A few weeks from now the turnstiles will be turning at Dollywood as the park opens for its 28th season. While it will be difficult to top the thrills of the new Wild Eagle roller coaster which debuted in 2012, Dolly and her crew have quite a few tricks up their sleeves.
First off will be the annual “Festival of Nations.” Throughout the years this event has brought you a taste of everything from music of the Andes Mountains to the comedic craftiness of Ukrainian performers using paper as their main prop. New this year is Cirque Shanghai and Mystic India.
The early part of summer will be filled with Barbeque and Bluegrass as the ultimate combination of food and music come together again an event setting the stage for something even bigger the rest of the season. Dollywood’s Great American Summer makes its debut. It takes the Dollywood Nights concept to a whole new level with extended park hours and fireworks shows. The park will also debut its new “Great American Country Show.” In 2012, Dollywood won the “Golden Ticket Award” for Best Shows.
Over at Dolly’s Splash Country the main attraction this year will be the long awaited water coaster called “River Rush.” It joins a host of other thrilling water slides, a giant wave pool and great areas for the kids in providing yet another reason to turn those season passes for Dollywood into Super Passes. Dolly’s Splash Country opens on May 11th.
Finally, Christmas traditions continue at the theme park voted to have the Best Christmas Event at the Golden Ticket Award winner five years in a row. “A Smoky Mountain Christmas” returns with millions of lights, special tastes of Christmas and a brand new show called Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol.
Dollywood remains Tennessee’s top private attraction. If you plan on going more than once, a season pass is your best bet. Just keep an eye on the Dollywood Special Deals section of the park website for the best offers. Families should consider buying at least one Gold pass which gets you free parking and 20% discounts on meals and merchandise. A season pass also gets you unlimited admissions through January 4th, 2014!
Your Knoxville Day Trips Examiner will be at Dollywood's opening day to bring you an even closer look at what's ahead for the season and get a word or two from Dolly herself.
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