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The Year In Review: DIT Takes Disney Love To A New Level In 2017


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9 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Sounds like a great trip.  I want a flag on the back of my chair that will call the attention of someone to bring me drinks! 

Haha... agreed.  It's breakfast time and I'm hungry.  I tried putting a shirt on my chair (didn't have a flag); Tom and the kids just walked by me.  

 

Great trip Dave!  Wonderful memories for your girl (and mom/dad), no doubt. 

Time does go by, too fast.

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Trip #5 - Fall Break at Dollywood Our kids typically get 3 days off in October for fall break, which makes for a 5 day weekend.  Not long enough to head to the Fort unless we pulled them out of s

Trip #5 - Fall Break at Dollywood

Our kids typically get 3 days off in October for fall break, which makes for a 5 day weekend.  Not long enough to head to the Fort unless we pulled them out of school, but perfect to head to the Smokies and visit our favorite fun lady, Dolly.  

I've shared our visits and opinions on Dollywood many times in the past, so I won't rehash all of that.  I'll just say this....Dollywood is probably my favorite park anywhere, Disney included.  So I am always excited to plan a trip here.  And I was particularly excited about this trip, because I had planned it to include all 8 of us, son in law included.  Since we have 3 kids in public school this year, and our other 2 girls both work in Special Education for the school district, all 5 girls had the same break.  We had hoped that we would all get to the Fort for our March trip that I covered earlier in this trip report, but that didn't work out.  So this was a do over.  

Well...as we got into fall, plans started to fall apart.  First, INC had a major conflict.  She either wasn't going to be able to go, or at the very least would have to be home by Friday evening.  Since break started on Wednesday, that really put a crimp on things.  Then, it turned out that our son in law was not able to get time away, and our daughter decided against going without her husband.  That I understand.  So, this trip was looking unlikely.  But INC suggested that, perhaps, I go and take the remaining kids less Anna....since the rest of us are the huge coaster fans.  She figured she'd stay back and keep Anna so that we could hit the park hard.  Ultimately, DD17 decided to stay back as well and work.  So, this trip will only include me, and DD21 and DD11.  Those two are my biggest ride fans, and while I wanted to ride the coasters, I also wanted to take in some shows and entertainment, so this would work our nicely.  

I made a reservation at the Pigeon Forge KOA, as it's walking distance to the trolley depot where we could easily hop the trolley to Dolly.  We've stayed here a couple of times before, and it's proven a good base camp for Dollywood.  We left our home Wednesday morning, arriving at the KOA by mid-afternoon.  After checking in, we headed to the trolley to head to the park for the remainder of the day.  I had purchased  3 day park tickets via an online special they offered....if I remember right I paid around $99/person for those tickets.  Not a bad deal.  We headed in, and immediately we were immersed in the Fall Harvest and Gospel Festival....a festival focused on food, fall decor, Gospel music, and FUN!  

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Even though there were many, many things I wanted to see, do and eat, we had a mission to jump immediately on upon entering the park.  We needed to get in our first Lightening Rod ride!  

If you aren't familiar with the Lightening Rod, let me first tell you that it is the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever gotten from a ride.  It is a wooden coaster that opened in 2016, and is the World's first launched wooden coaster.  It is also, with a peak speed of 73 mph, the world's fastest wooden coaster.  The ride was built in the Jukebox Junction section of the park, which has a 50's theme that feels kind of like Back to the Future.  I think they did a phenomenal job theming the ride....this is where you enter the queue.  

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We got a ride in, and this thing is insane.  You leave the boarding area, and the cars launch up the first big hill at 45 mph.  When you crest the hill, you get airtime for the first of 12 times during the ride.   12!!  It feels like you spend more time off of your seat than on it.  The ride lasts 3 minutes and 12 seconds according the website, but it sure feels shorter.  It's a blast, regardless.  

After riding the Lightening Rod, we did some exploring before it got dark.  We were excited to see the park after dark, because they were advertising the Great Pumpkin Luminights as part of the festival this year.  But we first wanted to check things out in the light.  

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We made our way to the Mystery Mine, which is one of the girls' favorite rides.  

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This is a really cook dark ride coaster through an abandoned mine, with completely vertical hills.  

Waiting to ride....

