8 things to do at Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park if you dislike roller coasters

 

Hi everyone, I ran across this article and thought I would share with the blog.  These are some great to-do options if rides aren't your thing.  One thing not on the list is Dolly's Museum, Chasing Rainbows.  I am excited to see the new and improved version of it when it reopens in 2024 as The Dolly Parton Experience!  If you never had an opportunity to experience Dolly's Museum, or want to take another look, I made a video of it in 2021 right before it closed at the end of the season.  Take a Look below!

I have some other videos related to this article, at the bottom of the page.  And you can always check out my Dollywood playlist on YouTube - find that here..

8 things to do at Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park if you hate roller coasters

Written By Talia Lakritz Aug 23, 2022, 11:28 AM

Dollywood. George Rose/Getty Images

• Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee has more than just roller coasters.

• The Dollywood Express provides a gentle train ride with views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

• There are also lots of live musical performances, restaurants, shops, and hands-on activities.

Catch a live musical performance at one of the many theaters throughout the park.Dollywood's Harmonies of the Heart show. Talia Lakritz/Insider

You can barely walk a few steps at Dollywood without hearing live music playing. 

Notable musical offerings include Southern gospel quartet The Kingdom Heirs, who have performed at Dollywood for 37 years, and Harmonies of the Heart, a show featuring Parton's nieces and cousin as they sing and share memories of growing up with "Aunt Granny."

Ride the historic Dollywood Express train.

The Dollywood Express. Talia Lakritz/Insider

The Dollywood Express steam trains are unique relics of World War II, having transported troops and lumber across Alaska during World War II. 

Two trains function as The Dollywood Express today. Cinderella was built in 1938, followed by Klondike Katie in 1943. They were retired to Tennessee in 1960.

The gentle train ride offers views of the park as well as the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains.

Make a souvenir and learn a new skill in the park's Craftsman's Valley area.

Valley Forge Blacksmith at Dollywood. Talia Lakritz/Insider

Craftsman's Valley hearkens back to a time when settlers in the Tennessee mountains relied on the knowledge and skill of local artisans to make everyday items.

Parkgoers can make their own knives at the Blacksmith and Foundry, hand-dip candles at Old Flames Candles, or create a custom glass ornament at Mountain Blown Glassblown.

Sample the park's delicious Southern cuisine and sweet treats.

Dollywood's famous cinnamon bread. Talia Lakritz/Insider

Dollywood has an array of menus and eateries to choose from, many of which contain subtle references to Parton's family. The retro diner Red's Drive-In is named after Red's Café, the restaurant where Parton's father took her to eat her first hamburger, and Aunt Granny's restaurant gets its name from Parton's nickname with her nieces and nephews.

But if you eat one thing at Dollywood, make it the $10 cinnamon bread sold at The Grist Mill. Baked fresh daily, the pull-apart loaves are soaked in butter and cinnamon-sugar before baking. Each one comes with dipping sauces of buttercream icing and apple butter.

It's such an iconic treat that Dollywood gift shops even sell t-shirts that read "I'm just here for the cinnamon bread."

Visit Eagle Mountain Sanctuary to see the largest exhibit of non-releasable bald eagles in the US.

A bald eagle sits on a perch at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary exhibit at Dollywood. Jacob Biba for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The American Eagle Foundation maintains a 30,000-square-foot aviary at Dollywood for permanently disabled birds that wouldn't survive in the wild.

Walk through a replica of Dolly Parton's childhood home, a two-room log cabin where she lived with her 11 siblings.

A replica of Dolly Parton's childhood home at Dollywood. Talia Lakritz/Insider

Parton's brother Bobby built the Dollywood replica, and her mother Avie Lee designed and furnished the interior with real family heirlooms.

The log cabin had no electricity or running water, but Parton remembered her years there fondly in her 1973 song "My Tennessee Mountain Home."

"In my Tennessee mountain home / Life is as peaceful as a baby's sigh / In my Tennessee mountain home / The crickets sing in the fields nearby," she sings.

Shop for Dolly-themed souvenirs.

Dolly Parton books for sale at Dollywood. Talia Lakritz/Insider

Shops at Dollywood sell copies of Parton's books, as well as mementos like mugs, t-shirts, and magnets.

Partake in one of Dollywood's seasonal festivals.

A drone show at Dollywood. Talia Lakritz/Insider

Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration features line dancing at sunset followed by a drone show, during which drones fly through the air, change colors, and create shapes in the sky.

The amusement park also hosts a fall Harvest Festival, a winter Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration, and a spring Flower and Food Festival.

You can find the original article from Insider, Here.

