Here are 4 parking tips and tricks for Dollywood according to a local
As someone who has been going to Dollywood since the year it transitioned from Silver Dollar City, I can say that I’ve had good and also bad parking experiences. I’ve had times that we’ve gotten lucky with great spots right next to a trolley stop and times that I’m pretty sure we parked in Knoxville.
The truth is that Dollywood has certainly been expertly managed over the last 40 years. It has become one of the best theme parks in the world. But the parking situation has been as area where Dollywood has consistently lagged behind.
Why is that? Well, Dollywood inherited a certain amount of space for parking and a system that was largely set in stone. The park has made a variety of tweaks and adjustments over the years, but the trolley system remains the park’s least successful operation. Not because of the employees. In our experience, the trolley drivers and service crews that come out if you have car trouble are angels on Earth. It’s just that the system isn’t great for loading and unloading and can get overwhelmed at peak times.
Why haven’t they fixed it? A true fix would be too big a job for any single offseason, especially when asphalt plants typically shut down for the winter. So, they’ve been loath to start a season without enough parking and a massive overhaul underway. They are planning another parking expansion, I believe, for the 2025 season. But there’s only so much they can do.
Three tips to avoid parking problems at Dollywood

1. Operate outside the margins of park time
You can’t operate within park hours To beat the parking system, or else you’re just relying on luck. Get there early, like too early. Snag a spot near a trolley stop. Commit to leaving earlier than you probably want to or staying longer than the park, technically, allows.
Listen, all of my top 10 worst experiences at Dollywood involve standing in the lines to get to a trolley at closing time. It’s crowded. People are tired and cranky and that includes you. Nobody’s in the mood to spend 15 to 30 minutes butts to elbows jockeying for position. It goes against my nature to try to be the last person in the park. But you’ve got to do it. Work your way to the front of the park slowly. Don’t be rude. Don’t try to hide out like some idiot YouTuber, just do your level best to let the crowds clear before you get in the queue.

2. Pay for preferred parking
You could pay for preferred parking – roughly twice as much as standard parking – and get access to the same less crowded entrance as the hotel folk. I’m to the point now that I always pay for the preferred parking. That way I can avoid the crush at the end of the night. The only downside to the preferred lot is that it’s atop a mountain and you must go down it to get to the park. Going down the hill at the start of the day is not a problem. Going back up after a long day in the park can be tougher. Importantly, if you have even mild mobility issues, this might not be a good option.

3. If Dollywood’s lot is full, pick another day to go
There was a day last year, after Christmas and before New Year’s when Dollywood was encouraging guests to seek alternative parking. Suggestions included going to Patriot Park and riding the city trolley over to Dollywood.
Friends, if you’re out in the wide world thinking about going to Dollywood and they are encouraging you to park elsewhere, just don’t go. The park is full. They are too polite and want that money too much to tell you. Frankly, you could be doing better things with your time in the mountains. But John, you might say, we already paid for our tickets. Then you should have arrived before everyone and their uncle pulled into that parking lot and filled it up.

4. Avoid the parking lot by staying at a resort
Finally, the best way to avoid parking issues at Dollywood is to stay at DreamMore or HeartSong resorts and take the dedicated shuttle to the park. It drops you off at the less crowded entrance and you don’t have to fight as hard for a seat on the bus. However, if you’re like me and paying $250-$300 for a room when you could pay a third of that elsewhere, it goes against your genetics.
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