Since we bought season passes to Dollywood for our honeymoon, we decided this would be the perfect year to check out their Christmas event and attend the ACE event on the 18th of November.
We were passing by Maggie Valley on the way there so we decided to stop by Ghost Town in the Sky. It turns out the gift shop was open selling souveniers and season passes. We picked up a few items which they didn't have when we visited back in 2000. Even though they don't have any stand-out rides, we had a good time there in 2000 and are very happy to see them reopening. After so many parks closing recently, it's nice to see one being saved.
After arriving at Dollywood on Friday night, we had 3 stay-on rides on Thunderhead before they decided to close it due to the temperature being 40. With Thunderhead and Tornado being closed, we rode the 2 coasters that were open--Veggie Tales and Blazing Fury. We were the only riders on Blazing Fury during our 2 rides. It's interesting how they close the 2 outdoor coaster but keep Blazing Fury running which can get you quite wet. We then rode a couple flat rides and the train ride up the mountain. On the way out we saw their Carole of the Trees show. It's basically a show on their lake where the lights on the Christmas trees are syncronized to the music with a couple of fireworks thrown in.
We headed back to Dollywood for a full day on Saturday. As part of the ACE event, we got a brief tour of their new for 2007 coaster, Mystery Mine. The track is already 100% complete and from what we could see, it looks like a great ride. The only things left to complete are the building and the special effects. We decided to see their new show called Babes in Toyland which is very popular. The line for the show was winding all the way around the park. We had to get in line an hour before the show to guarantee we would get in. While the show was good, we didn't consider it worth waiting an hour for. During the day we also had a bunch of rides on Timber Tower, Thunderhead, and Tenessee Tornado. Even though the weather was cold Saturday night, the coasters stayed open and we even had an hour of ERT on Thunderhead after park closing.
One thing I especially love about Dollywood is their older employees(many of them being seniors) who are extremely efficient. I actually enjoy waiting for Thunderhead because I enjoy watching their efficiency and enthusiasm when dispatching the trains. Another example is the buffet restaurant that we ate at on Saturday night. Even though the line was out the door, they were moving people along. Every time our glasses were close to empty, our waitress was right there to give us a refill. Great job!
The entire park was decorated in lights and the Christmas atmosphere was amazing. We had a great time!
Here's the photos:
These 2 are from Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley, NC.
Construction on Dollywood's new for 2007 coaster, Mystery Mine.
Timber Tower
Christmas decorations and lights.
Sue
Topic: Photo TR: Dollywood's Smokey Mountain Christmas (Read 1990 times)