Best Deal we Found for our Honeymoon

• October 9, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by Taps_yummy from Falls Creek, Pennsylvania

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Dolly Is Proud of Her Themepark

• September 21, 2009
• Rated 3 of 5 by catsholiday from ashbourne, United Kingdom

Dollywood is Dolly Parton’s theme park in Pigeon Forge, Seivercounty, Tennessee. She is very proud of the venture as it has created jobs for a lot of local people of all ages; indeed the lady who served us our corn dogs (well, when in Rome...) looked about 102 at least and service was a tad slow. The theme park is a little way out of Pigeon Forge but there is a free trolley bus which will take you to the Park from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg with several trolley bus stops. We drove there which was a mistake because parking was $8 on top of the price of entry - £40 each for the day depending on exchange rate on the day. Something that is useful to know is that if you pay for a day ticket and go in after 4pm on one day you can go all the next day with the same ticket – getting a day and a half for the price of a day. The park has various opening times and dates and it is best to look at the website before you go – it is far too complicated to go into here. In support of her local area Dolly has created a season pass which is about just over double the price of a day pass so if you live in the area then that is good value for children and indeed the senior generation that enjoy the shows.

DOLLY PARTON:

Dolly was brought up in a huge family in this area and in her autobiography ‘My Life and other Unfinished Business’ she describes how her family lived, happy but very poor. It was her uncle who felt she had a future career as a singer and drove all round with her to auditions and concerts. She was very determined and focused with her career. She is also very religious and family orientated and she has many of her musical family members performing in Dollywood in the ‘Family Reunion’ performance.

DOLLYWOOD – THE PARK ITSELF:

Obviously this is a huge park and it would be boring to list everything that is available. If you are interested then this is the website: http://www.dollywood.com Dolly has tried to create a park that captures the feeling of the Smoky Mountains area. There shops and eateries are built of wood like a log cabin and a lot of these have craftsmen/women showing their skills and then of course you can buy your souvenir. Examples include glassblowing and wood cutting. I have to say that I thought the prices were rather high and the items on offer of little interest but each to his own. There was even a Dolly clothes shop with items in Dolly’s style available for purchasing, again I was not tempted and if I had been the price would have put me off. There are apparently 40 themed shops ready to relieve you of your money throughout the park. There are a great number of the usual theme park rides and roller coasters but they hold little or no interest for me though we did go on the authentic 110 ton steam train into the Smoky Mountains. I naively thought we would go into the Smokies but it was a five mile circuit around the park with staged scenes as you steamed through. It was quite pleasant but not a ride into the Smokies as advertised. The other rides and experiences include a mix of roller coasters and water rides, some rides aimed at younger children and a number of exhibitions relating to the area of Dolly such as a reconstruction of her childhood home, an old school house, her caravan she toured in and also a display of her outfits and awards. I think that one of the most interesting aspects of this theme park is the live entertainment shows and judging by the age of the clientele (I felt very young as I looked around) I think most of them were heading for the shows and attractions rather than the rides. These shows are all very different and run virtually all day at different times.

THE SHOWS:

Sha -Kon –O-Hey The first show we went to was Dolly’s own show , Sha-Kon-O-Hey she wrote to tell the story of a hillbilly family who had to leave their home in the Smokies during the 1930s to find work elsewhere. Again, being very honest here, I really cannot remember a single tune .It was a new show for this season and was pleasant enough but certainly not amazing. I think she has written better songs with catchy tunes and these were very forgettable.The name Sha Kon-O-Hey is Cherokee for Smoky Mountains. Dolly wrote the musical to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is the most visited National Park in the USA.

Dolly’s Family Reunion Some of Dolly’s musical relatives sing her songs and tell stories about growing up with their famous relative which lasts about 20 minutes and was quite nicely done without being too cheesy and sentimental ; also keeps the family in work too!

The Gem Tones This was my personal favourite. A group of 5 young people dressed in 50’s style sang a medley of songs from the 50s within a bit of a story. They sang with no musical accompaniment at all - a bit like a Barber Shop Quartet but there were 5 of them performing songs from the 50s. They were not on a stage but in an area that was set up like the 50s with a diner, a gas station and several old American classic cars. It was a true delight and lasted a very quick 15 minutes.

