We're passionate about all things Dollywood and Sevier County, and we want to share that passion with you. Come along as we explore all that this beautiful area has to offer. From Dollywood and Splash Country to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cades Cove, there's something for everyone in Sevier County.
We're also big fans of Dolly Parton, and we'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on her latest news and projects. We're sure you'll find something to love here.
This article includes all of my visit to the "I Will Always Love You'' Festival and Opening Week AND A Photo Trip Report that includes some of the pics from my visit.
If you are interested in all of the Festival Flavors that Dollywood serves up, then you need to check out my mouth-watering blog post detailing all the menu items that the park serves for their incredibly popular Tasting Pass menu. In short, you purchase this pass and can get any five items from their vast selection of offerings. All the details are in the blog post. Click Here to go there!
Let's start with the videos, and below that the Photo Trip Report!
Welcome to Dollywood and a new season of fun and excitement! Dollywood was celebrating the "I Will Always Love You'' Festival during this tour around the park. This is Part One.
In Part One - going to be sticking around Showstreet, Rivertown Junction, The Village and Country Fair Areas - the rest of the park in Part Two. I will share some highlights from the Dollywood Express and I've got a Nightflight Expedition construction site progress update from March 25th - it's changed a lot since that time.
PART TWO: I’ll be finishing up my tour of the park to catch all the little details and décor updates that have popped up since last season. In Wildwood Grove, I take a peek at the construction fence for Nightflight Expedition...and continue the park tour. Then, we’re heading into Craftsman’s Valley for a seat at the Valley Theater to enjoy a full performance from the Smoky Mountain String Band.
After that, we’ll take a walk through the Emporium to share some highlights of the new 2026 merchandise—including some early looks at the Flower & Food collection.
NightFlight Expedition!
Last fall, I published a video detailing some of what we might experience in NightFlight Expedition - based off of the only other Mack Rocking Boat attraction - so check it out to get an idea of what we can expect out of this incredible new attraction!
If you're curious about Dollywood's Next Huge Ride - This is It!!
Check out my blog post with all the details that I think I know.
Hotels with High Ratings in Pigeon Forge. I have created a spreadsheet that incorporates ratings from different reliable sources and ranked hotels in the area. I've listed out columns for things like indoor pools, hot tubs and more on the spreadsheet. Very helpful if you, or someone in your group is looking for a specific amenity.
Top Breakfast Restaurants in Pigeon Forge. I have created a list of the best Breakfast restaurants in Pigeon Forge using ratings from various reliable sources and ranked them in my blog post.
Tons of YouTube videos - I have so many YouTube videos of Dollywood including every festival and lots of general park updates as well as Big Bear Mountain footage.
Dollywood 2026: Flower & Food Festival - April 17th - June 7th.
Dollywood is now open for its 41st season, and I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned about the Flower & Food Festival — including tasting pass details, entertainment, transportation tips, park tours, and more.
At Dollywood's Flower and Food Festival, Spring splendor blooms around every corner. Celebrate the beauty of the season amongst larger-than-life mosaicultures and half a million vibrant flowers. Awaken your tastebuds with mouthwatering, festival-exclusive fresh flavors. Soak in the spirit of song and story at engaging new shows and returning fan-favorites. Dance and play in a rainbow wonderland under Umbrella Sky, a dazzling art installation that dapples Dollywood in a kaleidoscope of color. Feel Dollywood burst to life from April 18 - June 7 at the Flower and Food Festival!
Tasting Pass & Festival Menu
The Dollywood app is your best friend during festival season. It shows where each specialty food item is located,
and in some cases allows mobile ordering.
Tasting Pass Details:
Includes 5 festival food items
Shareable between guests
Valid for the entire festival — no need to use all punches in one visit
Gold & Diamond Passholders save $3
Price: $39.99 for Passholders, $42.99 for everyone else
Menu items and locations are available on the Dollywood website and app.
Timber Canyon Restrooms: Renovated, enlarged and refreshed.
Wilderness Pass Restaurant: New covered seating area. Menu includes rotisserie chicken, fish, collard greens, and more.
