Is Dollywood worth going to?
We have had a busy month, my daughter and I. Traveling, work and tons of fun experiences with yummy Eastern Shore seafood and an amazing Tony Robbins UPW experience. It is now time to head back home to Texas. On the road again we went to the Washington DC area for a quick overnight stay before heading to Tennessee. The travel scenery was breathtaking. All the colors of fall were out for their final view of this season. We headed for Pigeon Forge in the hopes of visiting Dollywood. We wanted to know: Is Dollywood worth going to?
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Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Riverstone Resort which was absolutely breathtaking! The weather was rainy and cold, and the predictions were for 100% chance of precipitation. We kept our hopes high that the weather would cooperate and it did- well, sort of. Dollywood was all decked out for Christmas, and the cold helped put us in the mood. The damp weather that accompanied the cold was not pleasant, however, the spirits of the staff at Dollywood were as the holiday song goes, “Merry and Bright”.
Dollywood: Our Experience
The Rides
The drizzle stopped long enough for my daughter to go on some rides and the attendants were there wiping down the seats, so everyone stayed as dry as possible. There are several rides for the little ones go on. She went on the Busy Bees, the Lemon Cups, the Duck, the Flying Elephants and she was just tall enough to ride on the bumper cars with me (Bumper Cars have always been my favorite). I am glad we did the rides first because the drizzle started and that gave us time to have fun with some inside activities, and there was a variety of those.
Christmas at Dollywood
Santa was a big hit, and he was so realistic and sweet, my daughter walked right up to him. Of course, the pictures were perfect. They have a variety of packages for all budgets. With our pictures in hand, we were off to see Rudolph and the Abominable Snowman. Right next door was the ‘decorate your own Christmas cookie’ area. My little one loves everything sweet, and after all, we are at Dollywood, so she decorated and of course, ate the cookie. There are other make your own choices, for example, wax candles or ornaments and glass ornaments. I would suggest these for children a little older.
The Buffet
We were tired, chilly and a little hungry so we headed through beautiful light displays to Granny’s. The buffet was delicious. Hand carved ham or turkey, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, greens, string beans, Brussel sprouts, rolls, and desserts; far too much to mention everything, but all was great. We are gluten free, and there were plenty of options.
We were tired, so we headed to the exit and the gift shop for a final souvenir. My daughter chose a soft pink monkey with Dollywood written on it.
So is Dollywood worth going to?
Even with the weather, we had a great time! We both give it a big thumbs up. Tomorrow is another day on the road taking us closer to home.
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