What’s new, what’s different and what’s better on Blazing Fury
For most of the country, Independence Day was a chance to light up the nighttime sky with a cascade of colorful fireworks. But at Dollywood – and for the first time in the 2025 season – the ‘fire was in the hole.’
That’s right, Dollywood President Eugene Naughton – joined by Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson, members of the Pigeon Forge Fire Department team and Challenger, the Bald Eagle gathered just before the park opened for the Fourth of July to celebrate the return of a theme park icon.
Blazing Fury is a legacy attraction that predates the opening of Dollywood itself by 8 years. But now it is back and better than ever with a new sound-system, in ride improvements and refurbishments to the building and the iconic characters within.
In a park filled with thrilling coasters, this blast from the past serves as an important reminder that legacy and tradition still play an important role in a theme park’s success.
“Storytelling plays a vital part in the Dollywood experience,” Naughton said. “Blazing Fury has a rich history of entertaining guests through a unique combination of a renowned thrill ride and classic storytelling. The experience is a core memory for millions of guests who have visited Dollywood through the years, so it was important that we make some refreshments to the ride to ensure it is here for them for another five decades.”
About Blazing Fury
The year was 1978. Herschend Family Entertainment had purchased the park that would become Dollywood two years earlier. They rechristened it Silver Dollar City – the same as its sister park in Branson, Missouri. The new park, however, needed more attractions. So, in 1972, the Herschends created Fire in the Hole – the world’s first indoor coaster based loosely on a gang of vigilante outlaws who had ruled the area near Missouri Silver Dollar City decades earlier and hid out in the cave which was the basis for that park.
They decided to take that successful concept and bring it to the Smokies. But with a few modifications – mainly losing the references to the Bald Knobbers. Remember it was 1978. They didn’t hire a crack team of professional ride engineers. They got some guys and let them go to town.
The result was a kitschy dark ride with bizarre theming, an out-of-nowhere-splashdown, and some comedy – both intentional and otherwise. Billed as a coaster, Blazing Fury is a dark ride filled with homemade animatronics, Hee-Haw style jokes and a good drop.
Even for 1978, it was kind of insane. But by today’s standards, it’s a wild ride in all the best ways. It’s an iconic connection to the park’s early days. A time when the park operated more on theme than thrills. And when Pigeon Forge and the mountain communities leaned a lot more heavily into their reputations than they do now.
Why was Blazing Fury closed?
Well, remember I said it was built in 1978 by people whose professional expertise wasn’t in roller coaster design? Of course, they did a fantastic job all things considered. But Dollywood President Eugene Naughton said it best when he referred to the 70s as a time without modern building codes. The ride needed work. Even with some modern track upgrades this century – which necessitated removal of the splashdown part of the ride – it was still a pretty rough go.
The ride itself is a much less bruising endeavor now. They also upgraded the sound system – “Weak back or not, Luther, here I come!” is now much more intelligible. Naughton also indicated they gave some TLC to the ride’s characters – like Molly and Luther – as well as its scenery. They also did some repair work on the building to fix what Naughton called light leaks. However, you and I would refer to them as holes. The dark ride is now once again, dark.
“While the heart and spirit of Blazing Fury remain unchanged, guests may notice a few enhancements throughout the ride. The ride has been refreshed overall with characters receiving new costumes, updated signage, some new track work and the waterfall area receiving a complete and beautiful rebuild. This work was done with respect for the attraction’s original charm.
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Was Blazing Fury ever in danger?
It appears not, though there were some concerns amongst the Dollywood fandom. Back in Branson, Fire in the Hole – the predecessor to Blazing Fury – was shut down, dismantled and replaced by a gleaming, glittering newer version of the ride. Is the new version better? Yes. I don’t think there’s any way you could say the new, modern version doesn’t outpace the old. It is unquestionably a much better ride experience. But in modernizing the ride, you lost a little of the kitsch, a little of the charm. In a vacuum, the new ride is a much better version. But some still, understandably, pine for the version they rode with their parents or grandparents.
It was that type of tradition that Naughton said the team at Dollywood wanted to preserve.
“Obviously you can tell by how passionate the guests are when they come to Dollywood, it’s a family tradition,” Naughton said. “We always say we’re a multi-generational experience from 2 to 92 and people have ridden Blazing Fury as their first roller coaster as a kid with their parents Now, they’re coming back with their grandkids. So, I feel really passionate about making sure that those experiences and those family memories can live on for a long time which is why we didn’t tear this experience down.”
What did the firefighters think of the ride?
Watson and a couple of groups of Pigeon Forge firefighters were the first to ride the newly reopened Blazing Fury. Naughton himself got an enthusiastic review from the children of one of the local firefighters. But Watson summed up the experience for his team.
“It was awesome. It was great,” said Watson. “The sound system is awesome. The upgrades are awesome. They did a really great job. I love what they did with it. Dollywood is just a great place to go, enjoy yourself and have a good time.
“Being a second-generation firefighter and being 10 years old when this thing opened, I grew up fighting fire in this thing. So, what an exciting time. My grandkids love that because of what their Papa does. My wife loves that. It’s such a great time to come up here.”
Dollywood and iHeart
The return of Blazing Fury wasn’t the only major announcement of the day.
The launch of “Dollywood Radio,” a special new station created by iHeartMedia and available to stream on iHeartRadio and the iHeartRadio app became official.
Dollywood Radio features programing from Parton herself. But there are also songs from her favorite artists across country, bluegrass, and gospel music. In recognition of the park’s 40th season, the station features songs highlighted as part of Dollywood’s in-park atmosphere music.
“We’re honored to partner with Dollywood to bring this one-of-a-kind listening experience to life exclusively on the iHeartRadio app,” said Jon Zellner, President of Programming Operations & Digital Music for iHeartMedia.
Pete Owens, Dollywood’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, echoed the sentiment of Zellner.
“The partnership with iHeartMedia to develop Dollywood Radio is exciting for us because it means our loyal fans can enjoy the sounds and excitement at Dollywood even if they aren’t able to be here,” Owens explained. … “We’re thankful for the opportunity to work with iHeartMedia to celebrate this milestone for the next year. We know our guests are going to enjoy being able to take a little bit of Dollywood home with them!”
Are you excited about the changes at Blazing Fury? Let us know what you think in the comments!