Post #2 - Dollywood 2022 So Far (and a bit of late 2021)

 Hi Everyone,

Right now in East Tennessee we are in the sultry throws of a June heat wave and it is really really hot, but I'm still working on content about Dollywood.   So far, 2022 has been pretty busy for me and for Dollywood.  Crowd levels are high on most days with a few exceptions that I hear about on social media where some folks have had the park to themselves....lucky ducks.

I recently published four videos related to Dollywood's Flower & Food Festival, one focusing exclusively on the Festival, another one of which is a general park update more or less, and two video updates of Dollywood's more popular stores....The Sweet Shoppe / Southern Pantry as well as the Mountain Blown Glass Shop.

Let's take a look...

I captured images of the menu boards at a few of the eateries - Front Porch Cafe, Aunt Granny's, Kettle Corn, Ironhorse Pizza, Food Truck park- Gus and Son's Greek Grill and Dazzle Delights.  AND, this was new to me, all over Dollywood are Picnic in the Park locations for quick grab and go meals.  They sell Turkey Wraps, PBJ, Apples, Pickles, Hard Boiled Eggs, etc - take a look at those offerings.  I've heard some constructive criticism that the food lines have been unusually long this season, so that might be a quicker option than waiting to eat at one of the restaurants.  These are spread out all over the park - I found four locations but I would think there are even more.  I believe the same stuff is at Splash Country too.   You can see the first one I found at 04:30 in the general update below. 

In March, I was at Dollywood for Season Passholder Preview day, this was on Friday March 11th and it felt so nice to be back at Dollywood, doing something that resembles normalcy again.  It was a great day and I documented my take on it in this video.

There were a lot of changes over the brief off-season.  I knew the parking lot was redesigned and the traffic pattern would be one-way, among other changes, so that's included.   I knew the beloved tunnel between Craftsman's Valley and The Village had been removed and renovated, so I included that in my video as well.  In Wildwood Grove work looks to be ramping up on Dollywood's 2023 coaster, so I captured that too.  The two food trucks are featured.  I learned on my April trip that the one next to Tennessee Tornado is the Food Truck Park, while the one up the hill in Wilderness Pass is the Food Truck Plaza, so keep it straight people!  You can take a look at that video - above this.

The Dollywood Emporium was transformed in the off-season.  My first impression was Wow, There Is A Ton of Dolly Merchandise!  In the past there was some Dolly merch for sure, but now, finally, this is where you want to go to find Dolly's mug on a mug, or on a t-shirt, or a shot glass or nearly anything else you can think of.   Plus, the aisles are clearer, the check out area is more organized and since its the main exit to the parking lot, that makes a lot of sense that they kept the high traffic areas a bit more open.

You can watch my video about the new Emporium here...

On this same trip I took a quick run through the Mountain Laurel Store and made a video about that.  You can watch that quick video here.

Back In February I took a trip to Dolly's DreamMore Resort to check that out and I think it's a nice hotel with a lot of benefits that one would enjoy if Dollywood or Splash Country are on your itinerary.  For one, there's door-to-door shuttle service from DreamMore to the parks.  Another is the Complimentary TimeSaver Pass that gives you access to shorter ride lines for Eight Dollywood Attractions of your choice, and Unlimited access to Shows (does not work at Splash Country).  They offer package delivery.  So, if you buy an oil lamp at the Mountain Blown Glass shop, they will deliver it to DreamMore and you can go about your Dollywood-day, and pick it up when you're delivered back to DreamMore - how cool is that.  Lastly, on Saturdays you can get early entry into Splash Country or Dollywood and get a head start before it opens to the public.  Much of this information is subject to change, so for the latest information I would recommend looking at their website, which is here DreamMore Perks.

In this video I walk around the entire property, taking a look at the lobby, the group meeting rooms, lots of patios, the pool area, the fire pit and cornhole areas around the pool, the indoor pool, playground, game room, excercise room, The Song and Hearth Restaurant and lounge, The Pantry, Dolly's Time Capsule, Dolly's Hallway of Album Covers, walk past the Spa (closed on the day I was there), and as an added bonus, Dolly's explanation of her "Gypsy Wagon", which, as you will see in the video, it's Dolly's recently retired motor coach and it will be transformed into a Suite available for booking at a later date...it's called the 1986 Suite and you'll hear what she has to say about it.  Another Bonus - I stopped by the Dolly statue at the Sevier County Courthouse to check in with her there - she's doing pretty good.

Please watch my DreamMore video here: 

Might as well go back a little further...we're all dressed up and our hair looks great!

In November of 2021 I published my nearly-hour long look at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas.  You can watch that in it's entirety here...

In September of 2021 I published my look at Dollywood's Great Pumpkin LumiNights Event.  This was my first night time video and I was a bit disappointed in the footage when I took it into edit, so I am sorry it is so shaky. It is below my standards.  However, it was a learning opportunity and 2021 was the  year of the learning curve for me, so, important to learn from it....which I did make major adjustments for the Christmas video.

 
You can watch the LumiNights video here...it still turned out pretty good I think 😀

Finally, I am so thankful that I shot the Chasing Rainbows museum in 2021.  During the off-season, Dollywood announced that it would be closing, hopefully just temporarily.  At this time there have been no announcements about its return, so we'll have to wait and see what Dolly plans to do with it.  So, take a good look at it in it's last year of operation in the Adventures in Imagination area of Dollywood.

You can watch the Chasing Rainbows Museum video here....

Coming up is Dollywood's next festival, The Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration.  That runs June 18 to August 7th, so that will be my next video for Dollywood.  That will likely publish in late June I hope 🤞.  

Read more about that festival at Dollywood.com - here Summer Celebration.

Thanks for reading and watching! Until next time, take care!

Jeff