Dollywood is such a perfect destination from Greenville! At just about three hours from the Upstate, it’s a favorite with Kidding Around Readers! See what advice Kidding Around’s Bethany had to offer after her trip to the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park.

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Dollywood

I’ll be honest; we truly had such a great family experience visiting Dollywood that I’m not even quite sure where to start. During our visit, I was immediately struck by the carefulness and attentiveness of the Dollywood staff. The park was well-maintained, clean, and attractive. We found a wide variety of attractions for all ages. And, our family, despite visiting for one and a half days, never stopped enjoying our time at the park.

Dollywood Rides & Play Areas

As a family with young children, we were impressed by how many rides Dollywood provides for children. Our then five-year-old was tall enough to ride several small roller-coasters and most other rides when accompanied by an adult. Even our then two-year-old was big enough to ride most of the rides in the “Country Fair” section of Dollywood.

I noticed that the attendants in “Country Fair” were especially alert to helping families with small children. I saw rides stopped on several occasions because a small child was scared or crying. The child was politely allowed to get off, and then the ride was started again for the rest of the group.

The rides also spanned different thrill levels allowing all children have fun choices to ride comfortably. Most of the rides could also seat adults who wanted to ride with their children.

Dollywood Tip: If you visit the Centralized Measuring Station inside the park, your child will receive a colored armband coded by which rides your child is tall enough to ride. This armband will help you not accidentally wait in line for a ride that your child is too small to ride.

We also found a couple of Dollywood rides that our entire family could ride. One of which was the Dollywood Express, an authentic coal-fired steam engine. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of riding the Dollywood Express during our daughter’s nap time (I thought she might fall asleep). Instead, though, she had a complete melt-down and struggled to get free during the entire ride. The train does not stop for anything, so you may want to be sure your kids are happy before boarding.

Dollywood also has a couple of great family rollercoasters, FireChasher Express. Children as small as 39 inches can ride this roller coaster, making it ideal for families wanting a ride that everyone can enjoy. The coaster is a fast-paced ride through a curling track with a mid-stop inside a “fireworks truck.” The car experiences a back-blowing explosion (complete with small flames as a special effect) that shoots the roller coaster back to the station. The fire is a bit thematically scary for some children, but the ride is not too intense.

Another great rollercoaster for younger riders is Blazing Fury, which starts as a sightseeing ride through a mine but ends with a minecart off the rails twist. This rollercoaster only has a couple of small hills and quick twists but is completely dark in the last seconds of the ride.

Not only did we find plenty of rides suitable for our young kids, but my husband and I enjoyed the larger roller coasters as well. My personal favorite roller coaster was the Wild Eagle roller coaster. It’s a massive rollercoaster that runs at 60 mph, but the ride is smooth, and the harnesses fit very snug, making it a more pleasant ride.

This YouTube video of Wild Eagle is a great preview of what to expect.

Dollywood Tip: If you are visiting with small children, be sure to check out the “Parent Swap” feature that allows you to wait in line once and take turns riding the roller coaster while the other parent watches the children.

In addition to the Dollywood rides, my kids enjoyed playing in the playgrounds and water spray areas of the park.

Dollywood Shows

While we missed out on most of the shows due to my kids’ ages, I enjoyed watching two shows in The Little Engine Playhouse. I love children’s books, so I was delighted to find out that the shows were based on books. I was equally impressed that the shows kept not only me entertained but my two-year-old mesmerized. Outside The Little Engine Playhouse, we also had fun watching a small magic show.

Dollywood Tip: Schedule a show for the hot part of the day to give your kids a break from the heat!

Each summer features a different main show, including everything from bubble shows to dog stunts. Be sure to arrive early as the theater was packed the day we went. The shows do not play every day, so you will want to consult the show guide as you plan your time in the park.

This year we also visited in the peak season and were able to see the nightly firework show. The show was great and definitely worth staying until closing time to see. You can see the fireworks most clearly from near Firechaser at the top of the park. Most of the rides continue to run until closing time, but some of the rides up near the fireworks do close at dusk.

Dollywood Food

We ate inside the park our first year, but the food was expensive and the plates small. In later years we instead opted to pack our cooler with sandwiches and tailgated outside of the park. Consider bringing a couple of lawn chairs if you choose to do so. Re-entry is easy with a stamp upon exit, and the parking lot shuttle runs during the entire day.

Dollywood Tip: You can get free ice water at any of Dollywood’s food vendors! This helps fight the heat of the summer!

Dollywood Extras

I felt like one of the biggest perks of visiting Dollywood was the unique variety of attractions for our family. Here are just a couple of the enjoyable spots we noticed through the park:

• Local craftsmen and shops full of handmade items.
• A wild bird preserve
• A roller-coaster museum
• Places to feed ducks
• Lots of scenic spots & plenty of shade and benches

Baby-Care Stations
If you are breast-feeding or bottle-feeding an infant, you will be happy to find out that Dollywood does have a nursing station with gliders and a changing station. I also noticed several family bathrooms throughout the park. The bathrooms were well-maintained and clean during our visit.

