PIGEON FORGE — Dollywood’s next roller coaster will sit on a 20-acre pad in the northwest section of the park, according to plans approved by the city planning commission Monday.
Park officials have indicated there are plans for a new, family style coaster in the past. The last new coaster was the Dragonflier, a kids coaster in the new Wildwood Grove section that opened in 2019.
The park hasn’t released many details about the design of the coaster — it doesn’t have to do so for a site plan. But the plans showed it’s in an area that’s not currently in use.
Earlier this year, Dollywood President Eugene Naughton told Pigeon Forge City Commission that the park’s plans for 2023 included a “multigenerational roller coaster.”
The site plan reviewed Monday was named the “Dollywood 2023 Family Attraction.”
It’s part of the latest set of plans unveiled, which also include new resorts.
Naughton has said in their next phase of developments they expect to spend about $250 million on hospitality, $150 million for new park and attraction experiences across Dollywood Splash Country and Dollywood, and $100 million on infrastructure improvements.
Also this week, the planning commission approved a revised site plan for the DreamCatcher Hotel on Jake Thomas Boulevard.
The DreamCatcher Hotel will be developed through a joint investment partnership for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
“The first site plan we approved had seven stories, they reduced it to six,” said David Taylor, the city’s director of community development. “The footprint is larger so they’re proposing the same number of rooms which is around 200.”
The new site plan also adds a pool and additional parking spots, he said.
Contact Jeff at jfarrell@themountainpress.com or Twitter at @jeffmtnpress