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If you want to see the full drone and fireworks show, I have a video for you:

If you want to take a tour of Dollywood's Emporium, check out all the Dolly merchandise, here you go:

Check out the Blown Glass Shop:

Set your Sweet Tooth free, in Dollywood's Sweet Shoppe

Take a look at Dollywood's Festivals - Halloween 2021

Christmas 2021

Flower & Food Spring Festival 2022

Summer Celebration 2022 - This video has some live entertainment in it.

Until Next Time!

Dollywood Has Big Plans! - Major Projects / What's Coming Up?

 Hi Everyone, 

Dollywood is always changing; I mentioned that in my welcome post, that Amusement Parks absolutely must undergo changes - like them or not - to keep the public interested, wanting to come back and experience new and different things, to grow and to improve their bottom line - they're businesses after all - damned your nostalgia!  Some parks do it better and more successfully than others.  It comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed Dollywood for any length of time, that there are always projects in the pipeline.  Dolly herself says she gets up in the wee early hours of the day to write songs and make future plans for herself and her business endeavors.  

“I always say, I wake up with new dreams every day. And so do the dreamers here at Dollywood.” - Dolly (1)

So, what's coming up at Dollywood and the rest of the Dollywood resorts?   Quite a bit actually.  Recently, the company announced a $500 million dollar investment plan for the next several years.  This is the largest such plan announced.  Back in 2013 they had a similar $300 million/10-year investment plan that included the FireChaser Express Roller Coaster, Lightning Rod Roller Coaster, DreamMore Spa & Resort, Wildwood Grove, and River Rush Water Coaster at Splash Country, as some of the biggest examples.  They made many other upgrades that are not ''exciting'' exactly, but necessary to keep the guest experience above par.  It's my feeling that they've done quite well with their choices as attendance and interest in Dollywood continues to climb impressively each year.

Projects that they've announced or discussed so far: 

• Resort #2 - HeartSong Resort.  Brand new 302 Room Resort geared more towards larger groups.  Scheduled Opening September 2023.
• Resorts #3, #4 and #5....All TBD although Dolly has mentioned that a Campground or Glampground was going to be one of the resorts.(2)  I would envision a high-end camping experience.  Also mentioned is a RV Park as well - Dolly loves the RV lifestyle.
• Suite 1986 - Dolly's last tour bus, available for booking now, by request at the link, where you'll find lots more info.  Suite 1986 is a part of the DreamMore Resort.
• 2023 Roller Coaster - Big Bear Mountain (Click Here to See my Blog Post for the Announcement) Those of us who follow Dollywood have seen the construction, have heard all the rumors, seen documents etc. that reveal some details.  I've covered the construction site in three different videos on my YT channel and on this blog. Link to my Blog Post.  
• What is the coaster?  It is named Big Bear Mountain.  It is made by Vekoma and will have three launches, which will make this Dollywood's longest roller coaster at 3,990 feet!  The Highest point of the bright orange track is 66 feet with a maximum speed of 48 mph.  There will be 23 airtime moments, and the ride will last under two minutes.  At least two, but maybe three 20-Passenger trains that look to be themed to jeeps will take passengers through twisty turns, past waterfalls and even a close encounter with a Big Bear!  Its height requirement is 39 inches - so many kiddos will be able to ride it.  It also features on-board audio, another Dollywood first for a ride.  It's reported to cost $25 million dollars - the most spent on a single attraction at Dollywood.
• Phase 2 of Wildwood Grove - not yet announced, but land is cleared and prepped for construction at any second.  We may hear more at the 2023 Roller Coaster announcement on August 5th.
• Continued investments on restaurant capacity. (6)
• Large Music Venue (2) - In Dreaming/Planning stages. (2)
• They get a lot of mileage out of growing their various festivals incrementally year after year.  They did so with this year's Flower & Food Festival by adding a few new mosaiculture plant statues, new menu offerings, new entertainment. Dollywood grew their Summer Celebration by adding more shows and entertainment like the Bubble Show, the hilarious-to-watch Foam Pits and adding the colorful hose splash pad at Market Square.  For the fall festival, Great Pumpkin LumiNights, they've promised to add more to that festival and of course, the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival will grow this year with new offerings too.  
• Year Round Operations - "Making sure there are plenty of things to do in every season will position the company to entertain year-round, (Park President Ed) Naughton said, adding it's possible the park could open theaters and restaurants near the entrance during winter."(6)
• Front Gate Area -  Firstly, that last bullet point from Ed Naughton - Let's unpack that first. He said ''it's possible the park could open theaters and restaurants near the entrance during winter.''  I have to imagine that the big open blacktop/asphalt expanse in between security screening and the front gate will become what he has described.
• Parking Lot Improvements - I see what a hot topic this subject has become on the various Dollywood Facebook groups.  What people should know is that it is A WORK IN PROGRESS.  Parking space is an issue, and they'll continue to add to it.   Dollywood mentioned somewhere that they are interested in adding a road system inside the property so that the Dollywood Trolley that goes in between DreamMore and in 2023, The Heartsong Resort, will not have to travel on public roads to shuttle back and forth.  That may have already happened, I am not sure.  Beyond that, we'll have to wait for future announcements to learn about the parking lot.  My personal feeling is that the improvements made so far, are very good improvements.  The tram no longer crisscrossing with guest traffic is much safer for all involved.  More toll booths, also good.  The one-way traffic pattern works for me too, although if you were in Lot D, then that's a long way to go around to exit considering you're already at the exit area, so I can see the issue there.  Handicap Parking is also an issue with lots of discussions on FB.  Most of all it seems the walk from the parking lot to the ECV rental was a concern.  Dollywood immediately created a solution by adding a second ECV Rental location near the Tram Station and once again began taking reservations online for rentals.  Furthermore, they significantly added the number of ECV's and strollers available for rent.  That is a guest forward focus.  
• Employee Dorms.  At first glance this does not sound exciting, however, seeing the side-effect of what Covid did for many businesses Staffing, including Dollywood, having the appropriate level of staffing is a direct correlation between guests having fun and having to wait in lines as a result of low staffing.  So, this is an important improvement for Dollywood. The dorms are already under construction.(7)
• Employee Tuition - Employees at Dollywood who pursue a college degree will have their tuition, associated fees and books 100% covered by the Dollywood theme park. (8)
• A New Indoor Water Park.  In Dreaming/Planning Stages. (2)
• Additions to Splash Country.  In 2022 they created a new splash area for little kiddos, but the last major addition was the TailSpin Racer slide in 2017, and before that the River Rush water coaster in 2013.  Recently a new and larger waterpark has opened in Pigeon Forge called Soaky Mountain.  I have not visited Soaky Mountain yet to have any opinions, but to me it looks more thrill-oriented and adult-focused than Splash Country, so that does appeal to me somewhat.  I imagine Dollywood feels the impact of the competition and will respond in a Dollywood-type-of-way that maintains their more family-forward atmosphere of the water park.  (2)
• Snow Park??? - this is 100% speculation, fantasy and wishful thinking on my part, but with year-round operations it does leave somewhat of an attractions gap for our two to four cold months of the year.  Could Dollywood add a section of the park for winter activities?  Maybe.  I could see them closing much of Dollywood and leaving open this winter area which would allow them to do maintenance and major changes they usually undertake in the off-season of January, February, and the first half of March.  Then the winter area could close in March or April and re-open in the Fall - just wishful thinking on my part.  Way back when Dollywood wanted to partner with Gaylord (see image below) to jointly open a combo Water Park/Snow Park, and that deal soured after a hot minute - point being - they had some plans that could easily be installed at Dollywood if they desired.  So, it will be interesting to see how Dollywood works with year-round operations.