First-Aid Stations
We managed to scrape a knee within moments of getting in the park and had the opportunity to visit the first-aid station. The nurse was able to save the day by applying an Angry Bird bandage to my kid’s knee.

More Dollywood Tips for Families

• Don’t miss the tram back to your parking spot just because you have a stroller! The tram has stroller parking in the front of the tram.
• While you aren’t allowed to bring food in the park, you can get your hand stamped, leave the park, and reenter during the same day.
• The roller-coasters have sample restraint systems outside where you can check to be sure that you fit in and are comfortable with the restraint system.
• The restaurants inside the park can help warm bottles for bottle-feeding parents.
• You can turn in your tickets after your visit for a credit on a season pass. The season pass is an excellent deal and costs less than three visits to Dollywood.
• You can also purchase a 3-day pass to visit both Dollywood and Dollywood Splash Country on the same trip.

I received media tickets in order to write about Dollywood but this post contains my honest opinion about our trip. We had such a great time that we have made two additional family trips to Dollywood since the original publication of this review.

More To See At Dollywood

The team at Kidding Around are huge fans of the country music legend and her amusement parks! Because of that, there is no shortage of information from our trips to share with readers! If you are planning a trip to the Dollywood Resort, we encourage you to make the most out of your trip with the information offered on Kidding Around!

• Wildwood Grove
  Dollywood, the premier theme park attraction located in Eastern Tennessee, added a new attraction to the park in 2019 called Wildwood Grove.
• Homeschool Days
  If you are looking to have an adventure, Dollywood will be offering Homeschool Days for families that are utilizing the homeschool option. These days focus on mostly science and math – and really, what’s cooler than learning about the laws of physics by riding a roller coaster?
• Christmas At Dollywood – Smoky Mountain Christmas
  The famous theme park becomes a mecca with over five million lights draped across every single building. Shows like It’s A Wonderful Life play throughout the month-long festival. And a Christmas parade is held nightly at 8:15 pm, an engaging entertainment show full of lights and colors.
• Splash Country Water Park
  Dollywood is a popular place to visit for Greenville families as it’s tons of fun and only three hours away. While you’re there, you can beat the heat by spending some time at Dollywood’s Splash Country.
  

For more information on the area surrounding Dollywood, check out the Kidding Around Guide to the Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg areas of Tennessee

Have you ever visited Dollywood? What was your experience?

Local mom Maria Bassett reviews her family’s recent trip to the Grand Canyon. For more reviews of destinations both near to Greenville and worth the trip from Greenville, see our Travel from Greenville page.

“Hey look, there’s a hole in the ground.”  That would be the statement my 6 year-old said as we approached the east entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.   We had driven many hours, and finally there we were, ready to cross off a lifetime bucket list item, and my son calls the Grand Canyon a hole.  It may be a national icon, but it certainly is no beach, playground, amusement park, or anything that little kids regularly associate with fun.  But the Grand Canyon is unlike anything else.  There’s beauty and wonder and awe that rivals anything I have ever seen.  And there are many child friendly amenities and accommodations to help your family experience this amazing canyon.  Here’s your guide for enjoying it with your children.

The Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park consists of both the north rim and the south rim of Grand Canyon.  The south rim is where most people go to see the canyon.  It is where the visitor center and all the hotels, restaurants and shops are located.  For the purposes of this article, we’ll stay on the south rim.

Beginning at the visitor center on the south rim, the park spreads out to the west and east with the rim trail connecting observations points, and of course trail heads for the trails down into the canyon.  It is not recommended for anyone but experienced hikers to hike down into the canyon.  Warnings in park literature remind folks that even for experienced hikers it is dangerous to attempt to hike down and up the canyon in one day.  Most people backpack and stay the night in the canyon.  However, families remaining up on the rim will still see plenty.  The rim trail is not strenuous and very scenic.

Grand Canyon Village, full of hotels, restaurants and shops lays to the west of the visitor center and beyond that are many scenic overlooks along the rim trail.  Similarly, many scenic overlooks including the famous watchtower, as well as the ruins of a Tusayan native village, spread out along the rim trail heading east from the visitor center.

