Enjoying Dollywood with Small Children

If you live anywhere within driving distance of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, your life really isn’t complete without a trip to Dollywood.

Oh yes. I said it. And I stand behind it.

As a kid, I spent a month with my grandparents in Knoxville each summer. Since my grandfather was unofficially Dolly Parton’s Biggest Fan, annual pilgrimages to the ‘Wood were inevitable. Back then, it was one of my favorite theme parks — Not only were the rides thrilling and fun, but Dollywood also had great stage shows and a magnificent mountain backdrop. The park was also cooler and shadier than most other theme parks I had been to, which was a major plus. There’s nothing like standing in a shadeless line for 30 minutes in the middle of July to kill your theme park buzz, especially when you’re small.

With all these great Dollywood memories in my past, I couldn’t wait to take my own kids there– and that’s exactly what we did last fall. And while I’m getting paid by SocialMoms now to write a post about the experience, I was TOTALLY going to write a post about it anyway- just hadn’t gotten around to it- so it’s a win-win!

For the first time maybe ever, there were no complaints of “Are we there yet?” from the backseat on our trip to Dollywood. The drive is simply gorgeous, no matter the season. Majestic mountains, bucolic farmland, quaint old farmhouses, peaceful livestock– I didn’t want the drive to end, to be honest.

But once we arrived at Dollywood, I was comforted to find that the mountain theme remained. The park is beautiful. Dollywood’s designers have gone to great lengths to maintain the mountain theme throughout the park, making it just as pleasing for senior citizens to visit as it is for families.

And let’s talk about these seniors. On the day we went, the park was filled with them- They had turned out for one of Dollywood’s famous music festivals (the park hosts five different festivals each year). This was great for us, because while the park was very busy, the rides WERE NOT! Most of the people who’d come to Dollywood that day were there to hear gospel music, which meant that we rode everything we loved over and over and over again.

SCORE!

One of my favorite rides was definitely the Wonder Wheel, which is enormous and gives you magnificent views of the Great Smoky Mountains. This marked my kids’ first time on a Ferris Wheel.

It was a moment that I don’t think any of us will ever forget.

We stuck with the kid and family rides, but there are plenty of roller coasters and thrill rides for the big kids in your family as well. You can see a full listing of rides here, complete with detailed information about each ride that includes height requirements.

A few of our family favorites were the Smoky Mountain River Rampage, the Village Carousel, the Sky Rider, and Daredevil Falls, which we probably rode 20 times in a row!

In typical Ferrier fashion, the kids had just as much fun standing at the bottom of Daredevil Falls getting splashed by the log boats as they did on the ride itself! This is a great spot to come cool off if you’re at Dollywood on a hot day, by the way.

And then of course, there was the Dollywood Express.

It’s an authentic 110-ton, coal-fired steam engine that takes you on a relaxing ride through the park and up into the hills. The ride was beautiful and I enjoyed explaining to my children that steam engines used to be the main form of travel here in the U.S. They warn you when you get on board to be careful to not get a cinder in your eye, and the kids were surprised to learn that that was a common malady for travelers way back when.

Beyond the rides, Dollywood has plenty of stage shows to enjoy (including the brand-new Cirque Shanghai and Gazillion Bubbles shows, which I can’t wait to see). With two small children in tow, we didn’t stop for a show last fall, but we did all enjoy watching the many traditional mountain artisans at work throughout the park. Plenty of authentic mountain toys and crafts are available in Dollywood’s shops; My son chose an old-fashioned pop gun for his Dollywood souvenir that continues to be one of his favorite toys today.

I get asked quite often by parents if we’ve been to Dollywood and if we plan to go back. The answer is an enthusiastic “YES.” Not only did we have a great time at Dollywood, but we also loved the surrounding area of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We’ve found area hotel rooms and cabins to be very affordable, and there are lots of activities there for the whole family to enjoy. We can’t wait to go back– this time during Dollywood’s Great American Summer, when the hours are extended and there’s a major fireworks show at the park every night. We’re also looking forward to visiting Dollywood’s Splash Country, now that the kids are swimmers.

For more information about Dollywood, check out the Dollywood Facebook page. Already a Dollywood fan? Be sure to ‘like’ the page and let them know, or follow Dollywood on Twitter.

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Dollywood blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

Top image via spablab/Flickr