Dollywood Spending $5 Million For River Battle Ride

Pigeon Forge, TN -- Work has begun in Dollywood's Timber Canyon for yet another major new attraction at park. River Battle, the theme park's new water adventure ride is set to open in 2008.

This new $5 million attraction follows the award-winning Mystery Mine roller coaster that opened earlier this year.

A battle is brewing in Dollywood's Timber Canyon area as work begins on River Battle, the theme park's new water adventure ride set to open in 2008. Enlarge

According to Dollywood, River Battle will be a themed water raft ride equipped with powerful soaker guns. Nine rafts, each with room for eight passengers, follow a 500-foot channel. As the rafts navigate the waters, the battle begins as passengers, each armed with a soaker gun, take aim at each other and more than 100 targets along the way, including large-scale "talking animals", beavers, skunks, otters, bears and more.

Riders beware some of the targets will retaliate by taking aim back at you. Others according to Dollywood will display a variety of special effects, creating surprises at every turn and ensuring that no two rides are ever exactly the same.

Onlookers will also be able to take part in the fun, as River Battle will engage guests along the ride's banks.

While rafters are soaking each other in raft-to-raft sparring, they also can "shoot" observers along the way in "raft-to-shore" fun.

"When I was a kid, me and my brothers and sisters used to sneak away and start up a river battle of our own, but I never dreamed that kind of childhood fun would end up creating a great ride like my new River Battle," Dolly Parton said.

River Battle is yet another ride addition that allows parents and children to ride together according to Dollywood. This new ride is part of an ongoing effort to provide opportunities to bring families closer.

River Battle is being constructed just beyond Dollywood's Mystery Mine steel coaster. The project also includes a new 750-foot walkway that provides a direct route to the park's Craftsman's Valley area from Timber Canyon.

The new connector represents the largest earthworks project since the Dollywood Express train's track bed was completed in 1960. The connector project entails moving 170,000 cubic yards of soil and rocks, the equivalent of 8,500 truckloads.

"The addition of River Battle continues to expand on the award-winning attractions we offer in the Timber Canyon area," said Ken Bell, Senior Vice-President. "In addition to creating a fun new ride for our guests, we will improve the flow of traffic as guests will be able to access two vital areas of our park via the new connector."

River Battle will be able to accommodate up to 800 guests per hour next summer.

For more information see Dollywood or visit www.dollywood.com.

River Battle artist rendering courtesy of Dollywood. All rights reserved.