Dollywood
Distance: 900mi, ~13 hours
Why Dollywood?
- Lots of fun for kids
- Tennessee has a lot of nature to offer
- Could make scenic stops in Little Rock, Memphis, or Nashville
- Could plan a meet up with Tim and Stephanie!
- Driveable - able to have our car as a home base.
Why NOT Dollywood?
- Really far - would likely take two days to drive just one way
- We love Dolly Parton, but wer’re not exactly superfans.
- There’s likely another great kid-oriented theme park closer to home
- Would deal with the trappings of any theme park in the summer
- Our two younger kids are a bit young for the theme park
Attractions
Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration
June 15 - August 11
- Done & fireworks show
- Bubble show
Splash Country
May 11 - September 15
Water park adjacent to the main Dollywood park.
- Splash zone
- Family innertube slide
- Float trip
- Fire Tower Falls: steep water slide
- Splash pad
- More water slides
- Wave pool
- So many slides
Gatlinburg
“The Mountains Are Calling”
Gatlinburg is ~5mi from Dollywood.
Attractions:
- Gondola
- Mountain coaster
- Space Needle
- Aquarium
- Shopping
- Food
Cabins
Cabins seems to be the preferred lodging for Dollywood visitiors. There is a whole section of the Dollywood website devoted to them.
Expect to spend $3,000-4,000 for a good cabin experience.
I personally would enjoy staying in a cabin, further embracing the outdoorsy Smoky Mountain aesthetic.
Theme Park
Typical theme park faire: lots of:
- Roller coasters
- Kids rides
- Food
- Dolly memorabilia
- Playgrounds
- Shows
- Crafts
There’s also live bird viewings (eagles, etc).
3 day pass for family: $700
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Potential Schedule
- Day 1: Memphis
- Day 2: Gatlinburg
- Day 3: Dollywood
- Day 4: Water Park
- Day 5: Dollywood
- Day 6: Nashville
- Day 7: Little Rock/Home