Dollywood Opens NightFlight Expedition

While the world continues to mourn the passing of Dolly Parton earlier this week, Parton’s Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, honored the icon’s motto of “the show must go on” and opened the park under its scheduled operating hours, offering a place for visitors to pay tribute to the music legend. Just prior to her passing, Dollywood opened its NightFlight Expedition attraction on Aug. 19.

NightFlight Expedition represents an investment of more than $60 million, making it the largest single attraction investment in Dollywood’s history. It’s the park’s 11th roller coaster. With four different experiences in one coaster, NightFlight is an immersive indoor adventure coaster that takes guests on a nighttime flight over the Smokies before embarking on a whitewater rafting excursion through more than 500,000 gallons of surging water, climbing up and over a mountain ridge before splashing into a Smoky Mountain lake.

“I’m so proud that we’re able to open something like NightFlight Expedition and give families a brand-new way to experience the Smokies together,” said Parton via video prior to the opening. “Growing up here, I learned to love these mountains in a way that stays with you your whole life. This ride truly is an adventure that lets you see the mountains the way I always remember them, full of wonder and beauty.”

NightFlight Expedition is the continuation of Dollywood’s rich storytelling, as its highly detailed queue line introduces Cora and Jasper Oakley, the niece and nephew of Ned Oakley, the face of Big Bear Mountain family coaster since 2023. Created and built by Dollywood, Herschend Creative Studios and manufacturer Mack Rides, NightFlight Expedition’s custom-designed ride vehicle interacts with vivid multimedia projections, dynamic onboard and offboard audio, and special lighting effects.