🍁🍂Dollywood's Harvest Festival 2024 Video Extravaganza 🍂🍁

Hi Everyone, 

As I write this we are in peak-Christmas season, just a few days out from the big day and I am wrapping up my videos from Dollywood's Harvest Festival.   I had several videos from this festival and it's nice to have them all in one place to easily share them with you all.  Of course they are all on my Dollywood Playlist on YouTube, but here they are all bundled up together.

Smoky Creek Leather & Hat Co, in Craftsman's Valley

Blown Glass Shop - Harvest Highlights

Emporium - Harvest Highlights

Dolly's Fan Shop

🔵Blog Posts with other Helpful Trip Planning information

• Getting To Dollywood by Plane
• Dollywood Menus for 2024
• 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.
  
• 30 Great Places to Eat In Pigeon Forge that are open after 2pm! A list of highly rated establishments that are open past 2pm.
• Guide To Mountain Coasters - A look at all the types of mountain coasters in Sevier County.
• Dollywood's 2024 Operating Calendar
• 8 Things to do at Dollywood if you don't care for rides - There's a lot to do!
• Pigeon Forge Trolley Info You'll Want to Know!
• Trip Advisors Top 10 Budget Friendly Hotels in Pigeon Forge.
• Tons of YouTube videos - I have so many YouTube videos of Dollywood including every festival and lots of general park updates as well as many Big Bear Mountain footage.
• Check out my 2023 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2023.
• Check out my 2022 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2022.

🎃 Dollywood's Harvest Festival 2024 - Tasting Pass, Park Info + More! 👻

Hi Everyone,

Dollywood has released information related to the Harvest Festival, including the Tasting Pass and their festival menu.   The Harvest Festival starts on Monday, September 9th and runs thru October 28th.

My Night At Dollywood 2023

Dollywood remains open daily throughout the Harvest Festival, operating from 10am to 9pm. The planned closures following the festival strongly suggest that the park is gearing up for the transition to Smoky Mountain Christmas, which begins on November 1st.  

Source Link (dw..com)

🎃 🎃 🎃

Let's dig into some more details.

🟠Harvest Festival Menu Items - Beverages, Savory Bites & Desserts

🟡Beverages

 🟡Savory Bites

 🟡Desserts, mmmm desserts.

Click on any picture to enlarge - These are from the Dollywood Website, Check it out HERE.

🟠Country Fair Buffet Menu

🟠Tasting Pass Options

Don't forget to use your Gold & Diamond Pass for a discount.

This tasting pass is the same as all the other passes before it.  You get to chose any five items from the Harvest Festival Menu.  You don't have to use them all in one visit.  You can share a pass - they could make for a great date night meal! 

🟠What's Up Around The Park?  Artisans, Craftspeople, Music, Food, Photo Spots, Pumpkin Spice and everything nice!

Relive the magic of last year's harvest festival through these photos of our fun activities. Get excited for what we have in store for 2024!

My Night At Dollywood 2023

My Night At Dollywood 2023

My Night At Dollywood 2023

My Night At Dollywood 2023

My Night At Dollywood 2023

My Night At Dollywood 2023

🟠Rides - All of the rides should be in operation.  Daredevil Falls usually closes at dusk, while Smoky Mountain Rampage usually closes with the park.  The last day of the season for the two water rides, in the recent past, has been the end of the Harvest Festival, So, October 28, 2024.

Dollywood does have Weather Guidelines that they follow for inclement weather and temperatures, and Smoky Mountain Weather can throw some curveballs.  Read my blog post about Dollywood's Weather Guidelines HERE.

🟠VIP Tour

Learn More at dollywood.com, click here.

🟠Photo Opportunities

 This was written and published by Wes Ramey for the dollywood blog in 2023, but it looks as though it was removed perhaps.  Anyhow, it's still great info in my opinion, for photo opps for your socials.

