlife (geese). Then off to the coasters, and one interesting boat-ride. Log flume kind of ride with an element of dark-ride. Did the sky-ride with Odd Arne where we passed the weight-limit with at least 100 lbs. That got us a little worried in the loading steeseation:) Great hospitallity (as in every park), great food, and a great ERS.
Nina Kleppe
Lake Winnie was a nice little surprise park. Got three extra credits also. Goodie. The Cannon Ball was a good little woodie, with some good airtime. Great ERS on that one. And I really liked the drop tower, and the boat ride was like a dark ride, dark for about 5 minutes in the tunnel. Cool.
Even Stangebye
Woke up in a little surprise park by a lake after a Power Nap on the bus. Took most of the rides, and the boat-thingie was cool! But, to make it even cooler: Put the Truck horn from the Ghost Train in the middle of the long dark tunnel - that would scare the (censored) out of people! Heh!!! It would be the best boat-ghost ride north of Buenos Aires!!! Also great ERS on the Cannon Ball. Next and last stop: Atlanta!
David & Susan Ellis
Dollywood is a pretty park situated in a shady wooded valley of the Smoky Mountains. We had two ERSs, on Tenessee Tornado, which is a smooth and re-rideable Arrow 3-inversion coaster (yes, you read that right!) and Thunderhead, a fantastic GCI wooden twister with 32 crossovers. Staff were very friendly. Some of the water rides were really fun, and wet! Now off to a surprise park, Lake Winnepesaukah. A great way to spend our 4th Wedding Anniversary.
David Harrington
A very friendly park but too hot - up to 97F - and suffering from the effects of less than 4 hours sleep. Highlights of the park were Thunderhead (a similar type of woodie to Kentucky Rumbler - I slightly preferred the latter but Thunderhead is still very good, and very rerideable), Blazing Fury (a well themed dark ride) and the steam train, which is the longest (5 miles) and most entertaining train I've been on in a park.
Chris Simon
Dollywood is a very beautifully themed and landscaped park. Thunderhead is very similar to K.R. but perhaps slightly more aggressive, featuring lots of extreme banking and twists with a couple of floating hills. T.T. a very unique Arrow multi-inversion coaster. Still features the usual Arrow-style bumpy transitions but with 3 massive inversions and a floating (parabolic?) first drop. Blazing Fury is completely different from what you expect an indoor coaster to be. Nicely themed and with 3 surprise drops that are very well done.
Chris Penn
what a wonderfull themed park Dollywood is, it has loads of things to do for everyone from 1 to 90 years of age. Thunderhead is very good similar to Kentucky Rumbler, the blazing fury ride was alot of fun unique i think with a very interesting wet ending! The food today was superb again, all i need now is some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........ as everyone only got about 4hrs max sleep last night!
Lake Winnie was a fantastic suprise park it has a great atmosphere, some good old rides, something here for everyone young and old. The Cannon Ball coaster is a joy to ride. An ERS on it in the dark was a great end to the day.
Lorna & Adrian Dade
Dollywood was Fab, 2 ERSs and Blazing Fury was an excellent ride. would have enjoyed it more if we were not so tired. Great meal too.
David and Susan Ellis
We were made to feel very welcome at this lovely family-owned park. We had a joint ERS on an L&T Wild Mouse with very wild bends, and the 1967 John Allen wooden out and back, Cannon Ball. At last a "camera-friendly" park too! Just one more park to go :-(
David Harrington
Another surprise trip, this time to Lake Winnie, which was a nice little park with a good family woodie. The other main coaster was a wild mouse, which was OK if a little rough. The best ride here is probably the drop tower, but the brakes at the bottom were a bit sharp.
Dave Scott
Ooops, errr, got on the wrong train due to the lovely Joslin running the wacky worm! Poor pete got superglued to the train although I have no idea why? Dollywood is fab; Epcot could learn a lesson or two from this place.
James "Spinner"Hannaford
Dollywood was a great park would have been nice to have spent some more time there to enjoy more than just coasters. A return visit is on the Cards now that the coaster are added to the count. Lake Winnie the Pooh was a nice little park and suprise to end the Day. Unfortunatley due to misguided information spent the ERS on Wacky Worm. Always seems that the little Parks have nice Ride staff who are up for a laugh. The Bigger Parks could learn something here.
Adrian & Lorna Dade
Another surprise, a great family owned park. Excellent woodie, Great meal and great dodgems (although not as fast as the ones at Beech Bend yesterday!!!)
Darren and Mary
What a great little park, the staff and local visitors were so friendly, another first for me --the first time that I have ridden a wooden coaster in the front seat, and also ridden the coaster 5 times. A long day but it has all been wonderful
Leon Schuurbiers
Lake Winnie was great! A selection of great rides like the weird boat flume which is more scary than the dark ride and of course the Cannon Ball. But my favorite ride was the drop tower, this was the most fun drop tower I've ever done. Even for the GP 10+ rides wasn't uncommon on this great ride.
Odd Arne Roste
Lake Winnepesaukah was a pleasent surprise with an ERS on Cannonball at night. Great woodie with loads of airtime. Not many on the wild mouse though, a little too rough. Many other good rides too. Tomorrow is the last of the 21 parks :-(
