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Nick and I had talked about going to Dollywood for years. it was so difficult to plan, as there's no "simple" way to just fly in, get to the park, and enjoy the area without renting a car (we were really hoping for shuttles avail. such as many of the Magic Kingdom hotels offer, or like you can get from Vegas airport to your hotels). And we never seemed to be able to get a good deal on flights and/or cars. . or if we did? we didn't have the vacation time. so after trying for a few years, we finally decided THIS year was the year we were going to go, and I secured tickets, and we booked a trip for Summer. . . and then he started having health issues. It became really clear that a Summer trip was simply not in the cards - certainly not before I went to Europe. So I reluctantly cancelled our bookings (rental car, flights, DreamMore resort) - but held onto the tix, planning that we'd go in Oct/Nov. well. . Nick ended up getting sick again, and passed before we ever got to make the trip. I was being urged by friends to go anyways, or at the very least, call Dollywood and explain what happened and see if they'd extend the tickets thru 2023 (all good suggestions, but I just couldn't imagine going by myself). while at Scream Hollow with friends in October, I mentioned to my dear friend Amy about this, and how sad I was that we never got to make the trip. And she said "we're gonna fix that" and I thought nothing more about it. cut to about a week later, and she emailed me confirmation of a flight into Nashville from Austin. I was like "what is this?" she had gotten all my info off of Facebook (note to folks. . go scrub your FB page of any info someone can use to do things in your name!! LOL. . I scrubbed mine right away), and booked a flight for myself, her, her ex, and her Daughter to fly out of Austin with me. We'd rent a car in Nashville, drive to a Air BnB cabin she rented, where we'd meet up with two other friends from Austin, and we'd have a fun weekend in Pigeon Forge. I wasn't sure how it was gonna go. . . but how could I say no? (and yes, I gave her $$ back for the flight, and towards the cabin rental). gonna be upfront and say: I will never be able to fully convey the amount of gratitude I have towards Amy (and Jamie who drove) for encouraging/forcing me to go. I can't say it wasn't rough in places. and I can't say I had a wonderful time, but I had as good a time as I possibly could, being there without Nick. hell in 95% of the pictures I'm smiling and that's purely due to those who were there with me. (the other 5% would be the Prozac). But I did love the place, and really would like to go back again in the future. and at the end of the day? the park was very hilly, the weather was drizzly one day, and freezing cold (upper 30's) the next - and Amy bitched and complained about both of them the whole time . . . so it really WAS like Nick was there with me, as that's exactly what he would have done the whole time. And then raved to anyone who would listen about what a great time he had on the trip. anyways. .that's my intro. . now onto the Trip report. Day 1 - leaving Austin at 6am, and arriving in Pigeon Forge, checking out DreamMore, and the last fireworks of the season. Pretty perky for so early (and Amy had been up for almost 24 hours at this point, as she worked well into the evening, then had to come up to Austin from San Antonio where they live to pick me up and we flew out of the Austin airport) Jamie and Londyn sat in the row in front of us. once in Nashville and got rental car, we were on our way to Pigeon Forge - approx. 3 1/2 hour drive. a couple of hours in tho, it was time for a bathroom break and breakfast sammiches for some. . so a stop at Buc-ees. and Santa Buc-ee was out! a pic? why of course! not sure why I took this, but I'm guessing the golden dome there. Is this Knoxville? yay! Pigeon Forge exit coming up. oo. .the Great Smoky Mountains are so beautiful. . even from a distance Dollywood THIS way! but first? we had to pull into WalMart to pick up Amy's online order - she was gonna stock the cabin up with breakfast food (spoiler, turns out none of us are really "breakfast" people - especially with Cinnamon Bread at Dollywood! So the breakfast bacon/eggs/cheese/milk/bread. . all ended up donated to the lady that came to clean the AirBnB when we checked out). this waterpark, Soaky Mountain (HA!!) looked fun. . but it was already December, and it was closed for the season. it was comfortable (mid 70's today, tho it did get much colder as the sun set later). had to snap a pic of this DISGUSTING thing I saw in WalMart when I popped in to grab some Little Debbie for the cabin. ewwwwww. . . who in the world would want this? we had planned to spend the afternoon in Gatlinberg, but had been made aware of a parade happening (thank you Franklin) and a quick check showed that mass of people (almost 90K was nothing we wanted to mess with). . so instead decided just to head to Pigeon Forge, and see if our cabin would be ready earlier than the supposed check in time at 3. multiple Mountain coasters line the main road as well as several others in the area that we passed while driving. also on the main drive in Pigeon Forge? at least 11 Go-Kart tracks, multiple arcades, multiple Mini Golfs, and a ton of tourist