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    Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

    4.1 (125 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

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    Amy J.

    What a fun thing to do in Banner Elk!! My boys loved it! We made a reservation for a Saturday July 5. To be expected it was busy but the line moved. Didn't wait more than a half hour. Did 3 runs which was fun. Our family always goes on alpine coasters when on vacation if they have them!! My son got going really fast one run. Definitely a must do when you are in the area.

    Taking off!
    Anna

    10/10 love this place and the coaster imported from Germany! Always busy so expect a little line sometimes, but it moves quickly. The coaster is so fun for all ages, and littles can ride with their parents as long as the total is under a certain weight limit. The photo package option doesn't always work which is a little disappointing, but does nothing to hamper the riding experience which is SUPER! The stone retaining walls and landscaping are all so gorgeous. Next we want to try the adventure ropes course!

    Kelly G.

    The Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster in Banner Elk, NC, is an absolute gem! It's the perfect mix of fun, adventure, and stunning mountain views. The ride lets you control your speed, so you can go full throttle for a thrilling rush or slow down to take in the gorgeous scenery. The track twists and turns through the forest, making it exciting from start to finish. The staff is super friendly, and the overall experience is well-organized. Overall the ride itself is pretty short so they offer an adult ticket single ride at $16 or a bundle ride ( 3 consecutive rides) for $35. They also offer a first responder discount . Also , there is a camera outfitted on your coaster cart that records you the entire duration of your ride . You can watch a preview of your video inside the gift shop and purchase the full video for $12 . Hang onto your ticket as you'll need to scan it for the video . Whether you're with family or friends, this coaster is a must-do in the Banner Elk area--definitely a highlight of the trip!

    My grandson riding with my son.
    Diane S.

    So much fun! This is a must do for adults and kids! Go on a warm day cause it can be cold and windy, but still ally of fun.

    Adriana P.

    The Alpine Coaster is so much fun! It's great for all ages. I love that you can control your speed. You'll definitely want to buy a bundle to ride three times because once isn't enough. I went with my family and have a younger child that needs to ride with someone. She wanted to ride with me and then with her dad. Since we needed to switch rides, we did have to get off and get back in line. If you aren't switching riders, and are doing multiple rides, you can stay on the coaster. The staff is extremely friendly. There are also nice views from up top looking back at the mountains. This will be on our list of places to go whenever we are in the area!

    Fairy
    Bertha B.

    I have never had such a fun experience before! Not only did I feel like I was flying I saw and I swear on my meemaw that I saw a fairy! This place also knocked my extensions off!!! Guess I'll have to get them replaced LOL!

    Matthew K.

    Amazing! So fun. Well worth the wait. Such a wonderful addition to Banner Elk. The views are amazing. Everything was well ran and all the folks working were super sweet and accommodating. I'm coming back. Just a tip. Make a reservation prior to arriving, and come at the actual time of the reservation. (Like within 5 mins.) Don't come too early and don't be late and be nice to the person in the parking lot checking you in. Trust me. Also buy the video they make of you afterwards, it's the best $12 you'll ever spend. Was awesome to be able to experience this with my entire family. My son and I rode together and he had an absolute blast!

    Good times!

    Pre-visit, staff was very knowledgeable about ride limitations for guest accommodation. On the day of the visit, staff assisted in getting a guest with a medical condition to the ride and did not make the guest feel as if their assistance was a burden. The ride is awesome. I would definitely recommend purchasing the 3 ride package. For our party, everyone felt timid on the first ride, then comfortable on the second ride, and then let themselves be daredevils on the third ride. Most of the carts have go pro like cameras and the picture package is reasonable. I plan to bring all my guests to experience this ride. The staff are all polite, helpful, reassuring, and just overall nice.

    The lady who gave me an attitude at check in
    Mayra L.

    I came here yesterday, they turned my family away because we didn't make a reservation and refused for us park and make the reservation. Mind you, we had 3 separate cars so there were 3 families. I asked if the 3 families could come up and purchase tickets and she said no. So I returned to my cabin and came back the next day. At check in for one I wasn't even greeted, which you would think if 12 people are coming you would have great customer service. I was getting tickets for my family and the lady in the beige outfit was very rude and had an attitude, I recommend you have better customer service when people are coming in here and spending money. If there was another place I would spend my money elsewhere.

