We’ve been dreaming of Dollywood at Christmas and this year we’re taking the whole family! It’s our 1st time and we’re excited to visit Dollywood, especially during this special time of year. See what we did and learn why we love Dollywood at Christmas!
Dollywood was just part of our week in the Smoky Mountains. Make sure to check out our separate post on Our Christmas in the Smokies!
Planning Dollywood at Christmas
We’ve been planning a trip to the Smokies since last year. And one of the main reasons was because we want to visit Dollywood at Christmas. Becky has been going to the Smoky Mountains since she was a kid, but was never able to go. So, I decided to make it happen. And not only for her, but for our whole family. Our daughter, our son Drew, Becky’s parents, Gigi and Poppa, and my mom, Grandma, are making the trip. And Becky’s brother Kelly, which makes 8 of us.
Dollywood is actually closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day every year. And since our big present to everyone are tickets to the park, we plan to go on December 26th. There are many different ticket options and can easily be purchased on their website in advance at Dollywood.com. We purchased the 1-day tickets which start under $100, even during peak times like Christmas. We added theme park parking for about $25 for our car. It’s not needed for those that have handicap passes. And I added 1 Photo Memory Pass for our group at $50 + tax.
The other thing we wanted to make sure we got was an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) for Gigi. But they only allow about half to be reserved online, and the rest are first-come, first serve. I didn’t book in time, so we plan to get to the park early to get an ECV. Park hours are 11:00AM to 9:00PM which gives us plenty of time to get there early. We did not purchase TimeSaver passes in advance, but we’ll talk more about them. And we didn’t plan any meals, but there are plenty of dining options. We are ready for a Holly Dolly Christmas!
A Holly Dolly Christmas
We found Dolly-themed gift bags and décor at Wal-Mart back home before our trip. So on Christmas morning, we pass out a Dolly gift bag with a printed ticket inside to everyone. Though everyone already knew they were going, and the tickets are on my phone. Dolly is everywhere, and adds to our theme this year.
But it doesn’t stop there. Becky and Grandma also decide we should have matching pajamas for Christmas. They found some cheap pants for everyone, but they also splurged for some Holly Dolly Christmas shirts.
Opening Dolly gift bags in Holly Dolly Christmas pajamas to get Dollywood tickets on Christmas is priceless. And everyone is psyched for Dollywood at Christmas tomorrow!
Getting early to Dollywood
The tickets are on my phone, but I bring the printed parking and Photo Memory passes with me. We split into 2 cars since there’s 8 of us. And we leave early, making the turn at the Dollywood sign just before 10:00AM. Becky’s parents have a handicapped tag, and proceed to disabled parking. And at the gate, I show them my printed parking pass and they direct me to lot C. But first Grandma wants to be dropped off front, so I drop her off and loop back to park. From this lot, there is a tram to take us to the front. Though it’s a little far, we could also walk from here. But, we park close to the tram, and it’s a quick ride to meet everyone near the entrance around 10:20.
When I get there, Grandma is already in line for the ECV’s with Becky and her parents. Also in line is Becky’s Uncle Bob and cousins. Our extended family from Arizona has been with us all week, and is also hitting the park today. And not only does Gigi and Uncle Bob get an electric scooter, but so does Grandma and Poppa. A nice lady helps everyone get situated on the scooters and explains the controls. Uncle Bob got his first and the cousins take him into the park.
Happy our parents were able to get their scooters, we gather at a sign to take a picture. It’s not an official Photo Memory Pass location, but there are some coming up. Before the entrance gates are some restrooms that we have to stop at. And then we find our 1st Photo Memory Pass opportunity.
Dollywood at Christmas Photo Opportunities
There are 3 opportunities to get your picture taken by a Dollywood photographer. And they’re all near the entrance to the park. The 1st is a giant Christmas wreath just outside the gates. They allow us to take multiple pictures with our family. And they even have a special one where they tell our daughter to put her hands out for a surprise. The photographer then gives me a card. He tells me there’s a booth through the gates on the left to add the photo to my pass.
