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    Tennessee Tornado

    3.9 (9 reviews)

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    Outside devastation
    Arlene M.

    This ride is wicked!! My daughter and I were surprised to find no wait to get on this attraction in the middle of the day. You hop right on. Ladies let me warn you to remove your earrings on this ride. Your head will be slammed from side to side on the sides of the seat if you don't. You got at a fast speed to simulate a tornado with several loops to give you the actual feel of getting caught up in the middle of a tornado. Even the outside facade give you a the look of how destructive a tornado can be. The ride is very intense. I probably would have enjoyed it more without the side to side head banging. I came off the ride with a slight headache. Still if you are tackling the coasters of Dollywood it's worth a try.

    Ariel W.

    The Tennessee Tornado is a roller coaster at Dollywood. It opened on April 17, 1999, and was one of Arrow Dynamics' last major coasters. The ride is in the valley location previously occupied by Thunder Express, an Arrow Dynamics Runaway Mine Train roller coaster. The theme of Tennessee Tornado is an old Tennessee mining company in the 1800's hit by a tornado. The cars were ripped out of the mineshaft and tossed around. The safety restraint is an over the shoulder harness which you are going to need. As your car races through the triple spiral loops you are meant to feel like you are in the middle of the tornado. The ride features a 128 foot drop through the mountain at speeds at 70 MPH. This roller coaster also has an element called the iron butterfly which is a vertical loop combined with a sidewinder which resemble a butterfly. The ride felt super short to me, It is only 1 minute and 48 seconds. I didn't find the shoulder restraints to be the most comfortable either but the first drop is fun as are the loops. I don't know if I would wait on a huge line for this. Its no soaring Eagle but if you happen on a short line, go for it.

    Classic Arrow Train!
    Rachel Macie H.

    One of Arrows finest coasters was also one of it's last as the Tennessee Tornado features a unique style of the Arrow track as at this time in their legacy they changed the design up a bit to make it smoother and more durable as Arrow coasters aren't known for a smooth ride! Tennessee Tornado ranks up there for me as not only a well designed coaster but a super fun and smooth one especially for being an Arrow it's a bummer that not more got made after this as it's a really fun ride that hits you just right and no not in a bad way it's super fun for everyone! To be totally honest this coaster took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was but hey it rocked soo much so that we just had to ride it again! Overall it's a great Arrow Coaster that's how nice and hidden in the trees you can't go wrong here at all so give it a try you'll be happy you did!

    Signage for this custom Arrow "terrain" looper is centered around a renegade twister!
    Eric S.

    SMOKY MOUNTAIN TWISTER This custom steel looping coaster is a brief, but fun, terrain hugger. For my 750th review -- 3/4ths of the way to the big 1000, baby! -- I'm giving some love to Arrow Dynamics' swan song. As one of the very last models built by the esteemed steel roller coaster company, the Tennessee Tornado takes full advantage of its woodsy surroundings, as well as the change in elevation. There are a total of 3 inversions, and some other notable highlights including: *underground tunnel *110ft tall 'spiro' loop *overbanked turn *vertical loop *sidewinder *overbanked turn So what the hell is a 'spiro' loop? It's an element unique to this ride, designed by Arrow as a way of putting a quirky -- and literal -- twist on a standard vertical loop. It's the biggest inversion they ever put on a coaster at a whopping 110ft tall. In fact, the trains experience a moment of hangtime at the top, which is a whole lotta fun. A 163ft chain lift carries the train toward the top of a hill, where a heavily-banked turnaround sends riders plummeting down a 128ft drop. It's at the base of the drop where trains enter a tunnel and hit a top speed of 63mph. There's an on-ride camera here, shortly before entering the impressively-large 'spiro' loop. Following this, there's an overbanked curve -- where riders in the front are treated to a quick pop of airtime -- which leads into a straight vertical loop and sidewinder element (a half vertical loop ending with a corkscrew). Another overbanked curve and the train hits the brake run. One cycle lasts roughly 1min 48sec. Arrow wasn't know for comfortable rides, and the TN Tornado is no exception. The cars on the 28-person trains are boxy, while the over-the-shoulder restraints are less than ideal for taller riders. I'd actually recommend the front row, as there's far more leg room in the lead car and the brief pops of airtime are nice (not to mention the unobstructed view). _____________ FINAL VERDICT: I have to say, after having ridden 'Vortex' (Kings Island), the ill-fated 'Shockwave' (Great America) and a few others here and there, the Tennessee Tornado is one of the better Arrow Dynamics steel looping coasters. My only real gripe is that it's very short, though not having a block brake section makes for a more fluid, uninterrupted riding experience. The terrain adds another layer of thrill to this intense looper. I enjoyed it and would recommend the TN Tornado to teens, as older adults will find it too rough to be enjoyable. Eric S's Dollywood coaster rating = 5th out of 7.

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