Leading amusement attraction company, Ride Entertainment, has partnered with Funtime of Austria and Herschend Family Entertainment on a new Skyfall drop ride at Dollywood, Tennessee.
Dubbed Drop Line, the new attracion is located in the Timber Canyon area and has already become an icon for the theme park.
Ride Entertainment is the sales partner for Funtime and also installed the ride.
According to the company, there were several challenges to covercome, notably the existing, extensive foundations from a previous ride. Funtime took the decision to re-purpose rather than scrap them. They designed a custom embed and bottom tower section and tied them in to the existing concrete. This solution was less wasteful and saved Dollywood a considerable amount of money.
“Drop Line is the perfect new attraction for Dollywood,” confirmed the park’s General Manager, Gene Scherrer. “We have a number of unique rides, but this one is unlike anything else here.”
A combination of sightseeing and thrill, 24 passengers at a time are lifted to the top of the tower, rotating around it twice. This gives them unparalleled views of the Smoky Mountains.
“Our guests will have a chance to enjoy the beautiful Smoky Mountain scenery as they rise up the tower, but once they get to the top, the anticipation of the drop will certainly create memories they’ll remember for quite some time,” added Scherrer.
The ride has proved a hit with visitors, giving them a new way to experience Dollywood.
“We were thrilled that Dollywood chose to work with Funtime,” commented Hannes Lackner, Funtime’s company’s General Manager. “To have our first U.S. Skyfall drop ride in such a beautiful park is special for us.”
Adam Sandy, Chief Business Development Officer for Ride Entertainment, described Dollywood as a great showcase for Ride Entertainment and its partners:
“We have been working with Herschend Family Entertainment for over a decade and they continue to amaze us with the creative theming concepts they come up with for our hardware.”
Drop Line stats:
- Tower Height 200 feet (61 meters)
- Instant Capacity: 24
- Hourly Capacity: 600 pph
- Theme: Drop Line, a 200-foot tall free fall over the wooded rustic landscape.
