Laughing Lindsay

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Christmas at Dollywood: What to Expect

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It’s hard to believe it, but it’s already Christmas at Dollywood! So, here’s a look at all of the things you can expect to see, do, and eat at the yearly festival!

Christmas at Dollywood

Christmas at Dollywood

From now until the end of the 2022 season (January 1, 2023), you can experience Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood! This festival includes seasonal foods, millions of lights, a weekend fireworks show and festive shows! It’s easy to make a full day at the park during this time of the year!

The Decorations

You can’t talk about Christmas at Dollywood without talking about the lights, so I will start there. Similar to my recommendations for experiencing fall at Dollywood, I suggest walking around the park at least once during the day and then again at night. This way, you can really experience the gorgeous decor! It’s nice to see all of the trees during the day and then again with the lights on! The same can be said for the other decor as well.

Another neat thing to know about the holiday decorations, is that each part of the park has a different color/theme! Santa’s Village is red and green. Glacier Ridge is blues and white. Craftman’s Valley has clear lights.

Additionally, new this year is the Dollywood Express Light Experience! You will be able to ride the train (something I recommend doing anytime of the year) and see new lights flickering by as seasonal music plays! This sounds like a fun experience for sure! Although, it tends to be cold on the train in the winter. So, make sure you bundle up and grab some hot chocolate!

The Food

Once again, the park is bringing back the tasting pass for the festival. In my opinion, this can be a great way to try several seasonal foods on a budget. However, you have to make sure you choose items that are worth over $6 to get your money’s worth. Otherwise, I recommend just buying items out of pocket. I can’t recommend a stop by the Spotlight Bakery enough. Everything I’ve ever had there is delicious!

Beyond the Gingerbread People Cookies, it appears that most of this year’s Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood menu is new. However, I am looking forward to trying the Chicken Pot Pie Bread Cone and Hot Chocolate Cupcake when I visit later this month! Keep an eye on my Instagram to see what I end up trying.

The Entertainment

One of the things Dollywood is known for is their entertainment. I just love being able to walk around the park and catch a performance. There are always loads of musicians around the park. However, Christmas at Dollywood brings special holiday plays too! I’m hoping to finally catch “Christmas in the Smokies” and “Appalachian Christmas”.

Lastly, if you are attending on a Friday or Saturday night, then you can catch the Merry & Bright, Holiday Light! Fireworks Show! I’m very disappointed that it has returned to just weekend nights as that blocks out the bring a friend passes from viewing them. We missed seeing them last year because it was too cold and we thought we could see them this year. However, since my mom goes with me on a bring a friend pass, that’s not possible this year. So, that’s a huge bummer. That being said, I’m sure they are great fireworks and the perfect way to end the day.

So, there you have it! An overview of everything you can expect to see, hear, and taste at Christmas at Dollywood! Have you ever been? What was your favorite part?

If you are planning a trip to the park during a different season, here are my posts on those seasonal events:

Theme Park Tips for Scaredy Cats

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Before I became a frequent theme park visitor, I wasn’t sure there wasn’t anything for me to enjoy at a theme park. I definitely didn’t think my husband or mom who both get motion sickness could have fun at a theme park. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely possible! In fact, here’s a list of theme park tips for scaredy cats or people who like to travel without needing to ride the most thrilling rides.

theme park tips for scaredy cats

Theme Park Tips for Scaredy Cats

Up until a few years ago, I assumed you had to be a thrill seeker to enjoy amusement parks. However, after visiting some great ones, I now realize that theme parks can be enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age and ability! So, here are my theme park tips for scaredy cats or people who don’t want to ride the big roller coaster.

  • Experience the seasonal events. As I’ve posted previously, there’s so much to see and eat during the fall season at Dollywood. However, the same can be said about pretty much any festival at Epcot or SeaWorld Orlando. Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando is another seasonal event I highly recommend. Of course, the holidays at any amusement park are filled with special shows, décor, and food to enjoy!
  • See a show. Most amusement parks also have shows you can watch during the day. So, glance at a schedule for the day’s events at the park and catch a few! They can be a great way to escape the weather too!
  • Try out new food. Do some research before you arrive and see what food the park is famous for. For instance, you have to get the cinnamon bread at Dollywood or a Dole Whip at Disney Parks. Then, go and try as many of those foods as you can!
  • Ride a sight seeing ride. Most people can tolerate a train ride around a park (Dollywood) or on something like the People Mover at Magic Kingdom. So, be on the lookout for rides in the air to get a different view of the park. You might even spot a ride that looks less intimidating from up in the sky.
  • Do your research. I highly recommend checking out ride point of view videos on YouTube prior to going to any theme park, to get a feel for a ride and see if it might be tolerable for you or not. You can also read descriptions of rides on many parks’ websites, so if a roller coasters mentions inversions or a tall height requirement, it might not be for you.
  • Look for add-on events. Lots of parks have add-on events you can participate in for an additional cost. Often times this is not riding a ride. For instance, the Dine with Orcas at SeaWorld Orlando is an add-on event where you can eat lunch while watching a show with an orca! That is thrilling, but totally accessible to everyone! SeaWorld features tons of animal experience add-ons and Walt Disney World has several tours as well. Universal Orlando even has some free behind the scenes tours of their rides!

