Dollywood
Follow @dollywood on Instagram →Built by Dolly, tucked into a holler, and the only theme park I've ever been to that treats you like family from the second you walk in.
Dollywood is my happy place. I went as a kid. I go back now with my family, more than once a year. And every single time I walk through those gates, it feels like I'm coming home.
This is everything I wish somebody had told me about the best theme park in the South — every ride ranked, every restaurant I'd send you to, every season worth planning around, and the one hack that changes the whole trip.
Nestled in a holler
Walk into Dollywood and the sound hits you before anything else. The park is tucked into the Smokies, so every bluegrass set, every animatronic groan, every clack of a wooden coaster rolls through the valley and finds you. It sounds like you're inside a mountain, not on top of one.
Then there's the tone. Dollywood is the rare theme park that's actually respectful of the past. The craftsmen are craftsmen. The music is music. The food tastes like your grandmother made it because, effectively, somebody's grandmother did. Everybody's welcome. Everybody.
My favorite thing about Dollywood isn't a single ride or a single meal. It's just being in the park. Walking. Listening. Watching people smile at each other.
It treats me like I'm family. So every year, I bring my family back.
Every ride, ranked by me
Here's the truth. I don't love big drops. My wife and my son Charlie are the thrill seekers in our crew, and they ride the intense stuff on repeat. I ride the rest and I love every minute of it. The full park, in four tiers — the ones I ride over and over, the ones I rode once, the ones I watch, and the ones I will never get on no matter what anybody says.
The ones I ride over and over
My core Dollywood lineup. I'm in line for these every single trip.
Big Bear Mountain
The best roller coaster in the park. It doesn't have a huge drop or crazy upside-down stuff. What it has is great launches, and it's so much fun for the whole family. My number one.
Dragonflier
My second favorite in the park. It's exactly enough of a roller coaster. The drop is big but not too big. The ride is fun. I love it so much.
Blazing Fury
We love Blazing Fury. It's so cute. It's so nostalgic. It's a great place to duck into when the weather's too much, and I love the animatronics. The drops aren't too bad.
Mystery Mine
I love Mystery Mine. It recently got revamped and it's worth getting back in line for. It's not too intense for me, the theming's so fun, and it's one of the few coasters I can ride more than once in a single trip.
Dollywood Express
I love it. It's beautiful. I love trains, and this one takes you up through the mountains behind the park. Heads up: you can get soot on you from the smokestack, so don't wear your whitest outfit.
FireChaser Express
I love FireChaser Express. It's not a kid coaster, but it's for families and it's so fun. Forwards and then backwards. Little dips that are just enough for me. And a beautiful overlook of the park you only get from this track.
Village Carousel
Classic. Ride it.
Incredible, but once was enough for me
These are some of the best coasters I've ever ridden. I got on each one, I loved it, and I handed them right back to my wife and Charlie.
Lightning Rod
The most powerful roller coaster in the park. I rode it once, back when it was still a launch, and it was incredible. It was like being flung smoothly across the mountains. That's probably the only time I'll ever ride it because I don't like drops, but it's an incredible coaster. My wife and Charlie ride it over and over and over.
Wild Eagle
Incredible coaster. One of the best I've ever ridden. I rode it once and that's it for me because I don't like drops, but it's such a smooth beautiful coaster. My wife and Charlie ride it on repeat.
Thunderhead
Rode it. So strong. So roaring. So intense. Super fun and super powerful. I won't be riding it again because it's that intense. My wife loves it and so does Charlie. They also LOVE Lightning Rod and LOVE Wild Eagle and ride them over and over.
Tennessee Tornado
Rode it once. Won't ride it again. Very intense loops. Not necessarily a drop problem for me, just a very intense roller coaster that kind of made my head hurt a bit.
So cute, and great for burning kid energy
The ones I watch from a bench while the little ones work some energy out.
Wildwood Grove Family Rides
I love it. It's so cute. I don't ride those, but they're great for families with younger kids, and it's such a great themed area. Go for the Wildwood Grove tree and the show at the tree alone.
The Country Fair Flat Rides
I love them. They're all so cute. And they're great for letting kids work some energy out if you need a break.
Rockin' Roadway
So cute. I haven't ridden it, but I've enjoyed watching people ride it while I wait for my family to finish Lightning Rod.
Whistle Punk Chaser
I haven't ridden it, but I've seen kids enjoy it.
Demolition Derby
Nah. But a classic park bumper-car moment for anybody who loves them.
