NightFlight Expedition to Open Soon at Dollywood

Dolly Parton shares an update on Dollywood’s most ambitious project to date

Allen & Burns. Martin & Lewis. Hope & Crosby. Naughton & Parton. When Dolly Parton hits the stage with Dollywood Parks and Resorts President Eugene Naughton, it’s like watching a classic comedy act. Naughton – usually playing the straight man – works his way diligently through the script. Meanwhile, Parton tells stories, entertains and prods her co-star, delighting in the opportunity to throw him off and make him laugh. 

It was no different as the two took to the stage at Celebrity Theater to kick off Dollywood’s 41st season. The crowd – and pretty much everyone in the world – was thrilled to see Dolly back on stage after a few- month hiatus. However, at Dollywood this season, everything is centered squarely around the park’s newest attraction. NightFlight Expedition is a first-of-its-kind-in-the-world.

What is NightFlight Expedition?

During the opening event Naughton repeatedly referred to it as Dollywood’s 11th roller coaster. It seemed to me like maybe they wanted to drive that point home. Previously, execs had gone out of their way to say it wasn’t a coaster. Maybe the marketing has discovered that people are confused about exactly what it is and so they’re pushing the 11th coaster branding now. 

But it really is a four-in-one ride experience that takes guests above the mountains at night and plunges them down into a rapids ride. Naughton said it won’t get guests very wet as all. It attaches to a track, transforming to a dark ride before turning into a traditional roller coaster. 

“NightFlight Expedition is the ride that industry experts, media and influencers have all called the most anticipated attraction of 2026,” said Naughton. “This ride is going to be a game changer for the theme park world. But it isn’t the only game changer for Dollywood this season. I am so excited to participate in Dollywood’s ‘Run Dollywood’ race alongside the other participants. I also can’t wait to watch families make even more memories together during our brand-new, after-hours events and other festival offerings. This truly will be the most exciting season at Dollywood yet.”

The family friendly ride will be thrilling, but with a relatively low height limit so kids and adults can enjoy.

“Being the fact that it is our 11th coaster, we had to throw some other things into the bucket so to speak,” Naughton said. “That’s why we built a 60-foot water tower that holds a half a million gallons of water that’s going to carry us through the rapids portion of the ride.”  

“How many gallons of water?” Dolly asked. “A half a million gallons of water,” Naughton replied. 

“Y’all better hope and pray my water don’t break,” Parton said. “That’s a lot of water. If we were gonna be havin’ a baby we’d be havin’ a mess out there. That would wash Dollywood right off the map.”

Will Dolly ride NightFlight Expedition?

Whenever Dolly announces a new ride at the park, she’s inevitably asked if she’d ride it. The answer has always been, without fail, no. Naughton said, however, he’s determined to get her on this one. 

“I’ve been trying to convince Dolly, to guarantee her to be on this ride and I almost had her until she saw the rapid experience and saw all that water and she said ‘Nope. I’m not doin’ that.”

“You’re not gonna get wet on this ride somebody told me and that’s a good thing to know, especially in the wintertime,” Dolly said.

“We just want people to be excited about the thrill of that but you really don’t have to worry about being too wet,” Naughton explained. “This ride system actually won the innovation award at IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) in 2025 and we’re taking that ride and putting it on steroids. Mack Rides has really helped us.”

“We’re using steroids at Dollywood now?” Dolly interrupted. “I thought we were a family park.” 

“There you go,” Naughton said. “You just never know what she’s gonna say when you’re on stage.”

“Well, she don’t either,” Parton followed, cracking him up. “I’m gonna get fired one of these days for good.”

Later, Dolly said that even though she won’t ride it, she’s very, very proud of all the things Naughton and his team have done. 

“I have a tendency to get motion sickness is one of the reasons I don’t ride the rides,” she said. “I used to get sick on the merry-go-round when I was a kid on the playground. But I do hear a lot of input and feedback on all the stuff that we do. And besides, like I said before, I got too much to lose. Like my hair and my shoes and other stuff.”

“Let’s not talk about the other stuff,” Naughton said. “Everybody else talks about ‘em.” Dolly shot back. “Why can’t you? Shock and awe.” 

Where is the ride located?

The ride is located inside a 44,000 sq. ft., temperature-controlled facility. This allows it to operate independently of the Smoky Mountain weather. At the heart of the ride’s adventure is the search for Secret Lake, the water source thought to provide Wildwood Grove’s Wildwood Tree with its colorful glowing canopy.

Guests set out on their expedition to find Secret Lake with the help of twin scientists, Cora, and Jasper Oakley. They just happen to be the niece and nephew of Wildwood Grove’s resident wilderness explorer, Ned Oakley. The twins, who work out of a hangar at Hidden Hollow Aviation, have invented the Bioluminator, a device designed to detect and amplify bioluminescence, the biochemical emission of light by living organisms. Cora and Jasper mount the device onto their family’s one-of-a-kind amphibious aircraft to illuminate the Wildwood Tree’s glowing roots and follow them to Secret Lake.

Along the way guests will soar, plunge, climb and navigate.

Expansion of Wildwood Grove 

A few years ago, Dollywood announced a resort plan that could have as many as five HeartSong style resorts on property. To fill that much inventory, I assumed Dollywood would need to have another gate – aka theme park – like Disney or Universal Studios that has multiple theme parks on property. 

But then I heard a Dollywood exec say that within the company, the consider the Wildwood Grove expansion something akin to its own it’s own new gate, like a theme park within a theme park. When NightFlight is done, Wildwood Grove would have seven rides – three of which are coasters – as well as dining and a play area. For comparison, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando has nine rides.

And at the Celebrity Theater Naughton confirmed what has been said before. Wildwood Grove is not done expanding. There are phases planned beyond NightFlight. “We’re just going to keep extending the Wildwood Grove story for you.”

Are you exited for all of the changes to come at Dollywood? Let us know in the comments and on the socials!

Are you excited as we are about the new indoor Dollywood ride? Let us know in the comments!