So, there you have my theme park tips for scaredy cats! Do you have any tips?

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: Tips for Anxious Folks

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I tend to be what you might call an anxious person or easily spooked. However, I recently had a trip booked to Universal Orlando Resort during their annual Halloween Horror Nights event and decided to brave the event (along with my sixty-something year old mother). So, here are my tips if you are considering attending the event but are skittish and need some support.

Halloween Horror Nights for Anxious Folks

Halloween Horror Nights for Anxious Folks

Halloween Horror Nights, or HHN, is Universal Orlando (and technically Universal Hollywood’s) top tier scary fall event. They have some of the best themed haunted houses each year and really set the standard for what a scary event should look like. However, it’s supposed to be scary and because of that, it scares people (myself included) away. I’m here to say that the event is doable for anxious people and here’s how I did it.

  1. Arrive early. I believe it eased my anxiety knowing the park layout as well as scare zone locations prior to arriving to the park. I also recommend seeing the park in the daylight to acquaint yourself with the scare zones and theming ahead of time.
  2. Ease into it. I started with the front scare zone (Horrors of Halloween) and headed to get some food. The event has really been stepping up its game in the food department, so I knew which foods were must-gets for me and I got them immediately. I mean who doesn’t love starting an event with a pepperoni and cheese pizza skull and red velvet cake pop?! Then, I ate my goodies while taking in the nearest scare zone (Sweet Revenge). It was fun to watch the scare actors attempt to scare people and listen to the special effects being played. This was a nice way to ease into the scares.
  3. Watch a show. Next, after another scare zone or two, we watched a few shows. I will admit that the Halloween Nightmare Fuel Wildfire show has suggestive material and is not for everyone. However, I really enjoyed the music before and during the show. Plus, the show was really entertaining and not scary at all. I also watched Ghoulish, the waterway fountain show, which isn’t scary either. It was neat and kind of relaxing to view.
  4. Brace for darkness. The park takes on a more scary vibe once it gets dark. So, all of the research and prep comes in handy when you are running into massive crowds and thick fog in the park. Just don’t panic and keep walking. If you look scared, I think the actors are more likely to try to scare you. Just keep walking. Looking straight ahead seemed to help me. Meanwhile, they tried to scare my mom several times. Ha!
  5. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The waits for the haunted houses were over an hour the night we went. So, we actually didn’t even attempt to visit any. I don’t regret it necessarily, but just know that the experience is what you make it. If you want to be scared, you certainly can be. If you just want to enjoy an adult evening at a theme park, you can do that as well.

So, there you have my tips for surviving Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando as an anxious person. Do you have any other tips? If you definitely can’t handle a few frights, might I recommend the much calmer and more family friendly SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween or even Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween

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Back when I did the Dine with Orcas in February, I became a SeaWorld Orlando passholder. So, last week I made a return trip to attend the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event! It’s an all day event included in the price of admission on Saturdays and Sundays in September and select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October until October 31, 2022. Continue reading to see what all there is to do at this event!

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular

What makes the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular event different from lots of other Halloween events is the fact that it’s included in regular park admission and it’s held during the day. So, that may make it more appealing to families. However, it can also make it more crowded and you can expect more upcharges to this event because it’s a “free” event. It also means you will have to deal with the high temperatures that a fall day in Orlando can bring.

Count von Count Spooktacular Breakfast

One fun way to begin your day is by attending the Count von Count Spooktacular breakfast! It’s an add-on event, priced at $34.99/adult and $18.99/child. However, annual pass discounts apply. My mom and I decided to book this breakfast since we needed to eat something and this seemed like a fun experience.