Remember this Snow & Water Park proposal with Gaylord-Opryland?  It didn't work out.  This idea fits nicely into the year-round operations.

So! As is abundantly clear - Dollywood has big plans!   If there's anything I've missed, please chime in, in the comments.

Until next time!

Footnotes & Resources for this blog post:

• (1) Dolly Parton on Being Dollywood's Dreamer-in-chief — And the Park's Future (travelandleisure.com)
• (2) How Dollywood plans to tell more of Dolly Parton's stories: 'It's just a dream in progress' (yahoo.com)
• (3) 10-year, $300 Million Expansion - Dollywood (dollyparton.com)
• (4) Economic impact of tourism in Tennessee (wkrn.com)
• (5) Theme Park Success in 2022-What Does it Look Like? (dailyherald.com)
• (6) https://www.eteda.org/news/600/dollywood-investing-500-million-as-part-of-a-10-year-strategic-plan
• (7) https://dollyparton.com/family_destinations/dollywood/dollywood-announces-new-housing-development-for-seasonal-workers/19682
  
• (8) https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/feb/10/dolly-parton-dollywood-pay-tuition-employees-college-degree

New Video! - Dollywood's Summer Celebration 2022

 Hi everyone, 

My video about Dollywood's Summer Celebration 2022 has been uploaded to YouTube and is ready to view.  It's an hour and half, so settle in for it.  There was so much to see and experience that I'll let you check it all out in the video.  I would encourage you to turn on Closed Captioning for extra information like songs and dialog.

Here are some pics from the day of filming.....

Drone Show

Summer Celebration Decor around the park

Water Hose Fountain

Noodle Takeover

Kite Sky

Largest Bean Can

Bubble Foam Pits

Engine 192 was in use on this day.

The 2023 Roller Coaster site is now very active.  I would expect an announcement in the coming weeks.
8/5/22 Update - Here's a link to the announcement blog post here - Big Bear Mountain.

I hope you enjoy the video.  Let me know in the comments!

-Jeff

#Dollywood #pigeonforgetennessee #smokymountains