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We grabbed dinner in the park, then wanted to experience the Lightening Rod in the dark.  We had a Dollywood cast member pull off an outstanding photobomb.  

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Bravo to that young man.  

I thought the Lightening Rod was insane in the daylight.  It's is beyond insane in the dark.  I wasn't exactly sure whether we'd survive.  Not being able to see the hills or banked turns was wild.  But still, we loved it.  Funny thing was, being that there were 3 of us, and you sit 2 across on the ride, we were paired with another rider.  It was an old woman dressed in a pant suit, jewelry and full face of makeup.  Before leaving the station, we chatted for a moment, and she told us that her grandchildren were riding and, rather than walk back down to the exit, she figured she'd just ride down.  She said she'd never ridden a roller coaster before.  I chuckled and said, "and THIS is the one you picked?".  LOL.  She looked nervous, but it was too late.  As I mentioned, the ride was crazy, and the poor woman looked shell shocked at the end.  I felt bad for her.  Bet she never rides another coaster again.  

We headed back to the KOA, and rested up for a full day at the park on Thursday.  

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast at the camper and headed to the trolley.  Those clouds looked a bit fall like, but the temps were blazing hot.  It was in the mid-80's that week, and very humid.  

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We got to the park in time for rope drop, and where do you suppose we headed first?

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After that ride, the girls went off to ride some more coasters, while I wanted to just explore the Craftsman Valley and listen to some live music.  

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I decided to go see the Birds of Prey show, which showcases Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls and other birds that reside in a sanctuary at the park . 

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The show features some endangered species, but none are more endangered than the Silverbellied American Flip Phone.

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The culmination of the show is the American Bald Eagle, of which quite a few reside in the park at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.  

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That's probably enough bird pics.  

I made my way to the grist mill to get some of that famous Dollywood ooey, gooey cinnamon bread.  

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I wish I had some right now.  That cup of icing on the side, melted into the crevices in the bread....oh my.  

Ok, moving on.

I also got myself some fried green tomatoes. 

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I met back up with girls and gave them some of the cinnamon bread.  What, you think I ate the whole loaf myself??

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I'll leave it here for now.  

Coming up, some music.  And some Great Pumpkin Luminights.  

  

 

    

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2 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Trip #5 - Fall Break at Dollywood

Our kids typically get 3 days off in October for fall break, which makes for a 5 day weekend.  Not long enough to head to the Fort unless we pulled them out of school, but perfect to head to the Smokies and visit our favorite fun lady, Dolly.  

I've shared our visits and opinions on Dollywood many times in the past, so I won't rehash all of that.  I'll just say this....Dollywood is probably my favorite park anywhere, Disney included.  So I am always excited to plan a trip here.  And I was particularly excited about this trip, because I had planned it to include all 8 of us, son in law included.  Since we have 3 kids in public school this year, and our other 2 girls both work in Special Education for the school district, all 5 girls had the same break.  We had hoped that we would all get to the Fort for our March trip that I covered earlier in this trip report, but that didn't work out.  So this was a do over.  

Well...as we got into fall, plans started to fall apart.  First, INC had a major conflict.  She either wasn't going to be able to go, or at the very least would have to be home by Friday evening.  Since break started on Wednesday, that really put a crimp on things.  Then, it turned out that our son in law was not able to get time away, and our daughter decided against going without her husband.  That I understand.  So, this trip was looking unlikely.  But INC suggested that, perhaps, I go and take the remaining kids less Anna....since the rest of us are the huge coaster fans.  She figured she'd stay back and keep Anna so that we could hit the park hard.  Ultimately, DD17 decided to stay back as well and work.  So, this trip will only include me, and DD21 and DD11.  Those two are my biggest ride fans, and while I wanted to ride the coasters, I also wanted to take in some shows and entertainment, so this would work our nicely.  

I made a reservation at the Pigeon Forge KOA, as it's walking distance to the trolley depot where we could easily hop the trolley to Dolly.  We've stayed here a couple of times before, and it's proven a good base camp for Dollywood.  We left our home Wednesday morning, arriving at the KOA by mid-afternoon.  After checking in, we headed to the trolley to head to the park for the remainder of the day.  I had purchased  3 day park tickets via an online special they offered....if I remember right I paid around $99/person for those tickets.  Not a bad deal.  We headed in, and immediately we were immersed in the Fall Harvest and Gospel Festival....a festival focused on food, fall decor, Gospel music, and FUN!  