My family loves to take photos when we visit, and there’s a colorful photo op right when we enter the park called Harvest Sky. We can’t wait to stand beneath the thousands of vibrant, shimmering leaves swaying in the breeze along Showstreet. Then we’ll definitely have to stand in front of the colossal pumpkins—last year’s pumpkins ranged in weight from 800 to 1500 lbs. each and came from growers across the East Coast. We also love stopping by and seeing all the visiting artisans to see what amazing handmade wares they have brought with them, with many of them demonstrating their skills and techniques while creating one-of-a-kind treasures that we can purchase to take home with us to relive our time at Dollywood this fall whenever we want.

🟠Music 

According to dollywood.com....

Music fills the fall air as dozens of talented artists perform daily across the streets and stages of Dollywood. Listen for bluegrass, country and southern gospel acts paired with the Smokies' spectacular fall foliage and crisp autumn breezes for an engaging and enchanting way to experience an authentic mountain fall. Don't miss a minute of the music—download the Dollywood app to see the latest showtimes.

Here are Some of the many names I see and recognize immediately:

• Suzy Bogguss 
• TG Sheppard
• Cruz and Billy Conterras
• Gloryway
• Mandy Barnett
• The Young Fables
• Mike Snodgrass
• Rhonda Vincent
• Leroy Parnell
• Fiddling Leona with JP (video here)
• And many, many more!

⭐Check out Dollywood's Website for the latest information about Special Harvest Entertainment.  HERE.  

🟠Dollywood App

🟠Special Offers

🎃 🎃 🎃

Check out my previous videos from Dollywood's Harvest festival to get a preview of all the fun you can expect.

🔵Blog Posts with other Helpful Trip Planning information

• Getting To Dollywood by Plane
• Dollywood Menus for 2024
• 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.
  
• 30 Great Places to Eat In Pigeon Forge that are open after 2pm! A list of highly rated establishments that are open past 2pm.
• Guide To Mountain Coasters - A look at all the types of mountain coasters in Sevier County.
• Dollywood's 2024 Operating Calendar
• 8 Things to do at Dollywood if you don't care for rides - There's a lot to do!
• Pigeon Forge Trolley Info You'll Want to Know!
• Trip Advisors Top 10 Budget Friendly Hotels in Pigeon Forge.
• Tons of YouTube videos - I have so many YouTube videos of Dollywood including every festival and lots of general park updates as well as many Big Bear Mountain footage.
• Check out my 2023 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2023.
• Check out my 2022 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2022.

Good luck with the planning process and ask any questions you may have in the comments below.  I'll do my best to answer or point you in the right direction.

#Dollywood #DollywoodTripPlanning #PigeonForgeTennessee #TennesseeTourism #vlog #blog #pigeonforgeattractions

🎃 Promotion: Dollywood for $55 after 5pm! Through November 5th, 2023 🎄

Hi Everyone,

Dollywood is currently running a ticket promotion for the rest of the Harvest Festival/LumiNights and two days into the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival.  So, if planning is your thing, go ahead and purchase your Christmas tickets now for Christmas, in case they sell out, as they might as that date approaches.  As you see below, the promotion ends November 5th.

find this deal here: dollywood.com/tickets

That's TWO opportunities to see Smoky Mountain Christmas at a discounted rate.  Enjoy if you're able to take advantage of this opportunity.

🔵Blog Posts with other Helpful Trip Planning information

• Getting To Dollywood by Plane
• 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 many Big Bear Mountain construction updates from all of 2022.  Check out my 2022 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2022.
• Big Bear Mountain Preview Day Video - tons of off-ride footage.
• Sing-A-Long with Dolly Parton as she opens Big Bear Mountain + BBM POV!!!
• Mountain Coasters! - your complete guide to all of the mountain coasters near Dollywood - there's 13!
• Pigeon Forge Restaurants open past 2pm! - Here's a ranking of some of the best restaurants - decided by YOU - In Pigeon Forge that are open past 2pm....click here for that blog article.
• Pigeon Forge Trolley Explained - Check out this under-used perk of staying at a hotel on the Trolley Route.

