A Smoky Mountain local shares his favorite things to do in Wears Valley, Tennessee Growing up, I mostly treated Wears Valley as a negative space. It was a scenic drive at best, connecting the quiet side of the Smokies near my home with Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. It was a place you drove through to get to other more interesting things. But
Have you considered buying a Dollywood season pass for 2027? If so, you may have run across a few questions. How many times do I have to visit to get my money’s worth? Should I get a Gold Pass? Is the Silver Pass blackout calendar a deal breaker? If you’re anything like me, you work hard for your money and
Dollywood after Dolly Parton’s death: a chapel waterfall memorial, a new Dolly Parton Experience portal and plans through 2036. Park leaders share what’s next.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas has long been one of the park’s most cherished traditions, and Dolly Parton has said Christmas at Dollywood has a way of bringing cherished family memories back to life while helping families make new traditions together. The 2026 festival runs from Nov. 6, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027. The Dollywood crew traditionally works behind the scenes
After a season of rest, Dolly Parton steps back into the spotlight as Dollywood opens for its 41st season The walk might have been a little slower than in years past. Certainly, the steadying hand of Dollywood Parks and Resorts President Eugene Naughton might have been a little bit firmer. But when the spotlight came on, and the crowd started cheering, it
Dolly Parton provides an update on Dollywood’s most ambitious project ever Allen & Burns. Martin & Lewis. Hope & Crosby. Naughton & Parton. When Dolly Parton hits the stage with Dollywood Parks and Resorts President Eugene Naughton, it’s like watching a classic comedy act. Naughton – usually playing the straight man – works his way diligently through the script. Meanwhile, Parton
Titanic welcomes 2026 season with new artifacts, updated displays At a certain point, you’d think they would run out of new Titanic artifacts to put on display. After all, it’s been 114 years since the RMS Titanic was torn asunder in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Jack, Rose, and the drunk baker were left to fend for themselves. And
Ranking the properties owned in the Smokies owned by Dolly Parton and her partners You might have thought that Dollywood and the Stampede would have been enough. But Dolly Parton’s footprint in Pigeon Forge continues to grow. By my count, including Dollywood, Splash Country, and the two resorts as separate entities, Dolly and her various partners have a total of
Sky Pirates of Mermaid Bay: An honest review For years, the quality of mini-golf courses in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg – to a lesser extent, Sevierville – were on the decline. Other than the Ripley courses, most of your options were afterthoughts, mediocre destinations that existed only to give a little “added value” to the arcade ticket bunder. Others were
Great Smoky Mountain Murder Mystery Dinner Theater: An honest review “When I drink whiskey, I drink whiskey. And when I drink water, I drink water,” Barry Fitzgerald’s Michaleen Oge Flynn in John Ford’s classic “The Quiet Man.” “When I eat dinner, I eat dinner. And when I watch theater, I watch theater,” John Gullion in the Smoky Mountains every time