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Desserts USA South
PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE USA – If you’ve never visited Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain theme park before, you might be expecting typical amusement park type stuff – rides, games, guilty pleasure foods. And you’d be right, you can find all of that at Dollywood. But there is so much more to see and do on this gorgeous property nestled in the lush foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains that even those who don’t typically care for theme parks are sure to find plenty to keep themselves amused at Dollywood.
Despite its name sake the park is less about Dolly and more about the land, culture, and heritage of Smokies. So in between the rides and attractions that make a theme park a theme park ,you’ll stumble across artisans creating authentic Appalachian arts and crafts using traditional techniques. There’s a working grist mill where you watch cornmeal and flour being made (and take some home for use in your own kitchen), a blacksmith shop, horse drawn wagon maker and much more.
Nature enthusiasts will appreciate visiting the world’s largest eagle sanctuary, a 30,000-square-foot aviary that houses the country’s largest presentation of non-releasable bald eagles. You’ll get a rare and (relatively) up close glimpse of some of nature’s most impressive birds of prey in a beautiful mountain setting. The American Eagle Foundation which is authorized to possess birds for education, exhibition, rehabilitation and breeding under permits from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, oversees the entire operation. Whenever possible, birds are rehabilitated and released into the wild. As of this writing 30 eagles have returned to their natural habitats.
Rides and Attractions
While you’ll find areas and pockets that might make you forget you’re at a theme park, no matter where in Dollywood’s 125 acre property you wander, you’re never too far away from some the park’s world class rides and attractions.
Roller coaster enthusiasts have a lot to celebrate with two world class coaster experiences. The Tennessee Tornado is a triple spiral-looping coaster makes you feel like you've landed inside a funnel cloud as you zoom down a 128-foot drop through an actual mountain at speeds of 70 mph. Thunderhead, Dollywood’s award winning wooden roller coaster sits strategically situated between two mountains, standing tall among the mighty trees and making it one of the most beautiful rides, if you can stop screaming enough to look around. A favorite of roller coaster enthusiast groups who consistently rate it number one, Thundercloud features a 100-foot drop and a top speed of 55 mph.
There are also a respectable variety of “you’ll get wet” rides for hot summer months, and other attractions to suit kids of all ages.
New this year (2009) is SkyZip where you’ll gear up, clip on, and soar like an eagle over Dollywood and the surrounding mountain forests. You’ll experience 5 zip lines in all on this premium adventure, some over 1000 feet long and 125 feet off the ground. It takes about an hour to complete the course and reservations are usually necessary so plan ahead.
While there is an extra charge for the SkyZip zip line adventure, the folks at Dollywood have priced the attraction so that cost of SkyZip and your Dollywood park admission ticket equal about what it would cost to zipline elsewhere. So if you’ve ever wanted to give ziplining a try, this is an economical way to do it.
Fans of Dolly Parton and country and/or gospel music will discover lots to do and listen to at Dollywood. They can tour Dolly’s actual tour bus (when she isn’t on tour using it herself) and a museum dedicated to Ms Parton’s inspiring career, including costumes, photos and an actual replica of the 2 room home where Dolly grew up.
There are tons of shows throughout the park, for the best seats pick up a show schedule, or just listen for the joyous sounds of country and gospel music filling the air and head in that direction.
Festivals at Dollywood
While there’s never a bad time to visit Dollywood, many wait for one of the park’s four annual festivals. Dollywood's Festival of Nations offers five weeks of cultural events by performers from around the world. Join your kids for a fun-filled day at Kidsfest, the South's largest children's festival. Southern gospel music takes center stage while master craftsmen demonstrate their skills at the National Gospel and Harvest Celebration. Bring the entire family and spend the holidays at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Dollywood’s Best Food Bet
The best place to eat in Dollywood is also one of the most frugally priced. Skip the typical mediocre theme park fare when visiting and instead head towards the Sausage Works stand in the Rivertown Junction area of the park. Follow your nose, the enticing aromas emanating from this stand will take you right there. A variety of smoked sausages are gilled on a giant 5-foot skillet along with onions and peppers. It’s all served piping hot on a fresh sandwich roll. The stand also sells delicious hand cut deep friend potato ribbons to accompany your anything-but-health-food but oh-so-delicious lunch.
Frugal Tip:
If you plan to visit more than once in a single year, pick up a Dollywood season pass – for less than the price of two single day admission tickets you’ll be able to visit the park as often as you wish.
Dollywood is located at Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge, TN 37876. Visit the Dollywood website at www.Dollywood.com.
For more information about Dollywood’s Eagle Sanctuary, check out www.eagles.org.
For information about visiting Sevierville in general visit the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce website at www.VisitSevierville.com.
