Laughing Lindsay

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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:

What To Do in Fall in Gatlinburg, TN

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If you ever considered visiting the Great Smoky Mountains during the fall, here’s a great list of fun things to do in fall in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN! The Smokies are a great place to visit, particularly during the fall months as you can witness the seasons change in the mountains and lots of places fully embrace nature’s beauty with their own fall festivities!

Fall in Gatlinburg

Fall in Gatlinburg

Most of my list of favorite things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains during this time of the year are in Gatlinburg. However, I am including a bonus at the end, which is worth the drive to Pigeon Forge. Without further ado, here’s my list of things to experience when it’s fall in Gatlinburg, TN!

  1. Anakeesta – Like most of the places on this list, Anakeesta is a great place to visit no matter what time of the year it is. It has gorgeous views of the mountains all over the park. Plus, they have seasonal decor that changes on top of their neat mountain themes.
  1. Take a walk around downtown Gatlinburg – The town of Gatlinburg has different seasonal statues it puts out. During the fall months, you can see adorable pumpkin people all over town! It’s fun to just walk around and view them all. There are even several themed to the businesses they are located near.
  2. Ober Gatlinburg – Ober Gatlinburg has lots of different activities you can do, depending on the time of year that you visit. I highly recommend riding the chair lift up and taking in the view of Mt. Harrison! I also recommend experiencing OktOBERfest here with the live music and tasty German food!
  1. Gatlinburg SkyLift Park – Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to visit this place as of yet. However, I’m hoping to visit this fall to take in their view of the mountains, cross the SkyBridge, and walk the SkyTrail.
  2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the beautiful National Park here. It obviously has great views for experiencing fall in Gatlinburg and abundant hiking trails.

Bonus: Visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to experience their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit. In fact, I have a whole other post on it you can read by clicking that link.

So, what do you think of my list of things to do in fall in Gatlinburg? Did I miss anything?

If you are planning a trip to the area during a different time of the year, here are my other posts to help you plan:

How to Save Money at Theme Parks

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As you might have noticed, I really enjoy visiting theme parks. However, they can be expensive. So, I’m sharing some of my tips and tricks to save money at theme parks.

save money at theme parks

How to Save on Theme Park Tickets

The first thing you probably want to know how to save money on is the theme park tickets themselves. Typically, the more days you purchase, the cheaper it is per day. However, lots of times it’s cheaper to just buy a seasonal or annual pass to the theme park. You need to do some math to calculate how many visits it will take you to break even or save money with the pass before purchasing one. However, an annual pass can also help save even more money at theme parks, as you will see.

Additionally, we are now heading into the time of the year (late fall/early winter) where you can sometimes purchase a season pass for the next year but get the rest of this year included. So, be on the lookout for those types of deals now if you are thinking about visiting a specific theme park a few times over the next year or so. Dollywood has done this in the past and I believe Cedar Fair parks may do it as well.

Save on Hotel Rooms

Another important and expensive aspect of a theme park trip can be the hotel stay. I recommend booking a room as soon as you know you are planning a trip and then look out for deals to come out. For instance, Universal Orlando will put out Annual Passholder hotel rates just a few months in advance. So, you can change your reservation to take advantage of the cheaper deal if one comes up or if they don’t, you at least have a room booked. If you aren’t a passholder at a theme park, look out for package deals with tickets included with a hotel stay.

Save on Theme Park Food

Again, I’m going to point out that lots of theme park seasonal passes give you discounts here. The percentage of discount often depends on your level of pass. For example, Universal Orlando gives food/merchandise discounts at just their hotels to the two lowest tiers of passes while higher tiers receive discounts in the parks as well. SeaWorld Orlando and Dollywood give their higher tiers free parking and bigger food/merchandise discounts.

If you don’t have a pass, you can save money at theme parks by being frugal with the food. For instance, you can sometimes split bigger meals with people from quick-service style restaurants. You can sometimes bring in outside food to the parks for a picnic in the park. Alternatively, you can leave a park and eat from a cooler in your car or even make a meal in your room. You can also plan to eat just one big meal in the park to cut costs. I know that some parks even offer an all-day dining package that you can purchase to enjoy a meal in the park every 90 minutes!

Save Money on Theme Park Merchandise

Some of the tips for saving money on merch is the same as the food. As you guessed it, lots of annual/season passholders get discounts on merch. So, be sure to use those discounts if you have them. Beyond that, be on the lookout for signage indicating sales and deals inside the park itself. For example, I have seen Dollywood markdown out of season shirts inside the park. If you don’t mind holding onto something until next year, that can save a good bit of money. Additionally, you can sometimes find deals on merch online. Amazon and ShopDisney are good sites for finding discounts on Disney merch. You can definitely find little trinkets at dollar stores and save them for trips with kids instead of paying big prices in the park too.

