ASE

Dollywood just announced this on Facebook. This, along with yesterday’s TN executive order stating amusement parks remain closed until May 29th, is going to fuel rumors of a June 1st opening.

Ummmm....

No, Lightning Rod opened the following year.

Also giving 4-5 year olds free admission in 2020... https://www.dollywood.com/Tickets/Season-Passes/Pre-K-Pass

Friday afternoon press release from Dollywood. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191018005496/en/

Crickets. But I’d expect them to announce SOMETHING before 2020 season passes go on sale. They did this in early Nov 2017 when they announced the “Season of Showstoppers” for 2018 which featured concerts and upgraded festivals.

Some nuggets to chew on: Pigeon Forge zoning ordinance 709.9 restricts amusement rides to 200ft. Drop Line is said to be 230, but it was originally marketed as 200. To go as high as some of you are hoping would require a major change to be voted through. The mayor of Pigeon Forge is VP of Operations at The Island... Not saying it won’t happen, but I’ll let y’all read between those lines.

No slip. May has been the target opening for months. From November I've seen it mentioned other places too. Pete said May in Feb 23 at Winter Warm Up and it was bit a surprise to anyone. Right, but this is the first time (that I know of) that they’ve put it on any of their “public” marketing material.

For those that may have missed it, Dollywood just slipped into a blog post that a Wildwood Grove won’t open until May.... https://blog.dollywood.com/index.php/2019/02/28/about-two-weeks-to-go-and-more-than-75-complete/

FYI for those of you that ride the trolley from Patriot Park to Dollywood. Rate just went from $.50 each way to $2.50. Or you can buy a $3 wristband for the day to ride the trolley as much as you want.

Here's a pic of the 1981 SDC map in my guide with the beloved Log Flume, Flooded Mine, Inventor's Mansion, as well as archery, tomahawk throwing, and shooting muzzle loaders! Notice the entrance was at the bridge leading into Craftsmen's Valley. This map even predates the Grist Mill (by one year)...and cinnamon bread!

https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/Rides/Wildwood-Grove

Dollywood has updated their logo on dollywood.com in the past week from "Great Smoky Mountains, TN" to "Parks & Resorts". Could this be a clue on something bigger than Wildwood Grove being announced today???? I've heard of 2 other things, but neither of which I a) feel confident about nor b) want to spoil if they DO announce them. Looking forward to the official reveal! COUGH9 month payment planCOUGH

They're called advertorials and they've been popular for years. People are far more likely to read them than normal ads so companies pay a premium for them. This is closer to what we call “native advertising” but it surprised me that it was an actual video news segment and not disclosed within the video. It was only disclosed in the written article on the station’s website. Just caught me off guard...I’ve seen a LOT more “sponsored by Dollywood” posts from bloggers this year, but this was the first full “news story” I’ve seen.

BTW, is Dollywood now paying news stations in major cities to do stories on them? Just noticed this one in Atlanta, which threw in Dolly’s shows and Splash Country as well at the end. I got about halfway through the article and thought, “good grief this sound like PR” and sure enough there it was at the bottom. Sure, I’ve seen paid ads and commercials before, but never entire news segments. https://www.wsbtv.com/entertainment/things-2-do/trip-to-dollywood-includes-thrilling-rides-great-shows-amazing-food/724238775 For the record, they’ve never paid me a penny or given me anything free...so I can remain unbiased. haha