I will admit that the breakfast was a little confusing. You have to show your breakfast reservation to get through the park to the restaurant hosting the breakfast. Then, you will be seated at a table and shown the buffet. You can get as much as you want to eat! What wasn’t exactly clear in the registration is that this breakfast includes a meet and greet with several Sesame Street characters and a short two song dance routine from some characters at the very end. So, don’t leave until you see them dance and you get to meet Count von Count himself! Otherwise, you aren’t getting the full experience! Unfortunately, I saw a few families leave before the show and meeting Count von Count and I felt like they didn’t get their money’s worth.

I will say that the breakfast itself was pretty good. I enjoyed the French toast sticks, yogurt parfait, and biscuits with honey butter! They also had eggs, bacon, and sausage! It was easy to find something everyone enjoys.

It was really fun to meet the Sesame Street characters! Since it’s the SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween event, Elmo is dressed up in a skeleton costume! Super cute! Zoe also had a special dance costume on! I also absolutely adored meeting Oscar the Grouch in his trashcan! Then, you top that off by meeting Count von Count. So, if someone in your party is into Sesame Street characters, this meal is definitely worth it.

Trick or Treat Trail

What’s a Halloween event without some trick or treating? Now, this is technically another add-on for this event as you must purchase a special Halloween event bag for $3.99 (passholder discounts can be applied) in order to receive candy. However, the kids seemed to be having lots of fun. I will caution you that on the day I went, they were somewhat stingy with the candy. Meaning, they gave out 2 pieces to each person at a time. So, if you plan on returning home with a full bag of candy, it’s going to take some work!

I did like that they had signs posted stating which specific candy was being given out at each stand. That makes it easy to avoid a candy you dislike or to deal with allergies. Also, adults are also allowed to trick or treat, if you purchase the bags! I didn’t see any chocolate being given out here. This is more Smarties/Sweet Tarts types of candy.

Meet Characters

Another neat thing about SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween is the opportunity to meet unique characters! They have a Pumpkin Garden where you might even meet a Pumpkin Princess! You can also line up to meet pirates and mermaids! I thought it was a fun aquatic spin on Halloween! Lastly, you can see scarecrows at a DJ Dance Party!

I did want to note that I saw a booth for cookie decorating and crafts, but I never actually saw the booth open during our visit. I believe the cookie decorating kit costs extra, but the crafts are included. I’m not sure what either event offers since I didn’t see it going.

If you are considering a fall trip and want to experience some Halloween fun without the scares, then SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular might be for you.

Fall at Dollywood

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From September 20th until October 30, 2023, you can experience fall at Dollywood with their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! I have visited during this time of the year twice before and currently have plans to attend later this season! Here’s a look at what you can expect when you visit.

Fall at Dollywood

Fall at Dollywood

I recently told you all about my favorite things to do at Dollywood, no matter the time of the year. However, today, it’s all about fall! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit the park. You have the Harvest Festival to enjoy the during the day and Great Pumpkin LumiNights to view at night! I will go into more detail as to what that means below. Suffice it to say, Dollywood serves as the perfect backdrop for your autumn visit to the Great Smoky Mountains during the day and lights up at night for more fun!

Harvest Festival

Now technically a lot of the fake pumpkin decor is set up for the Great Pumpkin LumiNights. However, you can still view these amazing sights during the day. Plus, it ‘s fun to see things both during the day and then light up at night. Additionally, in recent years Dollywood has started to bring in huge real pumpkins to display. They lovingly refer to them as Colossal Pumpkins and make for great pictures since they really are as big as humans!

No festival is complete without food and entertainment. You can once again buy a tasting pass and experience several items from this year’s festival. Last year, I enjoyed their sweet corn hushpuppies with aioli and apple dumpling with ice cream. Both of those items have returned for 2022, so you can try them too. I also highly recommend checking out some live entertainment during your visit as they tend to rotate out groups from season to season.

Great Pumpkin LumiNights

Once the sun goes down, it’s fun to wander around the park again and see everything come to life! This is NOT a scary event, rather it’s a fun light-hearted event complete with lights. They have added a new section this year called Hoot Owl Hollow, which I am looking forward to seeing. It’s supposed to be a big owl surrounded by smaller ones, all made out of (fake) pumpkins! It really is amazing how many things they can make out of pumpkins! Don’t miss their pumpkin frogs!

Fall at Dollywood is filled with fun, day and night! I typically do a lap or two around the park during the day to enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Harvest Festival. Then, I usually take a mid-day break and return around sundown to do a final lap to experience Great Pumpkin LumiNights. So, what’s your favorite thing about fall at Dollywood?

If you are planning a trip to the park during a different season, here are my posts on those events: