Dollywood

Pigeon Forge, TN is a relatively small town nestled in the heart of the Great Smokey Mountains. It’s also the childhood home of Country Music Queen, Dolly Parton. Early on in Dolly’s career, she often spoke of a dream to utilize her personal success to bring business, jobs and new life to her hometown. That, she did!

Among the many attractions in Pigeon Forge that bear Dolly’s name, you’ll find Dollywood – a theme park filled with energetic and family-friendly entertainment, thrill rides for all ages, and a down-home feel unlike any other.

I’ve been a season pass holder to Dollywood for the past two years, and can happily report that I’ve taken full advantage of those passes, making approximately four to six trips to visit the park each year. A season pass cost less than the price of two day-pass admissions.

With the park's new easy-pay plan, which spreads the cost of a season pass over six months, almost everyone can afford a ticket! I highly recommend the gold ticket which gets you a great discount on preferred parking, food and other purchases throughout the park—it's well worth the extra cash.

Dollywood has something for everyone from the youngest child to the young at heart. They host several festivals throughout each season, among which are my two favorites: “the Festival of Nations”, and “Smoky Mountain Christmas.”

The Festival of Nations brings in crowd-pleasing acts and provides food and snacks native to various countries from around the globe. And no one can deny that the Smoky Mountains in the fall is a great place to visit to get in the Christmas spirit.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas lights up the park with well over four million lights covering most of the buildings, lining the rides, and decorating the parks overall landscape. All of the entertainment is Christmas-themed, and the parade of lights is a gorgeous display of the character of Dolly Parton and her fun-filled park.

For folks who enjoy that sense of “Ahhh!” there are six roller coasters in the park, and a variety of other rides to satisfy the daredevil in you. The most recent addition to the list of award-winning roller coasters at Dollywood opened in the summer of 2016: the Lightning Rod.

It’s the world’s fastest wooden roller coaster, and the first wooden coaster with a launch system. The Lightning Rod is themed around a 60s roadster, and although it was down each time I visited the park in 2016, the reviews I’ve read about it make it sound like a real winner!

Dollywood has opened a drop-tower ride in 2017, as well as a junior-kiddie coaster to introduce the littles and the middles to the excitement of a roller coaster!

The food—oh, the food! There are a couple of restaurants in the park that offer an all-you-can-eat buffet. But anywhere you choose to eat will not disappoint! Even the hot dogs are great. One of my personal recommendation is the pizza-soup at Victoria's Pizza. It's different, but you'll love it!

If you want to make a week or a weekend out of your trip to Dollywood, check out the discounts at the new DreamMore Resort & Spa. They have several packages available to accommodate small groups and large families. A stay at the resort or a visit to any of Dolly’s attractions will get you discounts on other attractions in Pigeon Forge including the Dixie Stampede, Splash Country Water Park, and Smoky Mountain Adventures!

In addition to Dolly’s DreamMore Resort, Pigeon Forge has a large variety of other accommodations to choose from, including resorts, hotels, and cabins with the best views of the smoky mountains. You won’t regret a visit to Pigeon Forge, TN and Dollywood’s theme park…and you’ll certainly not forget it!