Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

A short drive down from the Great Smoky Mountains is Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This is a heavily developed tourist town with many resorts as well as tons of tourist attractions like wax museums, alpine coasters, and even half a Titantic. I stayed at the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg KOA which is a very convenient downtown location with access to the town’s trolley service. While there are many attractions to enjoy, the number one attraction in Pigeon Forge is by far Dollywood.

In 1983, country music icon Dolly Parton purchased a small theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN named Silver Dollar City. The park was reopened in 1986 with a new name: Dollywood. Over the years, the park has expanded significantly and today this 120-acre Smoky Mountain theme park is one of the top attractions in the South. Even today, the park continues to expand with a brand-new area called The Dolly Parton Experience set to open in late May.

Dollywood has a definite Smoky Mountains atmosphere to it. The music and live performances are country, bluegrass, and even some gospel. The park itself is nestled in a valley and as you walk through the park you are constantly changing elevation. One area of the park is dedicated to mountain artisans like blacksmiths, glass blowers, and leatherworkers. There is even a small Baptist church inside Dollywood that has services on Sunday morning for guests. I attended a multimedia presentation called Heart Song which was about the life of Dolly Parton and there was another theater show that required reservations which celebrates her music. However, it is not all Dolly…I heard some Springsteen on the park’s speaker system. Bruuuuce

Don’t let the name fool you, Dollywood has some serious rollercoasters both steel and wooden. Being a coaster enthusiast myself in another life, I was impressed with the number and scale of the rollercoasters at Dollywood. They have a beautiful coal-burning train called the Dollywood Express, but unfortunately it was receiving maintenance the day I visited. In addition to the coasters, there is a traditional roaring rapids style ride, flume ride, and tons of smaller rides for children. One interesting exhibit at Dollywood is their bald eagle sanctuary. They have a large hillside aviary where they house about 20 bald eagles which have been deemed unfit to return to the wild by US Fish & Game. Usually, these majestic birds end up in a sanctuary due to being struct by a vehicle while eating roadkill. In additional to the eagles, Dollywood has some vultures, hawks, falcons, and owls who all are all deemed unfit for re-introduction and participate in a Wings of America show for guests.

I visited Dollywood during their springtime Flowers & Food Festival. All throughout the park there were beautiful flowers in bloom and elaborate topiary displays depicting Smoky Mountain life. There were food trucks and tents offering classic mountain fare which you could sample by purchasing a tasting pass. I didn’t do that tasting pass, but I did enjoy some good pulled pork. There are many sit-down restaurants that offer family-style Southern dinning including some country ham which looked delicious. Of course, there was the typical theme park snacks of hot dogs, kettle corn, and funnel cakes. One of the most popular food items at Dollywood has to be the freshly baked cinnamon bread which you can smell baking throughout the park and guests wait in long lines to purchase at the Grist Mill.

All in all, I had a wonderful day at Dollywood. If you are ever in the Smoky Mountains region, I’d highly recommend a visit. Now I am heading north back into Virginia to my next destination: Shenandoah National Park.