Dollywood

While most people wonder how long the ride waits are, or the price of the food or where to find the best deals, we want to review Dollywood for something most people never think about… Their response in an Emergency situation. We arrived after a Very long motorcycle ride and their security directed us to stay in the left because they have motorcycle parking in lot A (bonus!!) — we didn’t make it that far. By the time we hit lot «C» some fellow in a black Honda on our right spotted a parking spot, but apparently didn’t see us beside him and turned right into us, running us over.
The staff responded immediately, security and officers were on scene in less than 5 minutes, their medical response team arrived quickly. They were friendly, knowledgeable, above all their responsiveness was Swift, organized and prepared.
The staff even pulled out their own phones to let us make the calls we needed. If you’re bringing your family to Dollywood, rest assured that the security, staff and cast members will take great care of you, in every situation.
Special thanks to Ms Cathy Hooker, Miss Carrol (medical), Mr Russell (team leader) and guest services (and our apologies to those we missed– there were Many) but we were a bit overwhelmed with the circumstances.

This trip was a sobering experience for my wife and me.
The park doesn’t serve alcohol!
Other than that it was pretty fun. Needs a bar, though.

Our first visit here and it was more then we expected the food prices were not outrageous as some other theme parks we have been to its clean and you can request a cup of ice water at the drink stops for free. We ate at the Buffett both days they kept the food fresh and our drinks full. The park is clean and has a lot to offer

My second trip to dollywood ’ when you mention dollywood to others you get that «look «like what happened to you .
The park is well priced, clean and right in the «smokey mountains «a great backdrop for every ride or eatery. The food prices are reasonable and quality for dollar.
Mid week days seem to be the best. lower turn out and if you go in after 3pm «you get the next day «FREE » .
Great outdoor adventure for everyone .
If your in the area «Dollywood «is a great featured destination for your vacation or a roadside stop.

rides were good — food, decent but OMG, so many stores and little of anything else for $ 65.
They need to add more rides that are good for everyone — not just thrill rides.

First time at Dollywood. It is very different than the amusement parks on the East Coast. This park caters to the Midwest southern culture. I love pork skins but never have I seen them sold at an amusement park. Lol The rides were nice, not very modern but fun. What i loved the most… my youngest was able to ride the roller coasters. This is great for kids that are old enough but not very tall. Great family place.

It was quite strange for our Girl Scouts leader would recommend us to visit Dolly Patron’s world unless we all loved her.
I personally favourited her without the plastic surgery and caked on face painting.
Her amusement park is nice and fun, but reminded me too much of another Disneyland wanna-​be.
The rides were cool in all, but they weren’t extremely over the top fun. I was mainly interested in meeting Mrs. Dolly.
However, there was no Dolly which disappointed me a little.
The theme of the park shows much country loving hillbilly with a soulful twist. Plus, Dolly’s music is played throughout the park as if we should all get down on our knees and dance.

I enjoyed it a lot. If you have ever been to Bush Gardens in VA then you’ll like this place. They have music acts, lots of games and rides.

Great rides and things to do. But over the top in the fairytale ideas of religion. If your not religious do not visit this park. Although I enjoyed most the attractions and the set up of the park it’s a no drinking park. So it’s rather dull listening to the over the top praises and singing. But all in all not a bad ticket price to enter. Also the food was kinda up there in price. It’s about 50 for two people to eat. I may go back again some day but it won’t be of my own acount.

