Dollywood in the Fall

I’ve been a huge Dolly Parton fan for as long as I can remember. Ever since I found out about her theme park, Dollywood, it has been on my bucket list to go. In October 2017, I finally crossed it off my list as our first vacation as a family of 3 after I had my daughter.

I’m always partial to theme parks at Christmas time but we went during the fall and they had so much to offer during the fall/Halloween season. The city and the Smoky Mountains were gorgeous with the fall colors and changing leaves on the trees. We had so much fun and I definitely would love to visit again.

Dollywood has so much to offer! They have the main Dollywood Theme Park; Splash Country (water park); DreamMore (resort & spa); and Smoky Mountain Cabins. Initially, when planning our trip I wanted to stay at the DreamMore Resort, but they were completely booked. We ended up staying at a generic hotel in Pigeon Forge about 5 miles from Dollywood.

A little tip for booking your stay through Dollywood:

If you want to stay at the Dollywood resort or one of their cabins make sure you book it far in advance. I called a couple weeks ahead to stay at their DreamMore resort and they were completely booked.

They can also be a bit pricey so make sure to save up ahead of time and ask for any discounts they may have (i.e. military, AARP, etc). Also shop around to verify prices through online sites like hotels.com, etc. Sometimes you can get a better deal through another site.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much Pigeon Forge had to offer aside from Dollywood. Prior to visiting, I thought the only thing in the town was Dollywood. Boy was I wrong! Pigeon Forge has so many shops, restaurants and fun activities all along the main strip (73/71/441 Parkway).

We road tripped from Virginia to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for our Dollywood vacation. My daughter was 5 months old at the time. She did great on the trip and we arrived in town around dinner time the first night. Our hotel was on the main parkway. After checking in we walked along the main strip, ate and did some shopping.

They have so many cute southern shops and family activities. There are so many Dolly Parton and country-themed stores. My favorite shop was “Lid’l Dolly’s“. They have the cutest handmade frilly southern dresses for little girls, among other cute items. I bought my daughter’s Christmas dress there that year.

Our first day at Dollywood, it was a bit rainy. Thankfully we had an umbrella and my daughter was little enough that she was still in her car seat in a stroller so we were able to keep her pretty well covered. Dollywood has an amazing fall theme called “Great Pumpkin LumiNights” and just being real they have the BEST fall decorations. So many pumpkins and fall-themed fun at the park. Honestly, I felt like they had more fall decorations than Disney (and Disney is my FAVE).

A little tip on packing for Dollywood:

Dollywood is in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee so make sure you are prepared for weather. They have all four seasons. Bring umbrellas, ponchos, etc in case of rain. Bring jackets and warm clothes for cooler weather if you go during the colder seasons. And bring sunscreen, water bottles, hats, etc for the warmer months.

Day 1

Because our first day in Pigeon Forge rained all day we had to rearrange our plans a bit. Initially, we planned to just go to the park all day that first day but due to the rain, we waited longer and shopped around in town a bit before going, hoping the rain would stop. It slowed but kept raining so we decided to just go to Dollywood anyway. We found online that they had a special going on at the time for tickets that if you went after a certain time you could get the whole next day free too. So we went with that. The park wasn’t busy at all so we got to see and do so much.

A little tip for booking tickets to Dollywood:

Before buying tickets to Dollywood, make sure to check out any ticket specials they may have online. They may have military discounts, park hopper tickets at a cheaper price or another special. Also, check on the season pass prices. Depending on how many days you’re going or if you think you’ll visit again within a year it may be better to just buy a season pass.

When we went they had a special that if you bought a ticket after a crtain time (I think it was 1 or 2pm) you would get a free ticket for the next day. So we did that. Spent a shorter day the first day and then went for the whole next day too.

We strolled through the Great Pumpkin LumiNights section first. This was located in Timber Canyon. All the pumpkin and fall decorations were amazing! There were so many great spots for photo ops.

In Craftsman’s Valley, we walked through Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, which Lacey Belle and Robbie loved. I’m not a bird person so I was happy they were all behind fenced-in areas. The Eagles were pretty cool to see up close though. This area actually houses the country’s largest presentation of non-releasable bald eagles.

We saw the little white Robert F. Thomas Chapel which is just gorgeous. It is a one-room country church named after the doctor who delivered Dolly. They actually hold Sunday services there as well.

