According to this post -> http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45336 (http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45336) on TPR, DW is getting a giant play set similar to what Stone Mountain got last year for it's 2009 attraction.
It's an interesting concept, but it doesn't strike me as something I would consider doing on a visit there. I mean, the Stone Mountain version of this looks really lame - you just hop around from object to object while hanging from a big rope. It's a creative idea all right, but I hope they round it off better for DW.
There will be a few added effects for DW at least - a waterfall and something called 'Fire Mountain'.
At least they aren't just adding thrill rides, I guess.
^Sounds very similar to the 2006 SDC ride concept "Mountain Base Camp", which never materialized. Read about it here: http://sdcfans.com/page.php?id=14 (http://sdcfans.com/page.php?id=14)
Yeah, because you know DW's usual visitor is going to be able to do all of that.
Doesn't seem very "ADA friendly" to me and more of a liability risk then I would take if I owned a park, but whatever.
^It's actually not much of a liability risk because you're strapped to this huge rope harness for the entirety of the experience. That's what kind of makes it pointless for me, it's just a lot of hanging around.
This doesn't appeal to me one bit. Perhaps its aimed at hyperactive 7 year olds who need to burn off energy.
I agree with I'm not too interested in this attraction. Finding this out has dissapointed me. I guess i'll be going to Carowinds or kings Dominion next year even though Dollywood is 2 miles away. I'll probably go on sevier county days, but I won't buy a season pass next year. I would have rather had a new ride added. They already had something almost like this years ago in Dreamland forest which i believe people twisted their ankles alot getting their feet caught in ropes and stuff which is why i believe they got rid of the attraction. So why would they even think of adding something like that again :-\.
Apparently Dollywood will also have a major new show next year:
QuoteCapturing the spirit of the Great Smoky Mountains in song and story is the focus of Dollywood's new show Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke. Set to premiere May 9, 2009, Sha-Kon-O-Hey! is the most lavish and extravagant live stage production in Dollywood's history. A grand-scale musical, Sha-Kon-O-Hey! tells the story of the last family leaving the area to make way for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As the family comes to terms with its impending departure, a wizened old man leads the family along its journey. Together, they encounter the settlers, the rail and lumbermen, the shiners and the Native Americans who populated the Smokies and made them such a wondrous place. Athletic dancers, in-line skaters, power tumblers and glorious aerialists bring these vignettes to vibrant life and tell the family's heartfelt story. The music, performed by the cast and live band, features simple mountain-inspired melodies, including original music and lyrics written by Dolly especially for the new show.
I'm actually more interested in this than "Adventure Mountain". :P This will be the first time in several years that Dollywood has put on a show of this scale.
I think "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" was the term the Cherokee Indians used to refer to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Here's the official link:
http://www.dollywood.com/land/advmtn/default.htm
^That actually looks really fun! I could spend a lot of time there.
i actually think this adventure mountain is a great idea.... get off the rides and get out and do something yourself.... like the cave tour! I like the idea of having different courses of going on the mountain it looks pretty nice and we do need to do something to combat obesity!
I love the idea for this attraction and I think it'll be great for Dollywood. But I would hate to see something like this at Silver Dollar City. Geyser Gulch is kind of like this and I think something like this would stick out like a sore thumb at SDC (much like Geyser Gulch did when it first opened).
I dunno, it's all about how they pull it off. 'Adventure Mountain' pretty much sounds stupid wherever you put it, but turn the thing into a lumber camp and urge guests to step in for the striking loggers (just like they did with Flooded Mine) and you have an interactive, submerssive attraction that fits in completely. The thing is, would they even bother to do that anymore? They certainly try harder with SDC, but as we're noting, with each passing year we see the management caring less and less about keeping up the atmosphere.
i'd like something like this but as an interactive wild caving experience of course with a cave we would build and rock climbing walls. it could be hidden underground somewhere lol since its a cave - - - lol
i agree with that atmosphere statement. it seems to have happened when the company moved the offices to Atlanta? Still don't understand that decision.. personally if the CEO didn't want to be in branson with the major property .. then well lets look for another CEO..... just my opinon
I noticed this is going in the Wilderness Pass area of the park, near River Battle. Must be going north of RB?
