We visited Dollywood on the first day of the Flower and Food festival. It was really also the first day of the summer season – as a result the park had some opening challenges, lack of clear signage etc. They were also suffering labor shortages. Many of the staff we ran into were elderly – if you are expecting anything but southern speeds, this is not the park for you. That said everyone we met was welcoming, the park had beautiful arrangements.

According to my traveling companions the Cinnamon bread was definitely worth the line to get it. 

One of the things I loved about the park was that there were a lot of music groups and shows – everything from country singers to an acapella group. We sat and watched the dreamland drive in which was a nice 50’s-late 1960s musical ensemble. 

One of the things we enjoyed was the Bird show from the Wild American Eagle Foundation which handles birds which can’t be returned to the wild.

Throughout the park you can see the influence off ‘Miss Dolly” on the surrounding area – and there is a small mountain cabin (2 room) where her and her 10 (?) siblings grew up. She is very loved in this area of Tennessee and you can see why. 

Our visit to Dollywood was to be honest, expensive. Due to their lack of documentation we probably purchased features we didn’t need – that doesn’t mean we don’t regret the experience  

– Preferred Parking (worth it), the time saving and the ability to park right upfront was excellent

– Bloom tasting pass, the food portions weren’t great, and the lines and knowledge of staff to understand it was difficult. We did use the remaining pieces to get some desserts on the way out though. It saved us money but we still had to buy more food for those with more challenging tastes (picky eaters)

– Timesaver – only 2 of the shows needed it and so it’s really only useful for if you are doing rides. That was not stated when we purchased it so for us it was a waste as we did no rides.