trap type attractions. it looked like a blast, and we planned to come back later (not realizing that the whole town really does shut down pretty early) this mountain coaster did look kinda fun, in that it used a chair lift to get to the top. tho Amy took one look at that and said "hell no" we're here in Pigeon Forge proper! Hatfield & McCoy dinner feud? I would think that would be HELL. . . and had no interest. (we were interested in Dolly's show, that has the horses, but the times didn't really work, and it was a little bit pricey. . . tho we kept that as an option for later anyways) eye-catching "touristy" architecture and a Titanic museum, of course. this Christmas village area had some in the car excited. . but it was SO packed when we drove by, I thought to myself. . I hope we don't stop! but a ropes course right on the strip looked hella fun. made note of the Margaritaville at the Island as we drove by. This was important as when we were hungry the next night after Dollywood, only a handful of places here at the Island were open until 11pm. HAHAHA. . "Alcatraz East" Giant Rock-em Sock-em Robots graced the mini golf place that we passed as we turned off to the street that will go to Dollywood (and up to our rental cabin) wow. . this road up to our cabin is beautiful. but the cleaners were still working on our cabin when we drove up. . and it looked like it would still be a while. (remember, we were there on 12/2, so we're pretty sure they were "Christmasing" up the place, as when we finally came in later, it was beautiful and there was a tree inside too). we were all tired from what had been a pretty long day. and Gatlinberg was out, since the parade made it too packed to go. so what could we do to kill some time? i asked, and they indulged me, if we could perhaps go to DreamMore to look around? as I really wanted to check out the place where Nick and I had intended to stay on our planned trip. they graciously agreed, and we took the 5 minute drive, past Dollywood and into the DreamMore resort. somehow, I didn't get a pic of this additional lodge they are building on the property. But it's HUGE, and looks to be at least 1/2 (or more) done. it's connected to the main DreamMore parking lot, and I expect will be open early next year, based on how much of it was built already. got a pic of the sign for it tho me, trying not to cry, in front of the DreamMore lodge the property is lovely. and all decked out for Christmas. with Wassail being handed out in the lobby (that was so yummy, I ended up getting some in the park the next day too) GORGEOUS the "lounge" areas on either side of the lobby are adorned with crystal encrusted instruments that Dolly has played. down the hall, there's a really nice gift shop, that sells things unique to the Resort, with only a handful of things you can also get in the park. I like that they keep the offerings at the resort unique for the most part. (tho these shirts were branded Dollywood, and were some of the few things that WERE avail. in the park too) the lady running the gift shop was very nice, and we talked to her for a little bit and she recommended we go downstairs and check out the wall of records, the Dreambox, and that we should do a toast to Nick in the bar down there. so we went downstairs - well worth a trip just for this photo op, I'd say. supposedly this wall features every Album Dolly ever released and here is the "Dream Box" the lady in the gift shop told us to go look at. it contains the final song that will every be released by Dolly Parton - nobody has ever heard it. Dolly locked it away, and it's only to be opened on her 100th Birthday in 2046. the case also includes a piece of the front porch of the cabin that Dolly grew up in. I found this very cool, and what a hidden neat thing - tucked away in an alcove downstairs. I'm glad we were directed to it. I'm so thankful they were willing to take me here. yes it killed time, but it really made me feel closer to Nick. it was well after 4pm, so we knew the cabin would be ready. So we piled back in the car and headed back over. Passing Dollywood's entrance on the way. Luckily we hit a light, so was able to quickly get a pic of the entrance sign. yet another mountain coaster we passed between the front gates and the cabin. Tho this one didn't look super exciting compared to some of the others we had seen. we got back to our place for the weekend, and it was ready. a lovely cabin. .that had 3 levels, with sleeping for 12-14, with 3 bathrooms (one on each floor) downstairs: sleeper sofa, Full size bunk beds, queensize bed Upstairs: two queen size bunk beds Middle: king size bed, and reclining Sofa. we were only 6 total, so we each got our own floor basically. how nice. . snacks in the kitchen for us. the main entry level - the kingsize bedroom is to the right, straight ahead is dining room and hot tub. the reclining sofa in the main room. did I say Hot Tub? yup. .this cabin has a hot tub room - which felt SO good after walking in the park all day, and with it cold outside. (kudos to Amy for insisting on booking this option) dining room (which we never used, since didn't eat breakfast. . LOL) thru the door in the kitchen downstairs to the lower level. huge space (with a kitchenette), and that sofa is a sleeper sofa. Downstairs had the Space Invaders game.. but upstairs had a