If you see me on these, something has gone very wrong
Saying this with love. I won't be riding these. Ever.
Drop Line
Never. I never will. If you see me on this, something is wrong and I am there against my will.
Barnstormer
Nope.
The Water Rides
I'm not a big water ride fan. Same story across all three. If that's your thing, you'll have a ball. I'll be on a bench with kettle corn.
Not rides, but required
If you only do rides at Dollywood, you're missing half the park. The shows, the craftsmen, and the eagles are where a lot of the magic actually lives.
The eagle sanctuary
I love the eagle sanctuary. There are live bald eagles in a big aviary right in the park, plus live shows during the day. I stop here every single trip.
The craftsmen
I love watching the craftsmen do their thing. Blacksmiths, glass blowers, wood carvers, candle makers, a working grist mill. They're not putting on a show. They're doing the work. That's why it's beautiful.
The music
I love all the shows and the singers, and I think they're all so wonderful. Bluegrass, gospel, country, Broadway-style, kids' shows. You could build a whole day at Dollywood that's just show hopping and leave thrilled.
Where I eat
You could eat your way around this park for a whole day and never run out of stops. This is the order I'd send you in.
Aunt Granny's
My favorite meal in the park. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, cornbread, fried catfish, roast beef. It's family style, so you order for the table. It's how my great grandma and my grandma cooked.
Grist Mill Cinnamon Bread
Very important to do. It lives up to its hype. Hot out of the oven with butter and apple-butter dip. Hack: you can get it delivered to your room if you stay at the resort.
Red's Drive-In
Love Red's Diner vibes. The whole Jukebox Junction area leans into the old-school diner feel, and Red's is the best place to sit in it.
Granny Ogle's Ham 'n' Beans
I like Granny Ogle's. Simple, real, warm food. Exactly what you want in the middle of a long day of walking the park.
Spotlight Bakery
So good. Great for a little treat. Grab something off the case and keep walking.
Kettle Corn
One of my must-grabs. You can smell it from halfway across the park and you'll end up in that line.
If you stay at DreamMore Resort or HeartSong Lodge, you can have Grist Mill cinnamon bread delivered to your room. That's a real option that exists in the world. Take advantage of it.
When to go
Honestly, any of these. I love Dollywood any time of year. But if you're picking, here are the windows I come back for.
A celebration of Dolly herself, with gospel music and the park waking up from winter.
The classic. Long light, the full ride lineup, bluegrass in the evening air.
Craftsmen everywhere, mountain music, and the first hint of fall in the holler.
The park turns into a glowing pumpkin village after sundown. Do not skip this.
Millions of lights, Christmas shows, fireplaces, and Dollywood at its most magical.
Where to stay
I've stayed at both DreamMore Resort and the newer HeartSong Lodge, and they're both incredible. They're beautiful, cozy, warm. They feel like home and like being taken care of. Great for the whole family, with places to eat and drink and play with your kids. And the shuttle is incredible.
Stay at the resort and you get TimeSavers. That's the whole hack. Walk past the lines. If you're doing a real Dollywood trip, the resort stay earns itself back in saved hours.
What you get at the resorts
Complimentary TimeSaver passes. Early Park Entry. Free shuttles to and from the park all day. Cinnamon bread delivered to your room. Character meet-and-greets and evening storytelling. In-room Dolly channel running her movies and music on loop. Pools, fire pits, dining, and activities on property so you don't have to leave if you don't want to.
DreamMore vs. HeartSong
DreamMore Resort & Spa is the original. Pools, a spa, storytelling around the fire, front-porch-rocking-chair warmth. HeartSong Lodge & Resort is the newer sibling, with more of a rustic lodge feel, a huge great room, and a big indoor-outdoor fire space. I'd do either. I'd go back to either tomorrow.
The sister park
Dollywood's Splash Country is the water park next door. I've been once, but it stormed that day, so I've got to go back. Even just being in the park was beautiful, so I know the rides are great. If water rides are your thing, don't skip it.
My ideal day at Dollywood
I'd do anything she asked
Dollywood treats me like I'm family. I've even met some of the Parton family while I was there. It feels like going back to my childhood. I wasn't raised in the mountains, but I was raised around that kind of self-sufficient lifestyle, and it all comes rushing back every time I'm at the park.
I love it there. I love her. I once left my luggage at the valet stand and they had to ship it home to me, because she walked past and I simply could not process anything else happening in the world at that moment.
I'd do anything she asked. And I hope to keep coming back to Dollywood for as long as the park will have me.
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