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.
And Dollywood posted this too.... It's A Lot, All At Once!!!
On Friday, May 12, Diamond Passholders will have access to register for exclusive ride event times between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The ride will then open to the general public at the conclusion of those ride times.
I also have a short video to share. This will likely be my last construction update for Big Bear Mountain since it's opening soon. You will see in my video that there has been a lot of progress on the areas around the station since my last video on March 10th. They're hustling along!
I'm really excited for this coaster! I've ridden record-breaking coasters of all types, but Big Bear has what I love most which is good pacing - it doesn't stop anywhere along the course like other multi-launchers tend to do, and it looks as though it keeps a good pace up throughout the ride. Other things I think I will like about it will be that the three launches will be forceful, but not uncomfortable, and then some great hills and loads of curves. The theming looks to be well thought out and well executed. I can't wait to see it up close and see more details. Plus, it's a really long coaster and who doesn't love that?
The fact that it has a 39" height requirement will mean that this could be the first coaster for lots of kiddos. I have so many good memories of working up the courage to ride Wabash Cannonball at Opryland and now I see kids half the age I was then, getting off of Lightning Rod - kids seem a lot more brave today than they were when I was 8 to 12'ish, lol. But anyway, this will be a good starter or mid-sized coaster for a new generation.
Big Bear Mountain is a new generation Vekoma roller coaster, and it's been a long time since two Vekoma roller coasters have operated in Tennessee. The first two Vekoma coasters were Chaos and The Hangman, which were located at Opryland and closed with the park in 1997. I sadly never got to ride The Hangman because I never in my wildest dreams imagined that they would close Opryland. Now, in 2023, we have Dragonflier and Big Bear Mountain, two Vekomas....so that's pretty cool to me too.
I came across a deal for $15 off adult tickets to Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud or the Lumberjack Themed Adventure Park. As of this publishing, an Adult ticket to the Feud-show is $39.99, and an Adult ticket to the Adventure Park is $49.99.
There are several Food City Locations in Pigeon Forge. So, to take advantage of this offer, you'll need to head to a Food City and buy your tickets with this promo code/barcode.
Details here are sparse, so, I wish I could tell you when it ends, or let you know other details about this offer, but Im sure they will fill you in at the store.
Dollywood held a special event at the park on Saturday and Amusement Insider was there, and was able to get lots of great video of Big Bear Mountain testing. Check out their video below.
Dollywood announced a May Opening Time frame but have not yet specified an actual date. This video shows lots of landscaping around the station is in place, so they are definitely hustling along with this project as quickly as possible. And the fact that the coaster is cycling is a great sign that it works, and it works properly. It looks like it's zipping through the course kinda fast, maybe more than the 45mph that it was supposed to have when announced. We'll See!
This gets me even more excited for the opening of Big Bear Mountain. How about you?
My Blog Post Title
Hi Everyone, I came across this detailed article in the Knoxville News Sentinel about all of the new attractions coming soon to Sevier County-Smoky Mountain FunPlex Area. Obviously, this is a great story to share on the blog for all of you trip planners from out of town or region. Check out their article below. Source: https://www.knoxnews.com/
Looking for things to do in the Smokies? These attractions are open now or will be soon.
Here's what's new in the Great Smoky Mountains in 2023 including roller coasters, water slides and treehouses!
But you don’t have to wait to have some springtime fun. Various new and updated attractions in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have opened and are available to enjoy right now, including waterparks, treehouse adventures and, of course, Dollywood.
More attractions will open as summer moves in, and there are plenty of new experiences and expansions to look forward to as well.
What's open in spring 2023 in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg?
Anakeesta
The mountaintop adventure park is open, and guests can enjoy its newest attraction, Astra Lumina. The celestial experience brings the stars into a Smoky Mountain Forest lit with projections and lights.
Other things to do at the park include Chondola and Ridge Rambler rides, Treetop Skywalk, Vista Gardens, and the TreeVenture Challenge Course.
You can check anakeesta.com/events for a full list of attractions and events available.
Location: 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg
General admission tickets: $22.99-$34.99; Free for children age 3 and younger; Astra Lumina add on: $15.99
Dollywood
Offering rides, shows, food and Dolly Parton, one of America’s favorite theme parks opened for its 2023 season in March.
Dollywood’s Flower and Food festival begins April 21, Splash Country waterpark open May 13 and the Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration starts June 17.
Location: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge
Tickets: $89+
Sanctuary Treehouse Resort
This unique treehouse resort with mountain views in Sevierville offers luxe accommodations outfitted with slides, drawbridges and scavenger hunts.
The first seven treehouses, including a double tree fort, are open for reservations, but there is limited availability until around July. More treehouses will be built and available for reservations throughout the year.
Location: 107 Pheasant Ridge Road, Sevierville,
Single treehouse price: $275 to $796 per night; Double treehouse: $651-$1,522 per night.
Wilderness at the Smokies
The Lake Wilderness outdoor waterpark and the yearlong Wild WaterDome, Tennessee’s largest indoor waterpark, are both open.
