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Race World

By Theme Park Spot · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Race World has closed (last season: 2001). This page covers its history and the rides it had.

Location
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Opened
1995
Closed
2001
Rides listed
0

Rides it had

No rides listed for Race World yet.

Race World closed after its owners filed for bankruptcy, about a year after its outdoor ride area opened in 2000. Its wooden roller coaster, Thunder Eagle, was dismantled in 2003, and the site later became The Island in Pigeon Forge.

Sources

  • rcdb.com/4750.htm (RCDB: Island in Pigeon Forge, 131 The Island Drive, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; former name Race World (no dates); defunct coasters Thunder Eagle (wood) and Little D (kiddie), current coaster Spinning Parrot; 2009 Belle Island Village plan canceled early in construction for funding problems)
  • rcdb.com/606.htm (RCDB: Thunder Eagle, removed wooden coaster, make Coaster Works, Inc.; 2,500 ft, 70 ft, 0 inversions; relocated (listed at Cascades d'eau de Piedmont))
  • rcdb.com/2346.htm (RCDB: Little D, Allan Herschell kiddie coaster; Coaster Works! may only have leased it to Race World and it is not believed to have operated there long)
  • coastergallery.com/2002T/RaceWorld.html (CoasterGallery: Race World began in 1995 as an 80,000 sq ft NASCAR collectibles store with arcade, 18-hole mini golf and go-kart track; outdoor area built in 2000 with Thunder Eagle, a merry-go-round and a second kart track; owners filed bankruptcy and closed the park about a year later; Thunder Eagle dismantled late 2003 and shipped to Quebec)
  • wuot.org/2013-05-27/pigeon-forge-attraction-nears-completion... (WUOT, May 27, 2013: the attraction (The Island) was originally Belle Island in 2003; sold in foreclosure for $23.9 million in 2009; scheduled to open in mid-June 2013)
  • themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/26959-tennessees-race-world-... (Forum thread (2009-2011) quoting Knox News articles of March 30, 2010 and November 21, 2011: Belle Island Village was planned on the same spot where Race World stood; Regions Bank foreclosure in 2009; part sold to LeConte Village LLC in 2011)