8pEd-4RlBaFEDYdGR69KMY80In7jr8-bz4ITZvNk

Even though there were many, many things I wanted to see, do and eat, we had a mission to jump immediately on upon entering the park.  We needed to get in our first Lightening Rod ride!  

If you aren't familiar with the Lightening Rod, let me first tell you that it is the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever gotten from a ride.  It is a wooden coaster that opened in 2016, and is the World's first launched wooden coaster.  It is also, with a peak speed of 73 mph, the world's fastest wooden coaster.  The ride was built in the Jukebox Junction section of the park, which has a 50's theme that feels kind of like Back to the Future.  I think they did a phenomenal job theming the ride....this is where you enter the queue.  

gsHKE4Awl2P-qXvPSJqAqK3Smew4V88bQ8tj13Cj

We got a ride in, and this thing is insane.  You leave the boarding area, and the cars launch up the first big hill at 45 mph.  When you crest the hill, you get airtime for the first of 12 times during the ride.   12!!  It feels like you spend more time off of your seat than on it.  The ride lasts 3 minutes and 12 seconds according the website, but it sure feels shorter.  It's a blast, regardless.  

After riding the Lightening Rod, we did some exploring before it got dark.  We were excited to see the park after dark, because they were advertising the Great Pumpkin Luminights as part of the festival this year.  But we first wanted to check things out in the light.  

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We made our way to the Mystery Mine, which is one of the girls' favorite rides.  

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This is a really cook dark ride coaster through an abandoned mine, with completely vertical hills.  

Waiting to ride....

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We grabbed dinner in the park, then wanted to experience the Lightening Rod in the dark.  We had a Dollywood cast member pull off an outstanding photobomb.  

OF8EZjvmaTex5H4oo_rB2LbxG81ybuFDlt_XBt1U

Bravo to that young man.  

I thought the Lightening Rod was insane in the daylight.  It's is beyond insane in the dark.  I wasn't exactly sure whether we'd survive.  Not being able to see the hills or banked turns was wild.  But still, we loved it.  Funny thing was, being that there were 3 of us, and you sit 2 across on the ride, we were paired with another rider.  It was an old woman dressed in a pant suit, jewelry and full face of makeup.  Before leaving the station, we chatted for a moment, and she told us that her grandchildren were riding and, rather than walk back down to the exit, she figured she'd just ride down.  She said she'd never ridden a roller coaster before.  I chuckled and said, "and THIS is the one you picked?".  LOL.  She looked nervous, but it was too late.  As I mentioned, the ride was crazy, and the poor woman looked shell shocked at the end.  I felt bad for her.  Bet she never rides another coaster again.  

We headed back to the KOA, and rested up for a full day at the park on Thursday.  

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast at the camper and headed to the trolley.  Those clouds looked a bit fall like, but the temps were blazing hot.  It was in the mid-80's that week, and very humid.  

wUZZpTMiDbQ0Rm83rjvOfQYXJXzRaMzl48oN6pWs

We got to the park in time for rope drop, and where do you suppose we headed first?

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SCIw3BBsjzZpDhTfsZsSgrEQ8Boqg47ZW7BijP18

After that ride, the girls went off to ride some more coasters, while I wanted to just explore the Craftsman Valley and listen to some live music.  

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1zpymh3B_neOXJSjX02nM_XFVphkRU4EJU7ZWIHy

I decided to go see the Birds of Prey show, which showcases Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls and other birds that reside in a sanctuary at the park . 

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fBD0cyMoeWwNLlwbfYfbj8ydixbO5FDKMC5-KBXN

The show features some endangered species, but none are more endangered than the Silverbellied American Flip Phone.

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dymFKRL-Dhf9Q7PzkyDALBl_zQSzjOdpnZmHCu-v

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The culmination of the show is the American Bald Eagle, of which quite a few reside in the park at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.  

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That's probably enough bird pics.  

I made my way to the grist mill to get some of that famous Dollywood ooey, gooey cinnamon bread.  

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I wish I had some right now.  That cup of icing on the side, melted into the crevices in the bread....oh my.  

Ok, moving on.

I also got myself some fried green tomatoes. 

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I met back up with girls and gave them some of the cinnamon bread.  What, you think I ate the whole loaf myself??

