Dollywood

[minniebeth]

I know there are a lot of Dollywood lovers on this board!
I've tried to read through books with little information and their website is not as explanatory as I would love for a first time visit.
I know there are others planning a trip this coming spring or summer.
For us compulsive planners, can anyone share tips, information, on just what it's like in general, how much time to spend there, shows, food, etc?
As a bonus, any photos?
Any help and discussion would realllllly be appreciated!
Thanks so much!!

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

We live in TN, about 1 hr from Dollywood, and have Season Passes.

Their website has lots of good info, and if they do like last year, if you go after 3:00 pm, the next day is free.

I am not a country music fan, so I can't help you much with the shows (sorry...). I do know that the guide will have a lot of that info, and that opening day for the season is March 27 (the 26th for season passholders).

I think there might be a 2 day pass ticket this year, that is cheaper than one day, though.

If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me. I don't know what to tell you, except some general stuff.

Like most amusement parks, the food is way overpriced. I think parking might have gone up this year as well...I think it is either $7 or $10.

We are big Dollywood fans, though. My 8 yr old loves the rides and roller coasters, and my almost 3 yr old loves the steam locomotive and the tiny tikes rides.

 

[Andrea]

oh wow... i just started a thread about dollywood about 2 secs ago !!!

 

[gollal]

I can honestly say we did not like it at all. We're so used to Disney though so everything is probably unfairly compared to Disney by us. The park is pretty and clean. The issue is that there really are not many rides & when we went two of the larger rides were broken down. The lines for the remaining open rides were awful. We went to the park at around 9:00 a.m. and were out of there by 1:00 p.m. We were just that bored....

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

I can honestly say we did not like it at all. We're so used to Disney though so everything is probably unfairly compared to Disney by us. The park is pretty and clean. The issue is that there really are not many rides & when we went two of the larger rides were broken down. The lines for the remaining open rides were awful. We went to the park at around 9:00 a.m. and were out of there by 1:00 p.m. We were just that bored....

I agree that if you compare to Disney, you will be disappointed, lol. But...Dollywood is 1 hr from me, Disney...waaaay too far. If you think of it as an amusement park...it is okay. Comparable to Six Flags, Kings Island, and the like. Just fewer 'big rides' and a lot of country music thrown in, lol. When all the rides are working, it is a nice place to be. About 4 big roller coasters, a couple of water rides, and a carnival type area for the kids. But...yeah, don't compare to Disney

 

[NAB]

Be prepared for a lot of hills to walk up to some of the places. It was really hard on my mom.

She did love the shows though. The one that she like the most was the open air type one. I couldn't tell you where exactly that one was though. It was a bunch of young people singing new and old songs and dancing.

 

[nexttrip4us]

We had a blast last summer at Dollywood--we had never been there before and made it a stop during our time in TN. We all had a blast. We did the buy 1 day get 1 day free ticket and used both days fully. Our 4 kids ranged in age from 4-10 and they all really liked. We do go to Disney once/year and it still ranks right up there as one of our favorite places we've gone. There are lots of shows, fun places to eat, water rides and regular rides. We went on a Tuesday and Thursday...took a day off in between.

TN was a great road trip for us and we'll definitely be going back some day. HAVE FUN!

 

[pixiedustaholic]

I just purchased season passes to Dollywood and Splash Country. The price for the passes and nine nights camping in our camper in Pigeon Forge was less than tickets only for a week at Disney. We are a family of 4.

We love Disney and go when we can but it is extremely overpriced and we couldn't make ourselves come off the $$ for a family trip there this year.

We love Dollywood and Splash Country. I actually prefer Splash Country over Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. Dollywood is just really a neat place. In addition to the great shows and attractions, they have craftsmen demonstrations. I really enjoyed watching the glass blower on our last trip.

Dollywood is a very nice park and I don't really understand anyone getting bored there. One tip is that you can get the free ice water like at Disney.

 

[palmtreegirl]

We went to Gatlinburg this past summer, spent a day at Dollywood and we loved it. It was so much fun, really clean too. We love rides but there's plenty to do for someone that doesn't, lots of little shops and the food was really good. We had a great time and we're going back to Gatlinburg and Dollywood this May.

 

[minniebeth]

Thanks for the replies so far, eveyone! I've heard people say that one day is not enough, what do you think? How much time would you say is a good amount of time? We are staying at the Dollywood Cabins, so we have length of stay tickets, but we would like to see/do other things in the area too.

 

[minniebeth]

Bump

 

[Crystal0608]

Park next to the Old Mill and pay for the trolley/tram to the park. It was cheaper than parking I think and you get dropped off at the entrance.

The wooden roller coaster is awesome and if they aren't busy you can ride again. DD and I really enjoyed that ride. Think it's on the right. The mine ride is also awesome. Both of those has the longest lines so hit them first.

Bring a change of socks. There is a ride where you get really wet and I threw away the kids socks b/c they got really yuck walking around the park in wet socks.

Check tripadvisor for food reviews, hit and miss. There is a swirly fry thing that is good. The cafeteria style food is nothing special, IMO. I liked the food stands the best. The kids would say the cotton candy man that looked like Santa was their fave.

