Barbeque & Bluegrass
Pitmasters and bluegrass bands take over the park for a weeks-long food and music festival.
Dollywood
Theme park · North America
🇺🇸 Pigeon Forge, United States
Smoky Mountain craft, music and world-class woodies
Overall score7.6
Opened
1986
Size
160 acres (65 ha)
Rides
50 attractions
Avg. visit
8 hours
Ticket range
$95–$100 USD
Events & shows
Flower & Food Festival
Springtime festival with giant living flower sculptures, seasonal Southern menus and live music.
Harvest Festival with Great Pumpkin LumiNights
Autumn festival with thousands of illuminated pumpkin sculptures after dark, craftsmen and Southern gospel.
Smoky Mountain Christmas
Award-winning Christmas event with around five million lights, the Parade of Many Colors and holiday stage shows.
Visual Archive
Dolly Parton's Pigeon Forge park pairs Appalachian craft demonstrations, live bluegrass and Southern cooking with a genuinely elite coaster line-up including Lightning Rod, Thunderhead and Big Bear Mountain. It is Tennessee's biggest ticketed attraction and the anchor of a resort that now includes two on-site hotels and a water park.
Plan Your Visit
Hours & tickets
- Operating hours
- Typically 10am-6pm in spring and autumn, extended to 9pm or later in summer and during Smoky Mountain Christmas
- Seasonal closures
- Seasonal park: closed most of January to mid-March, plus scattered weekdays in spring and autumn
- Queue-skip pass
- TimeSaver Pass: five expedited entries plus priority show seating, $60-$100 per person by date. Not valid on Lightning Rod, Big Bear Mountain, Mystery Mine, Dragonflier or FireChaser Express. From about $80 USD.
- How long to stay
- Full day, two during a festival
- Multi-day tickets
- 2-day and 3-day tickets, and combination tickets with Dollywood's Splash Country water park, are sold at a discount to two single days.
- Season pass
- Annual or season pass from about $149 USD.
Getting there
- Nearest airport
- McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville, ~35 miles
- Public transit
- No regional rail; the Pigeon Forge Fun Time Trolley runs to Dollywood from town in season, otherwise a car is required
- Parking
- On-site parking available. Around $25 USD per day.
- Staying over
- Dollywood's DreamMore Resort & Spa and HeartSong Lodge & Resort, both with early park entry perks
Accessibility
- Accessibility
- Hilly terrain with some steep paths; wheelchairs and ECVs rent near the entrance and the Ride Accessibility Center issues a boarding plan listing which rides suit each guest.
Good to know
- Who it suits
- Strong all-ages park: craft demonstrations, live music and Country Fair and Wildwood Grove kids' areas balance a serious coaster lineup
- Best time to visit
- Weekdays in late April to May or mid-September; Christmas weekends are the busiest of the year
- Dining
- Best-in-class Southern scratch cooking - Aunt Granny's buffet, Miss Lillian's and the famous cinnamon bread from Grist Mill; season dining plans available
- Outside food
- Outside food and drink are not permitted.
- Weather cover
- A good rainy-day park by US standards - indoor theatres, Chasing Rainbows museum, Blazing Fury and Mystery Mine are all under cover.
- Baby care
- Nursing rooms and changing tables at guest services and family restrooms; bottle warming available.
- Rentals on site
- Stroller / pushchair hire and Lockers available on site.
- Currency & payment
- Cards and mobile wallets accepted throughout; cash still accepted at most locations.
- Official app
- Dollywood app (iOS/Android): wait times, show schedules, mobile food ordering and park map.
Archival records
Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event
Applause Award for the world's best theme park
World's first launched wooden roller coaster