After the 1st photo, we head through the turnstiles. I’m able to use my phone to scan everyone’s tickets even though it’s not 11:00 yet. And then we see a line for our 2nd photo opportunity. It’s a large Dollywood sign right in front of the park. But Drew says he’s hungry and bails to go the bakery, while the rest of us stay in line for a few pictures. I get another card, and afterwards I find the photo counter attached to the emporium. Here they add the photos to my account and give me another card I can use the rest of the day. They tell me to take a picture of it for a backup or to share.
Afterwards, Drew meets us back with lots of baked goods. He got croissants and pastries as well as their famous cinnamon bread. We are glad to knock this treat off our list already. It comes in a box with icing, and it’s plenty to share though a little messy. There is a 3rd photo opportunity with bells if we head past the bakery. But, we decide we want to head left toward the rollercoasters.
Timber Canyon and Thunderhead at Dollywood
I read it’s best to head left 1st since 7 of the 8 rollercoasters are this way. So with our little daredevil daughter, we head to the Timber Canyon area first. On the way, is Glacier Ridge where we go through the Arctic Passage. It’s a tunnel of lights decorated for Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas. Just one of many decorations this time of year.
Once we reach Timber Canyon, we find the 1st coaster named Thunderhead. It’s a wooden coaster, and it’s showing an hour wait. So, we leave our parents in the scooters. And the 5 of us get in line. It’s not even 11:30AM, so while we wait I explore the 3 different Timesaver Passes. The cheapest option at $60 per person plus tax only allows you to use it 5x. And the premium option with unlimited times for all rides is $100 per person plus tax. The middle “plus” option is $80 per person and allows us to ride all rollercoasters except Big Bear Mountain. Though the line is moving, Drew decides to buy the TimeSaver Plus passes for the 5 of us. It’s his Christmas gift to us and we’re able to purchase on our phone while in line.
The line for Thunderhead actually only takes about 35 minutes. And the wooden coaster is fast, fun and lasts for a few minutes. I keep rising out of my chair around the turns and am surprised by this one. Once off, we head down to a kiosk for the ride photos. With the Photo Memory Pass, you can get photos for 5 participating rides. But unfortunately, this kiosk is frozen and won’t allow us to see our photos. Disappointed in missing the photos, we meet back with the parents.
Drop Line and Mystery Mine Coaster
It’s after noon and they get in line at Lumber Jack’s Pizza to get drinks. Right across is the ride Drop Line. And though it’s not a rollercoaster, Drew convinces me to ride it with him. This is the only ride our daughter is just short of the height requirement. And she is not happy she can’t go with us.
We walk right on, and grab a seat while it travels up 20 stories above the park. It does one drop enough for an adrenaline surge before it slowly reaches the bottom. Afterwards, our daughter, Becky and Kelly are ready for the next rollercoaster named Mystery Mine.
We enter the TimeSaver line which is short. And after 7 minutes we are on the coaster. Mystery Mine starts outside before it goes inside the mine where there’s a surprise drop. So far both coasters are awesome, so we head to Wildwood Grove for more.
Wildwood Grove at Dollywood
The newest section of the park has both Big Bear Mountain and Dragonflier coasters. However as soon as we enter this area, we run into Uncle Bob and the cousins. They’ve stopped to eat at Till & Harvest Food Hall for lunch. Though it’s already 1:15PM, we decide we’ll wait for lunch until we go to the next land. There’s a hot dog place that Becky is interest in. So, we decide to ride the 2 rollercoasters here while our parents watch us again.
Big Bear Mountain is the newest rollercoaster at Dollywood, which is why it’s not available in the lower TimeSaver passes. And though the line doesn’t look long, it’s slow. It takes us almost an hour to go through it. The coaster goes fast around many turns as you evade a big bear, which you hear growling throughout the ride. Maybe it’s just the long wait, but this ride is disappointing to me. And there was no ride photo.
