5 Things I Love About Dollywood

I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and it was somewhat of a right of passage to visit the Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, at the base of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park growing up. Country Legend, Dolly Parton put her name on the theme park in the late eighties (previously it was called Silver Dollar City) and it transformed the town of Pigeon Forge.

This summer, I took my girls and my husband to Dollywood for the first time and everyone had a blast. My kids adore Dolly Parton – but not because of her music! Instead, thanks to her incredible Imagination Library program that Dolly started wherein from the age of 0-5 years old, every child receives a free book in the mail every month! My girls adoringly refer to Dolly Parton as “The Book Lady,” but now they love her for her theme park too! (Don’t worry, we also jammed out to some beloved Dolly Parton tunes on the drive up). There are plenty of places to stay around Dollywood including Dollywood cabins and hotels in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and the new Dollywood Dreammore Resort, but this trip we simply drove into Knoxville and stayed with my mom.

A friend recently referred to Dollywood as an Appalachian-themed Disney World which I think is pretty appropriate. We spent all day at the Dollywood Park and we all loved the rides, the amazing crafts and artisans, the food, and the overall family-friendly atmosphere. There is also an emphasis on music and celebration throughout the park. There are lots of unique touches that made our experience at Dollywood pretty awesome. Here are five of the best things we love about Dollywood:

1. Centralized Measuring Station & Rides for all Ages

We know first-hand the frustration of waiting in line for a ride at a theme park, only to find out your child is not tall enough to ride. At Dollywood, we were able to skip the frustration and visit Dollywood’s Centralized Measuring Station right when we arrived. The measuring station is located across from the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame on Showstreet, just as you enter the park. At the station, our kids were measured and given a color-coded wristband. The color of the wristband helps easily determine which rides your child can go on by looking at the map. This made choosing rides so much easier and I was able to quickly find rides that my youngest could ride based on the color of her wristband in any area of the park. Plus, every area had a bunch of rides for all ages.

2. Free Water & Shade

We visited Dollywood on a hot summer day in late June and we were nervous about how everyone would handle the rising temperatures and stay hydrated. We got a tip from our parking lot tram driver that we could stop at any food or snack vendor and ask for water and they would give it to us for FREE. We stopped for water and utilized this service frequently throughout the day – and they always generously filled large cups full of ice and water for our whole crew.

Also, we were surprised to find tons of shade trees and areas with shaded landscaping that helped keep us cool while waiting in line or walking throughout the park. There are also several giant misting fans throughout the park to cool off and areas with kid-friendly splash fountains that the girls adored.

3. Food – Especially the Grist Mill Cinnamon Bread

We indulged in the famous Grist Mill cinnamon bread before lunch and this warm, gooey loaf of bread was devoured in seconds. It’s definitely worth the indulgence – and be sure to ask for both the icing and the apples to dip. There are tons of southern food options for lunch, dinner or snacking – we stopped at The Front Porch Cafe which had a great children’s menu. Plus, I learned that the Front Porch Cafe is also the best place to go if you have a family member with a food allergy, sensitivity, or restriction. The chefs there will work with you to come up with dishes that meet your needs. Other recommended restaurants are the all-you-can-eat country buffet at Aunt Granny’s Restaurant, which includes southern favorites like green beans, fried chicken, biscuits, cast iron cornbread and much more. Near Aunt Granny’s, Frannie’s Food Truck serves up the park’s most popular fried chicken sandwich — The chicken, according to Dolly, is apparently marinated in pickle brine for 8 hours and has a very unique flavor.

4. Amazing Appalachian Artisans

The area known as Craftsman’s Alley was a hit for everyone too. Here we took a break from the rides and saw Dollywood’s blacksmith create hand-forged steel items at the Blacksmith & Foundry, checked out the Mountain Blown Glass where you can make your own glass blown ornament and watched crafters at various stands and shops. My girls especially loved hand-dipping their own candles at Old Flames Candles during an afternoon rainstorm. You’ll find local Appalachian arts and crafts everywhere you turn and especially throughout Craftman’s Alley. We noticed that all of the prices were fairly reasonable too.

5. Friendly Staff

Every single staff person we encountered was friendly and funny – sharing park or ride tips, talking about grandkids or how much they love their job! We noticed many senior citizens, well-trained teenagers, and employees with physical challenges throughout the park and I had countless conversations about kids and rides and retirement, ha! The warmth and friendliness of the staff certainly added to the overall experience at the park. Everyone was happy, considerate and welcoming.

I can’t wait to go back to Dollywood with my crew – perhaps for the Smoky Mountain Christmas events, to catch a famous Dollywood music show and get another loaf of cinnamon bread!

Have you been to Dollywood? What did you love?

Also, check out things to do in Knoxville, TN and Asheville, North Carolina which are in the surrounding areas!