Good luck with the planning process and ask any questions you may have in the comments below.  I'll do my best to answer or point you in the right direction.

#Dollywood #DollywoodTripPlanning #PigeonForgeTennessee #TennesseeTourism #vlog #blog #pigeonforgeattractions

🍁 Fall Colors Have Arrived in the Smoky Mountains 🍂

Hi Everyone,

Fall Colors are creeping into the Smoky Mountains.  I follow a lot of stuff on social media in order to keep you all informed with as much helpful information as possible.  On Facebook, I follow a hiking and waterfalls in North Carolina group, and its members' share tons of photos of their hikes and waterfalls, as one would expect!  Some of the members recent images are incredible to see.  I had been concerned that our autumn leaves may just wither on the tree and fall due to some ongoing drought issues we've been experiencing around here, so this makes me happy to see the leaves really changing color.  This, to me, seems a tad bit earlier than normal, but it is what it is, so enjoy it if you are able to.

Let's take a look at some of this Facebook's group recent pictures....all taken by 2 group members, Cara C. & Matt M.

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

    

🎃 Dollywood's Harvest Festival 2023 - Tasting Pass, Park Info + More! 👻

Hi Everyone,

Dollywood has released information related to the Harvest Festival, including the Tasting Pass and their festival menu.   The Harvest Festival starts on Wednesday, September 20th thru October 30th, excluding Tuesdays.  

Just FYI for your planning: Dollywood is closed Tuesday October 31st thru Friday November 3rd, then Dollywood opens back up on Saturday the 4th with the Christmas Festival.   Also, Dollywood is closed Every Tuesday until Tuesday December 4th.

Source:  Dollywood - PDF Calendar

🎃 🎃 🎃

I have rounded up all the information that I could find and put it one place for you to look over.  Let me know if I have missed anything in the comments.   Let's see what's up, let's dig into it all!

🟠FOOD

We'll start with what Wes Ramey had to say about the offerings in the Dollywood Blog:

"Dollywood’s award-winning culinary team has been hard at work incorporating the comforting smells of sweet pumpkin treats and warm apple cider into delicious fall dishes, drinks and desserts, including a pulled pork sandwich with pumpkin spice BBQ sauce, three bean pumpkin chili, salted maple potato tornado, toasted pumpkin sausage and ricotta flatbread, and spiced pumpkin bisque with toasted pepitas. Are you hungry yet? I know that I am, and the items I just listed are just a few of the tempting tastes found parkwide as part of the Harvest Festival menu."

Click on any picture to enlarge - These are from the Dollywood Website, Check it out HERE.

🟠TASTING PASS

🟠What's New Around The Park?

Dollywood Blog writer Jennifer Webb shares what's new for the festival this year!

Every season, we try to give our Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health a “glow-up,” and this season is no different. The award-winning nighttime experience once again features a number of whimsical pumpkin displays, like the pumpkin spider, the pumpkin guitar, and new this year, the pumpkin honey bees.

This season, Great Pumpkin LumiNights makes its way to Market Square. The area serves as the centerpiece for the event with the focal point—the 40 ft. tall expertly-carved pumpkin tree. New this year is the Honey Bee display. During the day, this bee-autiful display offers a pop of color near the returning Hug A Bee Beekeeper experience. By night, these buzzing bees create a sweet lighted moment for your family.

 In Craftsman’s Valley, the pumpkin guitar glows to life as it strums Dolly’s famous hit, “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and the not-so-spooky pumpkin spider greets you with his glowing grin.  Other guest favorites include the friendly pumpkin frogs at Drop Line Pond, the bright-eyed pumpkin bats at Mystery Mine and much more. These vivid displays bring crisp autumn nights alive, making Great Pumpkin LumiNights the ultimate fall event for creating special family memories and Instagram-worthy moments.