multi game machine with Centipede and lots of other options. I loved the timed fireplaces that were on both floors. the patio outside the lower level. lovely view the full bunk beds, and the bathroom down here. didn't get a pic, but to the right is the door to the room with the queen size bed. originally I was going to take the lower level, giving the King on the main floor to Xander and Johnathan. .but their friend Scott was going to join us for a night, and so we put them all down here because this floor had the space for 3) Amy and Jamie took the upstairs queen bunks, since Londyn wanted to sleep with her Mom. back up the stairs now. (but how great is this cabin??) up the spiral staircase to the top level, and here's the other game machine. . and a pool table!) as well as the queen bunks. this floor has a patio as well.. and just LOOK at this view. yup. .that's Dollywood right over there! oh look. . a pic of a coaster WITH the train on it. how unlike me. . LOL a few more pics up here, then will head back down to the main floor. and a peek into what ended up being my room. yeah, the owner has a bear fetish apparently. . bears, bears EVERYWHERE. . .it was pretty amusing to me. Xander and Joseph weren't arriving until post 1am (they had to catch a later flight from Austin than us) and Scott was coming in the next day. . and we decided we were hungry. so we debated the Dolly's horses show, and ultimately decided on a Brazillian Steakhouse, Amy made the reservation, and we headed out for food. the area is lovely at night. we will, Dolly, we will! that's why we're here! one of the many gokart tracks and arcades lining the main street in Pigeon Forge. this pic is from the parking lot of the Brazilian Steakhouse. Yes, it really IS in the lot behind a Taco Bell LOL Meat on Sticks! Meat on Sticks! they weren't packed, but they were busy. unfortunately, our service was kinda sub-par (the sides didn't come out until well into the meal, and only after we asked about them several times). but the food - in particular the Fillet Mignon, the Leg of Lamb, and the Teryaki Chicken was fantastic. and I had more than 2 bowls of lobster bisque. . yum! so yeah, I'd recommend it if you're in Pigeon Forge and they had Creme Brulee for desert! Amy and my favorite! everyone was super tired after eating . . so we kind of scuttled any plans for doing anything during the night (I was pushing for Jurassic Jungle Boat ride, LOL). . but I got it, I mean she'd been up for well over 36 hours at this point. and it had gotten REALLY cold out. Low 40s. But since we were out and about already, I did ask if we could drive by and look at some of the mountain coasters, as they were advertising how they'd be lit up for Christmas. we passed one that looked really high, and there was almost nobody there. . so I wondered if maybe they were giving discounts tonight, as they were so dead due to the weather? Jamie was going to turn around to go back and see the cost (tho Amy was a hard no), when we spotted another one that looked *better* further up the road. it turned out that one was Goats on the Roof's "Goat Coaster" so we pulled in there just to check it out - and the digital sign said rides were only $12. seriously, NOBODY was there! so we started talking to the operators, asking them if they ran it when it was cold. .and they encouraged us to ride. and look. .they actually DO have "goats on the roof" ! so I nudged and nudged, and kept making the case it was only $12 !!! and Amy eventually (even tho she was terrified) agreed to ride with me. so Jamie and Londyn went to look in the gift shop, and we got tickets. (the cold certainly perked me up!) it was so good, I bought the pics. .and since I bought, the booth operator let me take pics from the screen so I have bigger pics. look how much fun! so fun! and SO fast. (and SO freaking cold!) we hung out for a bit and talked to the operators - and they told me I had "shirt of the day" (it says "Spice Grohls"). .and then we headed to the car to meet up with the others. a few folks did come in to ride behind us. . but yeah, it still stayed dead. here's a look at the queue line as we headed back to the car. . . we got back to the cabin, and decided we all wanted to get into the hot tub. and as we were changing, we started hearing "booms". . and Jamie called out for me to join them on the upstairs patio deck. where we had an incredible view of the park at night, as well as the fireworks show: even tho tomorrow was our first full day in the park, and we'd see it from inside the park? we stayed and watched the show. and I'm glad we did. . as the next day they announced no fireworks due to drought conditions (and after the show, we DID hear quite a few sirens while we were in the hot tub. . so have to wonder if the sparks caught something on fire?) and then this past Friday, Dollywood announced no more fireworks for the rest of the year. so I'm really glad we watched, as it was the last fireworks of the season. . even if we didn't know it at the time. Amy was going to try to wait up for Xander an Joseph (she didn't make it ), but the rest of us were wiped out post Hot Tub soak. So I said my goodnights, took a shower, and crashed hard. it had been a long, and emotional day, but I was glad I had come. and tomorrow? my first time ever at Dollywood! to be continued. . . .

