Leaderboard

Day 1: part 1 of 2: after an exhausting travel day we all slept a little later than we had intended (Xander & Joseph arrived well past 1am). . so we didn't actually make it to Dollywood for opening at 11. it had rained/drizzled most of the night, starting just after we went to bed. . so we weren't in a big rush to get out the door, thinking it would keep the crowd away. by 11:30, the drizzle had stopped, and we climbed into the car and took the 2 minute drive to Dollywood. luckily it wasn't too cold today (that would be tomorrow), just a little bit nippy . . but the rain cooperated, and stayed away the rest of the day. *absolutely* worth the extra $20 for Preferred parking. the preferred lot is way up front (past the handicapped lots) and gives fantastic views of the coasters as it's up on a hill. the view from our parking spot: the new Big Bear Mountain coaster under construction (orange track), with Dragonflier (green track) | Lightning Rod across the way. . . erm. . . haven't seen it testing (uh oh) walking from the Preferred lot to the separate entrance - yeah. . that's another perk of Preferred parking. A separate entrance gate (and dedicated exit lanes for later). worth every penny. fantastic view of Thunderhead, Wild Eagle, and Dropzone (hiding behind Thunderhead) the path down to the Preferred Parking entrance offers a lovely view of Lightning Rod (and down in the distance at the bottom, is where the trams drop off at the main entrance) I'm here. I'm at Dollywood. without Nick, that makes me sad. . but I'm here, and that would make him happy that I came. a nice shot of the "quiet" entrance/exit to the park from the Preferred lot. you enter from the left of the Emporium (near the height check station). . up ahead is the main entrance to the park, if we had parked in a regular lot and taken the tram in. not super crowded - recall, it had just recently stopped raining - but not a bad crowd considering the forecast for the day. and quiet enough to be able to get some great pics, that will always give me fond memories. they really go all out for Christmas Season (as I had suspected, and always heard). I was looking forwards to seeing everything lit up at night! small stages set up thruout the park with performers. .these guys were playing some bluegrass near the main gates. it was really nice to just come across a small stage with entertainment all over the park. that big building is the Dolly Parton Museum, which unfortunately was closed for renovation. oh well. an excuse to come back to walk thru! this pathway also leads towards Lightning Rod - but the app said it wasn't operating (yet) butterflies *everywhere*. . . it really is such a lovely park. one of the main squares of the park - tho this one *might* be THE main square, as it's right outside the big theater that hosts the ~1hour show, Smoky Mountain Christmas. and a view from that area, across the water for a great photo op of Lightning Rod. since our #1 choice for the day was down, we headed thru the park towards Blazing Fury/Tennessee Tornado area. . . but this was the first ride we came across. nobody else wanted to ride (despite the fact, we've ALL ridden the "smaller" version at SWSA. . .LOL). So they all went to go watch the glass blower, and look at the ornaments, and I headed up the steep hill to Barnstormer for 1st ride at Dollywood. so well themed. . . and I really liked there was a kid's playground area - similarly themed - right next to the "big" ride. Something for the kids to do if too small/too scared to ride the big rides. (this was something also seen over by Thunderhead - where the kiddie coaster is next door, and over by Firechaser Express - with a kiddie playground right next to the entrance) my ride done, I went back to meet them at the glass blowers. very cool. and can't pass up a photo op. . .especially for a Carousel, with a wonderful set up. I can be so far down. . but put me near a Carousel or Carousel Horse? Instant happiness. yeah, yeah. . I'm Jewish. and the park was VERY "Jebus-y". . but I mean, I'm here at Christmas. .and love seeing it. the lanterns hanging in the trees are GORGEOUS at night. such a simple thing, but so effective. ohhh. . I should have expected this (especially with the coaster in the park), but how neat to come across a Bald Eagle Sanctuary, in the park. The entire side of the mountain is netted off to protect them, and there were at least a dozen Bald Eagles - all rescues / recovering from injuries I believe - in the sanctuary area perched on trees, posts, or on the ground. across the way were some polar bears. LOL. .not really sure why. . they were in a few places in the park. what I found so amusing about them? Tho they looked pretty decent in the daytime? at night, they disappear and turn into just lighted blobs. lt was hysterical how they looked like Aliens from "Attack the Block" in the evening. . couldn't even tell what the heck they were supposed to be. near the Bald Eagle Sanctuary, is a row of Birds of Prey as