The Kingdom Heirs This was my husband’s choice though he is not religious in any way. The Kingdom Heirs is a quartet of male singers performing gospel songs. Their voices ranged from a really very deep, like Johnny Cash through to an extremely high Frankie Valley sound. This group are big in the States and if this sparks your interest they have a website; http://www.kingdomheirs.com/home.htm There were other shows and some are only available on certain days but those were the ones we selected to see.

DOLLY ATTRACTIONS:

As this was Dolly’s Theme Park we felt we had to see the attractions that were about her so we popped in to see the reconstructed version of Dolly’s Smoky Mountain Home. This is a tiny, two roomed house and Dolly had about 14 brothers and sisters so it must have been a really tight squeeze. In her book dolly mentions that she liked it when her parents re-wall-papered as she had something different to read; the wall paper was newspapers. Our next stop was Chasing Rainbows where you could see a number of Dolly’s outfits, listen to her music and see the numerous awards she’s won. It was really interesting as I’m not really a fan, I’ve heard of her and enjoyed her performances in films but had no idea she was such a big star in the world of Country Music. It was an impressive array of silver, gold and platinum discs and different awards. Within the exhibition there were comments from Dolly and facts about her life. There were also hundreds of photos of Dolly with other famous people and handwritten notes from Dolly stuck beside them. It was possible to visit her touring caravan too but there was a huge queue so we decided not to bother. A small chapel named after the doctor who delivered Dolly was also within the park and services are held there on Sundays. Throughout the park and while reading her life story you are left in no doubt as to Dolly’s religious faith and what this means to her. There is also a Christian bookshop in the park which is certainly unusual for a theme park.

SUMMARY:

I enjoyed our day but I do think it was expensive for what we got out of it. We went as the park opened at 9.30 and left at about 5ish as we were tired. We could have stayed longer but there was nothing we wanted to do. Food and drink were VERY expensive and we were desperate for a cup of tea and a sit down. I know theme parks do charge a lot for food but generally in the States eating out is cheaper than here and the food on offer was not gourmet stuff – corn dogs and hot dogs are pretty naff and I think we paid about £12 for two corn dogs and a small container of curly fries.You are NOT allowed to take any food or drink in yourself either. Water fountains are dotted around, usually near the toilets and we made good use of these as we refused to pay about £4 for a drink of coke filled with a ton of ice.

