In case you missed it, I recently went to Dollywood for the first time, and I might be a changed woman because of it.
I have been a Disney Adult all my life, but I am also a theme park enthusiast. That means I am on the search for the best theme parks around the world, so, of course, Dollywood was towards the top of my list!
Howdy, y’all, and welcome to Dollywood! Sure, I don’t have a Southern accent, but I’ve been working on matching Emma’s ever since our trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. Recently, Emma and I linked up in her home state so she could show me the glories and wonders of Dolly Parton’s town. Emma (and so many of you guys) has asked me to go to this theme park for YEARS, and I am here to finally give my full and honest review of the famous park.
There are so many things I could say about the park, but I’m going to TRY and keep it concise. Upon entering the park and experiencing it for a while, my first impression was that the entire park and resort was about Dolly’s famous coat of many colors.
It is important to note that this theme park is NOT entirely themed around Dolly’s childhood coat, but I somehow ended up with that impression at first. Dolly’s coat, which was made by her mother, was an integral part of her story, and it later inspired a song, album, and even a TV movie. There are merchandise collections about it, and during the park’s Flower and Food Festival, there is a large topiary of her mother creating the coat. During my first hour in the park, I was mainly around the topiary and in the Dolly Parton Experience, which houses the coat. Thus began my confusion about thinking the entire park was based on her little coat. Emma and Breea finally corrected me. I mainly blame Emma for how she directed me through the park for this mishap.
The second thing I noticed is that I initially expected more from the themeing. This park is beautiful, and I have been told so much about the immaculate themeing. During my first day in the park, I didn’t see this immaculate themeing everyone was talking about. After talking with Emma, I finally realized it’s because the theme IS the Smoky Mountains. I originally grew up in North Carolina, so I was accustomed to the beautiful views, meaning I was taking Dollywood’s beauty for granted. Once I understood that the park is embracing its natural surroundings, and I remembered to appreciate its true beauty, I totally understood why this is considered such a gorgeous theme park.
Another thing that was super notable was the food! While there was your traditional theme park fare, there were also some seriously big hits. We tried tons of the festival food, which really impressed us, even as native BBQ enthusiasts. The baked treats were incredibly tasty, but there was one snack that ranked well above the rest. The Cinnamon Bread is famous for a reason, and I apologize to my group for making us wait to get some. The entire first day, Breea and Emma kept begging to get it, but I wanted to hold off. The moment I tried it, I knew how wrong I was, and for that, I am sorry.
The entertainment around the park is also incredible! There are tons of live dancers, singers, and even a Broadway-style show to check out during your park day. I knew they would be good entertainers, but I was honestly shocked by the quality of talent. The singers in particular were absolutely incredible in every show, which isn’t as surprising when you remember many of them are probably trying to make it big in Nashville, which is only a few hours away. Truly, don’t miss out on these amazing performances. Choose any of them! You can’t go wrong.
Outside of the theme park, the hotels really impressed me. There are two of them on the property, but I definitely preferred the HeartSong Lodge. Both hotels were very nice, but I could really tell that Dollywood learned before opening HeartSong. The rooms were incredibly nice, the hotel themeing felt so intentional, and the little details made a real difference for me. Plus, you can get Cinnamon Bread sent to your room each morning in both hotels, so how can you NOT love these rooms? Plus, they’re both pretty affordable for what you get.
The best ride in the park? Hands down, that goes to The Mystery Mine. I rode this for the first time on our Best Day Ever, and I fell in love to a degree that I wasn’t expecting. This ride was SO GOOD! It was incredibly smooth with some amazing twists and turns, but it was the themeing that made it so good in my opinion. The song that was created for the ride was so campy and fun, and the story throughout the ride was so interesting. Truly, this is the best ride in the park for theme park fans. That being said, if you’re shorter, the sides of the restraints might box your ears, so hold your head incredibly still or outside of the restraints. Emma and Breea have both had issues with this, so it’s something to really consider!
Finally, the Bear Hear headbands are VERY GOOD. I am not a Mickey Ear wearer because they tend to hurt, but these were incredibly comfortable and only $10. They have my heart forever and ever. Shoutout to my friend AJ from DisneyFoodBlog for giving me her bear ears after I lost my first pair.
I truly had the BEST time in Dollywood, and if you want to see my first reactions in real time, be sure to check out this video below!
Be sure to keep following AllEars for more theme park schenanegans, news, exploration, and more!
10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Going To Dollywood
Tell me if you’ve been to Dollywood in the comments!
Professional Disney adult is the saddest thing I’ve heard in a while. You’re a vlogger, basically a social media version of home videos. Get over yourself
There is a ton of planning, writing, scheduling, etc. that we have a team of people working on every day. Trust when I say that the job is more than just standing in front of a camera and posting the video to social media. There’s scripting, research, editing, brainstorming, the list goes on and on.
We live near Branson, MO so we keep a season pass at Silver Dollar City and it’s another one owned by the same people who have a stake in Dollywood. Now we also visited Dollywood a few years back and are always talking about when will take a trip again to revisit the park. It’s the same but also different from SDC and I might pick Dollywood as my preferred park if we lived closer to it.
You need to come to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho. The same company that owns Dollywood just bought Silverwood. It’s a very beautiful park and the water park is included.
Yes,yes and yes. Love dollywood. Less wait. Best rides. Less expensive. Great experience over all.
Love It!! In my opinion it’s better than Disney and Universal Studios and a lot cheaper!
Went for the first time in March with a friend. I’m a huge Dolly fan, but the park is, by far, the best amusement park I have ever visited! Loved everything about it.