Photo TR: Julie's incredibly packed day at Dollywood

[USRoadTripper]

My mom and I decided to head off for Dollywood right after the park opened this year...I really wanted to ride Mystery Mine, and mom just likes any excuse to hang out in the parks as well, eventhough she doesn't do any coaster riding. We settled on Monday the 2nd since (we hoped) it wouldn't be nearly as crowded as going on that Saturday or Sunday, just after opening.

 

We left Nashville on Sunday afternoon and drove straight towards Pigeon Forge. We stopped for dinner at a Mr. Gattis in Knoxville when I spotted a carnival from the highway. No credits But the buffet was great, and I even got three Family Guy bobble heads out of one of the gum ball machines!

 

When we got to Pigeon Forge, we stopped at the Nascar Speedpark to see about getting the credit there, but they had closed about 20 minutes prior. So we started searching for a hotel. After a while, we settled on the Briarstone Inn, which was just before the light where you turn to go to Dollywood. It was just over $36 for the night, including tax, and while it wasn't fancy, it was more than adequately nice. The beds and pillows were clean and soft, it had an incredibly comfy blanket, and the air conditioning made it almost arctic in there! I definitely wouldn't hesitate to stay there again!

 

On Sunday morning, we got up and headed for breakfast at the Great American Steak and Buffet Company for breakfast. It was only $6 and we ate more than enough to last us all day. They even had chicken strips on the buffet...awesome!

 

When we left breakfast, it took us forever...like literally it took us over an hour...to get from the restaurant to the gate of Dollywood. The traffic was backed up for probably a mile waiting to turn, then once you got turned, it was bumper to bumper all the way into the parking lot (which anyone who has been to Dollywood knows is quite a way!) The Dollywood parking lot is abysmal. I mean, it seems to stretch forever, and trams are never that frequent. Next time we have decided to leave the car at the hotel and take the cheap Pigeon Forge trolly to the park so we don't have to deal with their parking lot.

 

We hadn't bought tickets in advance because last time, everything we picked up had $10 off Dollywood tickets in it. Not so this year. So we had to wait in a really enormous line at the ticket windows, which went surprisingly fast, actually. Once inside, I headed straight for Mystery Mine.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that, when I arrived, the wait was only posted at about 20 minutes or so. So I hopped in line while my mom wandered around, and soon I was at the loading station. I thought the queue was pretty nice...it's outdoor queue, so there is only so much you can do with it, but I thought they did a good job. Almost as soon as I reached the station, they announced that they were putting on another train and that the ride would be down for about 20 minutes. I was in the next train load of people waiting, so I certainly didn't want to leave my spot in line.

 

Being so close, I got a great view of how their transfer track works, and it was quite impressive (it sinks down below the station then lifts another train back into place). Soon I was on the ride, which I thought was a pretty decent ride. I wish I could say that I loved it...I wish I could tell people to run out and get a plane ticket to Knoxville to ride this coaster, but I really can't. It was good...but it wasn't great in my opinion.

 

The first thing I noticed was how some parts of the ride were extremely elaborately themed, while others had almost no theming at all. Like, the dark ride part is very well done, but when the ride spits you outside after the first vertical lift, that whole coastery section is unthemed. Then you go back in, see some more elaborate theming, then again you get spit outside into the final inversions which are completely unthemed. The ride really only felt half done to me. I really think it would be great if they would enclose the "finale" of the ride. It would keep the station dark and really make it feel like an underground mine. Plus after the whole "What if there is no light at the end of the tunnel?" part, it would keep you in the dark. I really didn't get why that whole dramatic scene was almost immediately followed by...uh...light at the end of the tunnel! Did I miss something?!?! Enclosing those last inversions would take away a great photo op, but it would make the ending of the ride feel much more cohesive to me.

 

After my 45 minutes in line, I met back up with mom, and we decided to meet up for the 2:30 Rhythm of the Dance show. She went on her way for a while, and I decided to ride Timber Tower since I'd never ridden a Topple Tower before. So I waited and waited and waited...eventually ending up waiting 45 minutes to ride what turned out to be a really lame ride!! It gave a great view of the area, but the ride itself wasn't thrilling at all. I'm glad to be able to say that I've ridden one, but I definitely don't feel the need to wait that long for one again!

