Dollywood Trip (Need Advice)

I'm Spending a week in Pigeon Forge (June 12th-June 18th) but only have 1 day to do Dollywood with Dollywood Splash Country. I need to figure out what's the best way to get everything done for Dollywood for both parks tickets already Purchased and cant do anymore but ill be doing also a lot of Local stuff in Pigeon Forge like the Mountain coasters Golfing and stuff like that. Hotels already Purchased Staying at 2 while there Wilderness in the Smokies is one and will be spending a lot of time in it. What stuff is a skip and what stuff is a Must do.(Sorry if this is in the wrong area of the Forums)

[Paradox]

2 words CINNAMON BREAD

Hope Lightning Rod will be running by mid June.

Must do: Mountain Slidewinder

Paradox wrote:

2 words CINNAMON BREAD

this.

It's been years since I visited Dollywood (it was 2010 if I remember correctly...Mystery Mine was present but Wild Eagle was not), but my brother lives in Georgia and visits at least a couple times per year. Hopefully this is helpful, but someone who has personally visited more recently may have better information.

First off, are you planning to do Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country on the same day or different days? Dollywood is a full day park, and while I haven't visited Splash Country it looks like a 6-8 hour waterpark, so doing both in the same day is tricky. If you are doing both in the same day, note that it would be a long walk between the two. I do not know if there is a shuttle between them or not, but if not you'll want to park at one and then re-park before visiting the other.

If you are doing both parks in one day, I would suggest you get to Splash Country at opening and do as much as you can in 2-3 hours, then head to Dollywood afterward. RiverRush (the water coaster) is going to be your biggest priority at Splash Country, so I would probably do that first and then just pick and choose the remaining attractions in order of interest and/or whether they exist at your local waterpark. In addition to the water coaster, the waterpark also has a bowl slide, numerous standard slides of all types (body, tube, raft, mat), and all the other water park staples (lazy river, wave pool, etc.).

Try to get to Dollywood by 2 P.M. at the latest. I would budget for a Timesaver just in case it is busy, but on weekdays lines usually max out at around 30-40 minutes (provided rides are operating at full capacity). FireChaser Express usually has the longest line, followed by Mystery Mine, Thunderhead, and (presumably) Lightning Rod. I would suggest checking the crowds at Lighting Rod first, then head through Timber Canyon, Wilderness Pass, and Craftsman's Valley in that order. After that, just go around the park and do attractions you skipped and/or attractions you want to re-ride. Must ride attractions at Dollywood are the coasters (skip Sideshow Spin unless you count credits), the water rides (Daredevil Falls, Mountain Slidewinder, and Smoky Mountain River Rampage...River Battle is optional), and Dollywood Express (the 20 minute train ride). If you have additional time, check out some of the flat rides that don't exist at your local park(s). Lastly, make sure you eat at least one meal in the park and buy a loaf of Cinnamon Bread at the Grist Mill (if you don't arrive until the afternoon, do Lightning Rod and then go get this as they do tend to sell out).

^ it will be 1 day dolly wood 1 day splash country and 1 day for wilderness in the smokies water park

A lot depends on what types of things you are interested in. My wife and I were last down there in 2008 on our honeymoon. That whole stretch from Sevierville through Pigeon Forge to Gatlinberg is one huge tourist trap. There is so much to do. We went out and did different things each day.

Forbidden Caverns was pretty cool. Parrot Mountain is a must (if you like birds at all). There was a Jurassic ride that was fun. Ripley's miniature golf courses that were themed around farm animals. Ripley's Aquarium. Ripley's also had a haunted attraction, can't remember name. But it was lot of fun. Look for package deals if interested in doing Ripley's attractions. Also in Gatlinberg is the classic alpine slide and ski lift up mountain, which was cool to do again, as I did those back in 1982.

There are so many things that we didn't get to do, due to time and money. Definitely check out messege boards and inquire about attractions. Have fun and soak it all in. Each day after having breakfast in the cabin, we headed out to the strip and do various things and eat out for lunch. Then we would be back at cabin by early evening and relax.

deere839 wrote:

^ it will be 1 day dolly wood 1 day splash country and 1 day for wilderness in the smokies water park

That makes a lot more sense and greatly simplifies things. On your Dollywood day, get to the park a bit before opening (at least 15 minutes) and go directly to Lightning Rod. After that, head up to Wilderness Pass for FireChaser Express and Wild Eagle, then backtrack to Timber Canyon to ride Mystery Mine and Thunderhead, then just make your way around the park and do attractions as you come to them. The park is open 10 A.M. to 10 P.M., so you shouldn't have any issue doing everything.

For Splash Country, you'll probably want to do Big Bear Plunge, Raging River Rapids, RiverRush, and SwiftWater Run first as those slides will likely develop the longest lines. After that, just do whatever is of interest to you. I haven't been to the waterpark before, but looking at the size of it I don't think doing everything will be a challenge if you've got a full day.

I haven't stayed at Wilderness at the Smokies, but judging from past experiences at waterpark resorts if you give yourself 1-2 hours for each waterpark that should be enough. Since the waterparks are restricted to resort guests lines usually don't get that long.

magnumrulz wrote:

A lot depends on what types of things you are interested in. My wife and I were last down there in 2008 on our honeymoon. That whole stretch from Sevierville through Pigeon Forge to Gatlinberg is one huge tourist trap. There is so much to do. We went out and did different things each day.

Also in Gatlinberg is the classic alpine slide and ski lift up mountain, which was cool to do again, as I did those back in 1982.

Thanks for the neat suggestion along with the tips to have fun at Dolly! Deere will be pleased to know that!

This is what i have planned so far
Mountain coasters all 3
Alpine Slide
Hillbilly Golf
The Island Wheel
Paula Deans
Spaghetti Ice Cream
Dark Ride
Dolly partons Lumber Jack Show
Space Needle

also planning on buying a few shirts at dollywood anyone know what the price for that and the Cinnamon bread and some of the restraunts in the park

From what my brother said, food prices at Dollywood aren't much higher than they would be outside the park. At a counter service restaurant, entrees are typically $7-10 plus a few dollars for a drink. At the full service restaurants, expect $14-16 per person. Cinnamon bread is about $6 for a loaf if I remember correctly. Not sure on the prices of souvenirs.

Pigeon Forge has four different mountain coasters, and while I haven't ridden these installations I've done a few elsewhere and I'd recommend sticking with just one or two. While they are fun, there isn't a whole lot of variation between the different rides. The general consensus appears to be that Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster is the best of the bunch, so I'd stick with that and the Ober Gatlinburg one if you go up there. If you really want to do all of them you can, but at $15-16 each your money might be better spent elsewhere.

Your list looks like a pretty good selection of attractions. If your budget allows for it and it sounds interesting I'd suggest doing a zipline tour as well as those are a lot of fun. I would also suggest Zorb Smoky Mountains as that was my favorite thing I did in the area (outside of Dollywood), but unfortunately they aren't around anymore.

^ I gotta say thanks for providing a great food and ride list for him! When I take a look at your posts I always find yours detailed and really helpful for us and even for the guests (non-members)!

June 11th Leave Florida
June 12th Arrivied to Pigeon Forge and do dollywood
june 13th Dollywood
june 14th Space needle Mountain coasters
June 15th Dollywood splash country
June 16thThe island/paula deans Hillbilly golf
June 17th Wilderness in the smokies water park
June 18th Leave Pigeon Forge

ok

Checked!