Dollywood's NightFlight Expedition now has a broader 2026 opening window for the Wildwood Grove ride.
The current public wording is "Take Flight In 2026," with no month or opening date attached.
That wording is a change from the park's original NightFlight Expedition announcement, which still says the attraction was anticipated to open in Spring 2026. Dollywood has not posted a separate delay announcement or a new opening date.
NightFlight Expedition is one of the biggest new regional-park rides on the 2026 calendar. Dollywood describes it as a more than $50 million attraction and the largest attraction investment in the history of Dollywood Parks & Resorts.
The ride combines an indoor family hybrid coaster with a whitewater river raft ride inside a 44,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled building. Dollywood says it will have a 39-inch height requirement and will send guests with Cora and Jasper Oakley on a Smoky Mountains search for bioluminescence around the fictional Secret Lake.
Guests planning around the new ride do not have a date yet. A 2026 opening still keeps NightFlight Expedition in this season's lineup, but spring is no longer the active public window.