Shuttles at the Grand Canyon

The single biggest parent help at Grand Canyon are the free shuttles offered by the park.  From the shuttles you can get to every major overlook point in the park, to the hotels and restaurants within the park, and to the hotels and offerings of nearby Tusayan, AZ.  The shuttles on the rim of the canyon come every 15 minutes, giving guests many options.  It’s hot and dry, and let’s face it, little legs are not up for big time hiking.  But you still want to walk some of the rim trail?  No problem.  Ride the shuttle to an overlook point, the markers on the trail tell you exactly how far it is until the next overlook.  Sometimes it is many miles, and sometimes it is only a fraction of a mile.  You can decide if you’d like to walk the trail to the next point, or ride the shuttle.  The mileage between points is also available on the park maps handed out at the entrances, so you can plan ahead.  Additionally the shuttle bus drivers will be able to give you information and advice on where to walk and where to ride.  Tip:  The shuttles do not stop at every overlook on the return trip back to the visitor center, so double check to make sure the route fits with your plans.  The drivers will be able to help you here, as well.

My family really enjoyed walking a mile long section of the rim trail west of the village in the morning before it got too hot.  We hopped on a shuttle, rode to the next overlook and then walked another slightly less than a mile section.  It allowed us to really enjoy the view as we walked and get a closer look at some of the amazing desert vegetation, without getting too hot and tired.

Where to Stay

Grand Canyon Village offers hotels with amazing views.  These also come with a price tag to match.  It is definitely the easiest to stay in the village when it comes to getting back to your hotel, or enjoying sunset, but if the price scares you off, you have other options.  The nearby town of Tusayan, AZ has several hotels and restaurants.  You are still dealing with tourist pricing here, but in some cases nearly half the cost of the hotels in the park.  Remember those shuttles?  They come right into Tusayan.  So you can park your car at your hotel, and ride right into the park.  You won’t have to wait in traffic at the entrance gate (shuttles have their own special entrance) or worry about running into deer or elk at dusk.  This shuttle drops you off at the Visitor Center and from there you can hop on a shuttle to the west overlooks, the east overlooks, or the village.  The shuttles are color coded and easy to navigate.  The restaurants along the rim are available to everyone, not just the guests staying in the hotels.  So if you’re looking for a more affordable option, consider getting a hotel in Tusayan, but come into Grand Canyon village for dinner so you can catch the amazing sunset over the canyon.  There are restaurants in the park at every price point, from cafeteria style to super fancy.

Our family stayed in Tusayan, rather than the park.  We had no difficulty navigating the shuttles to get into the park and around it.  On our second day, we drove into the park instead.  We did have to wait at the entrance through some traffic, but otherwise it worked well to park at the Visitor Center and ride the shuttle from point to point.  Your other option is to avoid the shuttles completely and drive your car from point to point.  There is some parking at the points to the east of the visitor center, so it is possible to drive your personal car to those points.  However, there’s not always parking available.  And this method doesn’t allow the driver to enjoy the view.  We found the shuttle the best mode of transportation within the park.

What to Expect

Yes, to my son’s first glance Grand Canyon was a hole in the ground.  A really, really big hole.  A beautiful, vast, amazing, feel like you’re standing in the middle of a gorgeous three dimensional painting kind of hole.  But, definitely not a hole you want to fall in.  Many places along the rim have fences, and railings, and rock barriers.  Many do not.  The places that don’t have these barriers tend not to have straight down cliff style edges, but they still would be a disaster to fall from.  I joked that my goal when visiting the canyon was not to lose a child over the edge.  But it wasn’t really a joke.  It is definitely not a place to let your children run on ahead of you on the trail.

Expect to see wildlife.  We saw many elk (including babies!), mule deer and ground squirrels.  It is so fun to view these animals in their natural habitat.  However, do remember to keep wildlife wild.  Don’t feed the squirrels, don’t try to pet the elk.  Ground squirrels injure more people in the park each year than any other animal.  They don’t have the weight of elk, or the venom of rattle snakes, but they do have the inability to tell the difference between a finger and a french-fry.  They are bold little things near where people are eating, so be sure to shoo them away and not indulge their begging, cute though they may be.

Bring water.  Lots of water.  Not only is it hot, but Grand Canyon is at pretty high elevation.  It’s dry.  You need more water than you think you will. There are water bottle filling stations throughout the park, but not at many overlooks.  Use the map to plan where you will fill up, and make sure to bring enough for all members of your party.  This is another great thing about the shuttles, if you stay on the rim trail the most you’ll be waiting for the next shuttle is 15 minutes.  Then you can hop a shuttle and ride to the next water station.  However, shuttles only stop at overlooks.

Bring snacks.  There are many restaurants in the village, and a snack bar at the east end and the west end of the park, but there isn’t much in between.  Hint:  There’s an ice cream shop along the rim in the village section, at the back of the Bright Angel Restaurant.  We enjoyed stopping there after walking and riding the shuttle along the rim to the west.

Visiting Grand Canyon has been a bucket list item of mine ever since I was a child, and I was so happy to share the experience with my family.  We only stayed 2 days, but it was unforgettable.  I hope someday soon, you’ll get to experience it as well.  When you do, I hope that this gives you some ideas for navigating Grand Canyon comfortably with children.

Have your kids seen the Grand Canyon?