We're a few days late with this, but at November's IAAPA meeting of theme park industry leaders, Vekoma and Dollywood showcased the vehicle design for the new Big Bear Mountain coaster that is coming soon to Dollywood.
The roller coaster, currently in development, will be the largest attraction at Dollywood when it opens. It will cost the park $25 million+ to build, and the coaster will contain almost 4,000 feet of track for guests to enjoy. The ride is currently scheduled to open for the 2023 season, though no specific date has been announced as of this article's publication.
The ride vehicles showcased at IAAPA show cars that look like SUVs, complete with working headlights and onboard audio. The onboard audio will be a first for any ride at Dollywood. The theming of the ride vehicles is perfect for not only the ride itself (major "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" vibes from this) but also for the park itself. Dollywood prides itself on being a park themed around Americana, wilderness, and good old-fashioned fun. Big Bear Mountain looks to provide elements of all three of those themes for guests to enjoy.
While the coaster is massive - it has three separate launches, multiple airtime hills, tunnels, and more - it is designed to be a family friendly coaster. The max speed of the ride tops out at 48MPH, and the heigh requirement to ride is a tiny 39 inches. That's small enough for some preschoolers to ride before they are even olde enough to attend kindergarten!
This is a great addition to Dollywood's lineup, and we're glad to see more family-friendly coasters starting to gain in popularity throughout much of North America and Europe. We'll be watching for first reviews when this ride opens in 2023.