Dollywood - Is it worth it? Other things to do?

[jenstring95]

I know this belongs in Places to Go, but it seems that hardly anyone posts there, so I thought I would see if I can get some responses before this post gets moved. We are going to the Smoky Mountains for a few days, and we are trying to decide what to do. It will be my parents, DH, 5.5yo DS, 3.5yo DD and me. Is Dollywood a good place for kids that age? I keep reading that it is overpriced, etc, but I'm having a harder time finding reviews from people with young kids. We have been to Disney, Legoland, Sea World, etc. We do not listen to country music (but we don't have anything against Dolly, either!).

Also, what other activities or places to visit can you recommend for those ages in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area? We would like to do as much outside stuff as possible, as our weather at home is dreadfully hot and humid, and we don't go outside for most of the summer.

Thanks in advance!

[AshleyAnn]

DH and I honeymooned in Gatlinburg and enjoyed it a lot. We did not do DollyWood.

We are both really looking forward to taking DD back to the aquarium. There is a ton of touristy things to do and pretty much everything can be walked to. They also have a trolley that runs around town so you don't need to drive/park. The skylift was my favorite outside thing to do.

If you want outdoors there is always putt-putt golf, rafting, hiking, and horseback riding.

Next time I go back I will try the mirror maze. Its indoors but gets great reviews. Also, look into getting a daily trolley pass instead of paying per ride. DH and I didn't know it was available until our last day - it would have saved us a ton.

[tmahanes]

The aquarium is a blast! There is also a bunch of tourist stuff. Dollywood and another water park I can't remember the name of right now. Minor league baseball. Go karts. Putt putt. One of those sky lift cable things. Outlets! And the best thing.... people watching!!!! :hysterical:

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[WatchingThemGrow]

We enjoyed Dollywood and Splash Country. The kiddie section of Dollywood was a huge hit for my younger DC, and we got to the water park very early and beat the crowds. My BFF met us there, so we had an extra special weekend.

One family at our resort was spending the whole week visiting parks and trails, etc. They were doing the "outdoorsy" trip with their 4 DC, while we were doing the "touristy" thing with our 3. There are definitely enough fun things to do with DC.

[KHF]

We go to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge with my family about once a year, but usually in the fall or winter and it's chillier (and almost always raining) when we're there. We rent a 5 bedroom cabin and go with my brothers, SIL, nieces, parents and grandmother. So usually we spend a lot of time at the cabin. My mother is a champion shopper, and we usually hit the outlets and always eat at the Apple Barn and The Olde Mill. The kids always want to go to the Aquarium, so we do that. This last time DH and one of my brothers took DD to the Titanic museum and she really liked that.

And, of course, putt putt....there are a bazillion courses there. One of these days I hope to actually be able to take the kids in to the park...hopefully we'll go in good weather one day :)

[elephantmeg]

theres tons of put put and go kart places. We did some hiking around clingmans dome.
http://www.clingmansdome.com/

I've never taken the kids to pigeon forge-DH and I have gone a couple times though.

[alexsmommy]

My 99 year old grandmother is in Knoxville, so we once a year. We have not felt the need to pay for Dollywood yet. We get a cabin, do go carts at Track Family Recreation Center (recommended by a mama here a few years back - perfect for kids your age) and hit the Aquarium and Wonderworks, do a day trip into the Smokies with a picnic lunch, hit the outlet mall (has an arcadey type area in the middle, probably more for kids a little older than yours - but there were also pony rides) and get ice-cream/custard. Add meals out and time splashing in the hot-tub/whirlpool, it has been more than enough activity.