Well, Hello Dolly!

I have to admit - I was only willing to go along with a trip to Dollywood because this was going to be a family reunion vacay. Being a strictly Disney person, I couldn't imagine Dollywood being anything except a glorified state fair. Okay, so maybe I underestimated Dolly - like by loads ...

I had purchased tickets for some of us via AAA, since I got a discount. The others were going to wait until we got there, so Maribeth could use her military discount via Mathieu. So this morning we loaded up the cars and headed Dollyward. Maribeth had her military voucher, so we got free parking and headed to the lots and pretty much parked where we wanted - no Disney police parking (although that might have been better than the willy-nilly system we engaged in today). We unloaded the adults, kids, and strollers and boarded the tram to the entrance.

Once we got to the ticket location, we noticed several people milling about. Soon we were approached by a woman wanting to know if we had our tickets. When we mentioned that some of our party did not, she offered to get them in free! Apparently the people had bought their tickets with some deal of getting friends in free, and it was going to expire, so they offered to get our folks in for free!  We're definitely not at Disney anymore!!

Once inside, we grabbed a map and headed for the carousel and the kids section. There are several rides for kids, and even a few that little kids can ride for themselves. We also got some little faces painted and had a bite to eat - fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, anyone? We finished the day with a train ride, playing on the playground, and Lynnette riding some wackadoodle swing thing. By that time, it was time for our part of the group to head back to the cabin for some needed nap time.

First ride at Dollywood!!

Lindley and Lynnette are up there somewhere!

Lynnette's the one with jeans on.

Post-Dollywood Nap

So, how was my first Dollywood visit? Well, on the way out, I noticed that for only $37 plus tax, I could upgrade my ticket to a season pass. Yes, $37, which is less than I paid for today's ticket. And yes, I did upgrade and can go from now until January. And yes, I will be going (it's a 3.5 hour drive from here to there). So I just have two things to say to Dolly - you floored me with your park, and I'll be seeing you soon!!

Just wondering though, does this make me Dolly Disney now?

*********************************************************************************

Today is a gift because: great parking at Dollywood; rides and food at the park; lots of family fun