Dollywood questions....

[kimbac3]

We are thinking about doing Dollywood and the surrounding area next year. My question is how is the accessibility at Dollywood? I need a wheelchair to get around.
Does anyone have any experience with Dollywood??

Any other tips for what to see and do in that area??

Thanks,
Kim

 

[heatherj]

Kim

We've been to Dollywood with DS. If I remember correctly we didn't encounter any problems. Everything was pretty accessible. The hardest part of traveling with DS in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is when we wanted to do things involving "nature" (walking trails, Cades Cove Loop, etc). Alot of that is not accessible or much much more difficult to navigate). I would have to stay back at the cabin while DH and our older boys went on hikes, etc. Most of the trails are not accessible (a few are).

We really enjoy the Ripleys Aquarium. Not a big fish person myself but I must admt I really enjoyed it as well as all our kids.

We are also big sport fans and took the kids to a Smokey's Minor League Baseball game. Minor league baseball is much more fun and not nearly as crowded, etc. We all enjoyed!

Hope that helps a little. If you have any specific questions I might be able to help.

Heather

 

[kimbac3]

Thanks Heather!!

I really appreciate your response!! I knew that alot of the hikes wouldn't be accessible to me. I'll just find a nice bench and read...or listen to the Dis podcast

I'm glad to hear that Dollywood was accessible. I'm so spoiled by Disney!!

I've looked at the Ripley Aquariums website, it looks really neat!!

How was your cabin? We are looking to rent a cabin too but they all seem so expensive. How did you chose??

Any good places to eat??

Thanks!
Kimba

 

[heatherj]

Kim:

You are right . . . there are so many cabins its very difficult to choose. The nice thing is that you can find a wide range of prices for them. We like the seclusion. But there are also many cabins in "resort" type areas. Really whatever you like!

I can definitely recommend the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg. They do get busy very quickly so we usually pick one morning and go nice and early. It is a little difficult to manuever a wheelchair in there but the food is worth it. They have a list of like 40 (really) different crepes and pancakes. Of course lots of other normal breakfast items (eggs, etc). Other than that we just pretty much ate the normal "chain" type places.

Oh . . . and we did drive to see the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, NC. BEAUTIFUL. Well worth the day trip. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get there.

Lastly . . . (I seem to be a bit chatty today We were actually a little leary of Dollywood before we went. We were afraid we'd be spoiled from Disney. We went with an open mind and we really enjoyed it. You just have to be careful and not compare it too much. We particularly liked all the trees. Its one of the most shaded parks I've been too. That in itself was refreshing.

Hope this helped a little.

Heather

 

[TriMom]

Hey! I grew up in East TN, so this is my old stomping ground. There has been a lot well covered, but I wanted to let you know that the hike to Laurel Falls is pretty accessible. You can stop in the Smokey Mt. Visitor's Center - which is pretty cool in itself, and they can provide you maps, and will let you know what trails are accessible.

Back to Laurel Falls - It's been a while since I have been, so I don't know what the repair of the trail is - but it is entirely paved asphalt, and it is not very long, or very steep. You won't be able to climb down to the bottom of the Falls, but it is a nice view from the top!

Also, some info on Clingman's Dome - it is the highest point in the Smokey mts., you drive most of the way, and then it its a mile hike to the lookout tower at the top. That path is entirely paved asphalt as well, but it is INCREDIBLY steep. I wouldn't recommend it with a manual WC, or even a stroller for that matter.

Hope this helps

 

[kimbac3]

Thank You both!!! Great Information

I'm going to write this all down in my notebook.

Thanks again!!

Kimba