DollyWood worth a trip????

[genetic jackhammer]

Hi everyone,


Just wondering if anyone has been to Dollywood and if it is worth going to as a change of pace from Disney. If so..any good recommendations for places to stay or do besides the park?? We have never been to the area so any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[mandy200587]

Definately drive up to Galtinburge and get some taffy, drive to the apple barn. Hotel wise it depends on how much you want to spend and when your going.

 

[willis37862]

I live here so I maybe a little Jaded but in my opinion it might do for a little vacation...but don't go there thinking WDW. It is a one day park and then there is a water park that is separate from it if you come during the summer you could go there also...The Great Smoky Mountains are nice for hiking and camping. Also there are plenty of outlet stores and t-shirt shops. There are lots of cabins you can rent if you want to be out of town a little...many offer fireplaces and jacuzzis. Enjoy whatever you choose to do....and I would be happy to try and help if you have any more questions

 

[KristinBelle]

I've always wanted to go that area for vacation.

 

[Jeafl]

We were there last summer, and we enjoyed it for the most part. As long as you go into it knowing it is not WDW, you will have a good time. It is a very clean, beautifully landscaped park. Some of the rides are good, and some are lame.

We found the best option for tickets to be the "arrive after 3:00 pm, next day free". That way you get about a day and a half there for the price of a single day. That's really all the time you need.

However, this last time, we bought the 3 day "hopper" pass which allowed you to go between the water park and Dollywood for a total of 3 days. It wasn't much more than the cost of a single day pass. We really enjoyed the water park, although there isn't a lot of shade unless you get there right when they open and get a lounge chair under the canopies. It also got crowded by lunch time, and the waits for slides was fairly long.

If you have any specific questions, please PM me, I would be happy to help. Check out the Dollywood website for great maps and descriptions of all the rides and shows.

 

[HOGFAN]

its worth doing once, but only once. Its a beautiful park and lots to do in Pigeon Forge.

 

[Panther mom]

I am so glad that you asked this question. We are thinking about doing the same thing. I have a 13 year old DS and a 7 year old DD. I was curious as to the same thing. Is it worth the trip?

 

[piglet50]

we've stayed in the pigeon forge area many times. the park is pretty. it is basically a one day park. it is nothing like disney, so please don't go expecting anything like that. the go after 3:00 and the next day included is a good deal. the area around pigeon forge and gatlinburg is beautiful. we like to ride out to cades cove and the surrounding areas. the outlets are good. there is a lot of them. there are many nice hotels in the area. there's a great needlework shop in pigeon forge if you're into that.

 

[FanofG00fy]

As for someone who lives less than an hour away and who worked there for 5 years, if you go, do not compare it to WDW. Be prepared to walk up some steep hills. They are not big, but after a long day, they can be a little bit of a fuss. Make sure you like Dolly!

Pigeon Forge...well, I compare it to Kissimmee. Lots of T-shirt shops, but talk about some FANTASTIC Outlet stores! Gatlinburg is the "upper" crust of the T-shirt shops. It's a fun little area to vacation. If you've never done it before, it's worth doing once.

The Mountains...If I could go to the mountains everyday I would! Love Love Love them. You will too!

Just remember a few things (and you might think this list is cheesy, but trust me, people actually have done/said some of the things on this list. There are some jokes thrown in, don't take it all serious

Remember:
1. We are southern folk, and we talk "funny" but we are not stupid rednecks. We want respect just like you do. And please, if you see one of our "elderly people" please do not point at them and act a fool. Do not ask to have your picture taken with them. So what, they have on bib overalls, and are walking and talking slow, but those are the ones that deserve your respect. And trust me, some of the sharpest minds reside in those bib overalls. We know what Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wiis are. We have cell phones, computers, we can read. We work. We live just like you. We have an "accent" according to you. The difference between the way you live and we live....not much, depending upon our salaries. You want to see how we act, go to Turkey Creek (alright stop laughing at the name, we laughed too.) in Knoxville. Wonderful shopping area. Great food. Fantastic Movie theater.

2. You are in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The animals are not petting zoo material. They are wild! They are not Tame. If you see a bear cub....DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR!!!! If you see a bear cub, I promise you on great aunt Hatties grave, his/her Momma is right around the corner. You may not see her, and you may only see the cub, but trust me....That Momma Bear can see her cub and she will consider you a threat to her cub. And if you are the idiot that gets out of your car to take a picture, remember this, if that Momma Bear makes threats to you because you are to close to her cub, congratulate yourself, you just made that Bear Cub an orphan. Rangers don't take kindly to mad bears chasing people, no matter the fact that you were the one to start the incident. The bears are not in no ways The Country Bear Jamboree. Seriously.....these are wild animals...don't get out of your car, you don't climb into the pits at the zoo.

