Dollywood!

[SkiBum]

I got too busy at work to go in September so I went Dec. 5 to 14. Stayed in Gatlinburg for a few days then at HeartSong for a few days.

I sure missed riding Lighting Rod - seeing it looming over that side of the park was a constant reminder I was missing it. But the have some really nice coasters. And a lot of shows. So beautiful at Christmas. I had a great time.

I made a trip down for the Fall Festival in mid-October this year and was able to ride Lightning Rod with the launch. It was fun but I do think that a high-speed lift will work just as well.

 

[ItsAtrap]

I liked Dollywood (and that entire area) so much I'm heading back. Planning to catch the last few days of the Fall Festival Oct 23 to 26, staying at DreamMore/. Then the first few days of Smoky Mountain Christmas Nov 2 to 5, staying again at DreamMore.

 

[IzzyB]

I liked Dollywood (and that entire area) so much I'm heading back. Planning to catch the last few days of the Fall Festival Oct 23 to 26, staying at DreamMore/. Then the first few days of Smoky Mountain Christmas Nov 2 to 5, staying again at DreamMore.

We go every year in March and this year I am looking to add a Thanksgiving trip potentially.

We love Dollywood which is crazy since we live in Orlando but the park is so different and has things my kids can't do locally like all the flat rides.

 

[IzzyB]

Sorry for double post, but the other post was awhile ago. Dizzy Disk was removed in the offseason for those that go to this park. Replaced with tables from what I can see in pictures. I will be there the week of the 16th so will check it out myself. But sad they lost an attraction with no replacement.

 

[Wesker69]

Dollywood was a fun park, the one & only time I got to go (yay multiday-long field trip... when going to school in FL lol). It's been several hundred years, if I remember correctly, the "NEW" ride was Daredevil Falls.

Me & a few of my friends were in love & addicted to the "Blazing Fury" indoor hybrid dark ride/coaster. We rode that thing over & over. We kept switching rows/seats every ride. This was still when it had the water splash! It was so surprising & unexpected.

The only other thing I remember from that park visit was the one big live stage show. Can't remember if it was 50s themed or different music genres in general.

 

[IzzyB]

Dollywood was a fun park, the one & only time I got to go (yay multiday-long field trip... when going to school in FL lol). It's been several hundred years, if I remember correctly, the "NEW" ride was Daredevil Falls.

Me & a few of my friends were in love & addicted to the "Blazing Fury" indoor hybrid dark ride/coaster. We rode that thing over & over. We kept switching rows/seats every ride. This was still when it had the water splash! It was so surprising & unexpected.

The only other thing I remember from that park visit was the one big live stage show. Can't remember if it was 50s themed or different music genres in general.

We love it, some great coasters and rides. We go every Spring Break from Florida to there. So we go the opposite direction as most people. But I planned it one spring break because my husband wanted something "different", well I was going to show him different. Less than a day into the trip the kids asked to come back the next year and it has been a tradition ever since.

 

[GAcoaster]

Dolly really is a special and good human being. She donated $1 million of her own money, plus another $1 million from her Dollywood Charities, and got Walmart to donate $10 million for hurricane relief:

 

[Mad Dog]

Dollywood/Silver Dollar City's owner, Hershend, is purchasing the PR Palace Entertainment parks (Kennywood/Idlewild/Sand Castle and a bunch of smaller parks). Hershend will be around the same size, attendance wise, as Sea World.

 

[Viator]

Dollywood has announced their brand new massive E-Ticket attraction, NightFlight Expedition! This will be North America's first Mack-Rides Rockin Boat, and will be an indoor five minute experience with a coaster segment.

 

[Jake S]

I'm going to be there next year... but far too early in the season for this to be open. SIGH!

 

[MikePat]

**Quality depending** , but between Phantom Theater, SeaQUEST, and this, U.S. dark ride enthusiasts are going to eat it up next year.

It’s exciting to see Dollywood get another indoor attraction, especially for them to take such a bold swing with Mack by building this "coaster/rocking boat" hybrid. Sign me up!

 

[Magic-Man]

This is fantastic! Dollywood is probably the only regional park I trust in North America to deliver a Disney/Universal level experience. I do worry about how far back it is (even in Wildwood Grove) but thats a minor complaint.