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Rxrq0grb2SjUENwRqngD12XTjZ8JFFfrHmZAgQia

I'll leave it here for now.  

Coming up, some music.  And some Great Pumpkin Luminights.  

  

 

    

I have always wanted to go to Dolly Wood. I wondered if there was a campground near it so you didn't have to drive to it. Is there a charge for the trolley? 

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So I'm trying to catch up since getting back from WDW. But I just read your post about Raglan Road and you asked if anyone had been there recently. Well we were, last Tuesday!

We had never been before but we went with some friends who were also down there and they go just about every trip. I had the salmon, DH had the chicken pot pie and we were both very pleased with our meal. When it came time for dessert, which we don't normally order, our friends said "We're all getting the bread pudding. There is no other choice, that's what you're getting." So DH and I split one and we both thought it was delicious. Of course it was our first time so I can't compare but our friends seemed happy with it and they always get it.

Just my two cents. 

 

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On 1/19/2018 at 8:48 PM, bhall said:

Whoa, you are just like my dad.  wishes do come true!

:lol:

On 1/19/2018 at 9:48 PM, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Sounds like a great trip.  I want a flag on the back of my chair that will call the attention of someone to bring me drinks! 

I've tried it at home and much laughter ensued.  

On 1/19/2018 at 9:56 PM, momof3kids-Yvonne said:


I'm thinking I should get one of those for the Montgomery Bell GG.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

For my chair, so you can bring me beer?  

On 1/19/2018 at 10:23 PM, LONE-STAR said:

There are maybe better campgrounds but we have always liked the section of river that it backs up to. It has Rapids, shallow water, deep water, slow water, so there is some place for every one to play. It's also nice if you want to rent there rafts or tubes they will bus you back from Gruene.  You feel like your nowhere near town but it's only 5 to 10 minutes and you have plenty places to go eat. 

http://camphuacosprings.com

That sounds really nice.

On 1/20/2018 at 7:16 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Haha... agreed.  It's breakfast time and I'm hungry.  I tried putting a shirt on my chair (didn't have a flag); Tom and the kids just walked by me.  

 

Great trip Dave!  Wonderful memories for your girl (and mom/dad), no doubt. 

Time does go by, too fast.

Yes, too fast.  I'm glad we did it.  

40 minutes ago, LONE-STAR said:

I have always wanted to go to Dolly Wood. I wondered if there was a campground near it so you didn't have to drive to it. Is there a charge for the trolley? 

There is....it's $0.50 per person, each way.  Cheaper than parking, and it drops you right at the gate.  The only times it's not pleasant is if you leave at park closing, there can be a LONG wait for a trolley.  I came very close to Ubering one night, but then a couple of trolleys showed up and the line moved quickly after that.

38 minutes ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Dollywood is definitely on our to do list. 

Try it out.  

36 minutes ago, dvccamper said:

So I'm trying to catch up since getting back from WDW. But I just read your post about Raglan Road and you asked if anyone had been there recently. Well we were, last Tuesday!

We had never been before but we went with some friends who were also down there and they go just about every trip. I had the salmon, DH had the chicken pot pie and we were both very pleased with our meal. When it came time for dessert, which we don't normally order, our friends said "We're all getting the bread pudding. There is no other choice, that's what you're getting." So DH and I split one and we both thought it was delicious. Of course it was our first time so I can't compare but our friends seemed happy with it and they always get it.

Just my two cents. 

 

That's good to hear, and gives me hope that perhaps our last visit was just a bad night.

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Looks like we need to plan another trip to do Dollywood again, they were building Lightning Rod the last time we were there. We are actually thinking of trying Branson this year but you never know we cold change our mind.

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Dollywood sure looks nice, and $99 for a three day pass is a heck of a deal!

Plus that cinnamon loaf!

i wish you had a photo of that grandma who rode the Lightning Rod. I'd love to hear what she told her family after that. 

We are already to October now, and we haven't heard of any incidents which deepened your Disney hate, as your thread title indicates. Something bad must be coming up. 

TCD

 

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Love, love, love Dollywood, especially in the Fall. And the cast members are great, as evidenced by Mr. Photobomber. I bet that grandma will always walk back to the exit now. That is just hysterical (says the person who will not ride a roller coaster with drops, with a little evil laugh).  Last time we were at Dollywood they were in the middle of building Lightning Rod. I know my boys would love it. They usually divide most of their time between Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine.  