    Shannon D.

    Excellent, Excellent experience. Purchase tickets in advance on their website!!! This facility is organized so well!!! We had no issues purchasing our tickets online. We chose a date and time, then had to cancel. I was able to easily rebook to another date. They sell out over the weekend, I suggest purchasing in advance. On "busy" days they suggest arriving 10 minutes before your time slot or at exact time. I had no issue finding parking. Once you enter upstairs you get in line to pay. You can do a single ride or bundle of 3 rides. Highly recommend the bundle. They offer a military discount, thank you. After you pay you stand in line, which was short since they follow a time stamp ticket. So smart!!! (Other places we have been did not offer this and the wait was ridiculous) The ride!!!! So much fun, so smooth and an awesome experience. On the back of your ticket is a white sticker that can scan to order a video and images. $12! Well worth it to me. We had our video and over 100 images within minutes. Halloween decor was fun. I am hoping we can squeeze in a "night time" ride soon. Highly recommend. To the owners, your staff are polite, friendly and engaging. Stellar customer service.

    Coaster
    Joel H.

    Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster is an outdoor alpine roller coaster in the mountains near Banner Elk, North Carolina. To ride the coaster, reservation times are booked through the website. Arrive at your scheduled time because parking is limited (we arrived early and were told to come back). When purchasing you have the option of booking three rides or one. Seeing the line, I only booked a single ride. Next time I'd book three because they are continuous (no getting off and then getting back on). The cool thing about the coaster is you control the speed (to brake or not to brake, that is the question). My son (6 years old) and I ran through as fast as we felt comfortable and it was a very exhilarating experience. After the ride, check out the gift shop for cool Alpine Coaster drip. They also have a coffee shop. I would definitely do this again!

    Ticket
    Andrew P.

    Fun place to alpine slide near Boone Nc. Went here Friday morning during App State's spring break. It was raining, so that brought down the potential rider competition even further. This made it a little too quick for us, since even with a group of 8 we were probably finished with 3 laps under 30 min. The staff put up some plexiglass to block the rain, so the ride was nice and dry. The speed is based on if you apply the brakes or not. You get some nice air if you let go and let God ;) make sure you leave some distance between you and the rider ahead. At the end you can buy the video or shop the cute boutique inside that sells local goods and has a a plaid vibe.

    Abel R.

    First time riding a coaster like this. It was super fun. Before boarding the coaster a staff will let you know what to expect. He talked pretty fast so I wasn't able to capture everything he said. These little coaster go really fast. You maneuver how fast you want to go. Definitely get the bundle as one ride will not be enough. Also, they have a gift shop where you can buy your photos and videos of your ride. I absolutely recommend and definitely will do it again.

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    6 months ago

    Amazing ride! Tons of fun for our whole group. The workers were extremely friendly and made it even more fun!

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

    Do you have to have a reservation or do they allow walk ins?

    A registered checkin time is required to be guaranteed a ride. We do take walkins but it’s first come and first serve and only if we are not full. It is not guaranteed.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

    We got the bundle, which is 3 rides per person- definitely suggest doing that (each ride passes by in no time).

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

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    Land of Oz

    Land of Oz

    5.0(6 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    This has been on our bucket list since we moved to Nc 2 years ago! I wasn't sure what to expect but…read moreit was AMAZING. I definitely feel it's a must see at least once in your life. No detail was missed! We took the chairlift up to Oz and obviously back down. There was amazing views and scenery. Once we got to Oz there was plenty of spots for us to take pictures at and meet the characters. All characters did such a great job in their role! There is some hills and walking that you may need to wear good shoes or take a rest. I saw older people resting quite a bit as some parts can be difficult, I mean you are on a mountain! I'm very overweight and I did fine with resting 2 times after a killer hill. We also did the scenic view trail (extra fee) beautiful! Such a neat place and glad we finally made it out!

