PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. - Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park will be adding a new $5 million raft ride equipped with water guns to soak targets, other riders and bystanders.

Scheduled to open in 2008, the River Battle sends eight passengers on rafts down a 500-foot channel lined with more than 100 targets.

The targets include large-scale talking animals such as beavers, skunks, otters and bears, some of which shoot water back at the riders.

Riders can also aim at other passengers on their raft or park guests along the edge of the ride.

The Great Smoky Mountains venue will also build a new connecting walkway between two areas of the park. The project is the park's largest earthworks project since a train track bed was completed in 1960.

"In addition to creating a fun new ride for our guests, we will improve the flow of traffic as guests will be able to access two vital areas of our park via the new connector," said Ken Bell, senior vice president.

Dollywood, Tennessee's top tourist draw with more than 2 million guests annually, opened a new $17.5 million roller coaster called Mystery Mine in April.

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