well. I loved how close you could get to them, and the birds seemed very used to people being around, and actually "posed" for pics. It was great! (and the park covers the birds in the evening to let them rest, and protect them from the cold. So make sure you see the birds early in the day). had we actually made it to our first coaster? well, sort of. . I mean, Blazing Fury IS a coaster - even if it's mostly lift hill, with just a couple of small drops. but it was so bizarre and F'd up that I loved the hell out of it. (ended up riding it 3 times during the trip). LOL.. the first time as we exited, i asked - so where was the fire? HAHAHAHA.. I had missed all the instances of "fire" other than the one section with the LED lit firehose. so of course had to ride again so could see the theme of the dang ride. those Mannequins. . . loved it. NOTED! (and adorable) on the way to Tennessee Tornado. most interesting thing to me over here was the game to the far right (that I didn't manage to get in the picture) that early on Saturday was a "throw the ball to knock over the clowns" type game - but instead of clown targets, they were all Santa. I even said to Amy - that seems rather disrespectful to Santa, odd for this park! but when we passed by later that afternoon? no more Santas - the game had turned into a "darts at balloons" game. I guess someone higher up saw the game and made them change it with the same thought I had. ??? Firechaser Express. of our group of 6, only one of us had ever been to Dollywood before - and for him it had been many years. So he was most excited about getting to ride this. for the rest of us? everything was a "new credit" . . . we'd be over there shortly (and then would wait to ride it the next day, as the queue never dropped below 30 minutes, while everything else was either walk on or 1 train wait). but first? Tennessee Tornado. oh, you naughty, naughty, ride. (or am *I* the naughty one? ) it's an Arrow looper. and a relatively short one. but you know what? it was pretty decent. I KNOW !!! ended up riding it twice. Once with Amy, and then convinced Jamie to give it a go with me. the first loop, since it's not an exact loop, is really quite comfortable, and offers a bit of hangtime. just gotta watch out for that Batwing (or as Dollywood calls it, "Butterfly turn") for some slight headbang. but it's so short before coming back, it really isn't too bad. I think this is the backwards section. . LOL. . tho in pictures, you can't really tell which way the train is going. with the line at 30 minutes, we instead headed to Wild Eagle. .which was a walk on. (and we had been watching from the cabin the night before) wasn't it nice of someone to park their scooter right in front of the photo op? (I didn't get a picture of the lady trying to push it out of the way so she could get a picture. .LOL. . but was fun to watch her try to move it herself). still. . a pic most everyone takes. . . I liked this one. a LOT. they really leaned into the theming, and some of the moves the coaster makes, really does feel like you are a bird diving and flying. and one gets a FANTASTIC view of Firechaser Express from the Wild Eagle queue: (as Robb would say, "Twisty!") everyone was starting to get hungry by this time. . . so a quick discussion and the vote was the Family Style place we had passed earlier. Scott had made it to the park, and was going to the long show, which was close to the restaurant. so we headed that direction and briefly considered stopping for Cinnamon Bread - but the line was already pretty long. and we were about to eat. so decided to save it for later. but here's where they make it! mmmmmmmm where we ended up was "Aunt Granny's". . .all kinds of home cooking. and very reasonable for a theme park! it LOOKED like at one point it had been a buffet line type restaurant (pre Covid). . and it still seemed to be set up that way. Except that now there were servers, and you ordered at the table and they went up and got the food for you, to serve as family style. honestly? I MUCH preferred the service this way, and had a great time. (and tho the menu says limited choices per table, any refills you want, you can swap out to try other things). coming back from the restroom (washing my hands), I snapped pics of what looks like used to be the buffet line. a table's order ready to be picked up by waitstaff said waitstaff were dressed adorably too. I'm assuming this is for the Holiday season? or maybe they always look like this. really nice, and fun to chat with. a great experience. and she brought us a big ol basket of rolls. that were inhaled in an instant. the food was all VERY good. (tho the Pot Roast was a little bland and needed some salt). from left: Corn Pudding, Mac & Cheese, Stuffing, Ham, gravy, Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Fried Chicken. refills got more Mashed Potatoes, more Ham, Sweet Potatoes, and I asked for a side of Brussels Sprouts for me, as I wanted SOMETHING green with lunch. as noted. . most everything