Dollywood Roller Coasters: A Complete Guide

Dolly Parton is a national treasure, almost universally beloved by all ages, races, and creeds. The multi-hyphenate talent excels at everything she sets her mind to, so it’s no surprise that Dolly’s theme park, Dollywood, is a pilgrimage site for many.

The Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park opened in 1961. Dollywood attracts up to three million guests from around the world annually. While some of those guests come to pay homage to Dolly’s genius, many are drawn by the park’s 50 impressive rides.

Dollywood has rides to delight every taste, but its roller-coaster collection is especially impressive. The rides simulate flight, take guests into the depths of a haunted mine and attempt to outrun a tornado. 

We’ve created a complete guide to Dollywood’s roller coasters. In this article, we discuss their themes and narratives and consider the best audiences for each ride. 

Lightning Rod

The Lightning Rod provides less narrative than many of Dollywood’s coasters but more than makes up for the lack of story with speed and excitement. 

The concept is simple; riders enter Johnny Rev’s repair shop. The full-scale replicas and auto paraphernalia help pass the wait time for eager visitors. 

Once riders enter the cars, the real fun begins. The coaster simulates the experience of driving in a hot rod. Lightning Rod reaches speeds of 73 miles per hour. The ride starts by shooting riders up a twenty-story incline, rapidly going from static to 45 miles per hour.

Coaster aficionados adore the twists and turns of Lightning Rod. Casual finds should enter with care, however. The ride makes hairpin turns, drops riders down massive hills, jolts them abruptly in unexpected directions, and ascends excellent heights again. If you got queasy just reading this sentence, the Lightning Rod isn’t for you.

The coaster’s innovative wood and steel design has earned it multiple accolades since its opening on June 13, 2016, including:

• Golden Ticket Award: Top Wood Roller Coaster
• Golden Ticket’s 11th-best roller coaster in 2016
• Golden Ticket’s 5th-best roller coaster in 2017
• Golden Ticket’s 6th-best roller coaster in 2018
• Golden Ticket’s 7th-best roller coaster in 2019
• Golden Ticket’s Top Steel Roller Coasters: number 7 in 2021
• Golden Ticket’s Top Steel Roller Coasters: number 11 in 2022

Time Saver holders can use their passes for the Lightning Rod. Located in Jukebox Junction, the ride requires riders to be at least 48 inches tall. Additionally, Dollywood prohibits riders with casts above their elbows or hard casts on their legs from boarding the coaster.  

Tennessee Tornado

Tennessee Tornado allows riders to experience the excitement of a cyclone without the risks inherent to extreme weather. The ride simulates the feeling in several ways.

Tennessee Tornado keeps its story simple. A twister pulls the cars from a mine shaft, sending them flying and pulling them into the funnel. 

The coaster throws riders down steep drops and hurtles them through three spiral loops. The track looks like railways that have been warped and twisted by a cyclone. Riders reach speeds of 70 miles per hour and experience the inertia of a 128-foot drop.

The ride, located in Craftsmen’s Valley, opened to the public on April 17, 1999. The coaster lasts for one minute and 49 seconds. 

TimeSaver Pass holders can skip the lines for Tennessee Tornado. While any rider 48 inches or over can board the coaster, the ride is intense. Squeamish riders with sensitive stomachs may want to sit this one out. 

Blazing Fury

Blazing Fury places riders in the midst of a panic-stricken 1880s town. As a fire blazes a trail of destruction through the village, the coaster’s cars attempt to beat the flames and make it to safety. While visitors whip around turns and race down dips, the locals flee around them. 

Blazing Fury is entirely indoors. The ride pre-dates the name Dollywood, anchoring the park when it was still called Silver Dollar City. Blazing Fury claims the title of Dollywood’s oldest ride, dating back to 1978. 

Blazing Fury provides riders with a fully immersive experience. The sets are designed and built to perfection, accurately recreating an old western mining town’s sights, sounds, and feels. The ride offers visitors as many visual stimuli as kinetic excitement; keep your eyes peeled to spot every detail of the story and character along the path.

Located in Craftsman’s Valley, Blazing Fury requires riders to be at least 42 inches to enjoy the coaster. 

Wild Eagle

The Wild Eagle ambitiously attempts to provide riders with the experience of flight. The ride suspends guests on either side of the track, recreating the freedom of levitation. 

The coaster drops, lifts, and turns guests, moving at speeds of up to 61 miles per hour. Wild Eagle is the first ride of its type built in the United States. The coaster lifts and turns its riders, then delivers its neatest trick by throwing visitors into a zero gravity roll which simulates weightlessness and makes you feel like you’re flying. 

The Wild Eagle uses corkscrews, hills, and strategic breaking to create the ultimate coaster experience. The coaster reaches a maximum height of 210 feet, lifting riders high above the park. 

The ride, located in Wilderness Pass, lasts for two minutes and 22 seconds. The coaster began thrilling guests on March 23, 2012.

