Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Dollywood Summer Festival Tour Review

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I’ve just returned from a quick visit to the Smoky Mountains with my mom, where we got to experience some of the Dollywood Summer Festival Tour!

Full Disclosure: Due to the weather messing up the tour, we will be receiving a refund for this tour. However, I think I have a good idea of what you can expect when you take this tour.

Dollywood Summer Festival Tour

Dollywood Summer Festival Tour

During my last visit to the park, I was able to do two tours: the Dolly Parton Experience and the I Will Always Love You Music Festival Tour. My mom thought those tours sounded like fun, so we booked one for this trip. We booked this tour online ahead of time and I was able to use my gold pass for a small discount. We paid $74/each plus taxes and fees.

The website listed a 8 PM start time, but also stated that I should check in before 6 PM. That’s so that they know you are actually there and so you know where to meet up with the group at 7:55 PM. You also receive your lanyard when you check in. I know the site also mentions receiving a TimeSaver at check-in, however we didn’t receive that.

The Tour

As I stated above, unfortunately the weather ruined a good chunk of this tour. Typically, you are supposed to have a bit of a tour of Wilderness Pass before heading over to Wildwood Grove. We spent much of this time hiding out from the weather. However, we did walk over to FireChaser Express where the guides told us about its creation. The ride wasn’t running due to the weather, however you usually get to skip the line to ride it after they tell you about it.

From there, we received a complimentary snack. We were all given a deep fried s’more. There doesn’t appear to be any substitutions for this snack, regardless of dietary restrictions or preferences. The deep fried s’more was good. It reminded me of a marshmallow filled funnel cake with chocolate sauce.

After that snack, we walked over to Wildwood Grove. While we didn’t get to hear much about the newest ride, Big Bear Mountain, we did get a chance to ride it as soon as it opened back up from the weather. Our tour guide led us over to skip the line and everyone who wanted to was able to ride it. We were also given the chance to ride it a second time with skipping the line. Once was enough for my mom and I though. So, we all just stood around waiting for those other folks to ride again.

I believe somewhere around here you are supposed to receive a festival beverage – a icee/slushee beverage of some sort. We didn’t get a chance to get those though. We also missed the dance party, which I think was cancelled due to the weather. Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment of all came when they cancelled the drones and simply showed the fireworks. We did have a reserved area to stand in and watch the show from. However, we missed the beginning of the show and it was really short. I imagine this would be much more worth it with the drone portion of the show.

Is the Dollywood Summer Festival Tour worth it?

While I know that we are receiving a refund for this experience, I don’t know that the whole tour is worth $74/79. It’s nice to learn about the park and to skip the lines. The added snack and beverage is great too. However, it’s a pricey addition to your park day. I think maybe they should just give TimeSaver passes to those rides to be used during the park day. Then, have you meet up at the reserved viewing area where they have the snack and beverage. That would make more sense to me.

If you are concerned about crowds for the drone/fireworks show or really want to ride the two included rides, it might be worth the price. If you are on a tight budget, you can probably skip this one.

Also, I just want to stress that our tour guides were awesome! They made the best of a less than ideal situation with the weather not cooperating. They also advocated for us to get refunds due to the weather issues. So, if you book a tour, just know that you are in good hands!

Tweetsie Railroad Guide with Tips for Visiting

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Tweetsie Railroad was the first theme park I ever visited! After 27 years, I finally returned and I’d love to offer a quick overview with tips for others considering a visit.

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie is a wild west themed park located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Opened in 1957, it features historical steam locomotives and lots of fun for the whole family to enjoy. I think it’s the perfect park for a first time park goer. It’s much simpler and smaller than the parks in Orlando. There’s no pre-planning required for enjoying a day here. There’s not even a skip the line offering here!

The main draw of this park is the train ride. I was pleased to discover that the story on the train ride has been updated in recent years to reflect more modern views. As of May 2025, they appear to be working on the third stop on the train for an additional story update. So, it’s hard to say exactly what story you will witness if you visit.

Park Overview

Tweetsie doesn’t have an app. However, they do have paper maps at the park. There’s four main sections or lands at the park. You enter on Main Street, similar to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. This is where you encounter a small western town and the train depot. It’s also where you board the train ride. There are lots of fun photo opportunities here.

Next up is the Tweetsie Junction section. I highly recommend catching a show at the Tweetsie Palace and grabbing some chocolate treats at Fudge Works here. Next, you can walk over to Country Fair or ride the chair lift (or bus) up to Miners Mountain. You have to ride Mouse Mine in Miners Mountain! It’s an amazing/trippy show about mice loving cheese in a mine! Also, the deer park at the top is a fun little thing to experience as you get to see and feed (for a small price) some animals.

Shows

The park map currently lists four shows, but there’s some fine print I didn’t catch about one not starting until mid-June. So, we caught all of two shows and part of one. We watched all of Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue as well as the Tweetsie Magic Show at the Tweetsie Palace. The show times rotate so you can technically visit once and catch both shows. The magic show was really neat to watch.