    Honestly, I went in with fairly low expectations, and I left surprised at how much fun we had! We…read morearrived at the Beech Mountain Resort parking lot at 9:15am for our 10am time slot. There was plenty to do at the resort, including buying snack foods and shopping at Oz-themed booths. Around 9:30am we boarded the shuttle and then shortly after we left for the Land of Oz; we got there right at 10am. Without giving anything away, I was surprised at how coordinated the event was, and how we followed a pre-planned path, but we never felt like we were being hurried to the next event. I was concerned our tween boys would think the whole thing was hokey, but they had a blast too. All of the actors gave it their all, and I never saw anyone break character, which was impressive considering the amount of improv and crowd work they did. We zoomed through most everything, and we were done by a little after noon. If we had taken our time and gotten food at the Emerald City, we easily could have spent 1-2 more hours. It was an exciting event, and I'm so glad we went. There were lots of people in our time slot (1 shuttle and two school buses full), but everything was so well paced that it didn't feel overcrowded. Bit of advice: bring water and snacks in a backpack unless you are ready to pay a premium to buy them at the Land of Oz.

    Photos
    Land of Oz
    Land of Oz
    Land of Oz

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    Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park

    Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park

    5.0(31 reviews)
    30.2 mi

    This is a great little stop. Fun for all ages. You walk through what seems like a mile of trails…read morewith a different dinosaur every few steps. There is information on each species and hands-on activities like dusting for dinosaur prints. Everything is on the honor system so your donation goes in at the beginning but they also have a gift shop which is really great considering that no one is there watching. It restores my faith and humanity to know that people are so honest. It does say this is a dog friendly activity, but a tied up barking dog on the other side of the fence made part of the journey a little bit difficult for my small dog. She was almost as frightened by the neighbor's dog as I was of some of the exhibits I went through that had sound and scared the heck out of me. They don't call it backyard terriers for nothing :) but it's all in fun. Don't be afraid of the parking even though it can get a little tight. We had fun and this is definitely an affordable way to kill some time and keep the kids busy while they learn.

    Bring your kids or just pretend you're one for the day!…read more We had no clue what we were getting into with our arrival. We were just looking for something to do. It was free with a suggested 5 dollar donation. We donated before we knew what we were getting into but darn it, we were SO IMPRESSED!!! There must have been 50 dinos over acres and acres of land. I got in a good mile of walking there. What a fun way to spend an hour or two!

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    Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park
    Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park
    Backyard Terrors Dinosaur Park

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    Mystery Hill

    Mystery Hill

    3.9(66 reviews)
    11.3 mi

    We had such a great time and ended up picking up the base ticket that includes: Gravitational…read moreAnomaly, Hall of Mystery, Bubblerama, Native American Artifacts, 2903 Dougherty House & Farmyard, Rodeo Rampage Bull Ride Challenge. It is a really cool place to visit, walking in that gravitational anomaly room is the weirdest sensation I've ever felt, but it is something cool to experience. In the hall of mystery, we literally let our inner child just wander around. And sadly we weren't able to do the bull ride, because of timing. For sure it is a place where you can spend your day in there. They're very hospitable and our tour guide was very funny.

    A pretty fun straightforward diversion good for rounding out an afternoon in Blowing Rock. I ended…read moreup coming here on a day trip weekend getaway. I'm originally from Michigan and grew up pretty close to the Mystery Spot in the Upper Peninsula, so I was somewhat familiar with this sort of place. I ended up checking out the "gravitational anomaly" room along with the "Hall of Mysteries" but none of the other stuff. There was also Axe Throwing and some sort of Native American History Museum but didn't see those as I was somewhat pressed for time. There was also somewhat randomly a huge obscure soda collection which was kind of cool. And they also had Vernors which as a former Michigander I appreciated. The "gravitational anomaly " room was pretty cool and is obviously the main focus of this place. There were a few demonstrative tools like a water flow demonstration, a rubber ball on a track that apparently defies gravity and a swingset. The room itself isn't too large and those three things were the only "tools" in there but goofing around in the room on your own is plenty entertaining as you can see from the attached pictures. Beyond that the "Hall of Mysteries" was basically a small section of optical illusions and science demonstrations which was interesting enough but something probably more interesting to and suited to kids. Overall the place is cool but kind of feels like it doesn't know what it's trying to be beyond the "gravity room" and feels like it could use a little update and some more focused development/presentation. If you haven't been before it's probably worth experiencing at least once if you're going to be in the area and have time for it. They also have a Zoltar machine, which is always a plus in my book.

