Dollywood Takes Flight: Inside the $50 Million NightFlight Expedition Coming in 2026

[DonHelbig]

Here’s a piece I wrote for Theme Parks By Don on Dollywood’s new 50M attraction opening in 2026. It won’t win a Pulitzer, but I think it captures the spirit of the thing.

https://themeparksbydon.com/dollywood-nightflight-expedition-2026/

[KI Guy]

I first went to Dollywood about 20 years ago and the level of growth for that park since then is truly amazing. The ride that most sums up their approach to rides might be Mystery Mine. That was when they really hit their groove.

Those heavily themed not uber intense rides are what they do best. They seem to be operating with a budget and imagination that Six Flags will never reach. If KI were ever put up for sale Herschend would not be a bad buyer at all. I'd just want them to put in a thrill machine every so often.

[Outdoor Man]

So, $40M in 2018- when Orion was ordered- is worth $51M today. 

What I infer from this is that for the cost of Orion (which is a cut-and-paste "taller/faster" coaster that grows on trees in the CF/Six chain)- KI could have installed a perennial line generator that sells passes and tickets on it's own merit?

[IndyGuy4KI]

Great article, Don. If it becomes a hit, do you think other parks like a SIX park would follow suite?

[DonHelbig]

31 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Great article, Don. If it becomes a hit, do you think other parks like a SIX park would follow suite?

Thanks! They’d need to have not only the money to build something of this magnitude, but they’d need to have the people in place on the creative side that can do the storytelling at the level Dollywood does to captivate guests. NightFlight Expedition isn’t just a ride—it tells a story.

[IndyGuy4KI]

3 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Thanks! They’d need to have not only the money to build something of this magnitude, but they’d need to have the people in place on the creative side that can do the storytelling at the level Dollywood does to captivate guests. NightFlight Expedition isn’t just a ride—it tells a story.

Considering that team was let go at SIX, it does not seem likely.

[KI Guy]

2 hours ago, Outdoor Man said:

So, $40M in 2018- when Orion was ordered- is worth $51M today. 

What I infer from this is that for the cost of Orion (which is a cut-and-paste "taller/faster" coaster that grows on trees in the CF/Six chain)- KI could have installed a perennial line generator that sells passes and tickets on it's own merit?

I understand your point, from what I'm seeing though Orion was $30M which if adjusted to inflation from 2018 would be $38M today. Kings Island has never built a single attraction of this magnitude cost-wise.

The closest the old Cedar Fair parks have come to this in terms of investment dollars for a single attraction is Millenium Force which would cost $25M or $46M in today's dollars. The most ambitious attraction I know within the Six chain would be X at Magic Mountain which would cost $45M in 2002 or $80M!! in today's dollars.

Rides this ambitious are few and far between!