During the recent IAAPA Expo event in Orlando, both Dollywood and Vekoma unveiled ride vehicles to be featured on the park’s new Big Bear Mountain roller coaster.

The latest addition to Dollywood will open in Spring 2023 at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, park. 

The highly-detailed coaster trains resemble four-wheel-drive SUVs and feature working headlights and taillights, as well as on-board audio.

Each coaster train seats 20 guests. At $25 million (£21m), the ride is the largest single attraction investment ever at Dollywood.

The coaster’s 3,990 ft. length makes it the longest roller coaster at the park. Meanwhile it will feature three separate launches, multiple airtime hills, high-speed carousel turns, and tunnels, including a pass behind a waterfall. 

Big Bear Mountain will take guests on a journey around the park, reaching a top speed of 48mph.

“Big Bear Mountain is just that-big,” exclaimed Eugene Naughton, President of Dollywood Parks & Resorts. “This ride is going to be a game changer for us at Dollywood for several reasons, including the fact it’s the largest coaster we’ve ever built and our first ride with on-board audio, so we wanted to unveil the ride vehicles with our partners at Vekoma on the show floor at IAAPA. 

“We’re excited about what Big Bear Mountain means for Dollywood, and we wanted to share this really special moment with the industry. Things are going to get big at Dollywood in 2023, and we hope everyone will come share in the fun.”

Image: Dollywood