I also noticed they have Camp Teachittome for those two to six years old, in addition to the five courses. I wonder how many kids older than six will tire out on a course? Family members will be annoyed having to drag and carry them back to camp; employees will be annoyed as well.
They already have something similar to this (or exactly like this) at Stone Mountain, so I'm sure they know the ins and outs of the project. I doubt it would be something that's really going to tax people too much physically.
Has anyone been to Stone Mountain to see theirs?
^I haven't been, but I've read about Sky Hike. It's open Friday-Sunday, and they have workers posted throughout on platforms to do everything from offer advice to carry people who freeze and can't go on. It can accomodate about 300 people per hour now; initially it was much less but they modified how employees put the elaborate harnesses on people to increase the number they can put through in an hour. I bet Dollywood will have to hire quite a few new employees for Adventure Mountain. I wonder if it will only be open three days a week too?
It would seem to be costly in an ongoing way with so many employees having to be involved. Do you think it would take more than for a ride attraction?
It also seems there could be a problem with accusations about employees touching guests inappropriately while attaching harnesses (whether true or false).
(I still think the idea is a sound for the direction Dollywood has taken in since becoming Dollywood, but I don't see it themed well for SDC. I would rather go with a native wildlife theme - without the modern accouterments - something like Disney's Animal Kingdom for the Ozarks.)
Quote from: History Buff on August 21, 2008, 06:32:51 PM
It would seem to be costly in an ongoing way with so many employees having to be involved. Do you think it would take more than for a ride attraction?
Sky Hike is pretty big. Adventure Mountain it seems will be larger. I think it will take more employees than a ride attraction, just because everything is spread out. They will also have Camp Teachittome, which isn't even one of the five courses, that they will need to staff. I think it is costly, which may be why Sky Hike is only open three days a week. Perhaps Adventure Mountain will only be open three days a week as well.
Seems like such a waste. Why would you add something like that to a major amusement park? To me it is a lawyer's nightmare or wet dream depending on what side of the fence they are on... I HOPE to heck that SDC does not add one of these.
Quote from: Swoosh on August 21, 2008, 10:54:04 PM
I HOPE to heck that SDC does not add one of these.
SDC has pulled a lot of risky things off but I don't think there'd be a good way for it to fit in at SDC. It'd look awful, especially if it looks the way that the concept art at Dollywood looks.
But I'm fine with it being at Dollywood. ;D It's fine there, just so long as it doesn't show up at my park!
Obviously this project has been pushed back to 2010, but there are a couple of new things going in for 2009. They are working at building a tunnel to connect the DW and Splash Country parking lots. Also, Splash Country is getting the Big River Pavilion, a facility you can rent for groups of 40 or more, next year. You can read more and look at pictures of the tunnel and pavilion construction on Screamscape:
http://www.screamscape.com/html/dollywood.htm (http://www.screamscape.com/html/dollywood.htm)
Construction has finally begun on Adventure Mountain, which will open in 2010. Here are a few photos:
http://parkthoughts.com/2009/07/19/adventure-mountain-contruction-has-begun/ (http://parkthoughts.com/2009/07/19/adventure-mountain-contruction-has-begun/)
This now 2010 project is coming along. Here are two photos of the construction and one piece of concept art. Click the arrows to scroll through the photos. It already looks impressively large. :)
http://screamscape.com/html/dw_-_2010_0.htm (http://screamscape.com/html/dw_-_2010_0.htm)
It's impressively large, I'll grant you that, but the whole thing just screams pointless to me. I mean, you mossey across a few 5-foot gaps with various kinds of foothold, covered to the tooth with safety harnesses. It's like all the lamest parts of rock climbing with none of the cool parts.