 Wild Eagle’s unique ride experience has earned it several accolades, including Amusement 

Today’s Golden Ticket Award for the number 1 best new ride in 2012. Following that, the ride consistently ranked as one of Amusement Today’s Top Steel Roller Coasters:

• 2012: number 15
• 2013: number 24
• 2014: number 28
• 2015: number 31
• 2016: number 36

The ride is eligible for TimeSaver passes. Riders must be at least 50 inches but no more than 78 inches to board the ride. 

Thunderhead

Leave it to Dolly Parton to turn something as rough-and-tumble as a sawmill into an exciting roller coaster. Not a good choice for acrophobic people, Thunderhead invites riders to imagine they’re on a train transporting lumber out of the Thunderhead Gap mountains.

The coaster reaches a height of 100.4 feet, then promptly drops riders 100 feet down and to the right. The massive ride stretches almost a mile, taking riders on a twisty, turning adventure. An in-ride camera captures souvenir photos of delighted guests. The coaster reaches speeds of 55 miles per hour.

Thunderhead opened in Timber Canyon on April 3, 2004, and has consistently garnered praise since then. The Golden Ticket Awards regularly rank it as one of their top Wood Roller Coasters:

• 2004: number 6
• 2005: number 1
• 2006: number 1
• 2007: number 2
• 2008: number 2
• 2009: number 5
• 2010: number 5
• 2011: number 5
• 2012: number 4
• 2013: number 5
• 2014: number 5
• 2015: number 5
• 2016: number 7
• 2017: number 8
• 2018: number 10
• 2019: number 11
• 2021: number 10
• 2022: number 10

Additionally, the National Amusement Park Historical Association regularly acknowledges Thunderhead as a favorite wooden coaster:

• 2005: number 4
• 2006: number 4
• 2007: number 3
• 2008: number 3
• 2009: number 3

The ride is eligible for the TimeSaver Pass. Guests must be at least 48 inches to board Thunderhead. 

Dragonflier

The Dragonflier manages an impressive trick; the ride is safe and fun for children without being too dull for adults. The entire family will love the suspension coaster.

The ride emulates the fun, flittery flight of a dragonfly. It uses overbanked turns, a subterranean tunnel, and right angles to delight guests. 

Though the ride incorporates many of the techniques experienced coaster fans have come to know and love, the heights are lower, only reaching 63.3 feet, and the duration is brief. The ride lasts only one minute, reaching a maximum speed of 46.6 miles per hour.

The Dragonflier charmed its first riders on May 10, 2019. Riders must be at least 39 inches tall but not greater than 81 inches. 

Mystery Mine

Mystery Mine will delight those who like some chills with their thrills. The ride takes guests into the bowels of a haunted and condemned mine. 

The frightening coaster doesn’t allow riders a chance to catch their breath; the track twists and turns, jerking visitors to and fro and dropping them down steep hills. The ride employs u-turns, right angles, and hairpin turns to keep riders on the edge of their seats. 

Mystery Mine transports guests to the mine, slowly filling with gas, with impressive set pieces like the spinning rock crusher. Voice-overs remind riders that once the canary stops singing, the mine will be unlivable. Guests may be tempted to ride the coaster repeatedly to appreciate all of the breathtaking scenery and to attempt to read the graffiti-ed walls.

Mystery Mine opened in Timber Canyon on April 13, 2007. The ride lasts for two minutes and 30 seconds. While there is no age limit, adults and guardians should keep in mind that Mystery Mine is a pretty scary coaster, both in theme and in the ride’s actions. 

The ride has earned several accolades since its inception, including

• Theme Park Insider’s “Best New Theme Park Attraction” award in 2007
• Amusement Today’s Top 50 Best Steel Coasters 2007 list: number 48
• Amusement Today’s Best New Rides 2007 list: number 2

Riders must exceed 48 inches to board Mystery Mine. 

FireChaser Express

FireChaser Express takes the exact opposite approach from Blazing Fury. Instead of trying to outrun the flames, the FireChaser Express celebrates those who face the infernos head-on and attempt to douse the blazes. 

The rider takes its inspiration from the fire rescue personnel who battle to protect the Smoky Mountains from the many fires that burn through their hills. 

The coaster moves back and forth, the first of its kind in America. FireChaser Express isn’t for the faint of heart. The 78-foot ride drops 72 feet at 35 miles per hour. FireChaser Express lasts for two minutes. The coaster premiered in March of 2014 and offers expedited access for TimeSaver Pass holders.

FireChaser Express, located in Wilderness Pass, requires riders to be at least 39 inches tall.

Final Thoughts

Dollywood’s roller coasters are as committed to telling satisfying stories as the songwriter herself. The park offers a ride for every age and experience level. Whether you’re hoping for something a little scary or a coaster the whole family can enjoy, Dollywood has you covered.