was excellent. . with the star being the Fried Chicken in my opinion. for desert, I had the Cinnamon Bread Pudding. YUM! the app said that Lightning Rod now had a 5 minute wait. . so we finished up and headed directly to it. stopping for a photo op first, of course. I mean, it IS me on this trip. and we get there. . and the sign says temporarily down. darn. . . apparently it had been up while we were eating, but went down again. so we decided to hang around the area for a little bit, and checked out the shopping in Dolly's Closet. I LOVED this stupid thing.. . "Old Jewish Lady" style, with velvet sleeves! it was only ~$55 I think, but it was dry clean only. . and the largest they had was 2X.. which seemed a little bit small. but I considered it. . .I mean. . look how awesome! that dry clean only gave me pause tho. . .as I'd ruin it after one wearing, assuming it even would fit. so I decided to hold off and see if I REALLY needed it, and would get it tomorrow if I didn't see other shirts I liked more. before heading back to the other areas of the park (we still had about 1/2 of the park to cover), we stopped at the bathrooms - which are right by Lightning Rod. and while there? it started testing: so we hung out for 5 minutes or so, and when they opened the doors to the ride, we were among the first 10 people in. we didn't get on the first train, as the folks who had bought timesaver today (it really was a dead day. . so I guess they bought it so they could be sure they got on Lightning Rod if it comes up?) rushed that queue, and the whole first train was filled by those folks. I didnt' care, as long as we got on it before it broke down again (which it did.. after about 4 trains). . BUT . . we were on the 2nd train, so I got my ride. yay! we then went and met up with Jamie and Londyn, who were riding the cars, next to LR. two rides after ours. . train 4. . and look, there's still people on it! we considered getting back in line, since were here and it was running. . . . but then this was the last train we saw, so it went down again just after this. so only one ride today on Lightning Rod. But hey, I'm not greedy, I got to ride it. I thought the launch was a bit "meh".. but that wave turn after the main drop is amazing. And thanks to the restraints (with handles to hold on to), I didn't even mind the amount of Ejector air - something that usually KILLS RMCs for me. So. . very good, but I prefer everything past the launch, even tho the launch is what made this ride well known. Londyn wanted to ride the teacups, so we headed over towards the back of the park, where most of the "family" rides, are - and also where the train depot is. the park had started making announcements that due to dry weather, there would be no fireworks tonight . . which was odd since it had rained all night. But then again, we had heard those sirens last night. Maybe with no fireworks, the crowd that was in the park wouldnt' hang around until close? we absolutely wanted to ride the train, but even on a "slow" day, it was PACKED every time we saw it pass. Besides, we wanted to ride it at night as had been told that we simply had to. It was in the station when we walked by tho, so was able to snap some nice pics. So many lights over in this area. (and this was the section we could see from our deck). I was excited to see this at night. . . down this way is the Country Fair section - where the teacups are. but Jamie convinced Londyn that before we go down that hill, we should do the other ride that she really wanted to go on. . which was up here by the train. (insert angels singing) as I said.. my happy place. them too. artsy! oooooo. . . ok then! coming back here later and then it was down to Country Fair area for the family rides (and hot chocolate that was so hot, it burned "someones" tongue, after she didnt' listen to Mom to wait for it to cool down before taking a sip). NOT ME tho. . I had more wassail. the area is lovely. .and thru the trees you can see some of the cabins on the mountain that are part of the complex we are staying in. it was just starting to get dusky - surprising how quickly it got dark - and the lights were really starting to pop looking at the app, there was a train leaving in 20 minutes. . so since over here, maybe we should try to get on it? i mean it would be dark by the time we left the station. so we decided to go for it and head up that way.. . and found a line that extended well past the station out into the walkway. AND a completely full train already. we debated what to do, and eventually, got to the realization that: we WANTED to ride the train - it's a must do. and as packed as it is? if we leave and come back, we'll miss it again. So we just joined the line, for the 45 minute wait until the next departure (and about 20 minutes in, they moved most in the line into the depot - with the comment from the associates, that if you're in the depot, you'll make it onto the train). . . to be continued in part II , Dollywood on a Saturday Night.