 

When my ride was over, it was time to head for the show and meet up with mom. I took some photos on the way out, and arrived at the show at about 2:15. The show was really good...definitely a step up from what is normally performed in theme parks, but admittedly it was a step down from the Lord of the Dance that played at Epcot a while ago. Still, it was quite enjoyable.

 

When the show was over, we were both wanting a bite for lunch. We poked out heads in a couple of places, but when we spotted the "mega enormous skillet full of meat, peppers and hot fiery death" we decided to eat there. My "flatbread" (read: very overstuffed taco) was great but was really messy! Definietly not made for polite eating! But we both managed to inhale them, so it's all good.

 

So by this time, it was already four o'clock! We had no clue where the time had gone, but only had three more hours left there. The traffic cut more than an hour off our day, making us not arrive until around 11:30 or so. The ticket line ate another almost half hour. Mystery Mine and Timber Tower both took 45 minutes, as did the Celtic dance show. Given walking time to get from one place to another and the time it took to get and eat our lunch, our day was almost gone!

 

I decided to ride the Veggie Tales Side Show Spin next, which is almost the worst case of "Will Whore for Credit" that I've done. I'd say it's the worst, but I'm also the proud owner of the Lil Renegade credit in Alabama, so Side Show Spin will have to come in second place! The line was posted at half an hour...ugh. Luckily, it was only about 15 minutes. And double lucky for me, the mom in front of me had an extra kid I could borrow! Yay! This coaster lasts, literally, 10 seconds. But no worries...I don't have to worry about riding it again

 

After I was done, mom and I got in line for the Aviators or whatever they're called. This was another line that was agonizingly slow, and took more than a half hour. When we were done, I told mom that I still wanted to ride the coasters, and that we'd need to split up again. She said that was fine, so she went on to other rides in Country Fair while I headed into Craftsman's Valley.

 

When I arrived at Blazing Fury, the light for "30+ minute wait" was lit, but I didn't assume it would take that long. But with the shoddy operations I saw, it took well over 30! Whenever a family would come up the exit in a wheelchair, the ride op would unload a train, load that family into the train and send it with just those people in the train! She did this THREE TIMES! Why on earth would you waste so much capacity like that, especially when you have more than a half hour wait. We were all yelling "No! Let us on! Let us on!" yet the ride op ignored us and kept sending them through empty. Along with the three folks in wheelchairs, she also sent a maintenance person through alone, presumably on a show check.

 

When I left there, it was 6:15, so I only had 45 minutes until the park closed. I went to Tennessee Tornado, but was posted at a 45 minute wait, and I didn't even like it the first time I rode it, so I decided that I'd definitely rather ride Thunderhead. I did manage to hang around long enough to get some photos though.

 

When I was done, I booked it back to Thunderhead, arriving with about 20 minutes to spare. The line moved well thanks to the Thunderhead crew not sending every other train out empty!! Y'know, I went into my ride on Thunderhead really wanting to be blown away by it, with the hope that it was just having a bad day the last time I rode it. But I still have to say that I think this is the most overrated coaster I have ever ridden!! It's good, no doubt about it. It's a solid layout, rides fast and intense...but it just doesn't have that *something* that makes it a great coaster in my opinion. Both times, I've walked away thinking that it was nice but was just missing something, but I can't put my finger on what. It's quite disappointing really, as I WANT to love this coaster. I just can't.

 

When I was done, I quickly went back to Mystery Mine to see if I could catch one last ride on it. It was broken down at the moment, and they appeared to be manually resetting (advancing?) all the brakes an were going to bring the ride back up. I waited for probably 10 minutes, but then decided to go ahead and leave so we could get back to Nashville at a reasonable time. I called mom, and we met up near the front gate, then headed out.

