Inside NightFlight Expedition: The unique features of Dollywood’s biggest attraction yet
Dollywood has spent more than $60 million on a single attraction for the first time in its history, but NightFlight Expedition is difficult to define with a single familiar ride category.
Guests take flight over the mountains, encounter a whitewater rafting sequence amid more than 500,000 gallons of water, climb over a mountain ridge and ultimately splash into the mysterious Secret Lake.
NightFlight Expedition is also Dollywood’s 11th roller coaster, although the coaster is only one component of what Dollywood, Herschend Creative Studios and Mack Rides have built. We’ve been following NightFlight Expedition since its announcement, including the development of its unusual ride system and the four distinct experiences Dollywood promised would come together in one attraction.
The entire adventure is housed within a 44,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled building, adding a substantial indoor attraction to a park where weather can affect many of its major rides.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
NightFlight Expedition has a 39-inch minimum height requirement.
Important note: Dollywood did not allow any devices on board the ride itself, so our story below dives into the overall details and experiences of the attraction and contains photos of the areas we were allowed to photograph.
The adventure starts inside Hidden Hollow Aviation
NightFlight Expedition expands the original mythology of Wildwood Grove and connects directly to another of the land’s major attractions. Guests meet Cora and Jasper Oakley, twin scientists and the niece and nephew of Ned Oakley, the explorer introduced with Big Bear Mountain.
Photos from inside the completed attraction show just how much of that story unfolds before riders ever board.
Courtesy of Dollywood
Guests enter Hidden Hollow Aviation through a hangar containing the twins’ Botany Research & Exploration operation. Shelves are lined with colorful jars holding plant specimens. Tools and equipment fill the workshop, while a large botanical apparatus contains plants, moss and glowing purple mushrooms.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
Elsewhere, artwork depicts the Wildwood Tree with its roots spreading across the wall. Sitting beneath it is a book titled “The Legend of Secret Lake.”
Another sign invites guests to “Join Us For A NightFlight” as Cora and Jasper continue their search for that lake.
There is some environmental storytelling that gives guests something to discover even while waiting in line and builds upon the characters and places Dollywood has created specifically for Wildwood Grove. You can even call 865-868-0168, a phone number shown on one of the walls in the queue, to hear a fun message from the Hidden Hollow Aviation team.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
Four experiences, one unusual ride system
The twins’ expedition centers on their invention called the Bioluminator, designed to detect and amplify bioluminescence found naturally in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Mounted to a custom Smoky Mountain Tracker Vehicle, the device allows Cora and Jasper — and the riders joining them — to follow the glowing roots of the Wildwood Tree in search of Secret Lake, which is believed within the story to provide the water responsible for the tree’s colorful glowing canopy.
The custom Mack Rides vehicle interacts with physical scenery, multimedia projections, onboard and offboard audio and lighting as it progresses through the attraction.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
Early comments from riders at Friday’s media event help illustrate that mixture. WGN’s Marcus Leshock described NightFlight Expedition as “a lot of fun and beautiful” with thrills and “wow” moments. Responding to questions online, he said the attraction includes numerous practical set pieces in addition to screens and described its flying sequence as a screen-based simulator.
That combination helps explain why simply calling NightFlight Expedition a roller coaster doesn’t capture the scope of the attraction.
Mack Rides received the 2025 Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award for Best New Innovation for the ride system now utilized by NightFlight Expedition.
NightFlight includes a separate accessible loading area
One less flashy but potentially important element of NightFlight Expedition is how Dollywood handles boarding for guests who need additional time.
Leshock reported that the attraction includes a separate accessible loading area where guests using wheelchairs or requiring a slower boarding process can enter a ride vehicle at their own pace. The vehicle can subsequently move into the primary loading area and join the ride system.
It is an operational detail that could make the attraction considerably easier to board for some families, particularly on a ride with a relatively low 39-inch height requirement designed to accommodate a broad range of guests.
NightFlight Expedition begins soft opening for Dollywood passholders Aug. 15 as the park continues ramping up operation of its unusually complex new attraction.
Attractions Magazine representative Seth Kubersky attended Friday’s media event and experienced NightFlight Expedition during its initial operation. Kubersky will be sharing his firsthand observations of the attraction, which Attractions Magazine will share soon.
The search for Secret Lake hits close to home
Of all the technology, scenery and original mythology packed into Dollywood’s largest attraction investment, one seemingly simple detail immediately caught my attention: the name Secret Lake.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
Dollywood’s Secret Lake is fictional. Mine isn’t. I grew up in Casselberry, Florida, where Secret Lake and Secret Lake Park have been part of my life for decades. I celebrated a birthday there when I was a child. Years later, I returned to the same park to hold a birthday party for my son.
That particular celebration ultimately became more meaningful than we could have known at the time. It was the last birthday party my uncle attended before he unexpectedly passed away.
Dollywood’s version is a legendary place hidden somewhere in the Smokies, with Cora and Jasper following the glowing roots of the Wildwood Tree to find it. For me, seeing “Secret Lake” written on a sign inside NightFlight Expedition brings to mind a very different place — and memories stretching from my own childhood into my son’s.
That personal coincidence also feels particularly fitting for an attraction Dolly Parton says was designed around memories and a connection to place.
“This ride truly is an adventure that lets you see the mountains the way I always remember them, full of wonder and beauty,” Parton said. “Whether a family is coming for their hundredth visit or if they’re coming for their very first time, I hope they’ll make memories here that are just as special as the ones I made growing up.”
And perhaps that is ultimately what NightFlight Expedition is trying to capture: how a place, whether real or imagined, can become part of a family’s story long after the adventure ends.
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