The largest kids’ festival in the South returned just as kids got out of school for the summer. Dolly said,
“Growing up, summertime in the Smoky Mountains was just one adventure-filled day after another for my brothers and sisters and me. KidsFest is my way of sharing special Smoky Mountain adventures with kids of all ages while they explore all of the fun activities that Dollywood has to offer.”
The VeggieTales® live show was a favorite at the park. Dollywood also welcomed several new faces including a costumed bear show. Clay, a seven-and-a-half-year-old black bear, played guitar. Griz, a 12-year-old grizzly bear, was the drummer. Ice, an 18-year-old polar bear, played keyboard and Rae Ling, a 10-year-old panda, sang. The band performed in Craftsman’s Valley.
The festival was filled with more animal antics. Families fell in love with seven performing dogs with acts ranging from flying disc catches to jumping rope and dancing!
Big Bear Plunge is Dolly’s waterpark’s new $1.4 million white water rafting experience that takes passengers on a 548-foot-long ride through dark caverns featuring winding bends and steep drops reminiscent of challenging river expeditions. Open 10-foot-wide channel sections send the five-passenger rafts downriver through the tree tops—reaching a peak elevation of 70 feet—before plunging into total darkness in a nine-foot-diameter tunnel that winds through an “S” curve. Accompanied only by the sounds of gushing water and echoing screams, the rafts are then dropped into a 12-foot-diameter tunnel featuring extreme banking, propelling the rafts upward around a seemingly never-ending sweeping curve. Finally, the rafts re-emerge into daylight where they unexpectedly plunge down multi-bump cliff drops into a 21- by 70-foot splash pool.
Carefully situated in the natural terrain of Dollywood’s Splash Country’s 25-acre mountain "hollow," Big Bear Plunge anchors Big Bear Ridge, a new themed area reminiscent of the Smoky Mountain’s turn-of-the-century logging industry. Taking its name from the Smoky Mountains’ popular American Black Bear, Big Bear Plunge will be located adjacent to the Downbound Float Trip—the water park’s lazy river—and the Mountain Waves wave pool.
Dolly launched the wildest ride in the Smokies on April, 3 2004. She made her entrance to the event in the front seat of Dollywood's newest attraction, Thunderhead. The massive wooden roller coaster pays homage to the land Dollywood and Dolly call home. Dolly said,
"So much of the heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains comes from the forests, the trees and the lumber they provide for us. Thunderhead is an awesome way of reminding everybody how much we get from those forests… including a real exciting time."
Thunderhead at Dollywood features a 3,230-foot long ride with a drop of 100 feet and maximum speeds of 55 mph. It also features "the world’s first fly-through station." Half-way through the ride, the coaster travels through the ride station at approximately 40 mph on tracks eight feet above the exit platform where future riders wait to board the coaster.
Hundreds of performers, crafts and international food highlighted Dollywood’s five-week celebration, Festival of Nations. Dolly said she was excited to see this festival return for its fourth year,
"I've been fortunate enough to have traveled the world, and Festival of Nations is an opportunity for Dollywood to bring a world of entertainment to the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s a chance for everyone to experience and enjoy some of the beautiful sights and sounds I've discovered in my many journeys."
From Ireland to Ecuador, Trinidad, China, Russia and Germany, Dollywood guests were mesmerized by the music, dance, art and food from around the globe. The cultural exchange between festival participants and Dollywood guests was one of the most fascinating elements of Festival of Nations.
The Market Square Bazaar, featured items of international origin. Dolly’s theme park also invited a non-profit to join the festival. Ten Thousand Villages is a self-supporting fair trade organization that provides vital, fair income in developing countries by marketing the people’s handicrafts and telling their stories. Thirty-two developing countries were represented with items for sale during the festival.
Dollywood’s Splash Country guests can take the plunge—the Big Bear Plunge—when the water park introduces its new $1.4 million attraction in June 2004. Big Bear Plunge, a white water rafting experience, takes passengers on a 548-foot-long ride through dark caverns with winding bends and steep drops reminiscent of challenging river expeditions. Dolly said,
“With our Big Bear Plunge, we’ve brought all of the thrills and excitement of white water rafting right here to Dollywood’s Splash Country. It’s a great way for families to enjoy one of the most fun outdoor adventures we have to offer here in the Great Smoky Mountains.”
Passengers will take in the scenery as open 10-foot-wide channel sections send the rafts downriver through the tree tops before plunging into total darkness in a nine-foot-diameter tunnel. Accompanied only by the sounds of gushing water and echoing screams, the rafts are then dropped into a 12-foot-diameter tunnel before they are propelled upward around a seemingly never-ending sweeping curve before crashing through a wall of fog. Finally, the rafts reemerge into daylight where they unexpectedly plunge down multi-bump cliff drops before splashing into the pool at the ride’s conclusion.
