Zorb Smoky Mountains Rolls into Pigeon Forge

Folks are finding themselves head over heels for a new attraction in Pigeon Forge that brings a little bit of New Zealand to the Smoky Mountains. After years of delays, Zorb Smoky Mountains, which challenges the brave and foolhardy to hop in giant ball and bounce down a mountainside, finally opened at the end of October.

The idea of Zorb is certainly unique and Pigeon Forge is playing host to its first location in North America. The attraction, born in New Zealand, offers several options and courses for riders, who are suspended inside a hollow ball inside a larger air-filled ball. Those with the courage to face the mountain can opt to be harnessed into the ball (the Zorb folks call it a Zorbit ride), meaning they will turn over and over just as the ball does, or they can take a Zydro ride, in which the Zorb ball is filled with water. One to three people can enjoy the Zydro ride, which keeps riders suspended at the bottom of the ball in cool water in summer and warm water in winter.

General Manager Eric Evans equates the ride to a hot tub on wheels, saying "It's the best hot tub you'll ever roll in."

Assistant General Manager Winston Burbage offers a different comparison to describe the ride."It's like being in a big washing machine, except you don't spin," Burbage says. "The first time you ride, it is completely different than you can possibly imagine."

The attraction's opening came with some fan fair, as both "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show" are featured segments on it. "This has been great for us," General Manager Eric Evans aid. "A lot of our business will come from word-of-mouth referrals, but the publicity is nice. We expect to do a big marketing campaign soon, but we think our best advertisement will be from people going home and telling all their friends about how much fun this is."

It seems that sort of individual marketing campaign may be successful for Zorb, though it's stuck in a field off the little-traveled Sugar Hollow Road. So far nearly fifty people have taken a ride, all of them reporting they had a ball at the spherical attraction, Evans said.

"The response has really been amazing," he said. "We've had some major delays, but all of our first customers have said it's one of the most fun things they've ever done. There's really nothing else like it."

Information courtesy of The Mountain Press