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Dolly Parton, Dollywood president announce new roller coaster coming to Dollywood in 2023

Big Bear Mountain will be the longest and largest roller coaster at Dollywood. It is expected to be open by spring 2023.

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — A new roller coaster is coming to Dollywood! 

Dolly Parton alongside Dollywood President Eugene Naughton announced Big Bear Mountain at the theme park Friday morning. 

Big Bear Moutain is the largest single attraction investment in the history of Dollywood and is an expansion of Wildwood Grove.

"[Wildwood Grove] is the most successful addition to date," Naughton said. "Big Bear Mountain is the single largest attraction that Dolly has made us dream of. I am sure it's going to be a perfect way to extend our storytelling at Wildwood Grove."

Credit: Dollywood

Big Bear Mountain will be the largest and longest coaster at Dollywood. The coaster will take guests of nearly all ages on a family-friendly expedition in search of "Big Bear," and the 39-inch height requirement for the coaster will allow younger riders to enjoy some thrills.

The coaster circles Wildwood Grove for nearly two minutes on almost 4,000 feet of track while reaching speeds of up to 48 mph. It will take riders through three launches, multiple airtime hills, high-speed turns, and tunnels -- including a pass behind a waterfall. 

The ride will also be a first-of-a-kind at Dollywood, as it is the only coaster to have onboard audio to provide "auditory thrills" to match the ride's movements.

Credit: Dollywood

“Big Bear Mountain is an exciting ride that really is going to be a game changer for us,” Naughton said. “Not only is it the largest coaster we’ve built, but it includes features—like on-board audio—that are new for our company. Big Bear Mountain also expands the footprint of Wildwood Grove and serves as another monumental step in the ongoing investment plan Dolly and I announced in June 2021. She’s keeping me busy. Now that we’ve announced Big Bear Mountain, I’ll start working on the next projects she has lined up for me!”

Dolly made it clear that she will not be trying out the roller coaster once it opens. 

"I'm not going to get on that," Dolly said as the crowd laughed. "Y'all know me better than that! But, I am going to be happy to hear all your big tall tales once you get back." 

Big Bear Moutain is a $25 million project and it is expected to be open to the public by spring 2023.

Introducing Big Bear Mountain

Join Ned Oakley in Spring 2023 on our largest family adventure yet: Big Bear Mountain. This multi-launch Vekoma coaster contains 3,990 ft. of track, expanding Wildwood Grove with a six-acre ride. Prepare for things to get BIG by watching our exclusive first look at ride animation.

Posted by Dollywood on Friday, August 5, 2022

You can watch Dolly and Naughton announce the new coaster below. 

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