Top 5 Dollywood Roller Coasters Thrill Seekers Must Ride

Pigeon Forge is known for all kinds of exciting attractions, but none of them are more famous than Dollywood! This popular theme park has fun activities for the whole family, especially people who love thrills! You’ll find a variety of rides that will get your heart pounding, but none are as popular as the roller coasters! Dollywood is home to a variety of roller coasters, and some of them are the first of their kind in the country! Check out these top 5 Dollywood roller coasters thrill seekers have to ride:

1. Thunderhead

Thunderhead was the first wooden roller coaster at Dollywood, providing guests with a unique experience never seen at this theme park before. With a 100-foot drop and a top speed of 53 miles per hour, you’ll feel like you’re flying as you race along the track. Plus, the track goes over and under itself over 30 times. You’ll have a blast riding Thunderhead!

2. Wild Eagle

Arguably the most thrilling ride in the entire theme park, the Wild Eagle roller coaster will definitely get your heart racing! Riders climb several flights of stairs to get to the loading dock for this ride, and you’ll climb aboard the carts that look like eagle wings. This was the first wing coaster in the United States, so riders are suspended on the sides of the tracks instead of sitting in a cart on the track. To make this coaster even more exciting, riders climb up the track until they experience a 135-foot drop and reach a top speed of 61 miles per hour at 4x G force.

3. Lightning Rod

One of the newer Dollywood roller coasters you need to ride is Lightning Rod. This is the second wooden roller coaster in this theme park, but what sets it apart from Thunderhead is the 20 seconds of airtime riders can experience along its unique hybrid track structure. This coaster reaches top speeds of 73 miles per hour, making it the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world! Lightning Rod will definitely give you the thrills you’re looking for!

4. Tennessee Tornado

Tennessee Tornado is a twister themed Dollywood roller coaster. Riders are pulled up the hill, where they then get to experience a 128-foot drop through an actual mountain at a top speed of 70 mph. Once you go through the tunnel, you’ll come up on the triple spiral loops before you head back to the loading dock. Riders will feel like they’ve just made it through a tornado when they’re done with this ride!

5. Mystery Mine

A pretty unique roller coaster at Dollywood you’ll want to experience is Mystery Mine. It is a custom-built Euro-Fighter model coaster, meaning it features a “beyond vertical” drop that reaches angles of over 90 degrees. Right before the grand finale, riders will climb an 85-foot-tall vertical chain lift hill right before fire bursts in front of them, and they head into a heartline roll and a dive loop.

Are you planning on bringing your small children to the theme park? Check out these kiddie rides at Dollywood you’ll want to try!

When you visit Pigeon Forge, you can’t miss out on any of these Dollywood roller coasters. Thrill seekers of all ages will have a blast experiencing each coaster, ensuring you all have a great time! You may be wondering what else you should do while you stay with us, so check out these fun things to do in Gatlinburg for some ideas!