It's not nearly done yet, so I'm ready to be blown away, but I have a sinking feeling that this is going to be a huge let down come opening day. I was looking forward to the other stuff shown in the concept artwork, but it looks like the real thing isn't very similar to that. I hope they still have the waterfalls and little boat rides for kids.
I guess we'll see. HFEC hasn't let us down so far...
I'm not big on AM, either, and I also hope they go all out with the theming. However, I am disappointed at how cartoonish DW's splash battle is, so I'm being realistic with my theming expectations for AM.
What exactly is the theme of DW these days? It's obviously not bound by a point in history. I had thought when Dolly became involved that the theme was her life.
Is it the Smoky Mountains in general?
Well, DW has no overall theme. There are themed areas of the park. Some are themed on east Tennessee, others the Southern Appalachian region, and a couple on Dolly Parton's life. Here's the info straight from DW: "Dollywood is organized into ten themed areas. The Showstreet, Rivertown Junction, Craftsmen's Valley, Village, Country Fair, Timber Canyon, and Jukebox Junction areas reflect the historical eras and culture of east Tennessee, while the Dreamland Forest and Adventures in Imagination areas explore Dolly Parton's life and imagination. Many attractions at Dollywood preserve the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region."
FYI: Adventure Mountain is part of the new (established in 2008) Wilderness Pass area, which connects Timber Canyon and Craftsmen's Valley. This area also includes the new River Battle and the SkyZip attraction.
They kept the 1880s town theme for the first few years of Dollywood, (they still had a "Town Mayor" character, a deputy and stuff like that) but then by the mid-90s the atmosphere just went all over the place. That's when the park's vibe started changing, now it doesn't seem special like it use to.
Here's an interesting video for everyone. From Dollywood Publicity's youtube page:
ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN TEASER!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUxc85VSPq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUxc85VSPq8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUxc85VSPq8)
From the sounds of it, AM has been well received and has already fostered waits of an hour and a half on opening weekend. Not bad for what it is. I hope someone writes a more detailed review soon. I think the real test is how popular it will be in 3-5 years though...
Screamscape has some new photos of AM. Check them out here: http://screamscape.com/html/dw_-_2010_0.htm (http://screamscape.com/html/dw_-_2010_0.htm)
It looks alright I guess. But I really, really don't want to see anything like this at SDC.
^My thoughts exactly. I wish it in some way resembled a mountain, but it really doesn't.
^Agreed. It looks like something that was made for a Nickelodeon game show.
The name "Mountain" doesn't mean that it is supposed to look like a "mountain" - it is themed to ranger stations that were found in the mountains.
I personally think it looks amazing. These attractions are a heck of a lot of fun. The one at Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America is busy all the time and is a lot smaller then this one (though I think NU's might be taller).
I think it would be a great family attraction at SDC. However, I don't think there should be a rush to add one to the park as there are other things that should be added first.
So far its been getting smashing reviews, so it must be a lot funner than it looks. I'm sure it's great to do with a group or even just a friend or two.
I'm with Swoosh, I can see one coming to SDC, but I hope we get a couple of other things first.
It's a blast 2 and a 1/2 hours and stil can't finish it!!! Camp Teachittoome is the ADA compliant part of it. SDC does need one, they could do like Dollywood & build it into the hillside! It's a great family attraction i even saw Mom's & Dad's holding there little ones hand while the experienced it together. For Children that want there grandparents to experience, but the grandparent dosen't want to do the challenges there are bridges & stairs to take, so they can wait at the other end on there grandchildren. PLUS! there are rest stops, throughout the attraction with benches & waterfountains, it is a incredible hit at DW, and with the DW operators me & my brother only had to wait 15-20minutes with alot of people in line. On weekends so many people do it that it has 2-3 hour waits. The line moves fast, you can change courses, & can stay on as long as you want. IT IS GREAT!!!! and would be a great addition for SDC. :)