I was so impressed with the Brazilian Steakhouse tho. . . love me some meat on a stick but good to know for next time I am able to go back!

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.

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. . . .

Don't let the name Hatfields & McCoys fool ya, it's actually a pretty good dinner show and not at all what you expect, my opinion is this and Pirates are the top 2 dinner theaters in Pigeon Forge and both have the best food again just my opinion.

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that Super Nintendo World will open on February 17th, 2023! https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us/super-nintendo-world SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ takes you into the world of Super Mario™. Battle Team Bowser on the groundbreaking Mario Kart™ ride. Play interactive games throughout the land and track your score with a Power-Up Band™. Dine at Toadstool Cafe™, meet Mario and friends, and purchase exclusive merch at the 1-UP Factory™ store. Opens at Universal Studios Hollywood 2/17/2023. Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge Ready to experience Mario Kart™ like never before? Put on the special goggles and battle Team Bowser on iconic Mario Kart courses alongside Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Collect coins and throw shells to win the Golden Cup on the groundbreaking Mario Kart ride with cutting-edge technology. Keep score, complete challenges, collect coins with a Power-Up Band™. Elevate your adventures with your Power-Up Band™! Use your band to keep score throughout the land as you take on key challenges, collect digital coins, and more. With your Power-Up Band, you’ll experience a new way to play. Power-Up Bands will be available for purchase in the land as well as at a number of retail locations in Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk. Toadstool Cafe™ You’re not imagining things. Inside the Toad House is Toadstool Cafe™. Step in to indulge in fun, tasty dishes crafted by Chef Toad and enjoy playful scenery of the Mushroom Kingdom from the windows. 1-UP Factory™ Find the perfect souvenir at the 1-UP Factory™ store. This super-fun store is where you can find all sorts of items from the Mushroom Kingdom! Browse souvenirs and wearable merch to level up your experience at SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™.

Nah, the SFoG thread gets a normal amount of traffic compared to other threads here. This one gets so much more because every few months someone(s) come crying about how "Corporate hates us!!1!!" and "We need new major additions every year or the park is going to close!" What results is several pages of those more rational individuals logically disproving the doomsayers, and the doomsayers trying to convince everyone that they're right. It is entirely possible for parks to be profitable without a constant influx of new customers; returning customers are just as much of a profit center as new ones are. Look at any of the non-major CF parks; no major additions for years and years, yet the parks still continue to operate and draw substantial crowds. If it turns out that the cancellation of HiTP results in substantially lower season pass sales (to the point that the cost-savings from not running it doesn't outweigh the additional income from the SP sales) they'll reverse course and bring it back, as any business that is trying to make money would. (Arguments about whether Six Flags, under the current CEO, is actually a "business that is trying to make money" are better suited for the Corporate thread, since this is not the only park affected by it.) Boo-hoo that you don't get two additional months of ripping off the chain with your "this was way too cheap to begin with" Diamond Elite Membership. You are not the profit drivers for the park and never were.

Highly doubtful SF will pull the plug on legacy memberships. The instant they do that, they lose all that guaranteed cash which is coming in month after month. And I seriously doubt a legacy DEVIP member that just got 'dumped' will opt to buy a similar priced pass which offers much less. That's not to say many years down the road when legacy pass numbers have dwindled they may consider ending them at that point. And as for why there is so much traffic on this thread, while I cannot speak for other park threads, the SFoG page gets far less traffic than this one, likely due to the fact that park has its own unofficial Facebook group with LOTS of discussion taking place there.

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.

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

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.

Who doesn’t love an underdog story?

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

Winter Wonderland Annie Lennox -via ~ Annie was born on Christmas Day!

So Carowinds has apparently just been crushing it since they decided to actually open things for Winterfest. Here are some photos from the weekend courtesy of a park Facebook group. Sky Tower line Rock N Roller line I'm glad to see them doing so well. Hopefully they keep adding rides to Winterfest and tweaking refurb schedules so that Fury can always have at-least 2 trains on. I'm also curious to see if they expand their hours on Saturdays.

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.

We legit got lost in the Dollywood parking lot once (we were there for an early entry event and had to park in a specific lot) and I use to teach Geography.............

This is a total shock .... Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, was the main DJ on the Ellen Degeneres Show, and one of the main judges on recent So-You-Think-You-Can Dance shows. Age 40. And ..... apparently "by suicide." I would have never guessed by his usual on-camera demeanor. But then, mental illness can be a very quiet and silent thing. Healing thoughts and warm hugs go out to all who knew and loved him, including his family.