When I got to Dollywood, I didn't really have high expectations for Mystery Mine. Fortunately, this is a very high quality ride and is a great addition to the park. The mine building has a presence in this park and it's a very photogenic building. The ride itself is also fun to watch.
Mystery Mine is a ride that found the perfect balance between thrills and theming. There is an animatronic raven and the entrance to the ride that talks every once in a while. I got some amusement watching little kids yelling at this bird because it wouldn't talk. The rest of the line is filled with 'danger' signs and little odds and ends that make you feel like you're really in a coal mine. One of my favorite things is a sign talking about canaries in mines, which foreshadows events to come.
This ride is fun right out of the station. There is a small but sharp drop and then the ride turns through some mining scenery. In this portion of the ride is the only rough part. The train changes direction abruptly, which causes some painful headbanging. The vertical lift is fun element that is a lot better than a standard chain lift. Once you're at the top, there's a turn and some breaks, and then the fun begins.
Right off the brake run, there's a near vertical drop and an elevated turn the nearly stalls at the top. Then there's some twisting, and break run, and some more twisting until you go back in the mine building. The train slows, and if you look to your left, you can see a fake canary die. This means bad stuff is about to happen. There's another vertical lift, which is themed with a video clip and loud horror music. at the top, you'll find that there's holding breaks. The train pauses, and everything around you begins shaking. In front of you, some barrels burst into flames and then you fall. You go past vertical and a camera takes you're picture. The train then rises and speeds through one and a half barrel rolls. Halfway through the second, the train stops spinning and there's a straight section of inverted track. Then you fall down again. Pulling out of that last inversion, you rise up onto the brake run and soak in the ride you just had.
Overall this is a great ride. Most of the ride is smooth. The theming is great, and it provides great thrills. The layout includes a lot of unique elements and inversions, which, along with the theming, make this a uniquely awesome ride. Mystery Mine makes a great addition to Dollywood's collection of consistantly good large rides.
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