ThrillRide! Special Features

If Architectural Digest ever gets around to a cover story on the nation's finest thrill ride edifices, Dollywood better be all over that.

As Brent notes in the podcast, the "aspirational" message of this coaster is unique, very Dollywood.

The coaster community can and does quarrel about the merits and flaws of B&M coasters, but I think we can all agree that when it comes to seats and harnesses, nobody does it better than Walter, Claude and their team. Wild Eagle's cars hold you in just fine, and do so in such a comfortable, minimally restrictive way.

A+ for the way they've positioned the ride into the topography of the park. Placing the lift hill at the bottom of a rise keeps this coaster's strongest feature – the epic beauty of the Smoky Mountains – hidden away until we're ready to fly.

Though they are designed for a safe and simple evacuation, should that ever be necessary, the wide staircases on either side of the lift also help keep that view from clear sight during the ascent.

When we do finally crest the lift hill, the dramatic reveal of the view forward is breathtaking.

The first drop is fantastic: smooth, fast, the wide-open seating joyous, and that panoramic view of the Smokies is simply incomparable.