Also, speaking of water parks, Dollywood's water park Splash Country is pretty nice and it has a great water coaster.

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3 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Looks like we need to plan another trip to do Dollywood again, they were building Lightning Rod the last time we were there. We are actually thinking of trying Branson this year but you never know we cold change our mind.

If you go to Branson, you might run into Ray.  If you go to Pigeon Forge, you might run into me.  That is what they call a no win situation.  

2 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Dollywood sure looks nice, and $99 for a three day pass is a heck of a deal!

Plus that cinnamon loaf!

i wish you had a photo of that grandma who rode the Lightning Rod. I'd love to hear what she told her family after that. 

We are already to October now, and we haven't heard of any incidents which deepened your Disney hate, as your thread title indicates. Something bad must be coming up. 

TCD

 

I'm going to spoil the surprise.  There is no Disney hatred.  Including the cruise, I did 4 Disney trips last year (well, one just included a Disney water park day).  Nothing bad happened.  But don't tell anyone.  I need to keep the suspense going.  Besides, nobody reads the comments buried in trip reports, right?  ;)

1 hour ago, Seals said:

Love, love, love Dollywood, especially in the Fall. And the cast members are great, as evidenced by Mr. Photobomber. I bet that grandma will always walk back to the exit now. That is just hysterical (says the person who will not ride a roller coaster with drops, with a little evil laugh).  Last time we were at Dollywood they were in the middle of building Lightning Rod. I know my boys would love it. They usually divide most of their time between Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine.  

Also, speaking of water parks, Dollywood's water park Splash Country is pretty nice and it has a great water coaster.

We enjoy Splash country too.  And my kids also seem to divide their time between Mystery Mine and Wild Eagle...only now they also add in Lightening Rod.  Which unfortunately is a LONG walk from the other two, and uphill.  

32 minutes ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

OK now I want to go to Dollywood!!  That Lightning Rod looks like a blast.  Just showed your pic of it to DH he is a no go, wimp,  but it looks cool to me. 

Cinnamon bread :bananas: and yes I did think you ate it all.  Yum for the fried green maters too.

Lot's of good eats at Dollywood, for sure.  It usually ranks up there on lists of best theme park food.  

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26 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I'm going to spoil the surprise.  There is no Disney hatred.  Including the cruise, I did 4 Disney trips last year (well, one just included a Disney water park day).  Nothing bad happened.  But don't tell anyone.  I need to keep the suspense going.  Besides, nobody reads the comments buried in trip reports, right?  ;)

Right. 

After I posted my comment, it occurred to me that your title only says that your hatred was taken to a new level. That means it could have decreased. 

TCD

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3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Right. 

After I posted my comment, it occurred to me that your title only says that your hatred was taken to a new level. That means it could have decreased. 

TCD

Could mean that.  Or it could mean that I was just being coy.  

1 hour ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

That's what I've been thinking too.

We shall see.  

9 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

:bell_winner-bf: :lol:

Yeah yeah.  

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Let's move along and wrap up our Dollywood adventure.  

One of my favorite things to do at Dollywood is ride the train.  This train is massive...the real deal with an operating history as a working locomotive in Alaska.

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One of the things I was excited about on this trip was quietly sitting and listening to some music.  Dollywood always offers a good variety of live entertainment, but during the Gospel festival those offerings ramp up.  I wasn't sure what to expect quality-wise, as there was so much on the schedule, but I'd check out shows and if they weren't to my tastes I figured I'd just move on.  

I don't recall the names of any of the groups I saw, but I'll say that there were some really good ones....and a couple of not so good ones.  

This family was super talented, and the younger son in the middle had a voice that would knock your socks off.

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This is one of the groups that is a regular Dollywood performer, and not part of the gospel festival.  More like Lady Antebellum or Little Big Town, meetings schmaltzy Broadway.  They were entertaining.  

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Another enjoyable group, with a bluegrass feel.

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And then there is this group.  I have to say, they were catchy, but there was something about them that made me chuckle.  What do you think?  

I wish I had video of some of the good acts.  I don't want anyone to have the impression that all the acts were like that last one.  Then again, it's not like they were bad...they were mostly in tune, and they could kind of sing.  And those dance moves...those were top notch.  So perhaps a lot of people liked them.  

