Earlier this week I was invited to visit Dollywood ahead of its March 13th opening to preview all of the offerings across the park's six festivals during its 2026 season. But bigger than the festivals is the addition of NightFlight Expedition, the park's largest single attraction investment clocking in at $50 million dollars.
NightFlight Expedition is still very much a work in progress, having toured the construction site its clear that they have a long way to go, but as Dollywood president Eugene Naughton told me, the end of spring is June 20th and they have crews working seven days a week and two shifts a day to get the attraction open.
NightFlight is going to be a ride unlike any other and a true 'first' for Dollywood. Building off of the Mack Rocking Boat ride system (the second such instillation in the world with the first being in Europe) Dollywood is going to incorporate a motion base component under the boat which when combined with digital projection media will allow guests to soar over the Smoky Mountains. Mr. Naughton compared the experience to the classic Disney attraction Soarin'.
But that's not all, the ride will also incorporate classic rollercoaster elements, a roaring white water rafting experience, and a plunge into the legendary Secret Lake.
The attraction promises to redefine what a hybrid coaster can be and is easily amongst the most anticipated theme park additions anywhere in the world this year.
I was impressed by the scale of the project during my visit to the site. The show building is massive, clocking in at four football fields in area, which easily makes it the largest in Dollywood history.
The queue is indoors and will be air conditioned as well as fully themed, despite looking bare right now (see the photo of one part of the queue below). I was assured that it will immerse guests into the story of the attraction in manner usually only found at Disney and Universal parks.
This will be a true "story coaster" in a way that is new for Dollywood. It seems that it will combine the thrill elements of Mystery Mine with the detail and craftsmanship of Blazing Fury, if one imagines what Blazing Fury would look like if it were built from scratch today.
The ride will also be able to handle 1,200 guests an hour, which makes it one of Dollywood's higher capacity attractions, ensuring that guests shouldn't have to wait too long to experience the park's 11th coaster.
We're eagerly anticipating getting to ride the attraction for ourselves and will have more Dollywood coverage in the coming weeks as the park gears up for opening and its "I Will Always Love You" Festival.