There are plenty of activities your family can enjoy during Great Pumpkin LumiNights. With thousands of carved pumpkins throughout the park, it takes a number of talented pumpkin carvers to create the festive displays. Everyone in the family will enjoy learning how to carve a pumpkin masterpiece from Dollywood’s “pumpkin artists” during these demonstrations. Kids-and kids at heart-will love turning into human jack-o-lanterns with Glow face paint. Face painters create unique designs with glow-in-the- dark face paint during the day that come to life at night!

The Great Pumpkin LumiNights Tour offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Great Pumpkin LumiNights, and Gold and Diamond Passholders receive a special discount! This two-hour guided walking tour highlights all of your festival favorites. Participants will enjoy festive refreshments, a dip-your-own-candle activity, character meet & greets, front-of-the-line access on Mystery Mine and more. To learn more about booking the Great Pumpkin LumiNights Tour, visit our website.

Make sure your Dollywood days turn into exciting theme park evenings during Dollywood’s Harvest Festival featuring Great Pumpkin LumiNights.

🟠Photo Opportunities

According to this blog post written by Wes Ramey...

My family loves to take photos when we visit, and there’s a colorful new photo op right when we enter the park called Harvest Sky. We can’t wait to stand beneath the thousands of vibrant, shimmering leaves swaying in the breeze along Showstreet. Then we’ll definitely have to stand in front of the colossal pumpkins—last year’s pumpkins ranged in weight from 800 to 1500 lbs. each and came from growers across the East Coast. We also love stopping by and seeing all the visiting artisans to see what amazing handmade wares they have brought with them, with many of them demonstrating their skills and techniques while creating one-of-a-kind treasures that we can purchase to take home with us to relive our time at Dollywood this fall whenever we want.

🟠Music 

Once again, Wes Ramey from Dollywood Blog:

Want some tunes as part of your Harvest Festival day at the park? You’re in luck, because live music is at the heart and soul of fall at Dollywood with Southern gospel, bluegrass and country artists found performing throughout the park. Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, Jeannie Seely, Emily Ann Roberts, Dailey and Vincent, Triumphant Quartet, Hannah Dasher and The Isaacs are just a few of the performers set to take the stage – be prepared to sing along and enjoy some new music that just might head to the top of your musical favorites list. Performances take place on indoor and outdoor stages throughout the park, allowing the beautiful sounds to echo through the landscape here in the Great Smoky Mountains.

⭐Check out Dollywood's Website for the latest information about Special Harvest Entertainment.  HERE.  

🎃 🎃 🎃

The 2023 Harvest Festival at Dollywood is just around the corner! Check out my video from last year's festival to get a preview of all the fun you can expect.

🔵Blog Posts with other Helpful Trip Planning information

• Getting To Dollywood by Plane
• Big Bear Mountain Rider Preview Day - Dollywood's Newest Roller Coaster.
• Guide to all Mountain Coasters in Sevier County
• 30+ Great Places to Eat in Pigeon Forge after 2pm!
• All of Dollywood's Menus 2023 Edition
• 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 many Big Bear Mountain construction updates from all of 2022.  Check out my 2022 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2022.

Kids' Costume Day - This Sunday - October 30th 2022

Hi Everyone,

Dollywood has added an event and a bonus day on to their operations schedule.  And it's for the kiddos!  It's this Sunday, October 30th.  The park is open from 10a to 9p and this event ends around 3pm it looks like.  In the past the park has been closed on this Sunday, which is rare for them to be closed on Sundays, except at Easter and Christmas, I know from firsthand experience of going and pulling into the empty parking lot.  That was a lesson learned!  

🎃🎃🎃

This event sounds like a lot of fun.  Here are the details from Dollywood:

To celebrate the final day of Dollywood's Harvest Festival presented by Humana, we are inviting our youngest guests (ages 12 & younger) to visit on Sunday, Oct. 30 in their costumed best!

