The End of the Line: Silver Dollar City Permanently Closing Thunderation Roller Coaster

Silver Dollar City has announced that their oldest coaster, Thunderation, will be closing following the end of the 2026 season.

What's Happening:

• Thunderation first opened in 1993 and has gone on to entertain generations of families for 33 years at the 1880s-themed park, and is considered one of the best mine train style coasters in the world.
• Since its debut, the Arrow Dynamics coaster has carried more than 27 million riders across more than 3,000 feet of track carved into the Ozarks terrain.
• 33 years later, the coaster has come to the end of its life and will permanently close following the final day of operation on January 2, 2027.

• The Marvel Cave Mining Company is taking back this section of the park for geological surveys, ordering Thunderation to vacate the tracks to make way for resumed mining operations inside Silver Dollar City.
• The mining company, which initially ceased operations in 1889, insists it is time to return to “good, honest work underground” deep within Marvel Cave and that the rails currently occupied by the coaster must be cleared.
• We believe this to be themed speak for a potential new attraction replacing Thunderation somewhere down the line.
• Rather than protest the decision, Silver Dollar City has declared the 2026 season a yearlong celebration of Thunderation, beginning with an opening-day ceremony on March 13 and culminating in a final sendoff on January 2, 2027.
• Special ride moments, promotional offers, commemorative merchandise and limited-time offerings will be unveiled throughout the season.

Dollywood Shares Sneak Peek at New NightFlight Expedition:

• Silver Dollar City's sister theme park, Dollywood, recently shared a look inside the massive show building for their under construction NightFlight Expedition attraction.
• Devotees may recall that Dollywood is currently building an innovative new ride that will treat guests to a spectacular experience later this year. 
• That ride, dubbed “Night Flight Expedition,” is four different experiences in one, some of which is visible in the latest episode of Dollywood’s webseries, The Making of NightFlight Expedition. 
• In this, the third episode, we get a peek inside the building and see much of the track going into place, along with computer renderings of the attraction so we see what the final experience will look like while seeing the current state of construction.