Dollywood – A Fantastic Theme Park For You & Your Family

If you’re taking a trip down to Tennessee, there is an attraction that you shouldn’t miss. That is, besides the Great Smoky Mountain National Park of course. Yes, it’s none other than Dollywood, a 125 acre theme park named after and owned by Dolly Parton, renowned entertainer. Situated in Pigeon Forge, Dollywood is frequented by hordes of people every day and is expanding by the day with fresh new exciting rides.

The Rides and Attractions At Dollywood

Its relatively laid back styled theme and a vast selections of activities will appeal to everyone in the family. Dollywood is also home to five of the South’s most popular festivals. They include the Festival of Nations (April), Dollywood Kidsfest (during summer), Bluegrass and Barbeque Festival (last 2 weeks in September), National Gospel and Harvest Celebrations (October) and the Smoky Mountain Christmas (November & December). Besides such interesting art and music festivals, you can also find music shows and more than forty different attraction and rides. There are also many other family oriented attractions such as the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, a place where the large collection of bald eagles are housed and the Craftsman’s Valley where you can see live demonstrations and go shopping.

In the theme park, there are 8 organized sections which include the

(1) Craftsman’s Valley. One of the oldest and largest area of Dollywood, you can find attractions such as the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, the Calico Falls Schoolhouse, the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary bald eagle aviary and rides which include the Tennessee Tornado steel coaster, the Blazing Fury indoor coaster. There are also 12 or more craftsmen demonstrating their skills on soap making, candles making, wood carving etc.

(2) Country Fair area. You can find a great selection of carnival, kiddie and tame rides here.

(3) Jukebox Junction. It’s mimicks the 1950s era and transport visitors back in the nostalgic past for an antique car ride at the Rockin” Roadway or a show at the Pines Theatre.

(4) Showstreet, the open introductory area mainly for shopping and food. There are also live shows at the Dolly Parton Theatre or Showstreet Palace. Alternatively, visitors can consider checking out the Hall of Fame or Southern Gospel Museum.

(5) Village where the Village Carousel and Heartsong Theatre are housed. You can then visit the Train Depot, catch a magic show and embark on a introductory tour on a genuine steam engine around the park.

(6) Timber Canyon, an area that builds its theme base on a mine camp. You can also find the award winning Thunderhead roller coaster and the Mystery Mine coaster. The Timber Tower, is bound to give you an exciting tower ride, recognized as the only ride of its kind in the country. The River Battle water ride gives you an opportunity to have fun onboard shooting your friends and family with water soakers.

(7) Adventures in Imagination which showcases the Dolly Parton’s Chasing Rainbows museum and Smoky Mountain Wilderness Adventure Tour.

(8) Rivertown Junction which mimicks Dolly Parton’s childhood home. There are also a series of arts and craft stores

Dollywood Discount Tickets & Pricing

Regardless of when you decide to come to Dollywood, you and your family are bound to have a fun time. Tickets can be purchased and even printed online via their official website. If you intend to visit the park more than once, always get the season passes as its much more economical than the day tickets. For large groups, always remember to take advantage of the group discounts available. Placing your group order at least 2 weeks in advance will also entitle you to a free ticket for every 15 purchased. For groups arriving by bus, the driver will also be granted free admission.

Although Dollywood discount tickets don’t come easy, you can still get them via your AAA membership or vacation packages. Alternatively, do check out online auction sites like eBay, classified such as Craiglists for the occasional sale of tickets or discount coupons. Who knows, you may just get lucky and snag a good deal!