Desserts USA South
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PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE USA – If you’ve never visited Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain theme park before, you might be expecting typical amusement park type stuff – rides, games, guilty pleasure foods. And you’d be right, you can find all of that at Dollywood. But there is so much more to see and do on this gorgeous property nestled in the lush foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains that even those who don’t typically care for theme parks are sure to find plenty to keep themselves amused at Dollywood.
Despite its name sake the park is less about Dolly and more about the land, culture, and heritage of Smokies. So in between the rides and attractions that make a theme park a theme park ,you’ll stumble across artisans creating authentic Appalachian arts and crafts using traditional techniques. There’s a working grist mill where you watch cornmeal and flour being made (and take some home for use in your own kitchen), a blacksmith shop, horse drawn wagon maker and much more.
Nature enthusiasts will appreciate visiting the world’s largest eagle sanctuary, a 30,000-square-foot aviary that houses the country’s largest presentation of non-releasable bald eagles. You’ll get a rare and (relatively) up close glimpse of some of nature’s most impressive birds of prey in a beautiful mountain setting. The American Eagle Foundation which is authorized to possess birds for education, exhibition, rehabilitation and breeding under permits from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, oversees the entire operation. Whenever possible, birds are rehabilitated and released into the wild. As of this writing 30 eagles have returned to their natural habitats.
Rides and Attractions
While you’ll find areas and pockets that might make you forget you’re at a theme park, no matter where in Dollywood’s 125 acre property you wander, you’re never too far away from some the park’s world class rides and attractions.
Roller coaster enthusiasts have a lot to celebrate with two world class coaster experiences. The Tennessee Tornado is a triple spiral-looping coaster makes you feel like you've landed inside a funnel cloud as you zoom down a 128-foot drop through an actual mountain at speeds of 70 mph. Thunderhead, Dollywood’s award winning wooden roller coaster sits strategically situated between two mountains, standing tall among the mighty trees and making it one of the most beautiful rides, if you can stop screaming enough to look around. A favorite of roller coaster enthusiast groups who consistently rate it number one, Thundercloud features a 100-foot drop and a top speed of 55 mph.
There are also a respectable variety of “you’ll get wet” rides for hot summer months, and other attractions to suit kids of all ages.
New this year (2009) is SkyZip where you’ll gear up, clip on, and soar like an eagle over Dollywood and the surrounding mountain forests. You’ll experience 5 zip lines in all on this premium adventure, some over 1000 feet long and 125 feet off the ground. It takes about an hour to complete the course and reservations are usually necessary so plan ahead. While there is an extra charge for the SkyZip zip line adventure, the folks at Dollywood have priced the attraction so that cost of SkyZip and your Dollywood park admission ticket equal about what it would cost to zipline elsewhere. So if you’ve ever wanted to give ziplining a try, this is an economical way to do it.
Fans of Dolly Parton and country and/or gospel music will discover lots to do and listen to at Dollywood. They can tour Dolly’s actual tour bus (when she isn’t on tour using it herself) and a museum dedicated to Ms Parton’s inspiring career, including costumes, photos and an actual replica of the 2 room home where Dolly grew up.
There are tons of shows throughout the park, for the best seats pick up a show schedule, or just listen for the joyous sounds of country and gospel music filling the air and head in that direction.
Festivals at Dollywood
While there’s never a bad time to visit Dollywood, many wait for one of the park’s four annual festivals. Dollywood's Festival of Nations offers five weeks of cultural events by performers from around the world. Join your kids for a fun-filled day at Kidsfest, the South's largest children's festival. Southern gospel music takes center stage while master craftsmen demonstrate their skills at the National Gospel and Harvest Celebration. Bring the entire family and spend the holidays at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Dollywood’s Best Food Bet The best place to eat in Dollywood is also one of the most frugally priced. Skip the typical mediocre theme park fare when visiting and instead head towards the Sausage Works stand in the Rivertown Junction area of the park. Follow your nose, the enticing aromas emanating from this stand will take you right there. A variety of smoked sausages are gilled on a giant 5-foot skillet along with onions and peppers. It’s all served piping hot on a fresh sandwich roll. The stand also sells delicious hand cut deep friend potato ribbons to accompany your anything-but-health-food but oh-so-delicious lunch.
Practicalities
Frugal Tip:
If you plan to visit more than once in a single year, pick up a Dollywood season pass – for less than the price of two single day admission tickets you’ll be able to visit the park as often as you wish.
Dollywood is located at Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge, TN 37876. Visit the Dollywood website at www.Dollywood.com.
For more information about Dollywood’s Eagle Sanctuary, check out www.eagles.org.
For information about visiting Sevierville in general visit the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce website at www.VisitSevierville.com.
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