Anyways, after I left that show I figured I'd meet up again with the girls and we could get something to eat.  I wanted to get something from Granny Ogle's Ham and Beans.  They are known for their pit smoked ham, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, greens and cornbread.  So that's what I wanted.  The girls wanted Lumberjack pizza, so I got my dinner to go and headed to meet them at the pizza place to eat.  

I was quite pleased with my meal, especially for theme park food.  The only disappointment was the mashed potatoes...they tasted like instant.  Everything else was good and fresh tasting.  I failed to take pics, so here are a couple of pics I lifted from the web that show the food. 

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The kids enjoyed their pizza.  After eating, we hit the Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine again, and then it was dark.  That meant we could see the Great Pumpkin Illuminights.  Here are some pics of that to give you an idea of what this was all about. 

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And that's about it for pics for this trip.  

One other thing we did that I really enjoyed...is we were able to get together one evening with Lance and Olivia.  Those of you that have been around for a while will remember Olivia, who went by the username livluvsdisney.  I always try to get together with them when in the area, and we had a great evening catching up, laughing, and eating ice cream.  

So, Dollywood is now done.  That means one more trip for the year and I can wrap this little retrospective up.  And for our last trip, we return to the center of it all....The Fort, for Thanksgiving!!  Stay tuned.  

 

 

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So many comments saying, "I love Dollywood" or "I want to go to Dollywood"... definitely need a GG. 

Love the pics.  Our last trip to PF/Dollywood, was in the fall.  If the weather is warm (again, I don't like cold), it's such a pretty place to be.  

I saw that roller coaster, while waiting in the line for the car ride with my kiddos.  You're crazy.

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I can't believe you didn't mention any encounter with Miss Lillian, the Chicken Lady. We always hit her buffet.

 

And a tip for people considering a Dollywood trip -- if one person in your family gets an annual gold pass you get free parking and 10% off dining. 

Two of my favorite regular groups there are The Kingdom Heirs (https://www.kingdomheirs.com/news) and the Smoky Mountain String Band (https://www.jerrybutleronline.com/smoky-mountain-string-band). 

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15 hours ago, keith_h said:

Those are the best parts.

There can be some gems buried in the comments.  

9 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

The girls have been begging to go Dollywood. We have not been since they were little.
I think I will try to get there this summer.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

Good idea. 

1 hour ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

So many comments saying, "I love Dollywood" or "I want to go to Dollywood"... definitely need a GG. 

Love the pics.  Our last trip to PF/Dollywood, was in the fall.  If the weather is warm (again, I don't like cold), it's such a pretty place to be.  

I saw that roller coaster, while waiting in the line for the car ride with my kiddos.  You're crazy.

I know I'm crazy, but I think you should try riding it next time you visit.  It really was fun. 

5 minutes ago, Seals said:

I can't believe you didn't mention any encounter with Miss Lillian, the Chicken Lady. We always hit her buffet.

 

And a tip for people considering a Dollywood trip -- if one person in your family gets an annual gold pass you get free parking and 10% off dining. 

Two of my favorite regular groups there are The Kingdom Heirs (https://www.kingdomheirs.com/news) and the Smoky Mountain String Band (https://www.jerrybutleronline.com/smoky-mountain-string-band). 

Good point about Miss Lillian, but I try to limit my buffet visiting.  I have no off switch.  

And another good tip about the Gold Pass.  When we've had annual passes I made mine a gold pass for that reason.  The savings cover the cost of the upgrade in one meal, and the free parking is huge.  Since we didn't have AP's this year, and didn't bring a vehicle with us, that wasn't a consideration on this trip.    

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1 hour ago, Momof6....aka Marty said:

How were the lines at Dollywood? Are there enough rides for the Coaster-phobic? Not me. The WWW cure me of that. But my youngest is still traumatized from EE three years ago.


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Yes there is a ton to do and ride for those that don't ride coasters.  Not all the rides are E ticket....or DD as the case may be.   

56 minutes ago, keith_h said:

We have yet to get over to Dollywood. We've talked about a trip over there and to Chattanooga for the TVR Museum but haven't managed to work it in yet. 

You can easily fill several days in Chatt too.  

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