Dollywood Trip Report – Smoky Mountain Christmas 2024

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I had the itch to revisit Dollywood since I hadn’t been since the Fall of 2021. My last trip was on a chilly, rainy day during their Harvest Festival. The rain luckily held off, so we got to do all the rides fairly easily, and I had a great time.

But I was interested in visiting the park for their famous Christmas event, Smoky Mountain Christmas. Because we knew it was going to be a busy day (a Saturday in November with absolutely beautiful weather), we purchased TimeSaver Premium passes to cut down our wait times. Was this worth it, and how was the holiday event? Let’s take a look at this Dollywood trip report for Smoky Mountain Christmas 2024.

Lighting Rod

Lightning Rod was closed the last time I visited, so I definitely made sure to take advantage of it being open this time. While it no longer has the launch, it’s better for it to have modifications than not exist at all. The first time I rode it, it just didn’t really blow me away. We rode in the back first thing in the morning, and it just didn’t feel like it had as much as I wanted it to, although the quad down was awesome.

However, I wrote it again as the sun was setting in the front seat, and it was a completely different ride, with ejector airtime numerous times, including the quad down. It may be my second favorite ride at the park.

Barnstormer

The pictures don’t show it in action, but this is an S&S Screamin’ Swing, meaning it’s a giant swing that’s themed around aviation. I love these rides, and think they’re a great addition to a park’s flat ride collection. The aviation theme on this was pretty cool as well.

Bald Eagles

Do bald eagles unsettle anyone else, or is it just me? Regardless, Dollywood has a protected bald eagle habitat where you can see them living fairly up close.

Tennesse Tornado

My favorite ride in the park before this trip (things may have shifted a bit), Tennessee Tornado is Dollywood’s underapreciated gem. It’s smooth, it’s quick, and it turns you upside down three times after a really fun drop through a tunnel that goes through the mountain. We rode in the front seat at night as well, and that tunnel is completely pitch black. Defintely one of the best rides at Dollywood.

Wild Eagle

This flying coaster wasn’t my favorite on my last visit to the park. It wasn’t bad by any means, it just didn’t really impress me. However, I enjoyed it more this time around, particularly at night. It’s smooth and the views as you ride are spectacular, especially at night when the park is decorated for Smoky Mountain Christmas.

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Fire Chaser Express

A fun family caoster that includes a forwards launch, traditional lift hill, and backwards launch with a small backwards section, this ride had the longest line of any roller coaster at the park due to its capacity. We were very happy to put our TimeSaver Premiums to good use for this one. A fun ride, just not something I’d want to wait a long time for.

Big Bear Mountain

Unfortunately, Big Bear Mountain was closed on my visit to Dollywood this time. Maybe I’m cursed to always have one more roller coaster to do at Dollywood. Regardless, it looks fun, but I wish the park had planted more trees around it.

Dragonflier

This ride in the back seat is one of the most surprising rides at the park. You’re completely airborne for the first drop and turn. And it has pretty good forces for a ride that’s considered for kids or families. Definitely try to ride this in the back seat if you can. There’s only one train, so the line for this also tends to get pretty long.

Drop Line

I’ve always really enjoyed drop towers, and this is one of my favorites. The views as you go up are spectacular and the drop is great – it feels longer than some other drop towers that are bigger.

Thunderhead

This was the biggest surprise for me on this trip. On my last visit to Dollywood, I was disappointed by my ride on Thunderhead. I know the park has retracked the ride since my last visit, and I’m not sure if it was because we were riding with full trains on a chilly day as opposed to half-empty trains on a rainy day on my last visit, but this ride was hauling, and that was on our first ride in the middle of the train.

Constant ejector airtime, getting tossed around in a fun way, and freakishly smooth for a wooden coaster. I even rode it with someone who doesn’t normally like wooden coasters and it was their favorite ride in the park! Honestly, if all the lights were turned off at night, this ride would be absolutely insane. It’s my favorite ride in the park now, and may very well be my favorite wooden roller coaster anywhere.

Cinnamon Bread

You absolutely cannot go to Dollywood without getting the cinnamon bread from Grist Mill. It’s always perfectly cooked and fluffy, warm, sweet, and the icing that comes with it is truly the icing on top. It doesn’t matter how long the line is to get it – this cinnamon bread is absolutely worth the hype.

The Dolly Parton Experience

New for this year is the revamped Dolly Parton Experience. It’s essentially a museum in two parts – one where you walk and hear about Dolly’s life and another where you can see some of her famous outfits and wigs. A must-do for any Dolly fan, and I think the changes they made for this season were great!

Christmas Lights and Decorations

The Christmas lights and decorations at Dollywodo were so pretty, and they were helped by this park’s setting in the Smoky Mountains. You can tell the park really takes pride in this event. Be sure to take a look out at the park on big rides like Lightning Rod, Drop Line, and Wild Eagle – the views with the park all lit up are amazing.

Christmas Shows

I have to be honest – I wasn’t a huge fan of the two Christmas shows we saw at Dollywood. ‘Twas The Night I found to be a bit cringey in some parts, and Christmas in the Smokies was………fine, but nothing spectacular. I know a lot of people enjoy these shows, so maybe I’m just not the target audience for them. Regardless, I won’t be rushing to see them again if I visit for the holiday season.

Concluding the Dollywood Trip Report – Smoky Mountain Christmas 2024

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Dollywood for their Smoky Mountain Christmas event. It was nice to see the park all done up for the holidays and to get a chance to ride some of these iconic rides again.

The setting of this park remains beautiful, and the food, especially the cinnamon bread, is consistently good. My only disappointment was in the Christmas shows we saw, but that may just be because I’m not the target demographic.

If you’re going to visit the park during Smoky Mountain Christmas, I highly recommend getting TimeSaver passes. Gettting these let us do everything we wanted, plus since we got TimeSaver Premium, we were able to re-ride rides as well. It’s a busy time of year for the park, and these passes were very worth it since we wanted to be able to do all the big rides.

If you’re interested in visiting Dollywood anytime in the future, I can help you not only book your trip, but give you advice on how to make the most of your park day(s) as well as what else there is to see in the area. Work with me as your travel agent and I can help you make memories that will last a lifetime without the stress!