Park Profile
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something new
When a park is born… Following the success that Tweetsie Railroad achieved by entertaining 50s-era families with its three-mile loop of track, the owners added an authentic western town, featuring regular appearances by singing cowboys. Soon Tweetsie added amusement rides and activities for children, and evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina and one of the first in the US. In the 1960s, as it became ever more popular as a tourist
attraction, Tweetsie erected a chair lift to the top of Miner’s Mountain and the exciting ‘Castle of the Sleeping Giant’ was added. The 1970s saw Tweetsie’s expansion to include a mine train ride (Mouse Mine) and a miniature zoo (Deer Park). One of Tweetsie’s most famous rides, the Ghost Train, debuted in 1990, taking park guests on a spooky nighttime train ride that includes a haunted house. Tweetsie has also featured Grammy Award winning band Riders in the Sky every season since 1997, which inspired the production of an album by Riders in the Sky entitled ‘Ridin’ the Tweetsie Railroad.’
Entertaining families Tweetsie was named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast in 2000, which is quite remarkable considering the vast number of entertainment venues in the southeastern US. Another accolade came when Tweetsie was listed as the Best Place to Take the Kids in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2001. Tweetsie celebrated its 45th season in 2002 with the first of what was to become an annual visit by Thomas the Train. Tweetsie now puts on a staged musical show for visitors every day and has developed unique mascot characters. Tweetsie celebrated its half-century mark in 2007 with the addition of new thrill rides to the park’s Country Fair area. In 2015, an aerial adventure course opened at Tweetsie Railroad, bringing yet another attraction for fun seekers. The Tweetsie Railroad of today entices over a quarter of a million visitors each year by providing something for everybody, from an exciting ride on one of its historic Baldwin Locomotive Works steam locomotives to modern family rides, such as a Moser Rides Free Fall; a Larson International Tilt-a-Whirl; a ferris wheel and scrambler by Eli Bridge; a carousel by Allan Herschell, and two spinning rides, a Dartron's Round Up and a Wisdom Industries' Tornado. Flat rides and a go-kart track with Streco classic- themed cars complete the offering. Tweetsie has taken advantage of the seasonal aspects of the Blue Ridge Mountains to attract visitors with cool mountain air in the summer, fall foliage train rides, trick-or-treating and spooky Ghost Train rides, and a winter wonderland with thousands of twinkle lights for the Christmas season. According to Cathy Robbins, who married into the same
Robbins family that started Tweetsie, the core of our park has always been family entertainment. “Since we started 61 years ago, our guests now include the fourth generation of families who have made it an annual tradition to visit Tweetsie.
JUNE 2018 61
Like everybody else, we’ve had our difficult times – 2008 was particularly hard – but we pulled together and made tough decisions, which allowed us to enjoy the success of today.” Tweetsie has accomplished a delightful combination of a step back into history, an exciting adventure park, a small zoo, arcade games, and a fun collection of kiddie rides, with lots of western-themed restaurants, activities, and shops scattered around. The live entertainment keeps everyone smiling, tapping their toes, and vowing to return again soon.
Tweetsie Carousel (Allan Herschell)
Tweetsie Wild West Adventure
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