Big Bear Mountain is ready to ROAR! 🐻🚙🎉

Hi Everyone, Dollywood is announcing a period of Ride Previews for Passholders.  All the info is below.

from Dollywood.com - link: Big Bear Mountain Preview Night | Dollywood Parks & Resorts

Dollywood posted this to Facebook...

And Dollywood posted this too....  It's A Lot, All At Once!!!

On Friday, May 12, Diamond Passholders will have access to register for exclusive ride event times between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The ride will then open to the general public at the conclusion of those ride times.

— Dollywood Parks & Resorts (@Dollywood) April 26, 2023

I also have a short video to share.  This will likely be my last construction update for Big Bear Mountain since it's opening soon.  You will see in my video that there has been a lot of progress on the areas around the station since my last video on March 10th.  They're hustling along!

I'm really excited for this coaster!  I've ridden record-breaking coasters of all types, but Big Bear has what I love most which is good pacing - it doesn't stop anywhere along the course like other multi-launchers tend to do, and it looks as though it keeps a good pace up throughout the ride.  Other things I think I will like about it will be that the three launches will be forceful, but not uncomfortable, and then some great hills and loads of curves.  The theming looks to be well thought out and well executed.  I can't wait to see it up close and see more details.  Plus, it's a really long coaster and who doesn't love that?

The fact that it has a 39" height requirement will mean that this could be the first coaster for lots of kiddos.  I have so many good memories of working up the courage to ride Wabash Cannonball at Opryland and now I see kids half the age I was then, getting off of Lightning Rod - kids seem a lot more brave today than they were when I was 8 to 12'ish, lol.  But anyway, this will be a good starter or mid-sized coaster for a new generation.

Big Bear Mountain is a new generation Vekoma roller coaster, and it's been a long time since two Vekoma roller coasters have operated in Tennessee.  The first two Vekoma coasters were Chaos and The Hangman, which were located at Opryland and closed with the park in 1997.  I sadly never got to ride The Hangman because I never in my wildest dreams imagined that they would close Opryland.  Now, in 2023, we have Dragonflier and Big Bear Mountain, two Vekomas....so that's pretty cool to me too.