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Construction is being done in the park. Photo from a few weeks ago. Ground being flattened and brush being burned. Tram driver told us that they're clearing space for more parking and "attractions." Blue circle is where the photo is taken and yellow circle is roughly the area being cleared. Hoping for a Mack hyper or Xtreme Spinner. What do you guys think?
View attachment dollywood-new-construction-read-body-v0-lmd220ksdidd1.webp (map of the area, not sure why it won't embed)
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mtpelepele said:
That's gonna be a resort.
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Dollywood already has two resorts, DreamMore and Heartsong, with Heartsong opening at the end of 2023. The dirt dug out for Heartsong was the hill near the train station where the “mine” tunnel used to be. I was told by our tram driver that this plot of land was being excavated for parking and “attractions.”

farfeather said:
The thing with Big Bear Mountain, is that it's at a dead end, all the way at the end of WildWood Grove. It does seem they are open for future expansion past BBM from the looks of it.
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I recommend this video, it outlines where they could expand from and why this expansion will likely be adding on to Wildwood or an entirely new themed area. That little path under Big Bear lets them out of Big Bear’s spaghetti bowl and allows them to continue building back in that direction I personally think it would be smart to add another path leading to this area at the dead end path that leads to Thunderhead. It’s already really far to get all the way to Big Bear, and another way into Wildwood would be good for capacity and traffic control.
 
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b_onko said:
Dollywood already has two resorts, DreamMore and Heartsong, with Heartsong opening at the end of 2023. The dirt dug out for Heartsong was the hill near the train station where the “mine” tunnel used to be. I was told by our tram driver that this plot of land was being excavated for parking and “attractions.”
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Quite familiar with Heartsong, I've stayed there five times since it opened. However, the master plan includes five resorts total, plus a campground, and from what I have been led to understand, this is for one of them.
 
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mtpelepele said:
Quite familiar with Heartsong, I've stayed there five times since it opened. However, the master plan includes five resorts total, plus a campground, and from what I have been led to understand, this is for one of them.
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Do you have a link to this master plan? Someone told me they were planning on building a second gate at some point.
 
Only what they've said in interviews.

www.themeparkinsider.com

Dollywood Announces 10-Year, Multi-Resort Expansion Plan

www.themeparkinsider.com

blooloop.com

Here you come again: how Dollywood keeps guests returning for more

Blooloop speaks to Dollywood president Eugene Naughton about the resort's recent additions and its ambitious future plans.
blooloop.com blooloop.com

But everything I've heard is that the "glamping" resort will be open by '28. No idea if a 2nd gate is on the table, but personally, after all the issues at Jayell Ranch, I'd have been trying to buy that property up. It'd be a perfect location.
 
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b_onko said:
Construction is being done in the park. Photo from a few weeks ago. Ground being flattened and brush being burned. Tram driver told us that they're clearing space for more parking and "attractions." Blue circle is where the photo is taken and yellow circle is roughly the area being cleared. Hoping for a Mack hyper or Xtreme Spinner. What do you guys think?
View attachment 33920 (map of the area, not sure why it won't embed)
View attachment 33916
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I belive the clamping resort will be on the other side of McCarter Hollow Rd. I can confirm the part from the Tram driver regarding more parking.
The next coaster is most likely the indoor coaster they were previously planning for the back of Wildwood Grove. That project got put on hold because Vekoma gave them a good deal on a half built coaster.
 
jscll said:
That project got put on hold because Vekoma gave them a good deal on a half built coaster.
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I'll bite- what the hell is this supposed to mean? Do you somehow know exactly how much Vekoma's contract (read: the track, columns, vehicles, maybe other aspects.) of Big Bear Mountain's stated investment of $25 million was, to be able to consider it a "good deal"?

And "half built", what is that even supposed to be a jab at? Vekoma didn't theme or landscape it...
 
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CoasterMac said:
I'll bite- what the hell is this supposed to mean? Do you somehow know exactly how much Vekoma's contract (read: the track, columns, vehicles, maybe other aspects.) of Big Bear Mountain's stated investment of $25 million was, to be able to consider it a "good deal"?

And "half built", what is that even supposed to be a jab at? Vekoma didn't theme or landscape it...
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(I assume they meant Vekoma originally started fabricating the coaster for someone other than Dollywood, then that buyer fell through, and Vekoma gave Dollywood a good deal on it? I've never heard of this being the case with Big Bear, but it is something that happens in the industry. Look at all those random Vekoma/Intamin coasters Six Flags acquired short notice in a similar fashion (rookie racer, great adventure flash, georgia surfer))
 
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Big Bear is heavily customized for the terrain and site. Not saying it's impossible the general ride design was intended for somewhere else, but I'd definitely want some sourcing...

Even within the construct of this rumor, half-built has to be hyperbole, right?
 
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The first half of Big Bear was not designed for Dollywoood, it was designed for an Asian buyer. Dollywood picked the project up an designed everything after the third launch.
 
Interesting if true. You sure it wasn't the exact opposite? Seems like it'd be more reasonable that the second half (built on flat land) was reused from another project, instead of the part that's built onto a hillside.
 
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b_onko said:
Construction is being done in the park. Photo from a few weeks ago. Ground being flattened and brush being burned. Tram driver told us that they're clearing space for more parking and "attractions." Blue circle is where the photo is taken and yellow circle is roughly the area being cleared. Hoping for a Mack hyper or Xtreme Spinner. What do you guys think?
View attachment 33920 (map of the area, not sure why it won't embed)
View attachment 33916
Click to expand...

Per permits, this is almost certainly just parking lot expansion for the record.

Also, it looks like we need to field the possibility that the next major attraction is actually a flying theater (ignore the Reddit post title—OP is definitely wrong).

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