Dollywood is a wonderful theme park in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee owned by the incredible Dolly Parton. You can come for a day as part of a trip to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area, or it can be a destination all to itself!
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Age Recommendation
Dollywood can be done with any age kids! There are play areas and kiddie rides for small children, mid-thrill rides and coasters for older kids, and large roller coasters for tweens and teens. It’s also great for grandparents and people who don’t like rides because there are plenty of entertaining shows. It’s truly a great park for all ages and generations!
Crowds
Crowds can vary a lot. You would think the weekends are the worst, but weekdays can be really busy with school groups. I have often found less crowds on a Friday or Sunday vs. a Tuesday. Crowds are also worse in the middle of the day. The first hour of park opening and the last 2 hours before close are the best times for shorter crowds. If you get to the park late and leave early – you’re missing out!
Tickets
One day tickets are the most expensive, but also the most common. You can typically do most of the park in one day if you stay the whole day. Two day tickets are a better value. For only $30 more you can have an entire second day to spend in the park. Compared to other attractions in the area, $30/person for another day at Dollywood is a great value! If you like waterparks, you could also do one day at Dollywood and one day at Splash Country, which is also a better value then 1-day tickets. Dollywood also makes a big push toward annual passes. If you want to spend more then 2 days at Dollywood or will be back for at least one more visit within a year, then the annual pass is the past value for sure.
Where to Stay
- Dollywood Resorts – There are two Dollywood hotels – HeartSong and DreamMore. The biggest perk to these hotels is you get TimeSaver passes included with your stay so you can skip the regular lines at Dollywood. If Dollywood is your main priority and you’re visiting during a busy time, this perk alone might make this worth it. They are also lovely hotels!
- Wilderness of the Smokies – A waterpark resort! There are a variety of room types to choose from and they all come with access to the outdoor AND indoor waterparks making this place fun year-round! If you enjoy water parks – pick this one!
- Rent a Cabin – There are a lot of cabin rentals in the area. SO so many that it’s hard to recommend a few in particular. Look around on AirBnB, VRBO, and Booking.com and find one that works for your family. You’ll find cabins with mountain views, cabins by streams, cabins with hot tubs and pools, cabins that can fit large groups, and much more.
- Other Hotels/Resorts – you can find cheaper places to stay than the hotels above if you want to keep your budget smaller. If deciding between what area to stay in, we prefer the quaintness and mountains of Gatlinburg over the busy highway of Pigeon Forge.
- PRO-TIP: Consider a split-stay. It can be a pain to pack-up and switch hotels, but you could do a Dollywood hotel for a night to get the included TimeSaver passes, then switch to Wilderness for a few days to enjoy the waterpark, then stay somewhere cheaper in Gatlinburg for a few days so you’re closer to the National Park. It could help maximize your time, your fun, and your budget.
Do I need a TimeSaver Pass?
The TimeSaver is the name of Dollywood’s skip the regular line pass that works on SOME attractions. It’s an additional $60-99/person which can really add up for a family with multiple kids. In my opinion, it’s not worth it. If you can arrive at the park before it opens, follow one of the plans below, and stay through closing, you should have no problem getting most things done on normal crowd days. Another thing to consider is buying a 2-day ticket (only $30/person more than a 1-day ticket) and you can enjoy 2 days in the park with plenty of time to get things done vs. spending an extra $60-99/person to do it all in one day. HOWEVER – if $60-99/person is in your budget and you only have 1 day to spend in the park – go for it! Just know that it does not work on every ride! Review the list of eligible rides and see if it makes sense for your family.
You can also use our Dollywood touring plans to save you time in lines without needing this pass.
Parking Information
If driving, general parking is $25 and is pretty far from the park entrance so it will require you to use a tram. We highly recommend splurging on Preferred Parking for $50. I don’t love spending that much on a parking spot, but Preferred Parking means you can walk to the park without having to wait for a tram. The lines for the tram can get really long, especially at the end of the night, and are difficult to get a stroller on. You also get a special entrance so you’ll have shorter lines getting into the park. Trust us, it’s worth the extra $25.
Height Requirements
Many rides at Dollywood have height requirements. There is a place when you first enter the park where you can measure your kids and kid a color-coded wristband based on their height. This is not needed. It usually takes up precious time during morning hours so skip this. They will measure kids at the rides, but don’t wait in line for a ride your kid may not be tall enough for. Use the height measurement at the entrance and if you kid is close but not exactly tall enough – sorry! Don’t wait in line for disappointment.
- 55″ – Drop Line
- 50″ – Wild Eagle
- 48″ – Barnstormer, Lightning Rod, Dizzy Disk, Mystery Mine, Tennessee Tornado, Thunderhead
- 42″ – Blazing Fury, Daredevil Falls, Demolition Derby, Sky Rider, The Waltzing Swinger
- 39″ – Big Bear Mountain, Dragonflier, FireChaser Express
- 36″ – Black Bear Trail, Great Tree Swing, Shooting Star, Smoky Mountain River Rampage, The Mad Mockingbird, The Scrambler, Whistle Punk Chaser
If you have kids with varying heights, use Parent Swap
Most rides with a height requirement will allow you to do a parent swap where one parent (with or without big kids) can ride while the other parent stays with smaller kids, then swap. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy or obvious as at Disney parks where there is a person to check in with at the start of each queue. Wild Eagle has a dedicated Parent Swap area and a person to check in with inside the queue, but with other rides you may have to have the non-rider wait in the queue with you or go through the exit to talk to a staff person and ask them to help you do a swap as the first adult exits the ride.
This park is in the mountains!
That means there are hills. Strollers are a good idea for little legs that will struggle going up hills, but that means you will need to push that stroller up hills and control it going down hills. For anyone with a wheelchair, you’ll definitely need an electric scooter. There are a few areas that are too steep for scooters and will be marked with an alternative path.