Review #900! It’s a meaningless number and I meaninglessly saved my Dollywood review for it.
I admit that I planned our trip just to ride Lightning Rod. As our vacation got closer, it was pretty clear the coaster wouldn’t be ready, but I didn’t cancel because it seemed like the park was worth the visit anyway. You know what? It absolutely is.
Nestled in the hills of Pigeon Forge, it’s a beautiful theme park. And they do pay attention to theming here. Not Disney or Universal level, but the areas are well done and well maintained. It just feels Tennessee. Though the park certainly has a good collection of rides for thrill seekers down to tikes, it’s the non-​ride entertainment that sets Dollywood apart. They truly have something for everyone. It was amazing and wonderful to see so many of the older generation enjoying the park.
With no Lightning Rod, I decided to splurge for season passes so we could possibly return later in the year. I’m crazy like that. The passes also allowed us to casually visit the park on a mid-​April Thursday and again on Saturday.
Thursday was the perfect day to be there. We didn’t arrive until noon, but with nonexistent lines, we leisurely wandered around and managed to do every coaster twice. We also happened to catch the Wings of America Birds of Prey show, we watched the blacksmith demonstration, and we took a trip up and down the mountain on the fantastic Dollywood Express. For some reason we didn’t get hungry, though I did make it a point to get a loaf of their famous cinnamon bread and we promptly ate the whole thing. It did not disappoint.
In contrast, our return visit on Saturday was crazy busy. Long lines at the ticket booths, park entrance, food stands, and rides (according to the app anyway). Even the season pass processing had a long queue. I was glad our passes were done painlessly two days prior. I was also glad we got all our coaster riding out of the way. Instead, we decided to watch a couple of shows (Smoky Mountain String Band and Country Crossroads) and check out the awesome glassblower demonstrations (must see). After only a couple of hours, we decided to leave the park to eat rather than deal with the lines.
Dollywood met all of my expectations. It has all of that southern charm and hospitality while also staying up-​to-​date with ride technology. This success and capital expansion has led to more crowds and they will need to figure out how best to deal with that. Visit on an off-​day if you can, but there’s always the reasonably priced Timesaver Pass to help you with rides and shows.
Speaking of rides, I’ll end with my thoughts on Dollywood’s solid coaster collection.
Thunderhead — A fun wooden coaster by GCI with their signature twists and nonstop action. Maybe a little rough but nothing terrible. As my last ride on Thursday, I got the whole train to myself!
Mystery Mine — My first time riding a Gerstlauer «Euro-​Fighter» design with its two vertical lifts and beyond vertical drops. Being a «mine» ride, it’s a bit jerky, but fun overall and the theming is excellent. I had read the projection screen and fire can be hit and miss; luckily they were working during both of our rides.
Firechaser Express — An enjoyable family coaster with a forward launch, regular lift hill, and backwards launch. The volunteer firefighter theme is also well done. I swear the two gentlemen in the control booth might as well be actual firemen!
Wild Eagle — My first B&M «wing coaster» and the first of its kind in the US. None of the «near misses» featured in later wing riders, but to me that fits with the soaring eagle theme. Great first drop especially in the back seat. I couldn’t decide if I liked left or right side better. The vest harness does tend to tighten over the course of the ride, which I experienced during our second go around. I’m glad I’m not tall!
Tennessee Tornado — This has to be the smoothest Arrow Dynamics coaster in existence. Amazing considering it was built in 1999. Short but forceful and again, some nice theming.
Blazing Fury — Old school dark ride/​roller coaster combination. It was worth riding once.
Lightning Rod — !!!

I love theme parks! There just wasn’t enough time in the day!
Once arriving the line like many other theme parks was long to pay for parking… once we parked (pretty much anywhere you wanted to.) we got onto the tram. 1^st thing I loved… traveling with a stroller — they have spots on the tram for the strollers! I didn’t have to worry about trying to cram it into the row we were in… the front of the tram had a area to place them. Whoo hoo! Then buying the tickets… this took a bit of time, but once I got to the window it was a super easy and quick process.
Once going inside I quickly went over to the 2^nd thing I loved when traveling with a child — Child bracelet area. You get inline and they measure your child’s height then place a colored bracelet on them with the color of their shoes (i’m guessing so the bracelet doesn’t transfer) and their height. That way you go to a ride and you see what color bracelets can ride. No trying to measure at the ride, that’s been done for you at the beginning of the day. So awesome!
The park is rather large and it was hard to see everything, but I did the main things we wanted to, my son rode some rides, rode the Dolly Express train and saw a show. The Chasing Rainbows exhibit was amazing, especially if you LOVE Dolly. If I didn’t have my son I could have spent hours in there alone. We also visited Dolly’s home on wheels, where we took a photo and purchased it. It was I believe $ 20, and you received 2 photos that have Dolly Parton’s autograph placed on it and a souvenir book. The photo came out cute and I wanted a nice souvenir.
We went during the holiday’s so we were able to see Rudolph and his friends. Only downside was the employee’s weren’t allowed to take the photos for you (only with the professional camera) So it was fun having my then, 3 year old take a photo of me… yeah Blurry city! The Parade of Lights was a cool little parade, a little quick, but it was cute!
**To eat we had a corn dog that was probably the length of 3 hot dogs together, it was sooo good, with the tater twirls. My son and I split this meal and it filled us up. I purchased the souvenir cup upon arriving so that saved us on drinks as refills were a minimal charge.
The show we saw was a Christmas Carol and it was AMAZING! The singing and the actors was just awesome. You would thing you were watching a 5X musical! I am so glad we were able to see it.
At the end of the night Rudolph and a Elf were above the store where you exit saying bye to all the guest with snow falling, this was awesome as my son LOVED Rudolph and kept saying bye. My son didn’t leave so it was a bit hard leaving, but to get back on the tram I didn’t even have to close the stroller, they put it right on as is and back to the car we went. This was a huge help!