Till & Harvest Menu: Cheeseburger/fries, Chicken Tenders/fries, Smoky Mountain Nachos, Wildwood Grove Rice Bowl & White Bean Queso Dip. See pic....
Cinnamon Bread Price: $12.99. They may have rearranged the entrance/exit situation again. It currently begins and ends at the water tower. Not great pic, but notice Exit/Enter signs.
Ride Updates
Daredevil Falls: New boats with updated colors!
Mystery Mine: Behind‑the‑scenes upgrades including new control systems. Now Open!
Dollywood Express: Converted from coal to oil — safer, cleaner, and able to operate in more weather conditions. Now Open!
Nightflight Expedition
The new hybrid coaster + river rapids attraction continues construction in Wildwood Grove.
As of 4/17/2026, the park suggests a possible mid‑June opening. A soft‑opening is planned for select passholder tiers.
Many people online are skeptical of this opening date given the appearance of the construction site. Once construction concludes, the ride will undergo a commissioning process. The timeframe depends on a lot of variables. The park is still saying ''spring'' which technically goes until mid-June - So We Will Seeeee! Stay tuned to my channels as I will report on any updates from the park.
Check out my video for a closer look at the only other existing Mack Rocking Boat attraction in operation - Mission Bermuda! The next video, below, is my progress update from March 25, 2026.
Shows & Entertainment
Many guest‑favorite shows return for the festival....
Returning Favorites
From The Heart: Dolly’s musical journey (DP Celebrity Theater)
Today is the big day that we learn all the details about Hidden Hollow Aviation NightFlight Expedition! We've all been waiting for months and months. We've been teased to death, Dollywood managed to keep this secret pretty tight to their chests....which is difficult to do.
All of this information comes from the great folks at Dollywood...
Here's some images I've used in previous content...
The large teal rectangle is where the building is in Wildwood Grove. Earlier this summer, I super-imposed Blazing Fury over the construction area to compare the size of the two rides. It appears as though NightFlight Expedition is almost TWICE as large as Blazing Fury.
The 2nd image is the most up-to-date satellite map image that I could find...so it's more up to date. Note that it does include the large earth mound below the building - and that mound is featured in the latest Video Teaser from Dollywood, so it appears to be connected in some type of way. It's to the immediate right of the yellow-unrelated-arrow.
The Third image is a screengrab of the earthen mound from the teaser video.
The Fourth image is a wider view of the NightFlight Expedition site and rest of the park.
a Wider View of NightFlight Expedition - formerly known as Hidden Hollow Aviation - inside Dollywood
What kind of ride is this?
It is an indoor hybrid roller coaster and water ride. It's not exactly the first of it's kind. Mission Bermuda (See video below) opened in France earlier in 2025. Please note that NightFlight Expedition will not look anything like M.B. NightFlight Expedition will be utilizing much of the same EQUIPMENT. NightFlight Expedition will be entirely indoors and will feature ''flight'' and a lake, and some river rapids, using over 500k gallons of water! Pretty Cool!
Here's Mission Bermudes Video. Again, NightFlight Expedition will use the same EQUIPMENT. The ride experiences will of course be different at Dollywood. We may see new things on NightFlight Expedition that we're not seeing here, so this is exciting!
What does this compare to?
I have made a comparison video of NightFlight and Mission Bermuda, the only other Mack Rocking Boat attraction in operation. I hope this helps explain what we'll see at Dollywood as there are both similarities and differences in this other attraction - mainly NightFlight will be contained inside the 44sq ft. building.
Will I get wet?
Maybe a little bit - a few drops and some mist perhaps, but you won't be dripping wet at the end of the ride.
Hotels with High Ratings in Pigeon Forge. I have created a spreadsheet that incorporates ratings from different reliable sources and ranked hotels in the area. I've listed out columns for things like indoor pools, hot tubs and more on the spreadsheet. Very helpful if you, or someone in your group is looking for a specific amenity.
Top Breakfast Restaurants in Pigeon Forge. I have created a list of the best Breakfast restaurants in Pigeon Forge using ratings from various reliable sources and ranked them in my blog post.
Tons of YouTube videos - I have so many YouTube videos of Dollywood including every festival and lots of general park updates as well as Big Bear Mountain footage.
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