Tennessee mountaintop theme park Anakeesta will debut a detachable gondola next year, part of a $100 million expansion called Making More Magic. The high-speed, six place lift will replace Anakeesta’s fixed grip chondola, which has carried millions of guests from downtown Gatlinburg to the park over the past nine years. The current lift moves only 200 feet per minute, leading to long ride times and limited capacity. Leitner-Poma designed the new gondola to move more people with 56 Diamond Evo cabins featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and glass floors. “Designed to offer panoramic, 360-degree views of the Great Smoky Mountains, each cabin transforms a simple ride into an unforgettable experience,” said Anakeesta. “As guests glide gently upward during the four-minute ascent, the world unfolds beneath the cabin—lush forests, native wildlife and the charming skyline of downtown Gatlinburg.” This will be the first true gondola in Gatlinburg, a bustling town with no fewer than five scenic chairlifts and an aerial tramway.

Construction will begin this month and the existing lift will spin through the Christmas holiday period. Anakeesta will close completely on January 5th and reopen in March with alternative transportation. The upgraded gondola will follow later in the spring alongside a reimagined mountaintop village and expanded treetop skywalk.