Dollywood's Unique, New Attraction Will Be The World's First Hybrid Coaster Ride

A new attraction at Dollywood will combine the thrill of a roller coaster with a lake voyage, a whitewater river ride, and a simulated flight over the Great Smoky Mountains. Billed as four adventures in one, NightFlight Expedition could break the mold for amusement park rides when it comes to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in the spring of 2026. The indoor hybrid coaster is the first of its kind to feature amphibious vehicles, which will soar almost three stories high on a quarter-mile track, interacting with multimedia projections in a building that's bigger than four football fields.

To achieve the river effect, they're pumping 500,000 gallons of water into the building. That means you might get wet, just as you would on Smoky Mountain River Rampage (one of Dollywood's oldest rides, running since the park opened in 1986). The difference with NightFlight Expedition is that weather conditions shouldn't affect it as much, since it will be housed in a temperature-controlled building. This sets it apart from the outdoor Smoky Mountain River Rampage, which is subject to close when it's snowy or windy, when the temperature hits the 32-degree freezing point, or when there's lightning within 10 miles of Dollywood.

NightFlight Expedition is currently under construction in the family-friendly Wildwood Grove, an expansion area that opened at Dollywood in 2019. Compared to the Lightning Rod — the park's fastest coaster, which rattles up to 73 miles per hour across a wooden frame — it should be a less intense experience. The ride will still have a 39-inch minimum height requirement, but over the course of five and a half minutes, the speed will max out at 29 miles per hour. That's still faster than traffic in Cades Cove, the hidden valley destination in the Smokies where nature's beauty unfolds year-round.

During its 40th anniversary season, this iconic Southern amusement park earned the title of best in the U.S. in 2025, according to Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards. NightFlight Expedition is the park's biggest attraction investment to date, with over $50 million being earmarked for its construction. A press release from the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism describes it as "the world's first indoor family hybrid coaster and whitewater river raft ride." It reveals that riders will embark "on an unforgettable journey through the Smoky Mountains to search for bioluminescence in the nation's most-visited national park."

That park, the Great Smoky Mountains, is where Dollywood's namesake, country music legend Dolly Parton, grew up. Close to Dollywood's entrance, you can visit a replica of the log cabin that served as Parton's childhood home in nearby Sevierville, Tennessee. In a statement via the press release, Parton touted the attraction's nighttime setting as her "favorite time of day" in the Smokies, alluding to the lightning bugs her family used to catch in Mason jars. "We're always trying to take the natural beauty of the Smokies and make it part of everything we're doing in the park," she said. "They've definitely been able to do it with this ride."

NightFlight Expedition's fictional backstory involves "Cora and Jasper Oakley leading you on an extraordinary journey to discover the mystery of the legendary Secret Lake." Dollywood currently has a pre-sale for season passholders going, where you can renew your passes for 2026 and gain early access to the attraction in a special ride event before it opens to the general public. If you're wondering what a single trip to the park might run, here's how much it'll cost you to visit Dollywood.