Dollywood Hacks For The Best Trip Ever in 2023!

It is very important that you have a good grasp of what events are taking place inside Dollywood during your visit. There are a few reasons for this. First, if you want to attend these shows or events, I recommend you make a note of the times and days, and then plan your park touring and meals AROUND those show times.

There is nothing more frustrating than getting to Dollywood determined you don’t want to miss a special show or event and then getting stuck on the wrong side of the park or on a ride and missing the show!

Do yourself a favor, and plan out each day around the special events.

I recommend you get a binder for your trip to the Smokies and create a special section for your Dollywood days. More on that later!

Dollywood & Great Smoky Mountains National Park Planning Tools

• National Park Travel Binder
• 7-Day Smoky Mountains Scenic Tours Itinerary
• Clear Protective Sheets
• Subject Dividers [Can also be clear sheets for your Table of Content Pages]

Hack #3: Download The Dollywood App

The Dollywood app is definitely a newer hack, but it’s a great way to help you plan your time when visiting the park. You can download the Dollywood app now for free on the App store. Key features of the app include:

• Planning helps
• Interactive Park Map
• Show Schedules
• Purchase Tickets
• Find restaurants, shops, and rides
• Learn about new features or events happening within the park
• and more…

Hack #4: Use the Centralized Measuring Station

Upon entering the park, locate the centralized measuring station to the right of the Dollywood Emporium. Take your kids to be measured and receive a color-coded wristband that displays their current height.

Upon entering rides, you or the park staff can easily determine which rides your child can safely enjoy.

This cuts down on the time it takes to get your kids’ height measured at each ride location.

Note: Children who are 52 inches or taller do not need to be measured. They are tall enough to ride everything.

Hack #5: Arrive Early

Hack #8: Strollers

Visitors are allowed to bring their strollers inside the park. If you have to bring a stroller, bring one that is easy to fold as you will have to do so on the tram and the train.

However, I also recommend you get one with some storage pockets. When my children were little, if I had to have a stroller, I wanted it to help me out with snack storage, diapers, etc.

A stroller with a tandem seat or step for younger kids is also great when those little feet get tired.

Dollywood also offers stroller rentals for visitors who need them on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hack #12: Time Saver Pass

If you really want to maximize your ride time and you don’t mind paying a bit extra, get a Time Saver Pass.

There are two options:

• Time Saver pass: Gives you eight expedited entrances to selected rides
• TimeSaver Unlimited pass: This lets you have unlimited expedited access at any participating TimeSaver attraction.

So which rides are time saver pass rides?

• Barnstormer
• Dizzy Disk
• Dragonflier
• Drop Line
• Fire Chaser Express
• Lightning Rod
• Mystery Mine
• Sky Rider
• Smoky Mountain River Rampage
• Tennessee Tornado
• Thunderhead
• The Waltzing Swinger
• Wile Eagle

Personal Insider Experience:
Weigh your options before you decide on the Time Saver pass. I have visited Dollywood since way before a Time Saver Pass was necessary. I personally, have never purchased one as we visit often enough and can avoid the peak times to make it unnecessary. However, I will say that Dollywood has become much more popular over the years, and if you plan to visit on a weekend or during a peak season such as Christmas or Summer, then you may want to consider purchasing one.
Also, if you know you only have a 1 day ticket and really want to experience every ride, then you may want to purchase the Time Saver pass.

Amanda

Hack #16: When to Eat

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I recommend you find your show times and plan your meals and your riding around those schedules.

The busiest time for restaurants is usually from 11:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m.

In order to avoid the long lines, plan snack breaks around 10:00-11:00 am before the main meal times and then have your main meals after the rush around 3:00-4:30 pm.

While you can not take food into the park, you are allowed to get your hand stamped and leave the park if you need to do so.

However, if you have more than one park day, I’d recommend spending a half day in the park, leaving between 11:30-2:30pm and then coming back for the evening or coming back the next day in the afternoon. This can be a great way to avoid the largest crowds and not over tire yourself.

Dollywood Hack: Coaster Ride Strategy

If you want to snag all the coasters at least once, this is my recommended strategy.

1. As soon as the park opens, head right to Jukebox Junction to ride Lightning
2. After Lightning Rod, head back to the left toward Wildwood Grove to ride Dragon Flyer
3. Next, make your way to back out toward Timber Canyon to ride Thunderhead and Mystery Mine. I personally prefer Mystery Mine and the line can get long, so I would ride it first. I’m not a fan of wooden coasters so only do Thurnderhead if you really love them.
4. After Mystery Mine, head over to Fire Chaser, Wild Eagle, and the Tennessee Tornado.
5. Finally, head to Craftsman’s Valley to get in the very special Blazing Fury

Read our post about Dollywood Coasters to know more about these these thrilling rides.

Obviously, if you don’t feel the need to skip all the other rides in order to get these coasters in, then, by all means, take your time and ride the other rides in these areas while there. This is just my strategy for maximum coaster capacity during your visit.

After you have accomplished these coaster rides, you can choose all the other rides you missed or go hang out in some of the other areas of the park like Owen’s Farm, The Village, Jukebox Junction, or Peppermint Valley.

Other notable rides you may not wish to skip (depending on the weather) include:

• All the new rides in Wildwood Grove: Black Bear Trail, Frogs & Fireflies, The Great Tree Swing, Mad Mockingbird
• Whistle Punk Chaser in Timber Canyon
• Smoky Mountain River Rampage (you will get wet)
• Daredevil Falls (you will get wet)

The Dollywood Express is often less crowded during the first and last runs of the day. If you’re heading to Country Fair, it’s best to go later in the day when most young families have already come and gone.

Smoky Mountains 7-Day Itinerary

I understand how difficult it can be to plan a trip, especially if it’s your first time going. That’s why I created this 7-day itinerary for the Smoky Mountains. It outlines all of the best places to go in the area and comes with insider tips that will save you a lot of stress–trust me, they saved me when I was planning my own trip!

• Our 7-day itinerary takes you to the best places in the Smoky Mountains.
• You’ll get to see all the best sights and attractions with driving directions
• The itinerary is designed to show you the most scenic routes.
• Packing Checklist for every season.
• You’ll have everything you need to make the most of your trip.
• Insider Tips!

Here’s a quick overview of our Smoky Mountains 7-Day Itinerary.

• Day 1: Cades Cove Loop
• Day 2: Rich Mountain Road
• Day 3: Cataloochee Valley
• Day 4: Newfound Gap Road
• Day 5: Roaring Fork Motor Trail
• Day 6: Little River Road
• Day6: Foothills Parkway