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Hi, now that are Disney trip is in the books can start to plan next trip.

 We have never been to Dollywood and would like to go over Thanksgiving.

From what I see the Christmas stuff they have looks really beautiful.

I have a few questions and would love any other info and tips.

First question is this a good time to go? Will it be really busy?

Next how many days in the park 1 or 2?

Good place to stay that will not break the bank? Thinking of hotels.

How is the weather that time of year? We will be driving from Wisconsin so, it has to be better right?

Thank you in advance for your time! 

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That is a great time to go and Christmas in the park is really great. Not sure what time the park opens then so if late 2 days might be best to see and do everything. The shows we saw lasted at least a hour if not longer. We stayed in a cabin in a campground that way we actually pre-cooked some meals so only needed to warm them up. Weather wise days will be pleasant but plan for nights to be chilly, also use the trolley system to avoid heavy traffic and also the parking fee at Dollywood, the trolley drops you off right at the entrance.

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The park will have some days that are closed and others where they will have a late open. I have a link to their calendar below. It is in the mountains so I would prepare for daytime temps in the 50's and 60's. Snow is also a possibility though I wouldn't expect it to hang around long that early in the season. 

Dollywood Calendar .

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On 6/2/2021 at 3:33 PM, Robin said:

Hi, now that are Disney trip is in the books can start to plan next trip.

 We have never been to Dollywood and would like to go over Thanksgiving.

From what I see the Christmas stuff they have looks really beautiful.  

>>>Dollywood is really pretty at Christmas time.  Keep in mind the park operating hours are shorter, since it gets dark early and can get quite cold after the sun goes down. 

I have a few questions and would love any other info and tips.

First question is this a good time to go? Will it be really busy?

>>>Yes, I think it is a good time to go since you'll get the advantage of the Christmas decorations and festival events.  However, Thanksgiving week tends to be quite busy.  Crowd sizes will somewhat depend on whether they drop COVID capacity restrictions by then.  To this point they have not, and you still need to make a reservation to guarantee you'll be able to access the park on the day(s) you want to.  At this time the reservation window opens 45 days in advance on your attendance day.  Not sure if that will be revised or eliminated during this operating season. 

Next how many days in the park 1 or 2?

>>>I would definitely advise 2 days.  As noted by others, the operating hours are short.  Plus you will want to not feel rushed and be able to enjoy some of the Smoky Mountain Christmas specials shows.  The entertainment in the park is enjoyable. 

Good place to stay that will not break the bank? Thinking of hotels.

>>>This is hard to recommend, as everyone has a different view of what constitutes breaking the bank.  If the budget allows, I recommend the Dreamore resort, which is Dollywood's own hotel.  However, during a holiday week, if they even have availability, the rates are probably north of $400/night.  We've stayed there once during a much less expensive time and I'd love to do it again, but it would again have to be a less expensive time of year for me...closer to $200/night.  So, assuming that's not an option, there are plenty of hotels to choose from in the area at various price points.  But I'd also look into a cabin rental through airbnb or vrbo.  Cabins are VERY numerous in the area, and if you don't have restrictions like needing one that accepts pets, there should still be plenty of availability for that week.  But I wouldn't wait long as the nicer ones tend to book quickly, and then you're left with the ones that sound good in the description but are "long in the tooth".  Pay close attention to the ratings and reviews of previous guests and you should be ok.  And some are in areas where you can catch the trolley right from the cabin development.  It's always nice to not have to drive to Dollywood.  Now, having said that, we like to stay at the KOA in Pigeon Forge, which has a bunch of different types of cabins, as it is in walking distance to the main trolley depot by the Old Mill.  This is nice because you can get to most places in PF and Gatlinburg without having to connect onto a second trolley.  This saves a lot of time.  You might want to check and see if they have availability when you are going. 

How is the weather that time of year? We will be driving from Wisconsin so, it has to be better right?

>>>Completely hit or miss.  We've camped in the area that time of year and had 60 and sunny, then woken up the next morning to a white ground.  Prepare for anything from nice dry fall weather, to cold rain, or maybe snow.  On average I would plan for highs in the 50s, lows around freezing, and hope for dry weather. 

Thank you in advance for your time! 

 

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On 6/2/2021 at 6:35 PM, dblr....Rennie said:

That is a great time to go and Christmas in the park is really great. Not sure what time the park opens then so if late 2 days might be best to see and do everything. The shows we saw lasted at least a hour if not longer. We stayed in a cabin in a campground that way we actually pre-cooked some meals so only needed to warm them up. Weather wise days will be pleasant but plan for nights to be chilly, also use the trolley system to avoid heavy traffic and also the parking fee at Dollywood, the trolley drops you off right at the entrance.

What campground did you stay in?  We are thinking about going this Christmas.  The Hallmark movie started us looking into Dollywood and Disney is beginning to get too expensive.

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5 hours ago, disneylitch......Debbie said:

What campground did you stay in?  We are thinking about going this Christmas.  The Hallmark movie started us looking into Dollywood and Disney is beginning to get too expensive.

Below is the link for where we stayed, it is on the trolley line but we drove to the main hub and took the trolley to Dollywood from there so we only had to take one. We stayed in what they call a Park Cabin which is like a park trailer, it was cozy but had 2 bedrooms and a bath and a half, living area with a kitchen.