We also watched a little bit of Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration at Miner’s Mountain Theater. This show is great for young children. We watched a few minutes just to see what it was about, but left when they got up and started dancing around. Ha! The Country Clogging Jamboree is also held at this theater, but the park map says it doesn’t start until mid-June. I’m sure it’s fun as I used to enjoy clogging some as a kid.

All of these shows are a great way to get out of the sun and enjoy a break. You can even get some food and sit down to eat at one of the tables at the Tweetsie Palace!

Tips

  • You can visit for more than one day with one ticket – If you enter the park after 3 PM, you can use your ticket to re-enter the park the next day at no charge! So, that’s like 1.5 days at the park for the price of one day! We didn’t do this, but it’s nice they offer it.
  • Do the chair lift early – The chair lift will shut down for high wind and storms. So, if you want to ride it, ride it early in the day. It would actually make good sense to head straight up the mountain to ride stuff before others come up there and then come back down later in the day.
  • Sit on the right-hand side of the train – If you want a good view of the show, then you need to sit on the right side of the train, facing the engine/front. That’s the side the show takes place on. However, the left side can still see the show and gets great views of the trees/nature.
  • Eat food in the Palace – The Tweetsie Palace has tables and chairs. They also sell some food there. So, it would be cool to watch a show while eating your food. We had some BBQ chicken sandwiches when we visited and were happy enough.
  • Grab some fudge or chocolates – The Fudge Works has the best food in the park. You have to try some of the fudge or other chocolate goodies here!
  • A whole pizza can be an affordable way to feed a family – Theme park food is notriously expensive. While we found the prices to be reasonable (compared to other parks), I understand that it can be pricey for people with children. You can get a whole pizza for around $30 and feed several people. So, that’s probably the most economical way to feed a family here.

Should you visit Tweetsie Railroad?

As I said above, I think Tweetsie is the perfect theme park for a first time theme park goer. It has a great assortment of rides that smaller children will enjoy. It’s also good for adults who want a relaxing park day for a change of pace. It is located in between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. So, the location may be a bit of a hinderance to some folks. It’s mostly a locals park, I think. However, it’s a quaint little park that I’m glad I was able to visit again.

Have you ever visited Tweetsie Railroad?

The Best Things in Epcot at Walt Disney World

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Continuing with my series on “the best of…”, I thought I would cover the best things in Epcot!

The best things in Epcot

The Best Things in Epcot

Having already covered the best of two other Walt Disney World parks: Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, I thought it was time to do another. Epcot is best known for its World Showcase, which highlights a variety of different countries. There’s themed buildings/facades as well as lots of food here. There’s also some cool shows and rides to experience. It’s easy to spend a whole day here.

The Best Ride

While people typically think of the food in this park, there’s also some great rides here. My family really likes Soarin’ and Test Track. Soarin’ is great for people who get motion sick easily as it’s a less challenging ride. Plus, it’s fun to fly over different locations. Test Track is currently being refurbished. However, we’ve enjoyed going fast in the car. We also liked Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with its cute theme and trackless ride. I know the Frozen ride and Guardians of the Galaxy ride are also popular rides here.

Best Table Service Restaurant

Unlike some other parks, Epcot has a plethora of good food options. If you want a good basic sit down meal with characters, Garden Grill is great. It’s always a crowd pleaser. Adults who like to drink and/or dance, might enjoy Biergarten. If you like pizza, then Via Napoli is pretty good. I’m hoping to try the table service Japanese restaurant Teppan Edo the next time I go.

Best Quick Service Restaurant

Once again, Epcot has lots of options in this category. However, my personal favorite is Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie. It’s a bakery found in the back of the France pavilion. I love having a sandwich from here for breakfast. Although, I also enjoyed some crepes from the Crepes a Emporter stand for some quick service crepe meals. Basically, I really enjoy the food in France.

The Best Snack

Once again, there are so many food options in this park! If there’s a festival going on, it makes picking one snack even harder. However, my mom and I really enjoy picking up a bag of freshly made caramel popcorn from Karamell-Kuche in Germany. I’ve been known to travel with a large ziptop bag just to carry my popcorn back home. Another favorite in this category is the patisserie I mentioned above in France. I’ve enjoyed every single pastry we’ve gotten there.

What are the best things in Epcot?

These are my favorite things in Epcot. What are some of yours?

Universal Epic Universe Tips

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It’s hard to believe but Universal Epic Universe is officially opening today! Having recently attended a preview, I thought I would share some tips to help make your trip better!

Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe

As I stated in my preview review, I spent two days at Epic while it was in technical rehearsal. So, while I assume some operational changes will occur, I think I can still provide some general tips to help your trip go smoothly. For readability purposes, I am dividing my tips out by category.

