Home > Tennessee > Dollywood > Mystery Mine

Mystery Mine
Website: Dollywood Homepage
Ride Type: Steel Coaster
Ride Status: Running
Average Rating: 4.2857
TPC Overall Rank: Rides need more than 25 reviews to be ranked.
Reviews: 18
Last Review: 11/30/2012 11:25:00 PM
In User Top 10: 7 times.
User Tracker Count: 26 times.
 

Post Review
You must login or create an account to post a review.
 
Page [ 1 of 1 ] [ 1 ]
4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up scubaski on 11/30/2012 11:25:00 PM
Nice ride with a few surprises. Can't ride it if its below 36 degrees.

5 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up SamJane on 7/27/2010 8:28:00 PM
The day began like any other when visiting an amusement park with my dad...Wake up, do the drive, and arrive. Walk in the gates, and stand in awe at the towering coasters and thrill rides as well as the scenery. As you're walking along the pathway you come across a vulture. He lures you closer, intrigues you, and before you know it, you're standing in line to ride...Mystery Mine! Mystery Mine has got the theming down pat! The vulture, the mist, the creaks and cracks, even old mining myths, like "If the canary ain't tweetin'...you'll be sleepin'!". I got so nervous my dad had to force me to ride it! The ride starts out with climbing into these small, 2 row, 4 seats in each trains. Over the shoulder harnesses slam down and lock into place. There's no going back now... Suddenly you're launched forward and without any time to think, you plunge into darkness! You can catch only glimpses of eerie ravens and quietly musing canaries. A hairpin turn ensues. Then you see it. The thing you've been waiting for. The lift hill, that famous lift hill. 5 seconds after slowing to a stop in front of this 90 degree hill, the gears start to turn! For 15 gut wrenching seconds you're lifted STRAIGHT up. A small hill precedes an 85 degree drop, then a few inversions arrive. After passing said inversions, it's right back into the mine. A canary falls over dead, an eerie foreshadowing effect. We continue into the shaft before another lift hill straight up. At the top is a window, with thunder and lighting and a raven perched at the edge! Then darkness. We arrive at the top of the hill when a fuse begins to burn! Suddenly flames erupt so close you feel the heat on your face! Then you drop. You drop. Drop at a 95 degree angle. Your stomach squishes about and you feel so horrible afterwards, but in a strangely good way. Another loop and it's back into the station.

5 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up TN Soccer Ref on 8/12/2009 7:31:00 AM - User's Top Ride #1
This was the first coaster that I went on that went upside down on. I love it. The theme is great. It seems most coasters start out with a bang and end slower. This one is the opposite. Great last run one this ride.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up jesussaves on 6/12/2009 10:31:00 AM
I saw pictures of this ride when they were building it and was really thinking it was going to be one of the the greatest things in coaster history with what looked to be insane angles on curves and hills (one of the hills is a 95 degree drop). Once I rode it however I was slightly dissapointed. The ride does have some crazy angles like the pictures showed but for all except the last part of the ride it seemed to go slower than most mine rides. The last part makes up for it though with a lift hill that goes straight up with a screen above you showing something happening to the mine shaft. then another surprise and on to the big drop and then a couple of inversions that end up leaving you upside down until it seems it will stop that way and then finally curves back under to the end brakes. That and the great theming is why this gets a 3.75 rating from me.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up khmaverick on 4/7/2009 5:08:00 PM
When I got to Dollywood, I didn't really have high expectations for Mystery Mine. Fortunately, this is a very high quality ride and is a great addition to the park. The mine building has a presence in this park and it's a very photogenic building. The ride itself is also fun to watch.

Mystery Mine is a ride that found the perfect balance between thrills and theming. There is an animatronic raven and the entrance to the ride that talks every once in a while. I got some amusement watching little kids yelling at this bird because it wouldn't talk. The rest of the line is filled with 'danger' signs and little odds and ends that make you feel like you're really in a coal mine. One of my favorite things is a sign talking about canaries in mines, which foreshadows events to come.

This ride is fun right out of the station. There is a small but sharp drop and then the ride turns through some mining scenery. In this portion of the ride is the only rough part. The train changes direction abruptly, which causes some painful headbanging. The vertical lift is fun element that is a lot better than a standard chain lift. Once you're at the top, there's a turn and some breaks, and then the fun begins.

Right off the brake run, there's a near vertical drop and an elevated turn the nearly stalls at the top. Then there's some twisting, and break run, and some more twisting until you go back in the mine building. The train slows, and if you look to your left, you can see a fake canary die. This means bad stuff is about to happen. There's another vertical lift, which is themed with a video clip and loud horror music. at the top, you'll find that there's holding breaks. The train pauses, and everything around you begins shaking. In front of you, some barrels burst into flames and then you fall. You go past vertical and a camera takes you're picture. The train then rises and speeds through one and a half barrel rolls. Halfway through the second, the train stops spinning and there's a straight section of inverted track. Then you fall down again. Pulling out of that last inversion, you rise up onto the brake run and soak in the ride you just had.

Overall this is a great ride. Most of the ride is smooth. The theming is great, and it provides great thrills. The layout includes a lot of unique elements and inversions, which, along with the theming, make this a uniquely awesome ride. Mystery Mine makes a great addition to Dollywood's collection of consistantly good large rides.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up methos on 6/29/2008 2:15:00 PM
I liked the ride, lots of sudden changes in direction. the ride is very well themed and fits in good. It has its own soundtrack. The begining of the ride is sorta mello and laied back small quick turns and drops. After the Second lift hill though it gets intresting and has a lot of speed. the effects on this ride and themeing are what make it good. It is a bit ont the rougher side so be sure to brace yourself well.

