Dollywood has lengthy been a mainstay of Smoky Mountain holidays, and company now have yet another huge, furry purpose to go to the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park — Dollywood’s latest coaster, Large Bear Mountain.
Because the Smoky Mountain-themed coaster’s backstory goes, there’s proof of a “Large Bear” on the unfastened within the park, however he has by no means been noticed. Large Bear Mountain invitations company to enterprise into the forest and eventually discover the elusive bear as they tear via the Tennesee mountainside.
Dolly Parton herself was readily available for the grand opening and shared extra concerning the inspiration behind the family-friendly coaster.
“You already know, I grew up not removed from right here and there is been a legend all my life concerning the ‘Large Bear,'” Parton stated. “It was sort of our model of Bigfoot. We had this huge bear that everybody was all the time making an attempt to catch and he would simply terrorize everyone.”
From the legend of that elusive bear, Large Bear Mountain was born.
The $25 million coaster stretches 3,990 ft alongside the perimeter of Wildwood Grove, the park’s latest space. The $37 million, 6-acre enlargement is the biggest in Dollywood historical past and opened to the general public on Might 10, 2019. A further enlargement will probably be revealed this fall when the 302-room HeartSong Lodge & Resort begins welcoming company.
At over three-quarter miles lengthy, Large Bear Mountain is the biggest single attraction funding for the park and the longest coaster ever constructed at Dollywood. It is also the primary Dollywood attraction to function onboard audio, which implies that the growling Large Bear all the time appears like he’s proper in your heels.
On every “expedition” via Large Bear Mountain, riders expertise three separate launches; wind via a number of twists, turns and airtime hills; and journey via a number of tunnels, together with a move behind a cascading waterfall.
Parton is fast to confess she will not be hopping on Large Bear Mountain anytime quickly.
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“I feel I would lose my hair,” she laughed. “I would lose my nerve earlier than I even obtained on.”
No matter her personal emotions about coasters, she loves that the trip was designed to be family-friendly.
“Children are gonna adore it, however I feel all of us are youngsters at coronary heart, so dad and mom are gonna adore it, too,” she stated on the grand opening. “It provides you a very good excuse to be a child once more, so to talk.”
Large Bear Mountain has a 39-inch minimal peak requirement, zero inversions and a prime velocity of 48 mph, making it accessible each to households and to company who could also be intimidated by a few of Dollywood’s taller and sooner coasters.
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Large Bear Mountain is considered one of a whopping 9 curler coasters at Dollywood, and it falls squarely in the course of the park so far as depth and scare issue.
The park has greater than 20 kid-friendly rides and points of interest. On the different finish of the spectrum, the Lightning Rod coaster hits a prime velocity of 73 mph and Wild Eagle climbs to 210 ft earlier than hovering again down the hill.
Like Goldilocks and her bowl of porridge, Large Bear Mountain is good for all Dollywood guests and a must-do in your subsequent Dollywood trip.
And if you happen to’re craving for extra Dolly Parton, try the video beneath for a particular go to our lodge reporter Tanner Saunders obtained to have within the Dolly universe.