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    Mystery Hill - Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Mystery Hill
    Mystery Hill - Gem Mine

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    Gem Mine

    Great Wolf Lodge

    Great Wolf Lodge

    3.3(496 reviews)
    82.9 mi

    So this was our first time to this location-we have always gone to the Poconos location which is…read morelarger. So I will try not to compare the two and just review this location, but there may be some comparisons. Pros: 1. Magiquest: this was definitely my girls favorite thing as Poconos only has one game. Here they have several different types of magiquest, so this consumed most of their time! I had a slightly hard time figuring it out but my husband and older daughter figured it out quick. One of the standouts here!! 2. VR and laser tag. My kids LOVED this especially the VR. And they have games for all levels. 3. Staff: while at times it didnt seem there was enough staff, the ones we dealt with, were so friendly and helpful. 4. Pool: Not comparing it to the Poconos, the water park was fun and the girls loved the outside pool 5. Location: if you dont want to spend money on food and snacks there...there is everything nearby! You cannot beat the location! Cons: 1. Water Park: So while it is great: it is small!! My older daughter did get a little bored after a while and due to limited staff, one worker would often be working TWO slides making lines move extremely slow. By it was still fun. 2. It wouldn't be a review if I didn't mention the food. And it is RESORT food not a 4 star restaurant, so I get it. The food in the water park is fine-not fancy but spendy of course. The buffet was my least favorite thing about this resort. Almost $100 for a family of four and the food was not great and the variety was very limited. My kids ate less then half a plate and I was done after half my meal. And drinks were NOT included which blew my mind. We did not go back and ate out after this meal. 3. VR and laser tag: while my kids loved it, their scheduling stinks. It is first come first serve, so we went twice and it was a 2+ hour wait. So they put your name down and call you when it is your turn, it is not a reserved time. So you are kind of wandering around waiting for your number to be called. We were nervous about going to water park in case they called us. And then once u start the VR, it is only nine minutes long!! And it takes almost five minutes to figure out what the heck to do!! And it was $50 for a family of four for nine minutes! 4.Missing parents: as the night goes on, it is a free for all with kids. Idk where the parents are...but it was 10 pm and kids were racing around doing magic quest and shouting and not a parent in sight. I understand this place is for kids....but it amazed me the kids I saw running around alone 5. Avoid arcade if you can!! We always get sucked in and hundreds of dollars later, I have bags full of crap from the tickets they won that I throw in the garbage a week later. Games are SUPER expensive!! And cost!!! Everything is expensive and there are always charges I cant explain on our bill but after going to GWL for years...I have learned to accept them and move on! You cannot get a hold of a physical person concerning your bill and you will never see money back if they over charged you!! Needless to say: if we come back to North Carolina, my girls would like to come back to this location. They had a blast and we made good memories!!

    Our daughter requested to go back for her 5th birthday so we did (1 year later). It seems to have…read moregone slightly down since last year in cleanliness, noise, and staffing. Water park's drain was barely draining (black sludge), food and trash was pretty consistent throughout the indoor part. Outdoor pool was opened this time and so much cleaner and quieter. Food is overly expensive for park quality. Plenty of options all around so we opted to skip the breakfast buffet to save money. We did $50 meal plan to save money and that got us a pizza, a pasta dish, & one bottled lemonade for family of 4. Was looking for a quiet place for business center (like most of hotels) and was informed to use the 4th floor lobby area that overlooked the water park by several staff members as a quiet space for some critical meetings. The area was definitely less traffic but two huge screens that pipes noise throughout was not ideal. No power outlet at all. I understand it's a family park but a business center room would have been nice. I ended up plugging into an outdoor outlet between indoor water park and rope course and pulling up two patio chair (not ergonomic at all). Kids and family hung around yelling during my meetings while they were waiting on members from rope course. Lost my water bottle, filed report, and checked 3x day but no success. After checking and already on the way home I got call and still waiting on them to ship it. Housekeeping staff were very friendly and helpful. Lifeguard staff wasn't and very understaffed, irritated at kids running wild (where are the parents). Entertainment schedule was very good and variety of options. I hope staffing and cleanliness will improve and looking forward to a business center and fitness center as well!

    Photos
    Great Wolf Lodge
    Great Wolf Lodge
    Great Wolf Lodge

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    Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - amusementparks - Updated May 2026

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