3. Most everyone who works at Dollywood is NOT related to Dolly. No, they do not live on the park above the shops (you don't know how many times I was asked this question)

4. Puh-lease....do not try to fake a southern accent. You see, when we talk to each other, we don't hear an accent. We don't hear the drawl. But man, we can sure hear a fake one a mile away. It's disrespectful, and you would never catch us trying to talk like your accent. Besides, your accent hurts our throats. Oh and yes, you have an accent to us if you are from up north.

5. If you cannot understand someone when they are talking due to "our" accent, please do not slow down and talk louder, you look the fool and we feel sorry for you. So we will slow down our speech and talk louder for you too. Bless your heart. Just ask us to repeat ourselves and let us know you don't understand.

6. Yes Yes we know the south was beaten in the war. It's in our history books too.



Try it once, you'll like it. We are a friendly bunch. We tend to be kind to everyone.

This is my opinion and only my opinon. Don't blame the rest of them!

 

[Kay7979]

Try it once, you'll like it. We are a friendly bunch. We tend to be kind to everyone.

This is my opinion and only my opinon. Don't blame the rest of them!

Your whole piece was extremely funny, but it's sad that people truly need to be told to use common sense and be thoughtful and polite.

We were in Gatlinburg for a week in October. I agree that the national park is great. Dollywood is less about rides and more about music, crafts, displays and food, so I agree that one should not go expecting it to be Disney World, but it is a fun place, especially if you like Country or Blue Grass music.

There are plenty of shows, like comedy and magic as well as music shows. Tons of attractions. Everything from the Aquarium of the Smokies which is fabulous to Ripley's Believe It or Not and things of that kind. I think there is plenty to do for a week.

 

[Sinderelli]

I've been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge numerous times as a child. We took our kids for the first time last summer and they had a blast! We also did the 3 day pass for Dollywood and Splash Country- kids had a great time. Their best memory, however, was the Dixie Stampede. We traveled with two seven year olds and a 3 year old and this was the highlight of the trip.

We booked our stay in the Confort Suites in Pigeon forge. We were given a room next door at the Quality Inn Suites. This was the most HORRIBLE hotel I have ever stayed in. We were hoping to have a "less expensive" vacation since we had been to WDW a few months earlier. Our hotel:
- had to move out of the first room because it smelled like feet.

-Our next room had a leaky a/c that made the room smell like mildew. By our last night there, the carpet was soaked. We called numerous times and it was never fixed.

-The worst part: my DD3 broke out with a horrible case of impetigo. I know it was from the room. We had to cut our vacation short because she was covered from armpit to waist with sores.

-My Mignon Faget fleur de lis necklace was stolen out of the room. My fault for leaving it in the bathroom, but still. I didn't realize it was gone until after I got home.

The best part? My kids didn't realize any of this- they had a great time. After all was said and done, my DH came home and said, "Let's book a Disney trip." And THAT is why we're staying at the GF this time!!!!!

 

[LilyWDW]

I too live close to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. It is only about an hour to an hour and a half drive for me to get there. As such, I have been there many, many, many times... more then I sometimes wish to admit

As has been said, Dollywood is a great park, but it is no Disney. It is more about the shows and the crafts then many parks, though the rides are enjoyable (and they add new and better ones just about every year). Some of the rides are a bit older and make you laugh, but I enjoy many of those as well. The park really will only take you one day to get through. I have never been to the waterpark personally, but I have some friends who throughly enjoy their trips there.

The Tanger outlet in Sevierville (just outside of Pigeon Forge) is great fun for those who love to shop. It is personally the biggest reason I make trips out there.

Also head to the Apple Barn in Sevierville, though if you want to go for breakfast, go EARLY. It has a few cute shops but some YUMMY food. Check out the candy store and the bakery if you enjoy some wonderful sweets.

Pigeon Forge itself is pretty much a tourist trap. Tshirt shops, mini golf, arcades, "mine for a gold nugget" places, and junky souther suvinier shops line the main drag. It is really hard to see past those places when you drive in. However, there are places to horseback ride and I hear the Old Mill is a great place to have a meal (never been back their myself).

Gatlinburg http://www.gatlinburg.com/, a short drive through the Great Smokey Mts away, is better for the park and walk type of place. The stores here are a bit higher end and I have come across some interesting finds there as well. Gatlinburg also has some interesting attractions including Ripley's Aquarium, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Ripley's Haunted House thingy and more can all be found within walking distance. The dining is so-so, much I have seen has been not so good but you do always have places like the Hard Rock which is in easy walking distance to the Aquarium.

Overall, I think you could have a good vacation here. I wouldn't make it a week or anything, but a long weekend trip would be perfect! Just realize that most of the attractions in gatlinburg do require a fee to get in which can add up, but I didn't think it was all that bad.

Oh and one more thing!! TRAFFIC IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to go to the park, go early! If you want to get around Pigeon Forge or get to the Apple Barn or the outlet, go early or take the trams (which do have a fee but it is worth it). If you want to go to Gatlinburg go early and park (I would suggest the garage behind the aquarium) and walk around the town. Driving through takes longer then walking, trust me on this. It is the biggest reason I do not go out there more then I do. I would love to, especially Gatlinburg (and I have a season pass to Dollywood), but I can not stand that traffic.