The first 500 children wearing a costume who enter the park will receive a Harvest sweet treat as well as a festive cup good for free fountain drink refills all day. These complimentary gifts will be distributed while supplies last at the main front gate entrance from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At 2 p.m. that afternoon, all costumed kids and their families are invited to participate in a costume parade in the Wilderness Pass Plaza led by beloved Dollywood characters including the one-and-only Miss Lillian!

𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

During the Great Pumpkin LumiNights experience, Guests may wear costumes with the following criteria:

Costume masks may not be worn. Wigs, hats or other headwear and accessories may be worn as long as they do not cover the entire face.

Costume accessories may not look like or replicate a weapon of any kind, and no accessory may be sharp or have any component that could injure the Guest or others.

Costumes may not drag the ground or have the ability to trip the Guest or others.

Guests may be asked to remove portions of their costume when boarding attractions or experiences as per each location’s loose article requirements.

Guests may not dress as Dolly Parton or Santa Claus.

Costumes that are gruesome, bloody or distracting are not permitted.

🎃🎃🎃

I know it's a little unusual to see Dolly and Santa costumes as not permitted, but that has been a long-standing rule for a while now.  I'm not privy to the reasoning behind it - I know lots of kids love to dress up as Dolly because I see them all over social media, usually wearing a coat of many colors.  

It sounds like it will be a fun day at Dollywood and one last opportunity to enjoy the Harvest Festival and Great PumpkinLumiNights.

Although this ticket deal won't work for the kid's costumes event, as it ends around 3pm'ish after Miss Lillians Costume Parade, you can still take advantage of the $55 ticket if you arrive after 5pm, and just want to see the park dressed up and eat, ride some rides or see some entertainment.  Here's a link to Dollywood's Tickets page here.

Until next time!

🚨NEW VIDEO🚨 - MOUNTAIN LAUREL HOME GOODS STORE - FALL EDITION 💰🎃🍂

 Hi Everyone,

I have a new video, this one is from the Mountain Laurel Home Goods Store in Rivertown Junction.  It's across from Dolly's Tennessee Mountain Home and it is decked out with Fall decor!  Check it out below!

Until next time!

🚨NEW VIDEO🚨Dollywood's Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights, 2022!🚨

 Hi Everyone,

I have a new video to share.  This is Dollywood's Harvest Festival and it was a lot of fun to experience.  I think this is the parks Fifth year celebrating Harvest with the LumiNights incorporated into it.  The park is really stunning this time of year with the leaves beginning to change color and the summer heat has finally taken a break to give way to cooler temperatures.  The fall displays are well done, of course! There's music at every single turn in the park. There's a lot to take in and see, so go ahead and watch!  The video's youtube page has all the chapters if you would like to skip around.  Below the video I will share some pictures of the day I was filming, including the Fall Merch from the Emporium.

🍂🍂🍂🍁🍁🍁👻👻👻🦴🦴🦴🎃🎃🎃☠️☠️☠️

Palace Theater, my starting and ending point

Dollywood logo in mums

brave riders of the chilly rampage

The Young Fables at the Back Porch Theater

Harvest Tree

Gloryway Quartet (or Trio?) at the chapel

Owl sculpture in the new-for-2022, Hoot Owl Hollow

Dolly's Guitar in Pumpkins

Owls high in the trees

Spider Pumpkin's Lair in the Tennessee Tornado Plaza

The Spider Pumpkin

The Laying Pumpkin

The Great Pumpkin Tree

New-for-2022 Photo Opportunity in Wildwood Grove 

some of the Sunflower Pumpkins

Mystery Mine and the Bat Archway

Drop Line's pond of Froggy Pumpkins

Holiday light tunnel with Halloween Flair

Disco Pumpkins

Disco Pumpkins

Festival Archway in Timber Canyon

And lastly, the Palace Theater on Showstreet

Merch in the Emporium

Of course, these videos and pictures are great, but you really need to see this festival in person, so make sure you get to Dollywood to see it if you can.

For more information about this festival, check out Dollywood's Website - HERE.

I hope you all enjoyed the video and this post!  Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!