Hello, Dolly Maybe because of its association with being the personal amusement park of a country music singer, maybe it's just the gimmick of having a place called "Dollywood", but the amusement park sometimes gets snickers in certain circles. Truth be told though, Dollywood is not on a very well kept amusement park, but has great wait times for its rides compared to some other parks. One of my best friends says her kids far prefer Dollywood to Disney World because in their words "it has more rides". 7 year olds don't appreciate waiting in line 2 hours for a ride I gather. Yes, the park is "folksy" and Dolly has made bluegrass and Appalachia part of the ambiance of the place, but it's fun. It's a park that has clearly taken a lot of time trying to give its patrons the best experience. Sure it's kitschy but that's part of the appeal. For the price you'll get more rides with the added benefit of somewhere to stash those in your group who aren't much for thrills. Dollywood has plenty of theater shows that will entertain those in your group not interested in riding Thunderhead. The park gets the most crowded in summer (predictably). Because of all the black top and location in a valley it's always notably hotter there than anywhere else in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, so take that into account. Also take into account all the walking. It's a big park and has some hills. I've vowed off having kids plenty of times there after witnessing toddler meltdowns from exhaustion. I'm sure Disney World has similar issues, I'm just at Dollywood more to notice it. It's Christmas in the park right now. The lights are pretty fabulous and they do have a really good night time parade. Right now there's a bit of a disconnect because it still looks like fall, but everything is decorated for Christmas. It gets more festive feeling the colder it gets. The park Christmas shows have started and everyone is getting geared up for the Christmas crowds. Right now some of the tall rides are closed due to paper wasps (apparently paper wasps get REALLY cranky in autumn and swarm tall things) but everything but the water rides open up as it gets closer to Christmas. As for the first picture, we had a chance to see Dolly Parton the last time we went. She does surprise pop ins to her park (as would I) and frankly she's quite beloved. As a businesswoman she can't be beat and she's given back such a huge amount to the community that no one speaks ill of Dolly. This is the first time we've gotten to see her in the park.
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AuthorA librarian who likes to travel and experience life. CategoriesArchives
June 2022
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