Only the slides are currently open at Lake Wilderness. Full access to the outdoor waterpark begins May 27.
Visitors also can enjoy the dry indoors family entertainment center, Adventure Forest. Admission for those who aren't resort guests is based on availability.
"Sanctuary Treehouse Resort in Sevierville," "Dollywood," "Anakeesta in Gatlinburg"
What’s opening soon in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg
Soaky Mountain
The waterpark’s 2023 season begins the weekend of May 13-14. It will be open daily starting May 20. Regular day admission is $47.99.
Location: 175 Gists Creek Road, Sevierville
Salamander Springs outdoor waterpark
Visitors enjoy at Soaky Mountain waterpark, Buc-ee's' billboard, Dolly Parton during an event at the resort's construction site of HeartSong Lodge and Resort
Salamander Springs at Stone Hill Lodge is the second Wilderness at the Smokies outdoor waterpark, and is scheduled to open May 27.
The two-minute roller coaster ride in the Wildwood Grove section of the Pigeon Forge theme park will travel through hills, turns, tunnels and even waterfalls at speeds up to 48 miles per hour and maximum elevation of 66 feet.
Location: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge
Buc-ee’s
The popular travel center is opening its Great Smoky Mountains location in Sevierville. A grand opening had been set for early June but has since been delayed to a yet-to-be-announced date, a spokesperson told Knox News.
It will be open 24 hours a day and will feature 120 fueling stations, a 250-foot-long car wash, and, of course, the famous Buc-ee’s snacks and beaver mascot merchandise.
The 74,000-square-foot location is set to be the world’s largest Buc-ee's, until a slightly larger one opens in Texas later.
Buc-ee's will be the first business to open as part of upcoming 407 attraction in Sevier County.
Location: 170 Foretravel Drive, Kodak
Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge and Resort
The massive 302-room resort inspired by Parton’s love for the Great Smoky Mountains is scheduled to open in November. Many of the rooms will have balconies with a view of the Smokies.
Located in Pigeon Forge, the resort will feature family suites, bunk rooms, a large pool, balconies on half the suites and even a Dolly suite that will be available when she’s not using it.
Reservations for the resort will open in June. Visit dollywood.com/heartsong for more information.
New Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg attractions opening later in 2023 and beyond
Dig ‘n Zone
This construction-themed park for adults and kids is scheduled to open in Sevierville this spring.
The park will have more than 25 attractions allowing families to ride, drive and operate different construction equipment like forklifts on a go-kart track and excavators with modified buckets to swing around.
An opening date has not been announced yet, but tickets are available. Tickets are $50-$55; it’s free for children age 4 and younger. More information is available at dignzone.com.
Location: 1707 Veterans Blvd., Sevierville
BirdVenture and Hellbender Mountain Coaster
A $34 million expansion is still underway at Anakeesta and is expected to open in 2023.
BirdVenture: This interactive attraction will feature three large birdhouses, a dozen adventure zones and seven giant slides.
HellBender: Named after the salamander species native to the Smoky Mountains, this roller coaster will navigate a steep mountain incline, sway through tunnels, slither through twists and turns and offer 360-degree views of the Smokies.
Location: 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg
Wilderness at the Smokies expansion
The Sevierville waterpark and resort is celebrating its 15th season with a $40 million and 40,000-square-foot expansion set to open in fall 2023.
The expansion includes a three-story water coaster with a 22-foot drop at 29 mils per hour, a lazy river with an immersive tunnel experience, rooftop pool with glass edges and a new XD adventure theatre.
Location: 1424 Old Knoxville Highway, Sevierville
407: Gateway to Adventure
Development of Smoky Gap, the planned entertainment district at the 407: Gateway to Adventure attraction off Interstate 40, began April 11. The entertainment hub is set to open in 2025.
Smoky Gap, an immersive entertainment experience, will have an Americana theme with restaurants and retail stores. The area will also be home to a Marriott Courtyard hotel and a still-to-be-announced attraction that will anchor the Smoky Gap district.
Phase two of the massive 407 project will feature a resort, which might be sports-themed.
Location: Exit 407 off Interstate 40
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.
I have been keeping up - as best I can - with all of the collaborations Dolly has pulled together for her rock album, and the list is pretty large. Pop over to my original post and check in with the updates I've had since January....and I do update that article when I discover new news, so check back.
I finished my video of my day at Dollywood and you can watch that below. I have over 30 minutes of Dollywood performances for you to enjoy, after touring around the park, including a Big Bear Mountain update. Under the video is my trip report and lots of pictures from that day.
Dollywood opened for its 38th Season on Friday March 10th, 2023, and I have made this photo trip report. The weather was rainy early on, but the skies cleared, and it was a pretty great day to be at Dollywood. My day, basically: I went around the entire park to see what changes I noticed. I took in three shows, Love Always, The Smoky Mountain String band and the Tones show at the Village stage next to the train. They were all great and polished - no indications of opening day jitters! And then I finished the day with the Dolly Parade, which was surreal.
