Looking for the best way to visit Dollywood in just one day?
Dollywood is an iconic theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and it’s more than just a tribute to Dolly Parton.
TripAdvisor recently ranked Dollywood as the #1 theme park in America!
If you’re planning a visit, especially during peak season, you’ll want to know how to avoid long lines and make the most of your day.
Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll actually get to see one of Dolly’s many appearances throughout the park!
I recently visited and learned first-hand what it takes to fit in the best rides, shows, and snacks without burning out.
In this guide, I’ll share my top Dollywood tips so you can enjoy the charm without the chaos.
The Ultimate Dollywood One Day Itinerary
Dollywood has a variety of your typical carnival type rides like bumper cars, swinging ships, teacups, swings, the scrambler, and more.
My favorite was the Rockin’ Roadway vintage cars.
There are also plenty of kiddie rides for the ones that are too small for the rollercoasters.
What makes this park unique is the scenery, the rollercoasters, and the one and only Dolly Parton Experience.
This park is very hilly, so I recommend doing rides in order as you come across them so you don’t have to go back and forth too much.
If you’ve been to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri it’s quite similar.
That’s because back in the 70s, it was actually called Silver Dollar City Tennessee and was a sister park to the original!
Short on time? These are the highlights:
The Dolly Parton Experience
Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread
Lightning Rod – one of the top 10 rollercoasters in the US
Family Friendly Rollercoasters
Water Rides
Dining at Granny Ogle’s
The Dolly Parton Experience
The Dolly Parton Experience is essentially a museum taking you through every era of Dolly Parton’s life, especially highlighting her career milestones.
It’s pretty close to the front of the park, so you can start with this or do this later in the day if you’re wanting to make sure you get onto every rollercoaster.
This is a brand new experience and it has some interactive elements.
You can even take a walk through Dolly’s tour bus.
Nearby, you can also take a walk through Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home that she grew up in.
Rollercoasters
Now for the ride enthusiasts!
There are some great rollercoasters in this park for every thrill seeker.
Some of these are pretty tame and kid friendly, but others are surprisingly intense.
I would say the more family friendly style rollercoasters that my 5 year old niece would happily ride are:
- Big Bear Mountain (longest rollercoaster at Dollywood, not fast, no big hills)
- Dragonflier (hanging rollercoaster, not fast, no big hills)
- Firechaser Express (launches forward & backward, top speed 35 mph)
- Whistle Punk Chaser (kiddie coaster)
The more middle of the road type of rollercoasters that aren’t super crazy, but still thrilling are:
- Mystery Mine (95 degree, 85 foot drop into darkness)
- Thunderhead (typical wooden rollercoaster)
The most intense rides are:
- Wild Eagle (America’s first wing coaster)
- Lightning Rod (consistently in the top 10 rollercoasters in the country)
- Tennessee Tornado (typical looping steel rollercoaster)
Water Rides
In addition to the rollercoasters, some other thrill rides include the 2 water rides.
There is a log flume ride and a river raft ride!
You will get soaked on both of these.
- Daredevil Falls
- Smoky Mountain River Rampage
Scenery
The scenery of this park is just beautiful.
I know that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is technically the most beautiful amusement park in the world, but Dollywood must be a close second!
There were these colorful streamers all over and because we were visiting in mid-June, the trees and plants were all full and vibrant.
Dollywood is also full of photo ops all throughout the park.
They are labeled as “Road Side Attractions” similar to like what you see on Route 66 with “the world’s largest ball of yarn” and stuff like that, but it’s all specific to Dollywood!
Special Events
While we were visiting there were no special events going on, but if you’re visiting during one, try to take advantage of as many of the unique experiences as possible.
Some festivals throughout the year include Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration, Harvest Festival, and Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Usually you can find some limited time foods, entertainment, and merch.
All throughout the year though you can check out unique crafts and demonstrations from blacksmiths, glass blowers, candle makers, and leather makers.
Where To Eat At Dollywood
For an amusement park, Dollywood has some really great dining experiences.
Usually if you only have one day to explore a place I recommend sticking with quick service food to maximize your time, but there is one place here that you must sit down to enjoy your meal.
Granny Ogle’s Ham n Beans
Whether it’s for lunch or dinner, one of your meals must be here at Granny Ogle’s.
It’s a table service restaurant with all the best southern foods.
They’ll bring you some cornbread in a skillet as a starter.
We tried the sampler because we love to get a little bit of everything and it’s the perfect portion for 2 people to share.
It came with pot roast, ham, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, beans, carrots, and collard greens!
Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread
The cinnamon bread at the Grist Mill is the most iconic food you can eat in this park.
There’s pretty much always a line, but it moves quickly.
When we were eating ours everyone that walked by stopped and asked what it was and where we got it from.
It is so delicious and it’s large enough for maybe 4-6 people to share.
It was definitely a lot for just the two of us.
Red’s Drive-In
Red’s is a model diner of where Dolly Parton had her first hamburger growing up.
It’s a very cute retro diner, but the food is just regular theme park food.
We enjoyed getting out of the heat though and sitting in the classic diner booth.
Bakery
On your way out of the park at the end of the night, hit up the bakery.
If you’ve got a big enough group, try the 25 pound apple pie for $229!
It’s insanely massive (but you can also get just one slice for about $30).
My favorites that we tried at the bakery were the chocolate croissant and the lemon bar.
Where To Stay In Pigeon Forge
When we took our short weekend getaway to the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area, we stayed at Sunrise Ridge Resort.
It’s a Hilton Vacation Club resort, but you don’t have to be a timeshare owner to stay here!
You just book it like you would any other hotel, but instead of getting just a typical hotel room, you get a full kitchen and private bedroom.
The pool has a fantastic view of the mountains.
Click Here To Book Your Sunrise Ridge Resort Stay In Pigeon Forge Today!
Conclusion: The Ultimate Dollywood One Day Itinerary
This Dollywood one day itinerary lets you experience all the highlights of this theme park in a short amount of time.
If you do nothing else, at least make one loop through the park to enjoy the scenery, try some cinnamon bread, and have a meal at Granny Ogle’s.
There’s so much to do in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area and Dollywood is the most ticketed attraction in the area.
If you have more time to explore the area, check out our Great Smoky Mountains National Park One Day Itinerary.
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More Theme Park Itineraries:
– California’s Great America
– Knott’s Berry Farm
– Universal Studios Hollywood
– Busch Gardens Williamsburg
– Silver Dollar City