 

I hate...HATE...how Dollywood herds you through the giftshop before they let you exit. It was shoulder to shoulder, with everyone fighting to find the ends of the lines, and to figure out which way was out. It was a madhouse. Once outside, the line for the tram was posted at a half hour wait!!! WTF!!! So of course we walked. We headed off, and on our way out of Pigeon Forge, we stopped at the Nascar Speedpark again. I asked if the coaster was open, but was told that all but two of the amusement rides were under refurb at the moment and would be reopening in a few weeks. Bummer, but oh well. While we were there, we played some arcade games, which made me win four little car racing themed rubber ducks! So cute! When we were done, we grabbed some Wendy's near the highway, then headed straight back to Nashville.

 

So yeah...I was REALLY hoping that my "meh" trip to Dollywood in 2005 was just a fluke, and that I would love it this time since SO many people talk SO highly of the park. I *want* to love this park...it reminds me of Opryland in so many ways, and it even feels like Opryland in some spots. But there's just something about it that doesn't do it for me.

 

Both times I have felt like I got next to nothing accomplished in the park because it was so crowded. I mean...I rode three major rides, three minor rides, saw one show and ate one taco, and that took my entire day!! It felt like as soon as I got there, I had to leave!

 

I also think that they just don't have as great a coaster collection as everyone else thinks they do. Tennessee Tornado was REALLY rough when I rode it two years ago, so I didn't feel the need to ride it again. Blazing Fury is definitely "WTF" but is by no means a great coaster! And Thunderhead and Mystery Mine...well they are both very nice coasters, but both of them just lack that extra little something that makes me want to go back and ride them over and over. This trip marked the second trip where I left the park feeling no need to visit again any time soon. I wish I felt differently...I hate that I don't like it...but I just don't like it. :-/

 

Anyways, on to the photos.

After heading out, we stopped at Nascar Speedpark for a while. I didn't get the credit, but I did manage to win enough tickets to get four racing themed rubber ducks!

Thanks for reading!

See ya later, Dolly! I'll probably see you the next time you add another coaster!

Not the greatest coaster shot ever, but this was taken right at sunset, and I think the lighting is just perfect!

The Thunderhead "Signature Shot"

To end out the day, I headed back to Timber Canyon for a ride on Thunderhead.

Um...WTF is going on here???

The Tennessee Tornado. I love this photo!

Yep, still wearing my love of pickles on my sleeve!

This has got to be one of the lower points of my coaster whoring career.

After the Rhythm of the Dance show, we headed into Country Fair for a while.

Ahh...the beautiful, serene scenery at Dollywood, punctuated by the random, unescorted kid climbing all over it.

Speaking of more food than any normal human should eat...we ate at this place for lunch and it was awesome.

"But hon, I *had* to buy that buffet before they would let me in..."

The Timber Tower. Not a bad ride, but certainly not worth the 45 minute wait! This was also as close as the water got to the riders, despite being relatively warm.

The Mystery Mine maintenance crew adds a sixth train to the track.

The Mystery Mine queue also gives a great view of the rest of Timber Canyon!

Mmmm...this was definitely my favorite part of the ride. It gives a great sensation of hang time, and since it takes it slowly, you really get to think about that you're upside down!

First stop, Mystery Mine for my first new credit of 2007!

Awww. not even in the park three minutes and I am already reminded of Kevin!

Hey random lady...I'll give you $7 if you let me park here. That's less than half of what Six Flags charges it's guests.

*insert your own ACE joke here*

Mmmm...the Great American Heart Attack at 9:00am, er...I mean...buffet...

And the inside of the hotel room. Nothing fancy, but it got the job done.

The Briarstone Inn, our home for the night. And for $36 a night, I thought it was a steal.

Since TPR loves food, I shall commence with this photo of my salad from Mr. Gattis. I love salads where there are so many toppings that you can't even see the lettuce! Please note the Family Guy bobbleheads. Also note the pickle.

[cobra_roll06]

hey nice TR! Mystery Mine looks incredible....Where abouts is the 1st drop in the ride....I have never seen a pic with it in it?