Overall we had a great time! My 3 and 5 year old loved every bit. There were two rides back to back that had issues while we waited a long time in line but it finally got going. There were plenty of rides for my smaller kids which was a big thing for us. We came back a 2^nd day and they rode on rides they didn’t ride that Monday. The food out there was great. I didn’t like that a small bag of chips was $ 2.75 but I guess I should have expected that at a theme park. I would love to come again and bring my mom and grandmother. I know they both would enjoy.

I hate amusement parks. With that said, Dollywood is the best amusement park I’ve ever been to and changes my outlook on them.
I’ve been to many amusement parks, Sea World, Wet & Wild, Six Flags, etc. and this one is far and away the best. There is literally something for everyone, families, couples, Dolly/​country music fans, all will find something they like.
After this visit I have a new respect for Dolly Parton. Her park is clean, the staff friendly and reasonable priced once inside.
I found the Dolly museum to be the most interesting feature of the park. I liked that there was no booze on site (and I drink). I also enjoyed the pleasant demeanor of the entire staff; not a rude or even gruff word from anyone.
Way to go Ms. Parton, you’ve done right by your fans on this one.

We had a great time a Dollywood. It was challenging at times dodging the old dodgers as they tried to run from show to show. No alcohol on the premises so bring your own. Food was pretty good actually. It was Christmas and the lights were pretty cool. The mine cart ride was my favorite and they do have some good adult rides. The Wild Eagle has a first drop that will pull your nuts up to your throat! Make sure you get in the front row for this one! It’s not Disneyworld but everyone working was very nice and the rides were better than expected. Well worth spending some time here!

Total BS. The ride gatekeepers are so arbitrary. Just watched 5 kids no adult rider with them get to ride but my daughters were told they had to leave.
The Skyrider gatekeeper should treat all the same way. TOTAL BS. This is why it’s harder to love this place.
The man, or in this case the clueless gatekeeper lady get to keep the kids down. And all that after waiting an hour.
Five shorter-​than-​my-​youngest-​daughter kids get to ride no adult but not my kids both of whom were above the tall requirement.
Good life lesson on how arbitrary the man is to keep you down!

Love Dollywood. The «My People» show is a must-​see. Her sister, brother, niece and other family members sing and talk about their past growing up with Dolly. I really enjoyed it.
Also, the tour bus from 1994 you can go inside and check that out. Amazing information from the gentleman inside, we even had a picture taken.
Try to find the mayor of Dollywood and talk to him, he walks around the park. He is FULL of info. We got to go into Dollys apartment there. It is beautiful. Plush carpet and pink, her favorite color… not everyone can go inside and see it but we got lucky.
New wood roller coaster coming in 2016.
Love Dolly and everything she is, very sweet woman.

Well priced.
Fun for all.
Doable in a day.
Since Unilocal is looking for more than my Haiku sized review, let me elaborate.
No, it’s not Disney, but it’s worth your time and money. It has a great assortment of rides, for different sizes/​ages/​thrill levels. It is worth what you pay for. Well laid out, nice food, clean, friendly… Seriously. Doing it again!

I had a lot of fun at Dollywood. We went the first day after 3:30 pm and got the next day free. You can get some great season pass deals early in the season if you live nearby and can visit regularly. Better than the fun parks in our neighborhood.
I had to try the cinnamon bread and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the roller coasters throughout the park as well. Watch out for the mine shaft ride, it rattled my brain.
The entertainment was scattered throughout the park and we enjoyed the music. This is a nice relaxing park to visit, and I’d stop back in if I ever get back this way.

