By Robert Niles VIA Theme Park Insider
We told you about this new attraction during its production, when I interviewed music director Brian Yessian about the composition and recording of the show’s soundtrack.
Designed in a steampunk style, SkyFly: Soar America is themed to a 1900’s world fair airship that provides tours of America’s greatest natural wonders. Soren Jensen shot the ride film for SkySight, while Nathan Padgett composed the score for Yessian Music. Dynamic Attractions is the ride manufacturer and co-developer.
“From the exterior, it’s complex and curious,” said Mason Schmitz of P+A Projects, which designed the building. “Inside is a fully themed attraction, telling a stirring, whimsical, and exhilarating story. Guests enter an inventor’s workshop, where their anticipation peaks and they board an ‘airship’ to ride above some of the most famous places in the United States. Dynamic out did themselves; guests are going to love it.”
Tickets start at $20 for the attraction, which is part of the 23-acre The Island in Pigeon Forge complex, which also includes the Great Smoky Mountain Observation Wheel and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Island Hotel. It’s located just up the parkway from Dollywood, on the road to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“With [more than] 11 million visitors to the region each year, SkyFly: Soar America couldn’t be better located,” Dynamic Technologies Group CEO Guy Nelson said. “The Island in Pigeon Forge attracts and entertains families and guests of all ages. It is one of America’s favorite places to eat, shop, play and stay. And now they can ‘fly’ there too, aboard the best flying theater attraction yet.”