Hi everyone,
I've noticed that many people are asking about flying to Dollywood. I thought I would write an article that would be helpful.
As a Knoxville resident for 30+ years, I know that McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) can be expensive to fly in and out of. However, it is a great airport to fly in and out of, as it is compact and easy to navigate. If you are willing to add a road trip to your journey, there are some other airports that may be more budget friendly.
✈️The closest commercial airports to Dollywood:
👉Knoxville, Tennessee - McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) - Link Here.
TYS is the closest airport and is about 1 hour drive to Dollywood.
👉Chattanooga, Tennessee - Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) - Link Here
CHA is about 2 to 2.5 hours' drive to Dollywood.
👉Johnson City/Kingsport/Bristol, Tennessee - Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) - Link Here
TRI is about 1.5 to 2 hours' drive to Dollywood.
✈️Further Away, you have these options:
👉Asheville, North Carolina - (AVL) - Asheville Regional Airport - Link Here.
Google maps says this is about 2 to 2.5 hours away from Dollywood. You'll be driving through the Smoky Mountains where nighttime driving is dark, and the roads are curvy.
👉Charlotte, North Carolina - (CLT) - Charlotte-Douglas International Airport - Link Here.
This is about 3 to 4 hours' drive to Dollywood, including going through the Smoky Mountains.
👉Nashville, Tennessee - (BNA) - Nashville International Airport - Link Here.
This is about 4.5 to 5 Hours to Dollywood, and about 2.5 to 3 Hours on the return trip.
Note that this airport is in Central Time and one hour behind Dollywood, which is in Eastern Time. You'll add the extra hour going from Nashville to Dollywood and gain the hour on the return trip. This road trip will take you over the Cumberland Plateau in East Tennessee.
👉Atlanta, Georgia - (ATL) - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - Link Here. At least 4 Hours away.
Some important notes about Atlanta Airport - It's in the Eastern time zone, as is Dollywood. It's the world's busiest airport by passenger count and in 2023 it had 104.7 million, and in 2022 it had nearly 94 million passengers pass through it....so, yeah. It's a very large airport and it seems like my connecting flights are always on opposite ends of the airport, making connections challenging. It's located south of Atlanta, so your road trip North to Dollywood will likely include passing through downtown Atlanta and its notorious traffic. Atlanta Airport is next to I-285, which is the perimeter highway circling Atlanta and that may be an option to avoid passing through downtown Atlanta. Google maps says it is a 4 hour drive IN NO TRAFFIC, so add a bit more time for rush hours. Atlanta is Delta's main hub, so you'll easily find Delta flights, but almost every airline flies in to ATL. Atlanta airport is connected to Atlanta's 'subway' system, MARTA, which adds lots of options if you want to spend time in Atlanta first or on the return end of your trip, great for those budget conscious travelers. Some of the Marta stations have car rentals at or near the stations. This road trip does not include driving through any mountains. Traffic aside, it's a fairly easy drive.
👉Lexington, Kentucky - (LEX) - Bluegrass Airport - Link Here.
This is a 3.5-to-4.5-hour drive to Dollywood. This is in the Eastern time zone, so no time change. You do have to drive through the Cumberland Mountains North of Knoxville on I-75 to get to Dollywood.
👉Cincinnati Airport - (CVG) - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport - Link Here.
This is a 4.5-to-5-hour drive to Dollywood. This is in the Eastern time zone, so no time change. The airport is in Northern Kentucky - south of Cincinnati so you will avoid driving through Cincy. You do have to drive through the Cumberland Mountains North of Knoxville on I-75 to get to Dollywood.
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| KEY: Star=Dollywood, Circles=Featured Airports, Blue Line=Central/Eastern Time Zone |
✈️Flying your own plane?
👉Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport - (IATA: GKT, ICAO: KGKT, FAA LID: GKT) is a county-owned public-use municipal airport in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The airport is well north of the cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, but only two nautical miles (3.7 km) southeast of the central business district of Sevierville, and within its city limits.
This airport is 6 miles to Dollywood.
👉Knoxville Downtown Island Airport or Knoxville Downtown Island Home Airport - (ICAO: KDKX, FAA LID: DKX), often referred to as Island Home Airport, is a general aviation airport located approximately one-half mile east of downtown Knoxville, in Knox County, Tennessee, United States.
This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a reliever airport.[3] Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned DKX by the FAA,[1] but has no designation from the IATA.[4]
Runway Lighting was recently installed at Island Home Airport
LINK HERE: https://www.dkxairport.com/
Recent (October 2023) Article about the Island Home Airport ...read that HERE.
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Bonus Fun Facts:
- During Dollywood's Peak Season, jet traffic increases by approximately 25% at McGhee Tyson Airport when compared to non-peak season times.
- Jet traffic increases approximately 90% at Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport during the peak tourism season.
Source: Case Study
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Update February 6, 2024- A 'new to Knoxville' airline has been announced. Avelo Airlines will be servicing the Knoxville Airport - TYS - with flights to Hartford, Connecticut as its hub. From there, you can transfer to many cities on the East Coast primarily. It looks as though there is a seasonal flight to the West Coast - just my quick take on this news. Learn more about Avelo at their website - click here to see their destinations, and more.
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In closing, I hope this is a helpful guide for your trip planning to Dollywood. Please let me know your thoughts and experiences about this topic in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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