Time posts a list of the top 10 weirdest amusement parks

Maybe Richard can chime in here. Because, I don't think many of us would have been to most of these parks. That being said, there are a lot of words I would use to describe Dollywood. But, weird isn't one of them. How about: beautiful; friendly; awesome food; great atmosphere; family friendly; wonderful theming.

Dollywood is weird. It's run by an eccentric bosomy old woman singer and has a unique and odd assortment of attractions. It may not be as weird as BonBon Land, but it's pretty weird for this country.

Blazing Fury is about as "weird" as the attractions get and that is more a product of its time than anything. Everything else about Dollywood is just what Jason said. The park is one of the best in the nation with probably the most geniune employees we have found anywhere. This list just took the Dolly Parton factor and ran with it.

At firat I started thinking there was nothing odd to note about the rides. Then re-reading bjames' post, he said attractions. I suppose the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Chasing Rainbows Museum are kind of odd.

And Blazing Fury. Which is wonderful!

Ohhh, So THAT'S what their "weird" Facebook post was all about. lol

The park IS unique, but I don't know if it is any weirder than any other theme park.

I'd agree that Dollywood is a little odd right enough.

The only other two on the list I've been to are BonBon-Land (which has the Dog Fart Coaster -- need I say more?) and Beijing Shijingshan (which has a Disney-esque castle surrounded by hideously rough chinese knockoffs of obsolete coaster designs). I wouldn't argue either of those.

I don't know if I'd classify half the places on that list as theme or amusement parks, as opposed to offbeat tourist attractions. With some of the names on that list, they should remove Dollywood from the list and replace it with South of the Border.

Marine Land would be somewhere on my list. It's been a long time since I visited. The park felt massive- 1200 acres overall. Of that land, 700 acres are developed, another 500 free for expansion. There were probably 17 guests when I went. Factoring in the size of the park, and that gave an eerie sort of feel to the place.

Dragon Mountain was one of my first looping coasters. I hope this one has many many many years left.
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Probably the best looking trains on an Arrow looper.
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I really want to go back up there to give it a spin again- before it joins Shockwave and Great American Scream Machine on the scrap heap.

Marine Land is definitely kind of weird. There's just a slightly-off vibe about the place.

I think Dollywood circa 2004 was definitely 'odd' for US theme parks (and more so before that I'd assume based on what I've heard). But since then the park has been in overdrive and has been theming sections and adding stuff like crazy. It's definitely not your run of the mill regional park, but it's very nice, and I'm not sure it's 'weird' so much as different.

Silver Dollar City TN (pre-Dolly), 1982. My brother actually got to fire a black-powder rifle in the park, at Craftsmen's Valley. Didn't seem *that* unusual to me back then, but by today's standards...

I think you guys are all missing the point.

What I think they're suggesting is weird about the park is that it's a theme park owned by, named after and themed to (to some degree) a country music singer/actress.

I think this is another case of being too close to the subject matter. For average folks, the idea that Dolly has a theme park is pretty quirky.

Might be quirky but she does have a couple of big hills and a deep valley.

Dolly is not the first singer to own a theme park. Michael Jackson had the Neverland Ranch, which he planned to expand before all the lawsuits and child sex abuse cases started. He also planned to open an amusement park in Detroit. But that never went through.

Conway Twitty also had somewhat of a themed town named after him called Twitty City. I think Elvis had bumper cars at Graceland, and loved amusement parks.

I agree with most everyone on here, that Dollywood isn't weird. I would think that a place like Celebration City would have been a bit more off the wall, considering it's mainly Christian theme. And, Didn't Bill Mahr go to some theme park where guests actually watch a reinactment of Jesus dying on the cross? I think that would be WEIRD!!

I agree that a Jesus show would be weird. Seeing Jesus being crucified in person does not seem entertaining to me. There is a show like that in Pigeon Forge next to Wonderworks. I refuse to see it.

When I was a kid, I remember for some reason that it was a popular idea that famous people owned amusement parks. It probably came from Walt Disney parodies, like in National Lampoon's Vacation, and various TV show episodes. I remember it was always a subject of play for me. "I'll be the famous rock n' roll singer who owns an amuuuusement park, and you be the mommy taking your kids on the rollller coaster!"

...So the Dolly half-owning an amusement park doesn't seem weird to me at all.

Timber-Rider said:
I agree with most everyone on here, that Dollywood isn't weird. I would think that a place like Celebration City would have been a bit more off the wall, considering it's mainly Christian theme. And, Didn't Bill Mahr go to some theme park where guests actually watch a reinactment of Jesus dying on the cross? I think that would be WEIRD!!

I'm pretty sure that would be Holy Land. And yeah, the entire place just sounds like a "Why in the world do people go?" situation.

Timber-Rider said:
And, Didn't Bill Mahr go to some theme park where guests actually watch a reinactment of Jesus dying on the cross? I think that would be WEIRD!!

LostKause said:
I agree that a Jesus show would be weird. Seeing Jesus being crucified in person does not seem entertaining to me. There is a show like that in Pigeon Forge next to Wonderworks. I refuse to see it.

maXairMike said:
I'm pretty sure that would be Holy Land. And yeah, the entire place just sounds like a "Why in the world do people go?" situation.

Four words. Passion Of The Christ.

For whatever reason people eat that crap up. We're probably weird for not being interested.

Yeah...I dunno. As a Christian, I thought Passion was a great, very moving film, yet I personally wouldn't want to see a live reenactment of the crucifixion in a Bible-based theme park. In fact, I think a Bible-based theme park is kind of weird, and I'm all for getting the message of Christianity out there. I guess if I went and/or saw the reenactment, I might change my mind, but I really have no desire to go.