Road trip vacation

[Jrb1979]

Yes, there are a lot of parks in the country, but most are not worth a long trip for me.

Dollywood, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Busch Gardens and Hershey Park are worthy visits.

 

[wabbott]

Dollywood, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Busch Gardens and Hershey Park are worthy visits.

We've been to Gatlinburg, TN (right up the road from Pigeon Forge) many times, yet neither Mrs. wabbott or I have ever had the slightest interest in visiting Dollywood. The same with Universal Orlando, even though several of our relations have been and raved about it.

I really don't know why we're not interested - maybe it's that we think that those places don't have the "magic" of WDW/DL/DCA.

In spite of all the grumping I do on the boards about how the company is run, the Disney "magic" is there for me, and I love it.

 

[disny_luvr]

What company did you use for the white water rafting? We’ll be visiting Yellowstone and Tetons this summer.

We used Barker Ewing, but I think they recently merged with another company and are now called Jackson Hole Whitewater Rafting. We had a great experience with them! Our whitewater trip was so much fun and we cannot wait to do it again!

If you like Mexican food, I highly recommend Merry Piglets. The food is amazing!

 

[disny_luvr]

My daughter graduated from Pitt in 2015 and had a wonderful experience. I’d be happy to help should you have any questions.

Happy college planning!

Good to know! I may reach out to you sometime.

 

[luv2cheer92]

We've been to Gatlinburg, TN (right up the road from Pigeon Forge) many times, yet neither Mrs. wabbott or I have ever had the slightest interest in visiting Dollywood. The same with Universal Orlando, even though several of our relations have been and raved about it.

I really don't know why we're not interested - maybe it's that we think that those places don't have the "magic" of WDW/DL/DCA.

In spite of all the grumping I do on the boards about how the company is run, the Disney "magic" is there for me, and I love it.

I've been to pretty much all of the big parks in the US and while I do love most of them, none come even close to that Disney magic!

 

[goofyernmost]

Dollywood, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Busch Gardens and Hershey Park are worthy visits.

Been to the all once, have no desire to go again. That are good, especially for thrill seakers. I am not one of those, I had all the thrills I needed for a lifetime in my year in Vietnam. Same thing for Carowinds near Charlotte.

 

[ncc1701]

We have done 5 -7 day road trips .When we were both working nothing longer was doable. We are retired now, but other family considerations prevent us from taking anything longer. Some day we hope to do a few.

 

[goofyernmost]

We've been to Gatlinburg, TN (right up the road from Pigeon Forge) many times, yet neither Mrs. wabbott or I have ever had the slightest interest in visiting Dollywood. The same with Universal Orlando, even though several of our relations have been and raved about it.

I really don't know why we're not interested - maybe it's that we think that those places don't have the "magic" of WDW/DL/DCA.

In spite of all the grumping I do on the boards about how the company is run, the Disney "magic" is there for me, and I love it.

Dollywood is fairly well done but it is old and the only new stuff are the thrill rides which I don't like. I went around Christmas time and although I'm not a huge fan of country music the Christmas music was pretty good. The biggest drawback for older people like myself is that the place is built on the side of a mountain and unless all your muscles and joints are working properly, it takes a lot out of you.

Then there is Universal. I don't know what your opinion of Uni, Florida stems from but I have found that Uni is as close to being Disney as you can get. It is very creative, especially the Harry Potter area but many of the attractions are very new, very technologically clever and all on level ground. I have been going there since it opened years ago and it has continued to advance and grow. I wouldn't rule that one out if I were you and that is coming from a 40 year fan of Disney. Let's face it many of the imagineers that Disney let go to save money, and make billions in profit instead of millions went directly to Universal. They brought with them the imagination that Disney once possessed, nuff said!

 

[Colleen27]

I do a lot of them. I'm actually a terribly nervous flyer and while I've conquered the fear enough to fly when time or distance demand it, I'd much rather road trip most places. We did 6 weeks, MI to CA the long way around, in 2019 on our way to move DD21 into her dorm, and 3 weeks in a rented campervan in Alaska in 2021. Last year, it was a week in a campervan in Death Valley and the surrounding area for spring break. Even in Europe, we rented a car to spend a week exploring the Scottish Highlands and islands, and another for our week in Ireland to do some exploring away from the usual tourist track.

This year, I've got the mother of all road trips planned - Route 66, IL to CA, totally solo. Just me and my Jeep and my tent. I'll have company for the more direct return trip, since I'm going out for DD's graduation and dorm move-out, but I am SO excited for that outbound leg!

 

[MIGrandma]

Dollywood, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Busch Gardens and Hershey Park are worthy visits.

I have been researching Dollywood for our Smoky Mountains trip in March. We went once years ago and loved it, so thought it would be nice to go again. But we crossed it off our list after reading current reviews on Trip Advisor. Rides frequently breaking down, only half the eateries are open because they can’t get enough employees, waiting in line an hour or longer for what eateries are open, cleanliness of the place not up to par, and long lines and waiting an hour and a half just to get parked.

 

[wabbott]

I do a lot of them. I'm actually a terribly nervous flyer and while I've conquered the fear enough to fly when time or distance demand it, I'd much rather road trip most places. We did 6 weeks, MI to CA the long way around, in 2019 on our way to move DD21 into her dorm, and 3 weeks in a rented campervan in Alaska in 2021. Last year, it was a week in a campervan in Death Valley and the surrounding area for spring break. Even in Europe, we rented a car to spend a week exploring the Scottish Highlands and islands, and another for our week in Ireland to do some exploring away from the usual tourist track.

This year, I've got the mother of all road trips planned - Route 66, IL to CA, totally solo. Just me and my Jeep and my tent. I'll have company for the more direct return trip, since I'm going out for DD's graduation and dorm move-out, but I am SO excited for that outbound leg!

We've been to Death Valley twice. It is a hauntingly beautiful place, and not very crowded either time we were there, once in September, and the other in May.

 

[luv2cheer92]

We've been to Death Valley twice. It is a hauntingly beautiful place, and not very crowded either time we were there, once in September, and the other in May.

Visiting there in June 2020 was a whole new level of haunting lol. No visitors centers open, no rangers in the park regularly, you were on your own. It was terrifying. The 120 degree high temp that day didn't help either haha.