July 2021

Nestled in the Smoky Mountains is a full blown amusement park created by singer Dolly Parton, the biggest tourist attraction in the state. It’s named Dollywood, and even if you aren’t a fan of her or her music, you’ll still enjoy your time at this place. It actually was Silver Dollar City amusement park, and in 1986, Parton bought it and renamed it. A new hotel near the waterpark is set to open soon.

It’s very organized, too. You park and a tram picks you up to take you to the entrance:

And to the front where you enter and are transported back to the early days of Appalachia:

One thing you should definitely see is the museum of Dolly where there are recreations of her childhood home, complete with replicas of items and lots of her clothing, music, and books.

There’s lots of amusements rides for kiddos and adults:

And everything is decorated with a rustic style:

It did rain on the day of the visit; in the afternoon was a full blown thunderstorm! But the ducks came out to play afterwards:

The most delightful treat at this park is the cinnamon bread, it’s hot and fresh out of the ovens and is absolutely heavenly:

But the best part is the real steam train, full size and takes you into the mountains. The whistle is loud and the soot is real, falling into your eyelashes so watch out! It’s enchanting to go through the mountains this way and enjoy the views.

At night, the rides light up:

And along with fireworks to close out the day, you get a show put on by drones! It’s like watching fireflies perform for you.

Closed out the day exhausted but happy, and ready to continue on through Tennessee.