I Can't Believe I Paid $21 to Ride THIS

While many fans of themed entertainment often automatically think of the industry’s major players like Disney and Universal, the truth is that there are many, MANY themed experiences from companies large and small across the U.S.

©Attractions 360

And the truth is, from regional park chains to one-off family-owned amusement parks and even standalone attractions and rides, not all of these offerings are created equal. Case in point — there’s a ride our team members STILL can’t believe we paid for.

The attraction in question, which is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the home of Dollywood – – though let’s be clear, this is NOT a Dollywood ride – – is called the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride. This ride claims to feature “flying dinosaurs, walking dinosaurs, fighting dinosaurs, baby dinosaurs, sea monsters, and much, much more, all from the safety of your boat.” In concept, an indoor boat ride surrounded by animatronic dinosaurs sounds like it could be really cool, even if the standalone attraction clearly wouldn’t be on the same financial or technological level as something from Disney or Universal. However, in practice was a different matter.

©Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride

The approximately 12-ish-minute boat ride — and it is a SUPER slow-moving boat ride — kind of feels like the neglected sibling of the Jurassic Park River Adventure or even the departed Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. The dinosaur animatronics are a level of rickety that would fit in with a Simpsons parody of a theme park. Some pop out at the boat in a slight jump scare manner, while others pop up from the water. There was even one pterodactyl “flying” overhead that had seemingly kidnapped a CHILD. Again, all of these feel like they could be scary in concept, but the execution just makes them somewhat…bizarre.

©Fox/Disney

All of that makes the ride’s price tag of over $20 a bit hard to swallow, considering that the ride is one that many guests would likely skip at a theme park if it came with the price of admission. There is a silver lining here, though. Specifically, those who enjoy the “it’s so bad, they’re good” hokey tourist attractions may appreciate the ride and its cheese with a capital ‘C’ offering. If one went in with that mindset, it might be worth a diversion from your trip, though the price point is still a high one.

©Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride

Despite making its home in the same Pigeon Forge, Tennessee location as Dollywood, the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride attraction could not be further from that award-winning theme park. Depending on your appetite for the cheesier elements of themed entertainment, that may be a good thing or a bad thing. Stay tuned to DFB for more on themed attractions around the world.

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Have you ever ridden the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride? Let us know in the comments below.