Dollywood!

In the early 80s, my family discovered one of our most favorite places to go, even to this day. That place? Silver Dollar City Tennessee. The park was bought by the Herschend family as a sister park to their Branson, Missouri park, Silver Dollar City. In 1986/1987, Dolly Parton got in on the action with the Herschend Brothers and named it Dollywood!

If you've never been to Dollywood, you are missing out on a really wonderful experience. Dollywood is one of the most fun theme parks you'll ever go to. It has so much to offer that I am going to give a good overview of it in this article, then I will be posting separate articles on Dollywood's rides, shows, crafts, and dining. I may try to get my wife to write the article on shopping in Dollywood! This will sound more like a review than a what-we-did blog because the last time I was there was last October, so we did on each day is a little lost on me. When I go again (currently expecting to in early or mid 2010), I will post a blog that's more of a what-we-did or as-its-happening style.

If you want to add some family fun to your Smoky Mountain vacation, give this place a try. I have seen it grow over the years in every direction. They have added some pretty cool rides, attractions, and shows over the years. The shows have some very talented people. The only two things that ever really bummed me out about Dollywood was 1. when they closed down their ride The Flooded Mine, a slow-moving boat ride through a mine with prisoners, and 2. when they stopped producing the Dollywood Jamboree, which was a daily park-closing two hour show starring James Rogers (who also does an amazing one-man show several times a day). This show featured a female lead, a live band, dancers (cloggers!), a few other talents, and that hillbilly hunk, Elwood Smooch! Elwood Smooch, aka Billy Baker, left Dollywood to pursue his own show and is currently at the Chattanooga Choo Choo in Chattanooga, TN. I will do another article on Elwood as he certainly is deserving of his own!

Back to Dollywood. Dollywood has something for everyone. Some people like shows. Some people like rides. Some people (ok, most of us) like to eat. Some people like to shop. Some people like crafts. You will find it all at Dollywood. As it has grown quite a bit, there is a lot to see. A deal they have always had at Dollywood is if you come into the park after 3:00 pm, you get the next day free! I highly recommend this if you want to get a decent Dollywood experience. I showed up at 2:15 pm one time and they said as long as I wait until 2:30 before entering, they can give me the next day free, so I didn't have to wait until 3:00!

There are certain things I always have to do when I go. Visiting the Dollywood Grist Mill is a tradition for me. Anytime before early afternoon, you can go in there and ask for their famous fresh baked cinnamon bread. Once you buy one of these, their life expectancy is about 5 minutes, no joke.

Another thing thats been at Dollywood probably longer than anything else there is the Dollywood Express, consisting of two steam-powered, coal-fired locomotives, one named Cinderella, the other named Klondike Katie. The girls will take you on a 5 mile train ride through parts of Dollywood and the backwoods behind it. Every now and then, they stop the train on a loop thats midway through your journey, and put on a short, impromptu comedy show, whether its train robbers or some other funny scenario, sometimes involving one of us train riders!

Eagle Mountain Sanctuary is a great attraction added several years back now. Injured birds are brought here and rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Of course, they have a few bald eagles as well. The area is a huge, netted enclosure that gives the birds plenty of room to fly around in, which gives visitors a great show. Speaking of shows, the Birds of Prey show in the Wings of America theatre is a great show for seeing these birds up close as they are presented on stage and even fly over the crowd!



As far as food goes, everything at Dollywood is awesome. We like to get there about 30 minutes before the park officially opens so we can eat breakfast at Aunt Granny's. They have an amazing breakfest buffet. Its hard to imagine, but in all the years of Dollywood, their scrambled eggs still taste the same as they did 20 years ago! I am not normally a biscuits and gravy guy, but they had me going back for more. For lunch, I usually like to swing by Victoria's Pizza, right across from the train station. They serve personal pizzas and their breadsticks and marinara sauce are some of the best I've ever had. Another place worth mentioning is Market Square. When you walk through here, you won't be able to miss the aroma of bell peppers, onions, and sausage being cooked in cast-iron skillets. Check my article on Dining at Dollywood for a more thorough account of eating at Dollywood.







