Tennessee Tornado facts for kids
The Tennessee Tornado is a thrilling roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States. It first opened on April 17, 1999. This ride was a big new addition for Dollywood and one of the last major roller coasters built by the company Arrow Dynamics. The Tennessee Tornado was built in the same spot where an older roller coaster, called Thunder Express, used to be.
In 2008, Dollywood added video cameras to the first three seats of the roller coaster trains. These cameras record riders as they experience the twists and turns. After the ride, you can watch your video and even share it online!
Quick facts for kids Tennessee Tornado |
|
|---|---|
.JPG)
Tennessee Tornado's logo
|
|
| Dollywood | |
| Location | Dollywood |
| Park section | Craftsmen's Valley |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Status | Open |
| Opening date | April 17, 1999 |
| Cost | $8,000,000 USD ($14.1 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Replaced | Thunder Express |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | Custom Looping |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 163 ft (50 m) |
| Drop | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Length | 2,682 ft (817 m) |
| Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:48 |
| Capacity | 1,360 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.7 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
 Must transfer from wheelchair |
|
| Tennessee Tornado at RCDB | |
Contents
History of the Tornado Coaster
Dollywood announced the Tennessee Tornado roller coaster on June 30, 1998. They hired Arrow Dynamics to build this new Custom Looping Coaster. Construction of the ride started in the fall of 1998 and was finished in early 1999. The station building from the old Thunder Express ride was used again for the new Tennessee Tornado. The ride officially opened to the public on April 17, 1999.
Exciting Ride Features
The Tennessee Tornado has some special features that make it different from other looping roller coasters built by Arrow Dynamics. When the coaster was being built, it had been a while since Arrow Dynamics had made a sit-down looping coaster. So, the designers created new parts and track designs just for this ride.
Some of its cool features include:
- A 110-foot tall loop
- Another loop
- A Sidewinder inversion
The ride also has two special turns called "overbanked curves." It also features a huge "Spiro loop" that is 110 feet tall. This is the biggest inversion on any roller coaster ever built by Arrow Dynamics!
The Tennessee Tornado also uses a different kind of support structure. Instead of the usual scaffolding-style supports seen on other Arrow Dynamics rides, it uses strong, tubular steel beams. This is similar to how roller coasters from another company, Bolliger & Mabillard, are built. This type of support was first used on a ride called Drachen Fire.
The Story Behind the Ride
The idea behind the Tennessee Tornado coaster is like a fun story. It's set in the late 1800s. The story says that a powerful tornado swept through Tennessee. This storm was so strong that it pulled all the minecarts out of a local mine and tossed them around!
Images for kids
-
The Tennessee Tornado as seen from the loading platform.
-
A view of the "Iron Butterfly" element from the platform.