[ginzo]

I'm sorry you didn't have a nice time at Dollywood. I think it's one of the prettiest parks around. It certainly destroys HW for natural beauty, even though people contantly oogle over how pretty HW is. Next time you go you should contact guest relations and find out what days are historically the most dead. I went on a day where everything was walk-on all day. And believe me that helps. Also some of the water rides like Mountain Slidewinder and Daredevil Falls are among the better attractions in the park.

 

I generally agree with your opinion of Thunderhead. It's a bit overrated. I don't think it has nearly enough airtime.

 

Also, the traffic in Pigeon Forge seems to always be rotten. I've had it take 2 hours to get to the highway from Pigeon Forge. I think this is the main reason I like Wisconsin Dells more than Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg- the traffic is much better in the Dells.

[jarmor]

hey nice TR! Mystery Mine looks incredible....Where abouts is the 1st drop in the ride....I have never seen a pic with it in it?

 

Thats because the first drop is

right after you leave the station!

[cfc]

I need to get back to Dollywood. The last time I was there was pre-Tennessee Tornado. I know what you mean about that parking lot. I was there on a date and suffered the indignity of losing my little Saturn in that rather long, unmarked piece of asphalt. Hardly the smooth image I was trying to project. (Well, the date was pretty much a disaster, anyway--it was with a college professor who hated theme parks, even though she had suggested we go there in the first place.)

 

Mystery Mine looks great! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I've ridden Speed at Oakwood in the UK, and even an unthemed Eurofighter is a pretty cool ride. The dark-ride sections make this a win-win for me.

[FlyingScooter]

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, pics of Dollywood! And their foooooooood!

Nice shots, Julie!

[bulldogmom]

Great TR. I can't believe you found a giant pickle! Great shots of MM and Thunderhead. Thunderhead sure is a photogenic coaster. I've never been to Dollywood, but I agree that the herding through gift shops must be extremely annoying. I recall King Kobra at KI had its exit going right through the gift shop, and I thought it was kind of rude.

[Airtime&Gravity]

Great TR, and it looks like you had a great time. The photos of MM and Thunderhead are some of the best I've seen(well all your photos were great), and the jokes were pretty good.

 

Dollywood looks like an amazing park, and Mystery Mine looks great in its' location, and the park gets better every time I see it. I can't believe that kid was climbing on the roof of the building, and if that happened at SFGAM, the kid would have been kicked out.

[Reality15]

The only thing sexier than Julie is Julie with a pickle.

 

Nice PTR, I gotta get to Dollywood one of these years.

[coasterdave]

Never saw anyone compare a Dollywood Show to a show at Epcot. Guess there is always a first for everything, but nice pics you took.

[coasterCrAzY505]

Aw i'm sorry you didn't really enjoy your trip. I personally loved the park when I first visited last summer and I am going again this year.

[IceDragon]

shame about the crowds... hopefully next time you'll have better luck!

 

 

and yeah... what the hell was that guy doing on the roof of that building? Weirdo, lol.

 

 

MM looks amazing! If only we had something of that caliber in my home park (we have an un-themed Eurofighter... the best part is the first drop and loop...)

[disneygurlz2s]

I have to admit, I am really shocked that you don't love this park, just based on all the things you love (rides, food, shopping-you're my kind of girl!!). I do think that you "crowd" experiences may have a lot to do with it.

 

I have only visited DW once, almost 8 years ago, but I came away with the feeling that it was the nicest park north of Disney (until I found Holiday World) and that was before they added much of what is there now. I have been dying to go back. I do recall when we went, the bigger the crowd got, the more anxious the family was to get out of there (it was also like 100 degrees that day), so I am inclined to think that you may have a better experience if you get a chance to visit at a less crowded time of year!

 

Shari

[griffon]

I have to say that picture of Tennessee Tornado is really awesome!

 

It's always better to be in a park with light crowds, but when I find myself in that situation now I just end up taking more pictures rather than waiting in lines. Sometimes it compensates, but usually not. Regardless, thanks for sharing the pics, they were nice.

[ParkTrips]

honestly it sounds more like you hate the crowds more than you hate the park. Hopefully you give it another chance and get better results

 

It definitely gets very busy, but I've never had a problem with actual ride lines. 45 minutes for anything seems crazy for that park it had to be REALLY busy which I'm sure would make anyone's day lame.

 

Tornado rough? I think it had its moments in the inversions but I can't imagine it being considered rough!

 

I recall King Kobra at KI had its exit going right through the gift shop, and I thought it was kind of rude.

lots of rides do this, not that I love it by any means, but I've never had it rub off in a bad way for me.

[coastercrazed49]

Nice Trip Report. Mystery Mine takes a nice photo. I love its layout is has great scenery. Dollywood seems to have some great Roller Coasters.

I should try to get out there this summer.

[Meteornotes]

OK, the photo of the random person hanging off the roof of the building was awesome. What the hell was going on there?!?

 

I too was greatly disappointed with the Topple Tower we rode in Europe. I expected it to be so much more exciting than it ended up being.

 

I still have not made it to Dollywood. Perhaps this year...

 

dt

[USRoadTripper]

^ Dave, all I saw was this group of three or four guys standing there, then this one took off springting towards that building. But instead of getting all the way onto the roof, his stomach slammed into the edge of it! Luckily I already had my camera on! But yeah, I have no idea why he was doing that. And he wasn't a kid! He was at least in his early 20s or older!

 

It very well could be that the crowds are what is tainting my view of the park. But the last time I went, it was just some random week day in June and it was still packed! At least that time, I was able to do a few more rides (I remember skipping Slidewinder because the line was posted at over an hour long! I didn't even go to that area of the park this time.) But then you've got to figure that when you live four hours away, spend $47 for that day plus the cost of a hotel room for the night...I really don't feel compelled to visit very often when the quality of my visit is up in the air. It's probably a nice place to pop over to for a few hours if you're local though.

 

And yeah Joe, I really wish I could have ridden TN Tornado again because th last time I rode it, it bashed me around pretty well. Not as bad as some, but bad enough! I wasn't going to pass up a ride on Thunderhead for it though.

 

Well thanks for all the comments so far!!

 

-Julie

[BeemerBoy]

Thanks Julie. It's reports like this that leave me slightly confused. That's nothing against you though. I actually love your honesty in reporting. We're about to make our first ever trip up to DW this weekend, and despite all the wonderful accolades this park receives, there's just always been something in the back of my mind that leaves me somewhat suspicious about encountering a bit of an underwhelmed feeling when all is said and done.

 

I mean, the place is obviously beautiful, photographs well in everyone's TRs, is not afraid to spend money to bolster its ride portfolio, has incredible food, and a freindly staff (from what I hear, of course), yet still seems like it may be missing something I can't put a finger on. I certainly don't wanna rush to judgement, having never stepped foot there before, but I appreciate your candidness about a place that everyone seems to adore.

 

I'm as anxious as ever to finally visit now! Only a few days away...now if we could just get the weather forecast to cooperate.

[ECZenith]

Thanks for the great photos! (and anew desktop background!) hehe

[cfc]

Another point to consider about why Dollywood tends to get so crowded is that it's so close to the most popular of our national parks--Smoky Mountains National Park. That prime location would tend to pull in quite a few people.

[Jeremy220138502]

Nice Pictures. So what exactly is all the talk about the big special effects on the new ride Mystery Mine? I watched Jarvis's video and on his spoiler it looks like the car drops right off the platform. Is it a big drop?

[dandaman]

^That's... kind of why it's a SPOILER.

 

I passed through Pigeon Forge for the first time last month... good Lord, the whole area's a tourist destination I'd never heard of before! I so want to go back sometime this year... and we didn't even stop anywhere!

 

That NASCAR Speedpark had me wondering why it seemed no one else knew about the shiny red credit out front...

[Calvin]

Jesus, the loop on Tennessee Tornado is friggin' huge. Isn't that one of their best coasters?

[kraken613]

Tennessee Tornado is not there best coaster its their worst! Mystery Mine and Thunderhead are the best!