I was most excited to see the replica of Dolly’s childhood cabin she calls “Tennessee Mountain Home” and it did not disappoint. It’s so hard to imagine all 11 kids in this little 2-room cabin. It is so quaint and awesome to see.

Lacey Belle was in good spirits and after the rain let up she enjoyed some time in the baby carrier. We went into Chasing Rainbows which is basically a museum of Dolly Parton’s life and career. It was amazing! It has so many of her outfits, Grammy’s, movie props, etc. There is so much to see and you can spend so much time in there. I took so many photos.

Dolly’s Home on Wheels tour bus was closed due to the rain so we walked back through the Great Pumpkin LumiNights again once it got dark to see everything all lit up.

Day 2

We went back the next day to Dollywood and thankfully there was no rain that day. We did a lot more walking and took advantage of no rain by taking more photos especially by all the signs and flowers.

We took the tour of Dolly’s Home On Wheels tour bus which was so cool. It is located in Adventures in Imagination. There are so many cool details and features on the bus. It was designed by Dolly’s longtime manager, bus driver, and friend Don Warden and his wife Ann. It has a dining area and kitchen, 3 bunks, a bathroom, and Dolly’s quarters. Dolly’s quarters has a bedroom, a private bath, and a make-up area. The private bath even features a bathtub because Dolly wanted to be able to take a bubble bath on the road.

We hopped on the Dollywood Express for a ride out of The Village. The Dollywood Express is an old coal-fired steam train. The ride takes you 5 miles through the park and foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. I was worried about the sound with a 5-month-old but she did great! We covered her ears whenever the horn went off but overall she loved it. We got to see some gorgeous fall trees and mountain views on the train. I definitely recommend taking a ride on the train when you visit.

Next, we walked around some of The Village and Country Fair areas. There are a lot of rides and fun things for the kids in these areas. Lacey Belle was too little to ride any of the rides but we walked around to see everything.

A little tip for bringing babies to Dollywood:

If you’re visiting Dollywood with an infant or young child they do have infant/mommy rooms at the park. We went when my daughter was only 5-months-old and still nursing. On the first day I just found a quiet spot, covered up and nursed her. But on the 2nd day I discovered they had a mommy/baby nursing room at the front of the park. What a game changer! It was inside, in a quiet room and had rocking chairs. There was also a nice changing area too. Ask an attendant where the closest nursing rooms are located and take full advantage of it!

My favorite food was the fresh-baked cinnamon bread from The Grist Mill. Located in Craftsman’s Valley, you can watch as the bread and cookies are made. It smells heavenly and just draws you in right away and it does not disappoint! I wish I could take a bunch home with me and have it be just as fresh and yummy. The Grist Mill is a must-do!

Another of our favorites from Dollywood was the Mountain Blown Glass. You can watch the craftsman create unique blown glass creations in Rivertown Junction. It is really fascinating to watch. Robbie and Lacey Belle got to help blow glass and make our own little pumpkin ornament which was so cool! We got to pick the colors of the glass used too. It was so much fun and we love our little keepsake ornament.

On the way out we shopped at some gift stores for souvenirs. We also had to drive by the DreamMore Resort just to at least see it. It was huge and gorgeous! It was night time when we drove by so we didn’t go inside or get the best photos but they have a huge water fountain out front with guitars and butterfly statues. They were all lit up and it was beautiful! I definitely plan to go back and see it in the daylight one day.

Dollywood is a lot of fun for the whole family! They have fun activities for everyone and awesome shows. We saw one of the country singing shows which was so fun. We didn’t ride any of the rides because we had an infant but there is a lot to choose from. Rollercoasters and rides for the adults/older kids and plenty of rides for the little ones too.

There is so much to see and do that you can easily stay occupied and busy all day. It’s big but not too big where you can’t see everything. Both days we went we were able to do a lap around the whole park.

Going in the fall was a blast because they had so many cute fall decorations and the weather wasn’t too cold yet. I think it would be a blast to go during Christmas time. Regardless of the season, I would definitely recommend visiting! Even give yourself some down days to explore what all the city of Pigeon Forge has to offer. I wish we would have spent more time just doing stuff along the main Parkway. 

All in all, Dollywood is a great destination for families or anyone wanting a nice quiet getaway. If you love mountain views or country music, this is the place for you. If you want theme park fun or water park splashes, you can find it all here. If you’re looking for your next adventure look no further then Dollywood!