If you need anymore info, just let me know! Always willing to help!

 

[crazelion]

I like Dollywood and I think it's worth a visit.

I love the Aquarium .

I have been trying get to Splash Country USA for 3 years is now and never have made it.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I've taken many vacations to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area and took my DH2B there last September (we rented a cabin). He was a little unimpressed and the only things I think he truly liked was Dollywood (although a beautiful park, not on the scale of WDW~is any amusement park though?) and the Applewood restaurant breakfast. Other than that he said it was one big tacky tourist trap. But I still love it though, brings back a lot of memories and he said he would go again someday.

 

[disneygirlatheart]

We loved the area. We went for 3 years in a row. It is not WDW though. If you go thinking anywhere along the lines of that you will be disappointed. We rented a condo once and the other 2 times stayed in a hotel. The condo was so relaxing, if we go back I would stay in a condo or cabin. There are tons of things to do in the three towns, and of course the Smoky National Park. For a short easy hike I would recommend Laurel Falls. It is very pretty. We loved Ober Gatlinburg. Lots of different things to do there. Dollywood was a fun day. If we went back we would return to Dollywood. Just because we are theme park fanatics. It is nothing spectacular though. The shows are nice. We especially liked The Comedy Barn. Dollywood and Comedy Barn are in Pigeon Forge. There are tons of shops, if you enjoy shopping. All in all it is great for a change of pace. Just do not go looking for the excitement you find at WDW. Have fun if you decide to go.

 

[genetic jackhammer]

Thank you everyone for all the great responses...keep them coming!!

I know that DollyWood would never be like Disney, but figure it would be a fun trip for the family, especially for the kids DD11 and DD10. They would definitely love the mountains, horse back riding and the Dixie Stampede. DollyWood would just be a bonus to all that.

Loved the post about how to behave...LOL.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I'm glad to see this thread, as DH and I are going at the end of March.

We're renting a cabin (calling TODAY!) for a week, and do some sightseeing around the area and just enjoy the cabin and relaxing and peace and quiet. Then we'll stay in a hotel for 3-4 nights and go to Dollywood. We love Disney, but have also enjoyed Busch Gardens and Cypress Gardens as well so I know we'll enjoy Dollywood too (we love Dolly, and country music). I see most of the hotels have the "2 days for the price of 1" special so it will be nice to spend 2 leisurely days at Dollywood. We also plan to do stuff like The Comedy Barn, Dixie Stampede, etc.

I see the park opens on March 31st for the season, I'm assuming that is a really busy day for the park? We don't plan to go then, but within the next couple days or so after it opens.

Does anyone know much about the opening day parade? Would love some details on that as we might decide to go see that.

The cabin rental place (Sunset Cottages) turns the fireplaces off April 1st, so I'm assuming it will be "spring" then? Spring usually arrives in Michigan by mid-April, so I'm hoping for some nice spring weather while we're there.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Oh also we went the first day of the BBQ & Bluegrass festival in September. When we bought our tickets (after 3 p.m. of course! ) the employee told us that as a special treat Dolly would be making an appearance! It wasn't announced ahead of time anywhere but at about 5 p.m. she did a walk through the park. People say that she shows up a lot around there so you may get lucky if you like Dolly!

I didn't really care for Dollywood when I was younger (although they have come along way as far as rides go). But I enjoy it more and more every year as an adult. It's a beautiful park and all of the music shows are great to watch and the Dolly museum is spectacular.

 

[DisTeacher07]

We went a few years ago. The rides weren't fast-paced (I think there was only one roller coaster) but the park was beautiful and the trip was very relaxing. We stayed at the KOA in Pigeon Forge which was very nice if you like camping. The boulevard had good shopping and great food. It's worth seeing once!

 

[Straitlover]

I've only been once, but I hope to go back again someday. It was raining the day we went to DW, so we didn;t get to do a lot. The park is very pretty. Loved the church and the building where they build the wagons. Know what else I thought was cool? At one of the snack wagons, they had a make your own s'more thing. It wasn't open the day we went because of the rain, but it looked like it has a fire pit where you actually roast the marshmallows yourself. Now that was cool! You won't find anything litle that at other parks!

I would like to stay in a cabin next time. We stayed in a hotel on that trip. It was nice, clean and inexpensive. If you're looking for a deal, check out the Shular Inn. They were running a deal when we went (Sept 2003 I think, I know it was Sept, not sure about the year), where we got the 2 queen room for around $46 a night! We were in a room in the annex, so we didn't have to worry about street noise form the maon drag. They also had an indoor pool, but we didn't have time to try it out. It also has a trolley stop if you wnat to do that rather than drive.

http://www.shularinn-pigeonforge.com/