What to Bring

  • Water bottle – This park has lots of water bottle refill stations around the park! I love that, personally. So, I highly recommend bringing your own water bottle and refilling it whenever you see a station.
  • Hat and Sunscreen – Celestial Park has virtually no shade and you have to walk through it to get to the other lands. So, I highly suggest packing a hat and sunscreen. I even saw some folks carrying a UV umbrella. I wear a UV jacket whenever I’m outside.
  • Phone charger – You will be on your phone a lot here. The park map, mobile ordering, and virtual queues are all in the UO app. Between using the app and taking pictures, you will drain your phone’s battery pretty quickly. Bring a phone charger.
  • Comfortable shoes – This one is pretty standard for theme park visits. Just wanted to remind everyone. Also, please wear deodorant. I smelled several people during my last visit.

Eating

  • Have a card saved to the app – During previews, they were forcing guests to mobile order food. Having a credit/debit/Visa gift card saved to the app ahead of time saves you time and effort in the park.
  • Use the restroom and wash your hands before entering restaurants – I wish this wasn’t a tip I was giving. However, for whatever reason, the decision was made to not put restrooms inside most of the restaurants. So, if you need to go, you have to leave the restaurant. It’s best to go before entering the restaurant.
  • You might have to eat outdoors – If the indoor restaurants are busy, they might not let you sit inside without ordering food from that restaurant.

Tips for Scheduling

  • Arrive early – It’s not as hot earlier in the day. Plus, you might able to ride stuff before it goes down in the middle of the day.
  • Take your time – This is a very highly themed park. Slow down to appreciate all of the little details.
  • Take a mid-day break – I feel so much better when I get out of the heat during the hottest part of the day (sometime between 1-4 PM) by taking a break in my hotel room. I love to grab a snack from the park or hotel, head up to the room for a quick shower and nap. It’s very refreshing.

Epic Universe Tips

So, those are my tips for visiting Universal Epic Universe specifically. Did I miss anything? Also, feel free to check out my general theme park bag post for other suggestions of what to bring.

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

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When visiting a theme park, most people prefer to have a small and quick bite to eat in the morning. So, I thought I would highlight the best Disney World quick service breakfast options to help people make the most of their time and money!

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

While some folks may look forward to a leisurely start to their vacation days, lots of folks prefer to grab something quick while visiting theme parks. So, I thought I would highlight my favorite places to grab a quick bite to eat in the morning when visiting Walt Disney World from the parks to the resorts!

Resorts

For the most part, the quick service breakfast options at the resorts are the same. However, to me, it’s not a Disney trip without some Mickey waffles! So, I like to grab a Waffle Bounty Platter to get a waffle along with some protein (usually eggs and meat). The post image above is actually my breakfast at Disney’s All Star Sports from December 2024. It even came with some tots! It was very filling and tasted fresh. It didn’t contain any new flavor combinations, but that’s not what these breakfast options are all about anyways. They are perfect for getting to the parks quickly or getting to the airport in a timely fashion!

Magic Kingdom

Typically, on a park day, I will eat a little something in the room while I’m getting ready (such as a granola bar). Then, I will eat a bigger late breakfast or early lunch in the parks. Unfortunately, Magic Kingdom is not known for a plethora of food options. In the before times, I loved to eat breakfast at Be Our Guest. However, that’s no longer an option. RIP quick service Be Our Guest.

Nowadays, lots of folks like to grab a warm cinnamon roll at Gaston’s Tavern, a big Mickey waffle with various toppings at Sleepy Hollow, or a breakfast sandwich at Main Street Bakery. I think you should go with whatever suits your fancy.

Epcot Quick Service Breakfast

It used to be much harder to find breakfast in this park since World Showcase didn’t used to open prior to 11 AM. However, now I pretty much always get breakfast in France! If you are looking for a good use of a quick service dining credit on the dining plan, I would suggest getting a crepe and adult beverage from the crepe stand. Otherwise, I love to head to Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie for a breakfast sandwich croissant that’s tasty and relatively cheap by Disney standards.

Hollywood Studios

I think there are two great options for a quick breakfast at Hollywood Studios. Depending on who I’m with and my mood dictates which one I’ll choose. My husband and I enjoy Ronto Roasters in Galaxy’s Edge for a Ronto Wrap. I’ve also been known to grab a kids meal at Woody’s Lunch Box for breakfast or lunch. I also like picking up the seasonal lunch box tarts here.

Animal Kingdom

Usually, at Animal Kingdom I will grab a breakfast sandwich at Creature Comforts (the park’s Starbucks) as I walk in. However, I’ve also eaten a Pongu Lumpia (the first slide in my old Instagram post seen below) from Pongu Pongu in Pandora for breakfast. Sometime, I want to try Satu’li Canteen for breakfast though. I’ve had lunch there a few times and really enjoyed it. So, I’m sure the breakfast is good too.

Disney Springs

Disney Springs tends to be more of a place for lunch or dinner. However, you can find breakfast here too. I’ve had Earl of Sandwich several times at Disney World and Disneyland. It never disappoints. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew would be a great option for breakfast here too.

Best Disney World Quick Service Breakfast Options

So, there you have my go-to Disney World quick service breakfast picks! What are your favorites?