As far as rides go, Dollywood delivers - for everyone. Roller coasters, water rides, rides for the kids. Two of my personal favorites are award-winning rides. The Smoky Mountain Slidewinder, a water toboggan ride down the side of a mountain, was named #1 Non-Roller Coaster Thrill Ride in America a few years back. The Thunderhead has been named #1 Wooden Roller Coaster. If you manage to come off the Smoky Mountain River Rampage dry, I suggest you play the lottery because that would be your lucky day. If you have little kids with you, the Country Fall Fairs area of Dollywood has lots of rides for the little ones. I find myself wanting to go into more of the rides right here, but I keep reminding myself More detail of the rides, along with with pics and links to YouTube ride videos is here at The Rides of Dollywood!








Dollywood has a rich tradition having some very talented people performing on the various stages throughout the park. This is another area where I am going to have an article dedicated to the shows of Dollywood, but I will mention a few here. First off, I have to mention James Rogers. This guy has been entertaining us all for over 20 years. He's a one man show that plays a wide range of stuff and has a lot of fun doing it. He also wrote one of Tennessee's state songs, Fly Eagle Fly. Another of my personal favorites is Country Crossroads, set in an outdoor theatre where today's country music is covered while also paying respects to country's past. A 50's show, a magic show, bluegrass, and Dolly's own kinfolks also play out across the stages of Dollywood every day. Again, for more on shows at Dollywood, see my article The Shows of Dollywood.




The themed shops of Dollywood are a blast to walk through. A magic shop, nature shop, music shop, an Ireland themed shop, candy shop, crafts shops for wood carving and leatherworks, as well as the Butterfly Emporium are just some of the shops in Dollywood. I will likely co-write an article on the shops of Dollywood with my wife very soon. My wife went nuts going through all the stores. When we were there in October, we started getting souvenirs for everyone, then thought, why don't we just make these souvenirs be everyone's Christmas gifts?! So we ended up doing a lot of our Christmas shopping in Dollywood.

Crafts are a core part of Dollywood. In Craftsmen's Valley, you can find a wood carving shop, leather shop, blacksmith, wagon making, and more. Other parts of Dollywood are home to the candle shop, glassworks, and glassblowing. You can get customized or personalized merchandise as well. My favorite shop is the woodcarving shop. Like many of the crafts shops, Dollywood employs expert craftsmen. Every time you go in there you'll see the main project the master woodcarver working on is an elaborate fireplace mantle. Back in October, I was on a quest to find a new hiking stick. There was a ton of them outside the shop, so I picked mine out, then had the woodcarver carve my name in it. See my article The Crafts of Dollywood for more information on the crafts at Dollywood.

Seasons in Dollywood don't pass without big changes. Depending on the time of year, Dollywood has special festivals that give a unique experience. In Fall, the National Gospel and Harvest Celebration brings lots of Fall decorations throughout Dollywood, such as pumpkins, unique shows, and lots of local craftsmen selling their creations in the streets of Dollywood. While there was lots of neat stuff, one of my favorites was a guy that set up his booth across from the train station where he sold several different wood puzzles and other related items. I ended up buying wood-carved dice, a regular-sized set and a jumbo-sized set. I just had to have them. I don't know why. I just did. And now I do. Winter brings with it Smoky Mountain Christmas, where the park is decorated in Christmas lights and a huge Christmas tree is set up, along with other holiday decorations. Special holiday shows are added to put you in the mood and make you have a great Smoky Mountain Christmas. Spring brings the Festival of Nations, with international shows, music, food, and artistry. Summer belongs to the kids in Dollywood's annual KidsFest, with special shows, rides, and attractions just for kids!



The staff at Dollywood are very friendly. Dollywood employs the entire spectrum of ages. In addition to a young staff, it has quite a few older people that work there. And a lot of these people are so funny. Some of the ride operators will tell jokes and entertain you while you wait. You almost get the feeling these people enjoy their jobs. On the train ride, the conductor will have you waving at complete strangers at railroad crossings, and they'll all be waving back. At Dollywood, there's just a real good vibe you don't get anywhere else, let alone a theme park. Whether its fair to make the comparison or not, I have always said Dollywood just feels "real" as opposed to other theme parks, even Disney.

All in all, Dollywood's motto rings true for most people that go there, "Memories worth repeating." And with all that Dollywood has to offer, that makes it easy. Dollywood is constantly growing, yet it still maintains its charm. The people here continue to keep it personal and make you feel right at home.

Check out my other Dollywood posts:
The Rides of Dollywood
Blazing Fury IS a roller coaster, mom!
Dining At Dollywood
The Shows of Dollywood
The Crafts of Dollywood