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up biosciking on 5/18/2008 5:01:00 AM
Mystery Mine was a very unique and original coaster (to me anyway, as this is as of now my only Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter experience). The ride sort of moved in fits and starts, so Im interested to see how this type of coaster holds up out in the open without any theming. However, with the theming and indoor / outdoor components added in this one worked really well. To be honest, I couldnt follow the whole crow / canary storyline thing, but the rest of the mine theming was very nice. The first half of the ride (the straight-down drop and all of the curves and dips that took place behind the Mystery Mine buiding) were certainly fun, but this portion was definitely somewhat head-banging. It was the second half that really won me over. The long vertical climb up the mine shaft was a little unnerving, and the cool effects they had projecting on the cieling added to the brilliance. Another great effect met us at the top (lets just say it involved fire), and then the coaster car was sent down a wonderful drop that led back outside into an amazing barrel roll and dive loop. These were executed perfectly - back to back, smooth and swift, with great hangtime. I cant say that Mystery Mine was better than Thunderhead or Tennessee Tornado, but it was equally as good, and therefore a real winner for Dollywood.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up T-Rex on 12/19/2007 2:35:00 PM
Amazing roller coaster that absolutely took my breath away. The mine theming was outstanding and it was filled with many small details, and best of all, it worked very well with the ride. The first outside part with the vertical drop gave some great air and then the following turns provided some strong Gs with only minimal headbanging. The second vertical drop was exceptionally thrilling, as it was totally unexpected by me and it gave great ejector air. Then I was treated to the insane barrel roll and dive loop, which gave some great hang-time and strong Gs.

4 Rating
+3 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Timberman on 9/16/2007 12:35:00 AM
From the first time I saw a Euro-Fighter in "ACE News," Ive been itching to get on one. The ultra steep drops and convoluted layouts of these rides have great visual appeal, so I was intially a bit surprised and disappointed that Dollywood choose a theme that enclosed so much of the track. Shows what I know.

I really dont want to say too much about Mystery Mine, because the themeing turns out to be an integral and very effective part of the ride. The grand finale, in particular, is a real doozie. Im not sure what you call that last manuever, but the hangtime is superb and quickly emptied my pockets of change (which, remarkably, an attendant had waiting for me as I exited the station). Other critics have mentioned the 90-degree lift hills, so Ill just add that I loved this aspect of the ride. While not quite as clausterphobic and scary as those on a Toboggan, they are longer, and they work particularly well with the themeing.

I had the excellent good fortune of visiting Dollywood on a day when Mystery Mine was a walk-on, so I could ride as much as I wanted. However, I had to pace myself, as rapid-fire rerides became a bit grueling. I experienced some slight headbanging on the outer seats, but nothing that I would call punishing. Indeed, given the moves Mystery Mine pulls off, I thought the restraint system was about as comfortable and unobtrusive as feasible. Rather, the inversions on this ride are unlike any Ive experienced, and multiple rides in quick succession tended to make my stomach, as Shakespeare would say, inconstant. Im still not clear on how the mine motif accounted for this aspect of the ride. Perhaps a more natural theme would be the fighter jets implied by the coasters model designation. You could call it "Airshow: the Ride."

Having chosen to go with a mine theme, however, Dollywood went all out, and to excellent effect. I grew up in a coal-mining region of the Appalachian Mountains, and Mystery Mine does a great job of capturing the meloncholy but stubbornly-proud aura of a coal mine. Along with the elaborate building that houses about 50% of the coaster are a host of small touches, like the board listing the daily wages for different jobs in the mines (with the proviso that they are based on a minimum shift of 12 hours) and another specifying which jobs are available to teens and preteens. The ride even has its own greeter, identified on his nametag only as "Old Coot." He certainly looked the part, but far from an ornery ol cuss, he was actually quite friendly and talkative and seemed very proud of Dollywoods latest addition. My favorite sign, however, bears the simple legend: "My lamp is my sun, and all my days are nights." That gave me chills. Its a hard life, and all too often an even harder death, that coal miners endure.

Somber notes nothwithstanding, Mystery Mine, like the rest of the big three roller coasters at Dollywood, is immensely fun and rideable, at least with short breathers between repetitions. The sharp, quick movements of the coaster are almost Schwartzkopfian, yet they take place on a much grander scale than the mobile rides they mimic. Dividing the coaster into two acts was a calculated move that works well here, although it does decrease the intensity somewhat. Overall, it was the right call for this ride at this park, but Id sure like to try a Euro-Fighter in full-attack mode some day. In the meantime, Dollywood clearly has found the mother lode with a ride that nimbly combines fun, intensity, themeing, and rideability with a hint of tribute and conciousness-raising to boot.<

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up chingdog on 8/16/2007 11:53:00 AM
I rode this a couple of days ago with my 10 year old son. We are not experts on coasters but really enjoyed this ride. The line was quite shorter than we expected which was nice. The bad part was both rides were in the back row and not the front. It did bang us pretty hard on one section early on but otherwise was fairly confortable. I agree with others on here that the first half is fun but not too thrilling. The 2nd lift hill is GREAT and the long slow hanging upside down element of it was unique. It is very well themed and does seem like a ride you would find in Disney World. I cant give it a 9 or 10 because it did seem like something was missing as far as the thrills...but it is a fun ride for sure. One thing we were talking about is the two vertical lift hills just seem like they would be very hard to maintain. It will be interesting over the next few year to see if their are maintenence problems with the ride in the future.

Page [ 1 of 1 ] [ 1 ]






Clicky Web Analytics