Theme parks tend to be expensive, but with some time and effort, you can save money at theme parks. If you don’t mind planning in advance or making your own food, then a theme park vacation can be affordable. Do you have any tips I didn’t mention?

The Best Breakfast in Pigeon Forge, TN

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There are lots of places to grab a bite to eat in the morning in the Great Smoky Mountains. However, here are my five favorite places for the best breakfast in Pigeon Forge, TN!

Best breakfast in Pigeon Forge

5 Favorite Breakfasts in Pigeon Forge, TN

You can’t drive too far in Pigeon Forge without running into a pancake place. So, there are loads of options for your morning meal here. However, these are my personal favorites that I frequent when I’m in the area. So, in no particular order, here’s my list for the best breakfast in Pigeon Forge.

  1. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and Farmhouse Grill – My mom thinks they serve the best breakfast in Pigeon Forge and requests we go here every trip. I also really enjoy eating here. I love their Banana Foster Waffle and get it every time I eat here. We both love that their meals come with apple fritters, apple butter, and apple juleps! There are technically two restaurant buildings here, but they seem to offer very similar menus. We typically go to the second building as it tends to have shorter waits. After a meal here, we like to walk off some of the calories by perusing the barn. Mom always purchases some apple butter to bring home and I sometimes grab some of their baking mixes.
  1. The Old Mill Restaurant – I just enjoy the general atmosphere of The Old Mill and enjoy walking around the shops if the restaurant is busy. I also like that the meals come with orange juice and banana nut muffins! In fact, I think the muffins were the star of the meal when I last ate here! I really enjoyed my Cinnamon Raisin Pecan French Toast and my mom liked her biscuits.
  1. Frizzle Chicken Farmhouse Cafe – This place is an experience! Where else can you enjoy chicken and waffles while surrounded by singing chickens?! I went here with my mom and she still brings up the singing chickens from time to time. It was really neat to watch the animatronics come to life with the music. It certainly made the wait for food seem shorter. My mom enjoyed eating here so much that she even bought one of their t-shirts!
  1. Five Oaks Farm Kitchen – I love the thick “ring-baked” griddle cakes here. I also think the huge cinnamon rolls are amazing! Both of these items are in the photo collage above. Fun fact, the people who own this restaurant also own one of my favorite Gatlinburg breakfast places: Crockett’s Breakfast Camp! They have a very similar menu. So, if you want huge pancakes or cinnamon rolls, you have two good options depending on where you are.
  1. Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin – My last one on this list is another restaurant that has multiple locations! I like the variety of pancakes Flapjack’s offers. Plus, they actually put some flavors in the pancake batter rather than just putting a bunch of stuff on top. I really enjoyed their Reese’s peanut butter cup pancakes as it was like eating candy for breakfast!

As you can probably tell, it would be nearly impossible to crown one restaurant with the title of best breakfast in Pigeon Forge. However, I think a top 5 is a good compromise. So, have you ever eaten at any of these locations? Did I miss your go-to breakfast in the Smokies?

The 5 Best Things To Do at Dollywood

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I wanted to do a best things to do at Dollywood post because I have posts detailing what you can expect to encounter during their seasonal festivals. This post will list my favorite things to do, no matter when you go!

Best Things to Do at Dollywood

The Best Things to do at Dollywood

DW is a unique theme park with lots of tasty eats, beautiful scenery, and fun experiences! So, it’s impossible to visit and not enjoy yourself. These are the things I enjoy doing whenever I visit.

  1. Take a train ride. Did you even visit Dollywood if you didn’t ride the train? You will see and hear the train making its way around the park during the day and it’s an integral part of the park. In fact, the park had its early start around the train. You have to ride it at least once! It is a neat way to see the park and the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.
  2. Eat cinnamon bread. You have to visit The Grist Mill to try the infamous cinnamon bread. Although, you can also pick up a loaf at the DreamMore Resort, it feels more special when you pick one up at the Mill and eat it in the park. If you are craving a more substantial meal, I recommend trying Aunt Granny’s at least once.
  3. See a show. Dollywood has some of the best theme park entertainment around. There are different shows to see based on the time of the year you go. However, they are known for the Dreamland Drive-in show which you can catch anytime of the year. It has a cute story with music everyone can enjoy. At the very least, it’s a great way to get some air conditioning on a hot day.
  4. Walk around the park and enjoy the sights. Dollywood has to be one of the most beautiful theme parks. The mountains serve as the backdrop and create picture worthy scenes no matter the season. Another fun thing to look at is Dolly’s old tour bus!
  5. Ride a ride. To be honest, I have taken at least one trip to Dollywood and didn’t ride a single ride. However, they do have a good selection of rides. I like the Dragonflier and enjoy riding the Demolition Derby a.k.a. bumper cars with my mom.

So, there you have the 5 best things to do at Dollywood no matter what time of the year you go. If you are wondering about their season events, here are my posts on those: