I finally fulfilled my ambition (see what I did there?) to visit Dollywood, when I added on three days after a conference in Chicago and flew down to Knoxville, TN.

Long time fan, first time visitor – with my second trip planned in 2026!

My sister, who lives in Delaware, flew in for our girls’ escape and rented a car, so picked me up after spending a few hours browsing the shops in Knoxville (she found a cute shop and bought a candle), then we drove the one hour-ish to Pigeon Forge, the home of Dollywood.

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We’d booked a twin room at Dollywood’s DreamMore resort, one of two properties located next to Dollywood and Splash Country, the next door water park.

I figured we’d splash out a little on staying at the official property, and it meant we had the VIP Timesaver pass which gave us skip-the-line access to several of the rides for the first hour of the day, plus free car parking.

The site of Dollywood has been an amusement park dating back to the 1960s when it was a little Civil War theme park called Rebel Railroad, which included a steam train that is still here today.

Then it became Goldrush Junction and the log flume ride was added, along with a little wooden church – which is still there, nestled in the woods, near artisan gift stores selling things like blown glass ornaments, forged steel implements and candy. Dolly co-owns the park with the Herschend family (50/50) and has done since 1986.

My first impressions of Dollywood

When you first walk in you are hit with the nostalgia of this park with its wooden buildings set in natural woodland.

But you’re at the number 1 best theme park in the United States, according to a 2025 Tripadvisor poll, so you need to plan your day wisely. There’s a lot to see and do, and lot of people seeing and doing it.

You’ll also see die-hard fans!

Dollywood is huge! It sprawls over 160 acres (65 hectares). It has 60 rides (including about 10 extreme rides), plus theatres for live shows (like a funsy dog tricks show with rescued dogs catching frisbees or doing sprint races).

There are places to eat, and yes there’s shopping. LOTS of shopping for Dolly merch. It was hard to decide what to buy honestly!

The Dolly Parton Experience is for true fans. You’ll see Dolly’s touring bus from her early days, still decked out with a huge bed at the end, and available to walk through.

I’ll get to the rides in a sec, but I really liked the costume exhibit too. Lots of Dolly’s stage clothes are on display on “dolly-sized” mannequins (you know what I mean), and there’s video of various costumers talking about their work, what she likes, and how long they’ve been working for her. Some for around 20 years!

There’s another large exhibition taking you through video of her songs from the early Porter Wagoner days, to today.

And if you are touched by her song ‘coat of many colors’, you can see the original coat her mama made for her. It’s tiny! I expected she’d have been about 12 or 13, but this coat is for a 5 or 6 year old I’m picking.

If you’re taking your own car, you immediately see the enormous size of the car park. It can hold 10,000 cards and costs $25 per day for a regular sized car.

Get here early because it fills up! You get free car parking if you’re staying at DreamMore or HeartSong. If you take the resort shuttle from these hotels, you’ll get off to join the line through security then you’re in.

It looks olde-worlde. It’s quaint, but not kitschy. Bunting is draped between wooden buildings and there’s a bakery near the entrance to grab coffee and a bite whole you pore over the park map and plan your attack.

You’ll see people heading left into Wildwood Grove where all the roller coasters are. My suggestion is you get to the main ticket office and find out the times of the live shows you want to get to, so you can plan your rides around those.

If you have a Timesaver pass to collect to use the express line, you get that here too, in the form of a wrist band.

Pro tip: Then head for the rides that your pass doesn’t include, as first thing in the morning is likely to be the quietest time for the most popular rides.

Another good time to ride them is just before the park closes after the drone and fireworks show at dusk, as lots of people had left by then.

Don’t expect sanitized slickness like you see at Disney parks. And don’t expect it to be all Dolly Parton focused in an over-the-top kind of way. Yes there’s music playing throughout the park, but not all are Dolly’s songs.

The first of several souviner shops is on your right as you enter, and if you’re like us, you’ll be swept in there. Different shops have different merchandise, so get your eye in but don’t buy right away. There are about 30 shops here – not all are Dolly themed.

My must-do’s at Dollywood

Try the Cinnamon Bread – the only catch is you need to buy a loaf, so if you just want a nibble it’s a lot of bread. But amazing all the same. You can also get it at DreamMore and HeartSong.

Hit the rides – There are 60 rides at Dollywood, 10 of them in the “extreme” category, but there’s enough variety for the entire family. There’s also the original coal-fired steam train, the Dollywood Express, which is free to ride, but only goes once an hour. It’s worth it though, to rest your weary legs and to get some insights into the back of house workings of this park.

In one day we managed five of the extreme rides, plus a tootle on Ol’ Smoky the Dollywood Express steam train. That left time for one show, a wander through the exhibits, including her tour bus, and a bite to eat with coffee on arrival.

We also went across to Splash Country, but just to take a look and pictures for you, dear reader. We weren’t in our swimsuits! We could easily have had a dip though as it was super hot, and lamented our clothing choices.

See the fireworks and drone show – We popped back to our DreamMore accommodation in late afternoon and recalibrated with a sangria by the pool, then came back for the fireworks and drone show.

This happens before the park closes each night and really is amazing. The drones make Dolly images in the sky and her music belts across the park. Then a huge Disney-esque fireworks show.

Pro tip: once you’ve seen this once, you don’t need to see it again. Consequently the park wasn’t that crowded so you could squeeze in some of the rides that remain open.

Best Rides at Dollywood

We started with Thunderhead, which looks deceptively old-fashioned with it’s wooden tracks and carts. But do not be fooled! I screamed so hard I hurt my throat. Sharon, meanwhile, had her arms up in the air like a youth! She loved it. I realised I’m more of a nana than I thought.

I calmed myself down with a great ride on Dragonflier which has your feet hanging down and a full body harness. It felt much more reassuring than Thunderhead’s lapbelt. I made myself not scream on this one and resorted to a few shrieks. Happy shrieks and laughter though.

Our timesaver pass wouldn’t get us on Mystery Mine, which I was quietly pleased about, but not so Sharon. When we went back in the evening for the fireworks and drone show the line was short, so next minute I’m harnessed in and bracing myself.

It’s another extreme ride, but set in what looks like a dilapidated wooden mill. Do not be fooled again! You’re harnessed in four seats across for the 4x G-force ride.

Fortunately we met two lovely guys who gave us a pro tip: push your head forward into the harness on the turns. If you don’t, your head will wobble and hit the sides of the harness, which is actually quite painful! It has an 85-foot vertical drop, 95 degree turns and plunges into darkness. It’s thrilling and yes I hurt my throat again!

Lightning Rod is the fastest roller coaster at Dollywood. It looks ricketty because it’s wooden (metal is also in the design) and you’ll slowly track up 20-stories before it really kicks off with 165 foot drop. USA Today named it in the top 10 best roller coasters in the whole country. I will ride this one next time.

Big Bear Mountain is the longest roller coaster ride in Dollywood at 3,990 feet (1.2 km). It sprawls across pretty much all of the property and you’ll see glimpses of people riding it as you wander about. It’s a family friendly ride, and while we didn’t ride it this time, it’s on my list for next time.

It’s hugely popular and not part of the Timesaver Basic or Plus, but is on the Premium pass (for an extra cost of $99 for the day), so I’d suggest you make a bee-line for this one as soon as you arrive.

See the full list of rides at Dollywood here, including the recently reopened dark ride Blazing Fury, which is a ride through an 1880s town outrunning a fire.

They are not all scary roller coasters either. There’s a whole children’s area for little ones with tame, very cute rides for family fun. You’ll also find water rides like Smoky Mountain River Rampage when you need to cool off.