What I noticed first as I entered the park was that the entry plaza, Showstreet and Market Square were decked out to celebrate 50 years of Dolly's musical see-you-later to Porter Waggoner, "I Will Always Love You". There are new photo opportunities throughout this part of the park, new related merchandise and even new limited time treats you can enjoy celebrating IWALY.
General Observations: The crowds seemed heavier to me than a year ago. I'm not sure the reasoning behind that. Dolly was expected to be there, which draws people in. The weather forecast was iffy and at some point, included potential snow. In the end it rained in the morning and turned into a beautiful sunny day. The park looked great I thought. It felt to me like most of the projects were wrapped up before opening day. There's always lots of little changes that I go around and try and notice. I will point those out in each area below.
The ride operations that I noticed were mostly uneventful. I checked the app and the boards around the park from time to time. Lightning Rod went down for the day sometime in the afternoon. Dizzy Disk wasn't running and had a sign in front of it. I saw some social media reports of ride stoppages and evacuations, so there were some minor hiccups, but those happen every day. These types of events are perfect indicators of how safe Dollywood's rides are. They are designed to come to a very safe stop when there are minor issues that pop up during the course of operating heavy machinery. They can seem frightening when you're less familiar with how it works, but when a ride stops it's nothing to worry about. Stay in your seat and wait for instructions. Here's a couple of posts you can see - safety first!
Here's a area-by-area breakdown of my day looking around the park:
Tram Station - I didn't notice any changes.
Entry Plaza - Permanent structures replaced the temporary tents for ECV Rental Annex as well as the Security Screening pass through area.
ECV-Wheelchair-Stroller Rental Annex
Security Screening Pass through area
Showstreet Right (from the front gate perspective) - It was decked out for the "I Will Always Love You" 50-year celebration. There was a pop-up merchandise spot next door to Showstreet Snacks that has a huge selection of the 50-year Merch, so check that out. There are other places in the park to get the 50-year merch as well. You can see the photos above of Showstreet in IWALY finest.
pop up IWALY merch on Showstreet
Showstreet Left - The ECV/wheelchair/strollers Rentals, Lockers and the Ride Accessibility Center has been rearranged in a more spacious way. Next to the Emporium you'll find the Measuring Center and, on the right, adjacent to the Palace Theater you'll find oversized lockers and the ECV/Wheelchairs/Strollers Rental location. I'm not sure if this layout is final but take note that it has changed around.
Wildwood Grove - seemed to me to be the hotspot of activity in the park. As I got closer to Big Bear, I noticed some of the planters in the middle of the pathway had changed shape a bit. A new permanent fence has replaced the wooden work-fence at the Waterfall part of the ride. All the track is complete, so now the focus is on wiring up the ride components, and lots of hardscaping and landscaping yet to be completed. There is quite a bit left to do before the opening sometime in May.
I spied a bunch of new Big Bear merchandise at Mountain Grove Merchants in between Frogs n Fireflies and Black Bear Trail Ride.
There's a lot of work left to do for a May 2023 opening.
Big Bear Nano Coaster, $34.99.
Timber Canyon - the major change that I saw was Thunderhead has had a lot of wood replaced in areas near the station. I think this is the last phase (maybe?) of the multi-year phase full replacement of track. IIRC they were switching to a Brazilian wood - Ipe, I think it is known as. It's much stronger than the pine that it's replacing. According to the social media comments I saw about Thunderhead this weekend, the changes were described in extremely positive terms.
new wood on Thunderhead!
Wilderness Pass - The Food Truck Plaza was back with two Food Trucks there.
Craftsman's Valley - I noticed a new water wheel outside of the Bird Show theater, and some work on the water trough has happened as well. Daredevil Falls' exit ramp was looking good with new paint. The Food Truck Park was back in the Tennessee Tornado Plaza. The setup has been rearranged a bit.
Lots of new paint on the exit of Daredevil Falls
Rivertown - Butterfly Strings. A new shop with Dolly, Elvis, Willie, Johnny Cash merchandise, and other cool music stuff. It's next door to the Back Porch Theater. If you're looking for the Dolly Funkos, they can be found here.
Country Fair - Dollywood has expanded its picnic/Group pavilions. The Celebration Hall has been converted into group dining space. CH is next door to the Blue Ribbon Pavillion which, both buildings have been there for a million years, at least. I imagine both pavilions will be busy on weekends for the warmer months. Scrambler received some paint-love in the off season and is looking sharp in its mustard-ketchup color scheme. Does anyone know what has happened to Lemon Twist? It turns as fast as a minute hand on a clock, and it has not always been this way.
All Smiles on the Scrambler
Scrambler with fresh paint
The Village - New accessibility ramps for the train. This will hopefully make this easier for those that need the ramps.
Adventures In Imagination - The biggest news came from Dolly about the replacement for Chasing Rainbows Museum, expected to open in 2024.
Chasing Rainbows prepares to morph into Dollys Interactive Experience
Dolly Parade - Dolly made one parade appearance this opening weekend and it was on Friday. Enjoy my video below of Dolly going down Showstreet.
That wraps up my Trip Report. I am working on several videos to share, so do be sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (HERE) and click the bell for notifications, and you'll catch all my Dollywood videos.
