Believe It or Not! Ripley’s Moving Theater to Be Reimagined Into New State-of-the-Art Ride

GATLINBURG, Tenn., July 30, 2024 (Newswire.com) - After 40 years of continuous operation as an “Omni platform” motion ride, Ripley’s Moving Theater will undergo a complete renovation next month into the latest generation Triotech motion simulator. Installation of the new ride will begin on August 19, 2024, and will reopen in October. Until then, long-time fans of the current ride will still have a few weeks to enjoy their old favorite attraction one more time. 

Ripley’s Moving Theater opened in 1987 as “Motion Master” and was an entirely new type of ride system. The previous attraction in that location, named "Cinema 180," where guests stood still as a panoramic scene played around them, had been a success since the early 1970s. In 1987, that all changed as moving seats were added to the show for extra thrills. Ripley’s Moving Theater operates with that same prototype platform to this day and has done more than 8 million rides to three generations of guests visiting Gatlinburg. 

“We can't tell you how often we have sat in that ticket booth and heard the phrase ‘Do you still have that runaway log truck movie?'" said Ryan DeSear, Vice President of Attraction Operations and Technology. "People really loved that ride, as well as Motion Madness with its dune buggies, snowmobiles, and rollercoasters. While we hate to see it go, the new attraction will entertain a new generation of guests more interactively. Our guests will still be able to enjoy our iconic dinosaur on the roof as well!” 

Ripley’s Moving Theater is located at 904 Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, TN. For ticketing, please visit www.ripleys.com.

Source: Ripley Entertainment Inc.