Best Time to Visit Dollywood

It’s hot here in summer! And I would also point out that there is not much sun protection if you’re waiting for rides. They could do a bit better by putting shade sails up through the summer months. But that’s also another reason for staying at one of the Dollywood resorts. You can also upgrade to the TimeSaver ticket.

At Christmas time the park is themed out, so I’d love to go again as this is my favorite time of the year!

The best time would be during school time, and in the shoulder seasons for temps. Week days are better than weekends for lesser crowds.

Dollywood FAQs

Who is Dollywood catering to?

It’s really an amusement for the whole family, and you don’t necessarily have to be a Dolly fan to love it. Although I most definitely am, the roller coaster rides are ranked among some the best in America, so you’ll see lots of kids and families here.

There are lots of kiddie rides too and fun areas for little ones to play, including squirting water to cool everyone down.

Can you take your own food and drink into the park?

No, but you can bring in one un-opened bottle of water per person. There are lots of places to buy food in the parks. We bought three chicken tenders and fries with a drink for $20 and split it. We’d already had something from the bakery earlier.

What time does Dollywood open?

Gates open at 10am during spring, summer and fall, and 11am in winter. BUT the parks are also NOT open every day! Check the calendar for Dollywood’s hours before you book your flights and hotels. The reasons given are some days are quieter than others so they give the staff time off.

Can I do Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country in one day?

Yes you could. I’d suggest you start early at Dollywood, and use your VIP pass to blitz the most popular rides first. You’d even have time to see a show, tour a couple of exhibits and shop.

Then around mid afternoon, head over to Splash Country – take your car – and grab a lounger near one of the pools or slides. You can get changed over there into your swimsuit.

Is the TimeSaver Pass worth it?

There are three types of TimeSaver passes, from $60-$99 in addition to your park ticket. The Basic TimeSaver will give you skip-the-line access to five of the top rides, plus expedited entry to shows. It excludes FireChaser Express, Lightning Rod, Dragonflier, Mystery Mine, and BigBear Mountain.

The TimeSaver Plus gives you expedited access to all the above, one-time skip-the-line use on those popular rides.

Dollywood Season Pass

There are three types of season passes. One for East Tennessee residents giving them unlimited entry between April and September. The Silver Season Pass gives you $5 off per one-day park ticket. The Dollywood Gold Season Pass lets you visit Dollywood as much as you like. It includes free parking, discounts on shopping and dining, and Timesaver access for the first hour each day.

Pro tip: if you stay at DreamMore or HeartSong you will automatically they the Basic Timesaver pass, which is worth $60 per day. You also get free parking, valued at $25 per day. Or you can take their free trolley.

Where to stay when visiting Dollywood

The two official resorts are DreamMore and HeartSong.

DreamMore, is a little cheaper and where we stayed. Both have great facilities, including pools, a spa at DreamMore, restaurants and free trolley buses to take you to the park. Your package also gives you a Basic Timesaver pass and free car parking at the park.

At DreamMore you can also book a Dolly bus and sleep out the front, and we also enjoyed the free s’mores around the fire pit!

HeartSong has an indoor and outdoor pool, plus a hot tub. Both have laundry facilities, which is great for families.

If you only plan on visiting for the day, you could stay at the little town of Sevierville, which has one of the best restaurants in all of Tennessee – Appalachan.

There are also cheaper accommodations and private rentals near the resort too, but you’ll want a car. And of course, a day trip to the Smoky Mountains might be on your wish list too.

Check out Dollywood ticket prices on GetYourGuide

Where to next?

I love Tennessee and will be returning to Nashville hosting a tour in April 2026.

In this post I cover my favorite things to do in Nashville.

Then because I was curious about what people wear there, I wrote this post on Nashville fashion, including photos!

Or you could visit Memphis and extend your music tour to include Elvis and his compatriots. And if you’re a true Elvis Presley fan, you might want to add a side trip to his birthplace of Tupelo.

You can peek through Graceland with me here, and I’ll be making my fourth visit next year!