 

[Mad Dog]

**Quality depending** , but between Phantom Theater, SeaQUEST, and this, U.S. dark ride enthusiasts are going to eat it up next year.

It’s exciting to see Dollywood get another indoor attraction, especially for them to take such a bold swing with Mack by building this "coaster/rocking boat" hybrid. Sign me up!

Hershend 'gets it'. That's why they'll survive and prosper while their industry counterparts, Six Flags and United, sink into the sunset.

 

[Tobias]

Boating Over Pandora, noice!
In all seriousness, this looks pretty neat!

 

[Freak]

Looks like I'm overdue for a Dollywood trip next year! This is quickly becoming one of the better theme parks in America! Excited to see a park grow and expand and maintain they great stuff they already have! **Side eyes Magic Kingdom**

 

[Mad Dog]

Looks like I'm overdue for a Dollywood trip next year! This is quickly becoming one of the better theme parks in America! Excited to see a park grow and expand and maintain they great stuff they already have! **Side eyes Magic Kingdom**

And, unlike Six Flags and United parks, they still have lots of live entertainment. A winning formula to attract all demographics, especially
the ones that have money to spend.

 

[GA-MBIT]

Very interested in this ride system! It looks really dynamic and versatile, and I can't wait to see what parks do with it. I don't believe we'll see one of the Orlando parks recieve it for at least a decade so this'll likely be my first Rockin Boat.

I haven't yet returned to Dollywood since they opened Big Bear, so I'm very excited to check out the park again! The park is building up an increasingly wonderful lineup of rides; and as mentioned above, their year-round entertainment is solid too.

 

[Mad Dog]

Very interested in this ride system! It looks really dynamic and versatile, and I can't wait to see what parks do with it. I don't believe we'll see one of the Orlando parks recieve it for at least a decade so this'll likely be my first Rockin Boat.

I haven't yet returned to Dollywood since they opened Big Bear, so I'm very excited to check out the park again! The park is building up an increasingly wonderful lineup of rides; and as mentioned above, their year-round entertainment is solid too.

Never been there, but I think we'll visit within the next two years. They've taken a real run of the mill small park and completely
turned it around, while keeping a lot of the stuff, like live entertainment, that the United and Six Flags park systems abandoned.
And it's a much shorter drive from where I live than Orlando, and it's basically the same hilly mountainous terrain that I love, since that's
like my own backyard. Get a cabin and spend a week touring the area and stopping at the Vanderbilt mansion in the NC mountains nearby..

 

[GA-MBIT]

Never been there, but I think we'll visit within the next two years. They've taken a real run of the mill small park and completely
turned it around, while keeping a lot of the stuff, like live entertainment, that the United and Six Flags park systems abandoned.
And it's a much shorter drive from where I live than Orlando, and it's basically the same hilly mountainous terrain that I love, since that's
like my own backyard. Get a cabin and spend a week touring the area and stopping at the Vanderbilt mansion.

It's a very nice park! I last went in 2022, and it retained a lot of its' more charming small-park vibes and infrastructure, while also being surprisingly sprawling and filled with great new attractions.

It is definitely leaning towards being a total coaster park. Unsure on how you feel exactly about coasters, but if you're into them, the lineup at Dollywood is honestly really great. Lots of variety, and a great sense of levelling (like a kid building up in intensity from Big Thunder to Space to RNRC) across each one so everyone can enjoy at least a couple.

I'm not a foodie, especially at theme parks, but I've heard they've got some nice stops for that too.

I gotta say though, that Pigeon Forge area around Dollywood is like if the tenants of 192 in Orlando decided they were being too tasteful. Definitely some fun stuff over there, but man, it is so tacky and tourist-y over there haha! I kinda love it.

 

[Jake S]

I gotta say though, that Pigeon Forge area around Dollywood is like if the tenants of 192 in Orlando decided they were being too tasteful. Definitely some fun stuff over there, but man, it is so tacky and tourist-y over there haha! I kinda love it.

we’re staying in a cabin in sevierville and we’re looking forward to being totally immersed in tourist hell