River Rush Racing Toward May Opening

© Dollywood's Splash Country

The brand new 1,176 foot long River Rush water coaster at Dollywood's Splash Country is in its final phase of construction, and park officials are quite happy to show it off to the press.  The water park, which is located adjacent to Dollywood theme park, is spending $6 million to build the ride.

Construction workers are busy installing the magnets that will propel rafts up the hills of River Rush, giving the ride its roller coaster like description.  Standing four stories tall, the attraction features drops as steep as 45 degrees along the course.  Multiple riders will sit in each raft as they traverse the course, starting with a conveyor lift to the top of the ride.

The park has also released this point of view animation of River Rush, giving a preview of what riders will experience on the ride.  River Rush has a quoted hourly capacity of 720 passengers, which will certainly help to keep the line moving.

River Rush is planned to open in May when Splash Country starts its 2013 season.