Let me start out by saying that I thought Dollywood was a horrible park. I had good expectations and was highly let down. The park did have a few redeeming qualitys though. Thunderhead was one of them. The coaster did not seem like much (especially with only a 100 foot drop), but I cant say too much bad about it. It was set up perfectly. You really couldnt see to much of what happened beyond the curves that went in front of the station and the peak of the lift hill. Once I sat down in the train, the first thing I noticed was the extra padded seats compared to other wood coasters. To me, that either ment that the ride would be horrible painful and the extra padding was an attempt to make up for it, or the padding would provide an exceptionally confortable ride. The second choice turned out to be correct. The ride started with a spiral under the station and up the lift hill (which provided mist to cool of the riders). Then over the first drop into a curve, and up around a highly banked turn, and then beyond that the coaster train took me through a twisted mess of wooden coaster bliss. There was air time all over the place in the most unexpected spots. The track twisted in and out of itself in wonderful combinations (like flying though the station at high speeds).
It is the only ride at Dollywood that I will give a 10. I havent enjoyed a wooden roller coaster like this one in years! Although it is a great ride, I dont know if its worth paying $45 for the waste of the park that Dollywood is. Thats a lot of money for 3, maybe 4 decent attractions...
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