However the next coaster, Dragonflier, has a TimeSaver entrance. Though the line is longer than expected. It’s shorter than the standard line, but still takes over 20 minutes. Different than Big Bear where you sit in a car, here you fly under the track like a dragonfly. This ride is much more fun, but pretty short. There are some other cool-looking smaller rides here as well. But, it’s already after 3:00PM and we still need to eat lunch.
The Dog House lunch
We leave Wildwood Grove to head to Wilderness Pass. And right when you enter this new land, the Dog House is on the right. It’s 3:15PM and we are really hungry. But for some reason there’s a lot of people just standing around. We walk up to the counter to order, but they’re busy. And there’s really not much else to eat around here, so we wait. Once someone finally comes up, we each order one of their large hot dogs and a kids dog for our daughter. Each comes with chips which we devour right away.
Half of us order the Tennessee Top Dog which is basically a chili-cheese dog topped with bacon and onions. For a counter service restaurant selling hot dogs, it seems like it takes forever. And on top of it, once we get our food there is nowhere to sit. I mean no tables whatsoever. And the food is messy. I know there are much better places to eat if you have the time, but we want to ride more rollercoasters.
Firechaser Express and Wild Eagle Rollercoasters
After at least 30 minutes and food in our bellies, we leave our parents for the Firechaser Express nearby. We jump in the TimeSaver line just before 4:00PM, and it’s 4:30PM before we get on the ride. This coaster is a train that puts out fires. And it’s got a twist.
It’s a dual-launch coaster which shoots forward and at one point stops. And then it launches us backwards before returning to the start. Once off, we return to our parents. They’ve watched us ride the first 5 coasters, but it’s getting later and colder. So, they decide to head to see some shows. Dollywood at Christmas is during their Smoky Mountain Christmas. And there’s quite a list of shows for the holiday. So, we say goodbye to enter the line for Wild Eagle. This coaster is very large and looks intimidating from the outside. But we enter the TimeSaver line which takes about 20 minutes to get to the top.
But at top there is no attendants so everyone just goes to the shortest line. Unfortunately the line I picked is slower, because the row is out on every other ride. So by the time I get on, everyone else has already gone and got off. And by the time I get on, it’s dark as I fly through the air. Though this coaster is unlike the rest flying below the track on each side like an eagle. Once I get off, I meet back with the others and we get our ride photos. Becky didn’t like this ride because it had a loop which we didn’t expect. But though it took too long for me, it was fun. And I’m ready for the next one.
Tennessee Tornado and Food Trucks
Once you go through Wilderness Pass, you enter Craftsman’s Valley and can see the Tennessee Tornado. So, we continue on to our 7th rollercoaster in the dark. And for this one the TimeSaver line is a walk on in just a few minutes. This coaster slowly crawls up, before it shoots down and through 3 loops. While exiting we stop at a kiosk to get the ride photo. We all love this ride except Becky. But the line is short, so we all ride it a 2nd time without her.
The ride photos are great on this one. But after the 2nd time we don’t see Becky, so Kelly goes to look for her. Drew and I go with our daughter to an area with some food trucks. It’s already 6:00PM and Drew is hungry again. He finds a truck that makes homemade pretzels. You can actually see them making the pretzels through the window. So he orders one, while I get a bratwurst from another truck. I also get a hot chocolate because it’s colder than expected today. It’s been cold all week, but today was supposed to warm up to 60 degrees.
The pretzel is outstanding and Drew and his sister devour it. I enjoy my brat, and the hot chocolate is warming me up. Afterwards we find Becky and Kelly. We pass by Blazing Fury which is closed, so we decide to head toward the train. The Dollywood Express train ride is an iconic ride we want to do. But there’s only 2 more departures at 7:00 and 8:00. On the way we enjoy the park’s beautiful lights.
Shopping at Night in Dollywood at Christmas
Walking through Craftsman Valley, there are long strings of lights changing colors as we walk under them. They look like icicles hanging from above. Past the lights there are many shops and Becky decides to enter Old Flame Candles.