The rainbow museum (can't remember name) was really nice and I liked seeing all of Dolly's costumes, they were gorgeous.

Have fun!

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Dollywood is great! Is it Disney, no, but it's about a hundred times better than Six Flags. There are a lot of fun attractions, but also a lot of "relax and take your time" sort of things to do.

Weekdays are usually dead, but even on weekends, the crowds are not too bad, especially if you get there early. Hit the big rides first. There are 3 big popular roller coasters - Thunderhead (wooden coaster - FUN!), Mystery Mine, and Tennessee Tornado. The water rides get longer lines in the summer, and they are my favorites! Blazing Fury, Slidewinder, Daredevil Falls, River Battle, and River Rampage. DO bring a change of clothes/socks/underwear, because you will get drenched on many of these rides!

The shows are all pretty good. I believe that the show schedule is on the Dollywood website, but it does change from week to week. You can also pick up a schedule when you enter the park. There are usually one or two outdoor bluegrass-band type shows, which are worth checking out if you like that kind of music. The stage shows are OK - not my favorite. There is a bird show which is pretty cool (Dollywood has an eagle sanctuary). Even if you don't see the bird show, check out the eagle sanctuary. It's great to spend a while watching the eagles and birds.

There is also a country fair and 50's themed area, which is where most of the kid's rides are. The 50's area is cute, and there is sometimes a 5-person acappella doo-wop group that sings. They are awesome if you manage to catch them!

The park is large, spread out, and extremely hilly - bring comfy shoes!

The people-watching tends to be excellent at Dollywood, if you like that sort of thing. There are a lot of neat shops that deserve some browsing time.

As for food - YUMMM - stay away from burgers and fries. Get barbecue, or skillet sandwiches (they cook either shaved steak or bratwursts, onions, and peppers in a huge cast-iron skillet), or flatbread sandwiches (they cook chicken, onions, peppers in another huge skillet). Basically, any food cooked in a giant skillet is awesome. There is a homemade ice cream place where they churn it themselves and it is really good.

There are a lot of discounts available locally - AAA, coupons at local grocery stores or fast food places (Wendy's, etc)., so it is worth checking around before you go. A local grocery store, Food City, sells season passes during the off-season for really cheap, if you think you might want to do more than one day.

 

[Lady V]

Thanks for the replies so far, eveyone! I've heard people say that one day is not enough, what do you think? How much time would you say is a good amount of time? we are staying at the Dollywood Cabins, so we have length of stay tickets, but we would like to see/do other things in the area too.

What are the Dollywood cabins? is there a website? I've never heard of them! Sounds cool.
But i wanted to add that while there are cabins that may be on a street with Dollywood in the name, there are no rooms on property at all. There is not an actual cabin or hotel that you book and stay on property.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Yikes -- no one has told you to buy fresh homemade cinnamon bread from the old mill. A great snack!!

We go about every other year and have a great time. The only ride I really didn't like was River Battle -- you had to keep turning a lever to shoot water at people while on a ride. It was very tiring and I had water in my face the whole time -- I felt like a sitting duck!

I don't think you need much of a plan other than finding out when the shows are and planning your day around that.

 

[minniebeth]

What are the Dollywood cabins? is there a website? I've never heard of them! Sounds cool.
But i wanted to add that while there are cabins that may be on a street with Dollywood in the name, there are no rooms on property at all. There is not an actual cabin or hotel that you book and stay on property.

The cabins are part of the Starr Crest Resort, Dollywood Vacations:
http://www.dollywood.com/vacations-q10113-c10112-Cabins.aspx

With the rental, we received length of stay Dollywood tickets which includes parking, discount on park merchandise and park food all for the price of one day's admission per person. The cabins look really nice, we can't wait to visit!

 

[minniebeth]

It sounds like we will really enjoy Dollywood~
My girls love Dolly's book, The Coat of Many Colors, so I think they will enjoy seeing her life showcased in many ways.
The cinnamon bread and skillet dishes sound great!

Also, we are still trying to figure out how much time to spend there (or how many days...)to see most everything without really rushing but not spending a bunch of time either. Any thoughts?

Any suggestions on how far in advance of the shows to arrive for decent seats?

The tip to know that the park is hilly is good, thank you!

 

[LilyWDW]

I usually go 1-2 times a year and spend a whole day there both times. I MAYBE go on 2 rides plus the train and still have PLENTY to do to fill a day. I love going through the crafters area and watching them work on projects. I could spend nearly a whole day just going that! Add in the shows and it is a great time...

Food wise, it's pretty good. I would stick to the stands and not worry about the restaurants though. Do make sure to get some ice cream as well as stop by the candy shop.... YUM!

 

[minniebeth]

Bumping...any other suggestions or tips?

 

[Stew_Mouse]

First timer to Dollywood, great tips here.

Could someone give some quick ratings to the intensity of the thrill rides at Dollywood? You can compare them to rides at WDW if you'd like. I'm a ride chicken - I can't handle Expedition Everest... probably rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are more my level. Thanks!