Here you come again
Just when I’ve begun to get myself together
You waltz right in the door
Just like you’ve done before
And wrap my heart ’round your little finger…
Let us now praise Dolly Parton. She may have come across as a giggly, cotton candy-​topped Barbie-​doll country singer over the years, but just one visit to Dollywood will assure you that this is one shrewd businesswoman and marketing genius who has figured out how to create an economic boon that has lasted nearly thirty years in an isolated area of eastern Tennessee. When Jamie W. and I took a road trip between Nashville and Asheville, we knew we just had to stop at Dollywood before scaling the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s not that I’m big on roller coasters or log flumes of which there are plenty here. No, we just wanted to see her tour bus, her museum, and frankly all things Dolly. The park was crazy-​crowded because it was a gorgeous Saturday right at the peak of Spring Break, so basically it was probably the worst day to experience Dollywood.
And yet through the sea of fanny packs and baseball caps, we could still find a lot to entertain ourselves for the $ 59 one-​day entry fee. It’s about a half-​hour drive from the Hwy 40 exit where you pass by rows of shops devoted to guns, jewelry, Dolly-​inspired paraphernalia and more guns. When we finally reached the entrance of the parking lot, it already looked full, but we managed to snag a spot in lot D-​E, or as they call it, Dolly’s Earrings. It took another 15 minutes for the tram to pick us up to get us to the park entrance where like Graham Norton, I stood in awe that I was actually there. What you notice right away is that the park is not staffed with teens as most are but by gray-​haired locals in country store-​inspired outfits with, of course, hats. They help manage the lines and act as official greeters.
After grabbing a lunch of Southern comfort food at the Backstage Café, we went right to the surprisingly short line for a tour of her bus (photo:
). We figured out the reason for the short line is that they take only small groups at a time since it’s a bit cramped in there. Nonetheless, we got to see her bedroom and bathroom and where the drivers and her best friend Judy slept as well (photo:
). We even saw one of her wigs on her dressing table (photo:
). Once we got our obligatory souvenir photo taken (photo:
), we spent a lot of time in Chasing Rainbows, which is a museum dedicated to her life and accomplishments. When we climbed up to Dolly’s Attic, we were welcomed by a hologram of Dolly at her most angelic (photo:
).
As we walked the breadth of the park afterward, we came upon Heartsong, a multi-​sensory 20-​minute featurette she filmed twenty years ago to highlight the beauty and music of the Great Smoky Mountains. It came complete with a rain shower which forced us to sit wholly on our iPhones. We then made a quick stop at the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame just to see the animatronic group of men singing (photo:
). An eerie sight, it was a must-​do according to a hilarious Buzzfeed posting I saw on «The Do’s and Don’t’s in Dollywood». Dolly’s Emporium, the souvenir shop at the exit, is a must-​stop to pick up the tchotchkes that will make your co-​workers back home quite jealous. There were no Dolly sightings unfortunately, but I have a feeling this won’t be our last trip to Pigeon Forge.
But they didn’t understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me (photo:
)

We had an amazing day at dollywood. I love roller coasters and this park has some really great ones. The wooden coaster is the BEST I have ever ridden: so much fun! My kids loved everything we rode. The park is so kitschy, but that makes it. We didn’t get to see any of the shows. You definitely need to plan on 2 days if you want shows and rides. The park is very clean, ample restrooms. Lots of shade which I bet is welcome in the summer. I loved that they had hand sanitizer available at all the bathrooms and many if not all of the eateries. The mystery mine ride is one of the most unique roller coasters I have ridden. The eagle is a must. Don’t miss it! Also be sure to walk through the museum.
Dolly’s life and all her dresses and mementos, photos are fascinating!
Food… The pizza is a HUGE slice. They will cut it down the middle so you can share. They have free ice water at every restaurant and it tastes great. Do NOT miss the cinnamon bread at the Grist mill. Oh my goodness that is the most delicious thing in the park!!!
We missed Dolly in the parade today (opening weekend) which I am very sad about. When I stop and think about what she has accomplished and what she has done for the local community in pigeon forge… It is nothing short of extraordinary!