In this shop, you can purchase all kinds of candles as well as dip your own. I’m ready to go to the train, but Becky is enjoying the shop. So, we decide to skip the 7:00 train ride and continue shopping. We stop at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Shop to get an ornament. After a little more shopping, we decide to meet back up with our parents for the 7:15PM Christmas in the Smokies show.
But before we do, Becky buys our daughter one of those bubble wands. And our daughter prances through the pretty lights as we pass the old Grist Mill lit up beautifully at night. We also pass many Christmas trees and other holiday lights until we make it to the Celebrity Theater.
Dollywood’s Christmas in the Smokies show
With a minute to spare, we make it to the theater and find our parents. They’re still in their scooters in the back, but there’s plenty of open seats in front of them. And we are seated just in time for the Christmas in the Smokies show.
There is plenty of dancing and singing in this 50 minute show. And it’s a good break from the cold and just walking around. I look over and our daughter is taking a nap. She is out and I don’t blame her. We’ve been on the go all day. Becky texts her cousins who said they just rode the train, but they waited in line for an hour. At this point we don’t think we’ll make it, so we stay in the theater until the end of the show. But apparently our parents didn’t stop for food, so after the show we look for a place to eat.
Red’s Drive-In and Lightning Rod
In the Jukebox Junction area of the park, we find Red’s Drive-In. It’s your standard burger and fries joint. It’s directly across from our last rollercoaster, Lightning Rod. Becky is hungry and wants to get our parents something to eat. But the rest of us want to ride our final coaster. So, we split-up again.
The 4 of us head through the TimeSaver line which takes us right to the top. However, the ride has stopped. And an attendant with gloves is cleaning out a row. This may not be a good sign for this ride, but we want to do all 8. We’ve come this far! And after about 10 minutes, the ride is cleared to go.
It’s after 8:30PM as we ascend up the track as the fireworks are going off behind us. Lightning Rod ascends 20 stories and there’s a light on the track going up. But once we start down, the wooden coaster is completely dark and we can only see a few feet in front of us. And it turns sideways which we weren’t expecting for a wooden coaster. Our daughter says she saw some keys by her foot. And then I realize they’re my keys that fell out! Once the ride stops, we luckily find them in the car under her feet. Whew, what a ride. After the ride photo, we meet back up at Red’s where they’re finishing eating.
Departing Dollywood at Christmas
Once finished eating, we head toward the exit. As we do, we walk through more Christmas lights. We also walk past the Dolly Parton Experience. We would have liked to stop here, but it’s closed now.
Everyone has to exit through the Emporium. But I stop at the photo booth first and get in line. I was told I need to stop back here so all my photos are loaded on my account. The line is not long but takes a little while. And once I confirm my photos are good, I head in the emporium. It’s a very large store with all kinds of stuff. I browse for a bit, but the check-out line is really long. So, I head outside to meet everyone else at the scooter returns. Becky takes the tram to get our car and come back and picks everyone up to head back to the resort.
Summary of our Dollywood at Christmas
By the time we get back to our resort, it is 10:00PM. So it was about a 12-hour day. And though we did all 8 rollercoasters, we probably wouldn’t have without the TimeSaver passes. But focusing on the rollercoasters, we feel like we missed a lot. Not only are there a lot of smaller rides, we missed the iconic Dollywood Express Train ride. We also only saw 1 of the shows, and only ate fast food. There’s so much to see here and I would definitely plan meals better!
Using the Photo Memory Pass was time-consuming. But I thought it was worth it, even though we didn’t get the 1st ride photo. As for the rollercoasters, we all thought Mystery Mine was our favorite. My least favorite was surprisingly Big Bear Mountain. However Becky thinks Tennessee Torpedo was just awful, even though the rest of us loved it. Overall we were surprised at how fun their rollercoasters were, but just being in Dollywood at Christmas is special. One thing’s for sure, we all loved Dollywood and definitely want to come back soon!