Dollywood

Scott and I had a great time in Dollywood!  It was Festival of Nations while we were there so there was lots of international entertainment from music to dance to foods.

International Performances

Showstreet Gazebo where Atahualpa played.

Atahualpa, a group from Ecuador that combined Native Incan instruments with a contemporary sound.

Mother Africa - this group was very high energy that combined music, traditional dance, and acrobatics.  This was my favorite group to watch!

The Buddy McDonald Trio from Canada played Celtic and Gaelic influenced folk music.

Italian "Music Box", the pianist drove the motorized piano all around the park while the ballerina twirled on top!

Moscow Nights was a fun audience participation group featuring Russian folk instruments and folklore.

Dollywood Express Train

Smoky Mountain River Rampage, can you see Scott?  Well, maybe only his ball cap...

Thunderhead is an old-school wooden roller coaster!  Dollywood has lots of thrill rides including 5 awesome roller coaster rides and 3 water rides, and an entire County Fair filled with all the typical rides and games found at the fair.

Candy Shop - don't you want to pick a lollipop from the tree?

The Tennesee Water Tree was discovered by Davy Crockett in the 1800s.  The sign reads, "This astounding tree can emit the prodigious amount of 100,000 gallons of water daily when fully grown!  The Pahooky Indians were said to have performed ceremonial bathing under its branches once a year."

One World Celebration

La Danza de Columbia, colorful dancers in the One World Celebration Parade.

Dolly's Tennessee Mountain Home was just one of many opportunities to see "Dolly memorabilia" around the park.  We saw her tour bus, costumes, awards, even wigs!  One final word on Dollywood; cheaper than Disneyland, fewer people, just as much fun, plus it's in the Great Smoky Moutains!

We thought these rock formations were very interesting, we saw them from outside Nashville to Pigeon Forge.

 I saw this bicycle rack made from PVC pipe in our campground and thought it was very cool and would be so easy to make.  Looked up PVC pipe bike racks on Pinterest and there are lots of variations so get busy, go ahead, make the kids a place to park their bikes!