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Dollywood

• June 12, 2008
• Rated 5 of 5 by pbpd81 from Poplar Bluff, Missouri

I don’t believe I can put into words my feelings about our visit here. I have dreamed of visiting this park for as long as I can remember, so my excitement upon actually arriving is indescribable. A one day ticket is $50.20 but if you go after 3 pm the ticket is good for the next day. We took advantage of this on a Monday afternoon to get in a couple extra hours of fun. The main theme of the park is the pioneer days with craftsman demonstrating the making of everything from horseshoes and wagons to blown glass and candy. A few areas of the park offer a more modern décor such as Jukebox Junction with a 50’s style diner and the Rockin’ Roadway mini classic cars. This is also where we found the interactive museum Chasing Rainbows, dedicated to the life and career of Dolly Parton. One of the most exciting parts of my whole trip was the exhibit of the Coat of Many Colors from her hit song by the same title. As we entered the museum, accompanying pictures along the walls, were notes scribbled out by Dolly to her friend and assistant Judy. I found this very interesting and it took me quit some time to make it into the actual museum. We ended up spending a couple hours the first afternoon viewing the exhibits here. On display outside the museum and new for the 2008 season was Dolly’s tour bus. Unfortunately the line was long and was moving extremely slow so we decided not to wait. We did try back a couple times the second day but the line was long each time and we ended up missing out on it. Our first destination on the second morning was Blazing Fury, an indoor roller coaster. We were excited to give it a try because it appeared to be similar to our favorite ride at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. We walked straight to the Fury as soon as the park opened at 10 am. After riding twice with no waiting, we started working our way around the park. We rode all the major rides at least twice with almost no waiting in lines. We found 2 big roller coasters near the back of the park. The Tennessee Tornado zipped around twists, loops and a butterfly turn at speeds of 70 mph, it left our hearts pumping, but we were more than happy to go back for a second spin. Then we found the Mystery Mine, it started off a little slow but ended with a vertical climb and 85 foot drop that made for an exciting ride. We had to pass on the wooden coaster as it wasn’t open yet, but it looked like a thrilling ride. The newest ride was the River Battle where riders floated along on boats equipped with soaker guns, powered by cranking a handle, and attempted to shoot targets or guest walking by. Located along the path were more soaker guns so those same guest could shoot back at the boats. This ride was a little disappointing in the thrill department but I’m sure will be a big hit on the hot days of summer as you will defiantly end up wet. To my surprise one of the funnest rides was the motion ride theatre, Thunder Road. As we watched the car chase scene on the screen our seats bumped and jolted around giving the impression of being right there in the car in hot pursuit. By the time we had made our way back to were we began it was time for a bite to eat. We picked Miss Lillian’s BBQ because I really wanted to try the roasted corn-on-the-cob. The BBQ pork sandwich platter came with baked beans and slaw, we ordered one and split the sandwich. I got the corn cob and a refill on a souvenir cup, the total came to almost $20. The food was pretty good and since we planned to get a snack later it was enough for each of us. After lunch the lines for the rides were longer and we had to spend more time waiting. We went around the park a second time, hitting each of the rides again and some that we had missed earlier. By late afternoon the lines were back down to almost no waiting. We didn’t spend much time watching any of the demonstrations. I don’t know if our timing was off or if it was still to early in the season for everything to be going full swing. We watch the blacksmith for awhile and we just caught the end of a candy making session. We dipped our own candles but the ladies in the shop weren’t making anything themselves. Other than food , the candles were about the only things we purchased. Prices were typical amusement park prices, expensive! The park closed at 7 pm and we stayed until the last minute. On our way out my daughter found a purple Dollywood hat for just under $10, which she thought she couldn’t live without and that price wasn’t bad. Oh, and I couldn’t pass up the smashed penny machine. So we took our treasures and headed for the trolley. We left totally exhausted and deliriously happy.

From journal Our Tennesse Adventure

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Very touching

• February 14, 2008
• Rated 5 of 5 by harleegurl70 from roanoke, Virginia

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Dollywood in Pigeon Forge

• February 28, 2007
• Rated 4 of 5 by Jaysour from Maryville, Illinois

We took a day out of our trip to Gatlinburg to drive over the Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, at first thought, for the kids but as it turned out, the whole family had a good time. Good enough to stay until they closed the park.

A large parking lot and tram system provided easy access for all, no matter how far you may have parked from the park entrance. While on the tram, our tour guide mentioned some things to do as well as any new or exciting festivals that were happening that day.

We were lucky to hit the park on a day (mid September) when the crowd was quite light allowing our daughter (as well as myself) to ride the rides without any long or extensive waits. The ThunderHead is a great wooden coaster although I was the only that dared to ride it. There was even an entire section of the park dedicated to younger children with games of skill, rides and water games. Both daughter and younger son were able to ride most of the attractions. The park is divided into sections with different themes but all ascend to a higher theme of Smokey mountain coutry dress, food, hobbies, skills and the like.

The food is the typical food you find at other theme parks such as hamburger, hot dogs, corndogs, funnel cakes and the like as well as some distinct food endeavors such as BBQ specialties and stuffed sandwiches filled with sausage, green peppers, bell peppers and onions which was outstanding. The prices are comparable to any other theme park which of course is not cheap but not outrageous.

One thing you should not miss is the Eagle Sanctuary right on the grounds of Dollywood. They have different shows throughout the day with live bird demonstrations with eagles as well as other types of birds. Fun and very informative plus a great photo opt of an eagle.

One of the nice surprises we encounted at the park was the staff. Some of the friendliest people you have ever met. Much nicer, friendly and interactive than any other theme park I have been. From "working the crowd" to making sure the youngsters were tight in their seats, these employees made the visit to Dollywood an experience that you remember not only for the rides but the hospitality.

If you have a day to spend, I would certainly recommend Dollywood and as with all theme parks, there are new rides every year to add to the thrills.

From journal Gatlinburg Worth the Drive

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