If they got this, they would still be in need of a functioning kiddy coaster.

I don't have any skin in the game for this park, I just wanted to pop in and mention how funny it is that one of the most active topics on TPR is this park, one that hasn't had anything noteworthy happen to it in, I dunnno, forever.

I mean... they could build dueling giga coasters and I'd still rather go to Silver Dollar City. Sorry, not sorry. lol

Can Jeffrey please run the entire Six Flags chain? That would be awesome. All looks like great stuff for SFFT. I went in 2019 and 2021 and absolutely loved both visits and already wanna go back again.

Well I mean there was one noteworthy thing that happened. Involving some very aggressive turkey legs.

Pretty sure that's the first Breakdance I've ever been on, and that cycle just about killed me.

Speaking strictly in terms of theme parks, I’d kill to live somewhere like St Louis where I have options within a day‘s drive. I live in Seattle. The closest “major” park, Silverwood, is a 5 hour drive. You have WOF, KK and SDC within 4 hours, in addition to a major theme park in your hometown. So I don’t feel sorry for you guys

SFSTL is a legacy park that been around for over 50 years. It should be the gem of the Midwest, and it very well could be if the park got the attention is needs. I think that's what gets under everyone's skin. We all know how great the Park could be, all the potential is there.

Maybe we're more passionate then other theme park nerds, or we just like to complain a lot.

Well I would assume a world class operation like Universal will have thought of these things.......but assuming is always dangerous, lol.

from Skyline Attractions on YouTube:

That's no cabin ..... that's an amazing experience, Bert!!! Wow. Totally floored by the size of it, how everything was put together and how you access through it all - amazing! Thanks for sharing all that. And THANKS to everybody who helped you decide to go and celebrate the season, there. Hugs for that, guys. Looking forward to your 1st Full Day there. And "Seasonally-Adjusted Greetings!" Jingle, jingle!

^ there were a bunch of "improvements" also announced - some of which had previously been noted: New seating and new clock for Spassberg. Coasters and Coffee (Starbucks coffee) is coming in the space right next to Sangerfest in the space that was pretzels/ice cream. (and confirmed in Studio 6F later that night that the coffee bar in there is closing - but many people don't know it's there anyways, and the new place is directly across the path anyways. .LOL) New paint on several structures. New Trains for Boomerang. 3rd train for Iron Rattler coming soon (with 2nd train FINALLY coming back in the next two week) new trains, and new track work coming for Wonder Woman Golden Lasso. As Jeffrey pointed out, WW was a prototype, and he said they (RMC) have learned since then, and that if anyone had ridden Jersey Devil, or the new Wonder Woman coaster, then expect Golden Lasso Coaster would be matching that experience/smoothness. at the dinner Q&A, the projected opening for both the new Coasters (count as 2, as they can absolutely run independently if one is down for issues or maintenance per the skyline rep attending), is early Summer 2023. so the new Kids slide area/ complex - that will be at the top of the steps in the upper section of the waterpark. AND the new coasters - that will be where the bumper cars currently sit WILL be open by early summer, no question. oh, and the park "splurged" per Q&A for 3 different lighting packages for the coaster LEDs - so they will change the program depending on the seasons. coaster name TBA (I suspect we might get that news at Winterfest in ~4 weeks) at dinner they showed off a pretty cool model too. I took pics from the day, and probably will get them up in the next few weeks. but here are the pertinent ones, that most will care about: New kid's slide complex for Waterpark. Santa bringing more gifts:

I don't blame them, I have a legacy diamond elite VIP pass. They are losing a crap ton of money on me, considering I visited the place 3x a week basically for the year. I am the bane of all six flags everywhere.

Next thing you know they'll develop some lame seasonal attraction where you pay huge amounts of extra money just to walk around and look at stuff.

Well this has been all a joy to read. The slow realization that I was right all along has settled among you all. There was once a time our park was considered one of the greatest in the chain, the founder, having a vision of a park that would rival Disney world. That time has since passed. I give it 10 years before our park is closed.