February 2008 Archives

It's hard to imagine but in less than two months time Dollywood will open the gates to a new season and welcome millions of visitors with their newest ride, River Battle.

The $5 million themed ride takes place at the site where a beaver dam flooded a ranger station. This sparks a battle between the beavers and the other woodland creatures, with both riders and spectators of River Battle able to join the ranks. The eight-passenger rafts are equipped with soaker guns which draw water straight from the reservoir on which they are floating. The guns work using a cranking mechanism and have a range of 16 feet. The ride can also be dialed down in cooler weather so that riders won't get soaked but can shoot at the interactive targets on the raft's 500-foot route along the channel.

The ride itself last about 5 minutes, with a capability of taking 800 visitors through each hour. Throughout the ride, there are over 100 targets at which passengers can aim. Some of those targets may include the spectators watching from three observation areas. But be forewarned, those spectators are armed as well. There will be 12-15 soaker guns scattered around the observation area so that spectators can join in the fun.