Pigeon Forge Campground | Riveredge Log Cabin Rentals in Pigeon Forge, TN (stayriveredge.com)

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We just got home this afternoon from spending a few days with Dolly.  It was nice as always.  We opted to rent a cabin at the Pigeon Forge KOA this time, in order to have easy walking access to the trolley depot and Old Mill.  As it turned out that didn’t work this time as the walking path is closed.  They are building a new trolley terminal next to the old one.  It’ll be great when finished in a couple months, but made it this time so that we drove to Dollywood.  No big deal since my annual pass provides free parking, and since they raised the trolley fee to Dollywood to $2.50 each way, with 7 of us that was too expensive even if we did have to pay for parking.  
 

One other thing to mention.  If you are looking for something else to do in gatlinburg and the weather is nice, we visited Anakeesta and really enjoyed it.  If going there, get there early!  We tried to go in March and the lines were literally down the street.  Got there at 9 am opening yesterday and got right on.  The place is very nicely done and beautiful.  

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On 7/9/2021 at 6:05 PM, dblr....Rennie said:

Below is the link for where we stayed, it is on the trolley line but we drove to the main hub and took the trolley to Dollywood from there so we only had to take one. We stayed in what they call a Park Cabin which is like a park trailer, it was cozy but had 2 bedrooms and a bath and a half, living area with a kitchen.

Pigeon Forge Campground | Riveredge Log Cabin Rentals in Pigeon Forge, TN (stayriveredge.com)

Thank you

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I think 2 days at Dollywood will be enough.  However, take a look at ticket prices for 2 and 3 days, and compare to season pass prices, as some years if you buy a season pass in December you get the next year free.  Of course if a return trip in 2022 isn't in the cards then that doesn't help you.  

As far as other things to do, if the weather is cooperative, I recommend Anakeesta in Gatlinburg.  We also enjoyed the Titanic exhibit.  If you are looking for snow activities, Ober Gatlinburg is worth a look. 

I'd recommend having lunch or dinner at the Old Mill restaurant, and/or the Applewood Farmhouse restaurant.  The menus are pretty similar, so you may only want to do one, but we enjoy them both.  If ice cream is your thing, you can't beat the Old Mill Creamery. 

 

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20 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

I think 2 days at Dollywood will be enough.  However, take a look at ticket prices for 2 and 3 days, and compare to season pass prices, as some years if you buy a season pass in December you get the next year free.  Of course if a return trip in 2022 isn't in the cards then that doesn't help you.  

As far as other things to do, if the weather is cooperative, I recommend Anakeesta in Gatlinburg.  We also enjoyed the Titanic exhibit.  If you are looking for snow activities, Ober Gatlinburg is worth a look. 

I'd recommend having lunch or dinner at the Old Mill restaurant, and/or the Applewood Farmhouse restaurant.  The menus are pretty similar, so you may only want to do one, but we enjoy them both.  If ice cream is your thing, you can't beat the Old Mill Creamery. 

 

Other than the parking, it is hard to find anything wrong with the Old Mill.  The restaurant is great, as is the Pottery House Cafe nearby.  Never tried the Applewood Farmhouse restaurant.

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On 10/8/2021 at 9:20 AM, djsamuel said:

Other than the parking, it is hard to find anything wrong with the Old Mill.  The restaurant is great, as is the Pottery House Cafe nearby.  Never tried the Applewood Farmhouse restaurant.

We really like The Pottery House Cafe.   Funny enough, the restaurant Local Goat is ALWAYS busy, but we've never eaten there.

On 10/7/2021 at 12:40 PM, DaveInTN said:

I think 2 days at Dollywood will be enough.  However, take a look at ticket prices for 2 and 3 days, and compare to season pass prices, as some years if you buy a season pass in December you get the next year free.  Of course if a return trip in 2022 isn't in the cards then that doesn't help you.  

As far as other things to do, if the weather is cooperative, I recommend Anakeesta in Gatlinburg.  We also enjoyed the Titanic exhibit.  If you are looking for snow activities, Ober Gatlinburg is worth a look. 

I'd recommend having lunch or dinner at the Old Mill restaurant, and/or the Applewood Farmhouse restaurant.  The menus are pretty similar, so you may only want to do one, but we enjoy them both.  If ice cream is your thing, you can't beat the Old Mill Creamery. 

 

I agree on the 2 days, keeping in mind that most of the rides are roller coaster style (for this reason, the park is better fit for our daughter and Tom, but not myself and our son).  It's visually a very pretty park (but hilly which can be tough for some).

We liked the Old Mill Creamery, but the Apple Valley Creamery comes out ahead for our family ^_^

 

 

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It's been a couple of years since we've been at Christmas but we found the most challenging was to get to all the Christmas shows if that's your thing and they have them this year.  Had to plan which ones when and include time spent standing in lines to get in. And they used to be all or mostly in the afternoon/evenings. Maybe it won't be as crowded, although a friend went this past Sunday and said it was quite crowded.  We used to go to Old Mill years ago and then Applewood Farmhouse more recently and would also recommend both. 

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2 hours ago, Robin said:

Has anyone stayed at Creekside Rv Park? Thinking about staying here it looks nice but first hand knowledge is always the best.

We stayed here about 5 years ago   and were very pleased, when you first turn in they do not have a large area to stop, our tail end would have been in the road if we stopped right away. The sites that back up to the main road is where they put us due to size and the road is a very busy road so expect noise. Overall, the park is nice, clean and well run. 

This is where we always seem to stay now Pigeon Forge Campground | Riveredge Log Cabin Rentals in Pigeon Forge, TN (stayriveredge.com)

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