I have secretly wanted to go to Dollywood for years but knew my husband and boys wouldn’t be super excited about it. So when we were floating around the idea of a Tennessee road trip, I knew I had my opening. I sold it as a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and subtly tacked on a stop in Dollywood since we would already be in the area.
It’s not that my boys need a lot of prodding to go to an amusement park, but unless you are a country music fan or a young kid, Dollywood on the surface just doesn’t appeal as much as Disney or even a Six Flags type of place. But I knew that Dollywood had a lot going for it, as evidenced by its TripAdvisor 2022 #1 Theme Park in the US ranking.
Once they agreed to go, I decided to really lean into the experience and booked us at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort. I figured the family would love it or hate it by the end so we might as well go all in. And there are great park perks to staying in the resort, including discounted tickets, a free shuttle, and free TimeSaver passes.
We went to the park on our first full day in Pigeon Forge. We caught the shuttle from the front of the resort and were dropped off right by the entrance, where we picked up our TimeSaver wrist bands. TimeSaver gives you 5 expedited ride entries, allowing you to bypass the long waits and join the shorter TimeSaver line. This made our visit so much smoother and easier and made the price of staying at the resort well worthwhile. Purchased separately they cost $60 each so it really is a huge benefit to staying at the resort.
With our TimeSavers secured on our wrists, we headed into the park. Our strategy was to head to Dragonflier first and then continue to make our way around the outside loop of the park. We were there right at park opening so we figured we’d get in one quick ride before starting to use our TimeSavers.
Unfortunately this proved to be a huge tactical error. Dragonflier is a single-train ride, meaning that each group of 20 riders can’t load until the previous group gets off and no other group is riding while they are loading. This makes it naturally slow. Throw in the fact that it attracts lots of younger kids because it is classified as a thrill ride but has a shorter height requirement than the big coasters and you have a recipe for a line that gets really long really quickly. So we ended up stuck there with by far the longest wait we had all day. And TimeSaver wasn’t a huge time saver here – there were tons of season pass holders who had free access to the TimeSaver line until 11 am and they were turned away after waiting 30+ minutes because they didn’t get to the front of the line in time.
So we waited and waited and it sort of got the day off on the wrong foot. But of course we eventually got our turn. The ride is a suspended roller coaster, which means that the seats hang below the track and your feet dangle. It was actually a really fun ride but the wait was excruciatingly long and the ride ridiculously short (less than a minute). So far I wasn’t winning anyone over on Dollywood. But we cut our losses and moved on to find a better experience.
And we found it quickly! We headed to Mystery Mine next and didn’t hesitate to use our TimeSavers. We only waited about five minutes and absolutely loved the ride. It was a really unique roller coaster. Instead of a series of connected cars, it has individual cars with 2 rows of 4 seats. This made for much faster loading and unloading than Dragonflier and it also made the ride exciting for all the riders, as everyone is essentially in the “front” of the roller coaster. The ride has great theming and even better stunts. There are two points where you are literally lying flat on your back as the coaster climbs a 90 degree track before plunging over the edge. And if that isn’t enough excitement for you, there is an explosion in the mine that gives off intense heat! Such an amazing effect. We all really loved this ride and just like that, Dollywood was back in our good graces.
Our other favorite ride was the Wild Eagle. This ride is the only “wing” coaster in the US. In a twist on traditional roller coasters, the seats are perched on either side of the track so that riders are hanging in the air. The theme was well executed – the train on the tracks is an eagle and the riders hang from its spread wings, soaring through the air as if they are flying. Aside from the unique design, this was a really fun ride with lots of dives, loops and twists.
We repeated a few rides and hit a few other ones as well – FireChaser Express, Tennessee Tornado, and Daredevil Falls. (Unfortunately Thunderhead was temporarily closed when we tried to ride it towards the end of the day so we missed out on the big wooden coaster.) Daredevil Falls is very similar to Splash Mountain in Disney World… except you get a whole lot wetter. And it wasn’t the splash from the big drop that got me the wettest. It was the water coming in the sides on the smaller drops that got me! My shoes and socks were soaked, as was the rest of me. Fortunately that was the last ride of the day because I would have felt terrible sitting in the seat of another roller coaster with my clothes soaking wet.
So I think the boys were pleasantly surprised by the rides. The thrill rides were more thrilling than expected and the theming well executed. There are also a lot of great rides for the younger set and I regret not coming here when the boys were younger too.
Aside from the rides, I give the park high marks for its design, upkeep and cleanliness. I was super impressed walking around. All the decorations were really well done – everything was thoughtfully designed and well constructed. The whole mountain/western theme reminded me of Tweetsie Railroad – but the execution at Dollywood is a thousand times better. While Tweetsie is cute and tons of fun for little kids, its hook is the nostalgia factor – its decorations and rides are literally stuck in the 1950s. Dollywood is a nicer, newer, more modern version of the mountain theme park.
One of my favorite parts of Dollywood was the topiaries! Ok, technically they weren’t topiaries because they were made up of individual plants instead of shrubs, but the look is similar – only even better because they incorporate color and texture so well. Part of the Flower & Food Festival, these amazing displays were setup around the park. From umbrellas to a family of bears, it was so much fun to spot them as we walked around.
Our day at Dollywood ended up being a great time for all of us. The park is well designed, well executed and well cared for. And they have some really impressive rides. My husband and kids were pleasantly surprised… although none of them feel the need to go back again. But I still take that as a victory – we have lots and lots of places that we want to visit in the world so I’m totally fine with having a great time somewhere and not going back.
