Dollywood 2022

Part of Georgia’s Christmas gift was Dollywood tickets from Santa! We told her we would use them once it warmed up and we were out of school for the summer. We found a free weekend, secured family to keep John and headed to the mountains for a quick trip.

Dolly or bust! We finally made it to the park Georgia has been wanting to explore since her love for Dolly began. Her and I are serious fangirls!


We had the bright idea to start the day on the river rampage water ride. Everything dried out except our socks. We kept the soggy socks souvenir all day long :)

I’ve taken a lot of pictures in my day but this one is a top five for sure. 


Cruisin’ and trying to dry out a little 


Their first big rollercoaster ever-Dollywood’s Thunderhead, “the wildest ride in the woods”. They were both brave to do this one! Georgia did scream “I don’t like it” but she has bragging rights of doing it :)

We did the height test before we started our day and they both received clearance to ride all the rides! Jack barely made it but was so excited he could do it all.

The famous Grist Mill. Absolutely gorgeous!


The cinnamon bread at Grist Mill lives up to the hype. The kids devoured it like vultures. 

Dolly’s tour bus! We were the very first people in line for this must-see.


Everything was preserved just like it was when she toured. I’m sure it was luxury on wheels back in the day!


“Please no picture taking on any of Dollywood’s rides” was the rule mama didn’t see until after I took this one :) I’m a rule breaker!


Thunderhead views of the park. Breathtaking. 

I promise the kids had fun LOL


Waiting in line for the Firechaser Express


Tiff made our matching Dolly shirts for us-they were the cutest! And I realize now after looking at this picture this was about the time I lost my favorite sunglasses :(

We went to Dolly’s theater to watch the Violet the Pilot play, Georgia and I love that book! I loved the Coat of Many Colors display.

Two beauties with hearts of gold 

After missing two train departures, third time was the charm and we finally got to ride. I can’t get over the beauty of this park nestled in the smoky mountains. No other amusement park I’ve seen to compares in aesthetics and natural beauty.

Jack rode every roller coaster we had time for. Wild Eagle was his favorite. It went upside down four times and cork screwed and went up 100 feet. This picture just shows how close he was on the height requirement! This boy lives life large. He also loved Mystery Mine. He’s the bravest seven year old I know!


Sunny grin pictures at 5 in the afternoon because we forgot to have one take it in the morning will have to do for our iconic Dollywood picture

Tell me you’re a tourist without telling me you’re a tourist. We collected everyone he could find.

We had an amazing time. The park was gorgeous and provided things for all of us to enjoy. We were dog tired by the end of the day from all the walking. It’s very spread out with lots of detail to nature and preserving the park’s beauty. 

Favorite ride/attraction:

Marcus- Wild Eagle

Mom- Thunderhead

Georgia-Dolly’s tour bus 

Jack-Wild Eagle