Dollywood AGAIN: Another Weekend in Pigeon-burg Trip Report

Helloooooo Pigeon-burg!!!

Just three weeks after visiting Dollywood for their season opening event, here I am again in Pigeon-burg for more Dollywood shenanigans!

This time, I'm here to see my good friend Steve (you may remember him from the Denver Trip Report from May) and new friends Byron and Donald Ricky!

Who's ready for another Pigeon-burg weekend adventure??

:}

Ahh, Pigeon Forge. There's nothing like the smell of burnt rubber and moonshine to get you in the Smokey Mountain mood. :}

Pigeon Forge was SO busy that I had to take a shortcut through The Island to get to Dollywood! Turns out Pigeon-Burg's annual vintage car show was this weekend too!

First ride of the day: the Dollywood Tram! 

Second ride of the day: Thunderhead – Springtime Edition!

It's amazing what a difference three weeks makes. All of Dollywood's Tulips, Japanese Maples, and Dogwoods are now in bloom!

It's amazing what a little pink can do to a photo op. :}

Since I was still waiting for Steven, Byron and Donald Ricky to show up, I took the opportunity to run around and take pictures!

You can only get views like these from the kiddie play area in the middle of Thunderhead. :}

What other spoils await us in Dollywood?

Mystery Mine, of course!

And a new flavor of Dippin' Dots. More on that later.

Ahh, Mystery Mine. Still my favorite ride at Dollywood. <3

But it's Mystery Mine's little sister that's on everyone's mind these days...

Fire Chaser Express!

Yes, Fire Chaser is still flippin' adorable.

In celebration of Fire Chaser Express, it's time for a very special treat:

A Fire Chaser Cherrybomb Dippin' Dot Shirley Temple Float! :D

Fire Chaser is rather lively, no? :}

Not to be outdone, Wild Eagle is still the local favorite!

You know what I want? I want a Fire Chaser Express play set with coaster track and all these little buildings. I think my life would be complete if that existed.

Can't forget about TT!

Even the mighty Tennessee Tornado is festooned with the delicate pink flowers of the Japanese Maple. :}

I beseech you to find me a more handsome loop than this one.

My friends have arrived! Steven and I took a front seat ride on Fire Chaser, as did Byron and Donald Ricky. There they are!

Next up is Barnstormer! And no, the people on board are not randomly freaking out while waiting for the ride to start; I somehow managed to get a clear shot of the ride in full-swing just as it passed over the loading pad. :}

We then made our evening rounds in Timber Canyon!

Eagle at sunset is a marvelous thing. 

After a small marathon on Thunderhead, it was time to call it a day.

And after about an hour of Pigeon Forge car show traffic B.S., we finally made it to the Bullfish Grill for dinner!

What a fabulous day! I just can't get enough of Dollywood! After a good night's rest, the boys and I were back at the park bright and early for round 2!

Hooray for a beautiful Saturday at Dollywood!

Because we are Season Passholders, we got an hour of Mystery Mine morning ERT! Thunderhead was still receiving its morning inspection when we arrived at Timber Canyon.

Oof. I don't like the way I look in this picture, but my friends look good and you can see my new yellow Dollywood crystal butterfly earrings, so here it is anyways. lol

We had ourselves a marvelous morning in the misty Mystery Mine!

Meanwhile, this mallard was having a marvelous mid-morning meditation moment. :}

After making the rounds on the coasters, the boys decided to check out the park's African dance show (I'm not big on shows, so I passed). I took the opportunity to run around Dollywood like a lunatic and take pictures. 

I went straight for Mountain Slidewinder, of course. 

There's no better place than Slidewinder's queue to get great shots of Wild Eagle!

Eagle, however, wasn't particularly cooperative. After a short breakdown, the ride was tested with an empty train, and then a train with a single crew member.  

Soon, however, the ride was back to its normal operating procedures. 

I think Eagle's trains are cute, don't you? :}

This picture sort of happened randomly, but I like it anyways.

One last shot before I take the Slidewinder back down the mountain!

My entire right foot got drenched, so I decided to kick back for a bit and let things dry out. :}

My next order of business was to take some time to appreciate Dollywood's horticulture.

One could not ask for a more colorful bandstand of Latino amphibians. :}

Tulips are definitely in this season at Dollywood!

The next time you're at Dollywood, take some time to admire the views from the bridges that connect Show Street with the Adventures in Imagination and Jukebox Junction areas. Never will you find a creek as pristine as this at any other American theme park.

Similarly, you'd be hard-pressed to find a candy display as extravegant as Dollywood's!

Everyone needs a little homemade Dollywood candy in their lives!

Suddenly, we were treated to an international parade!

You may remember the Colombian dancers from 3 weeks ago. :}

You may also remember that there were daffodils on this hill 3 weeks ago, but they have since been replaced with tulips. 

By this point in the day, it was warm enough for a River Battle...

…but we opted for a ride on Daredevil Falls instead. Daredevil was broken for most of our visit last time, so this was my first ride on it in over two years. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this lovely O.D. Hopkins Super-flume. :}

The park was starting to get very crowded indeed by this point in the day. We decided to take the opportunity to go back out into Pigeon-burg before traffic got too crazy.

On our way out, we noticed some very talented kiddos playing the drums at one of the African craft booths.

Even at 4pm, the roads in Pigeon-burg were totally clogged. Fortunately, with the help of a GPS and some good old-fashioned American ingenuity, we found a secluded back road to our destination. Can you guess where we went? 

That's right! It's time for a ride of the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster!

Steve and I are ready to ride!

Like Dollywood, SMAC is now sporting some lively Spring colors. Blooming Dogwoods galore. :}

XTREME SMAC POV CRAZINESS – SPRINGTIME EDITION!

We decided to get some dinner in Gatlinburg, but because of traffic, we took a beautiful scenic detour that took us into Gatlinburg the back way. 

We had to go back to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for obvious reasons. 

After dinner, we explored Gatlinburg a little. The sweet sounds of folk music filled the mountain air. :}

And of course, no Pigeon-burg visit is complete without a stop at Aunt Mahalia's Candies.

After spending entirely too much time on the roads (it took us over an hour to travel around 20 miles), we returned to our hotel to rest up for day 3 of our weekend in Pigeon-burg.

Good morning and welcome to the Apple Barn! 

Yes, we decided to hit up one of Pigeon Forge's proudest breakfast institutions to start our day. I had Apple-stuffed French Toast. It was goooood.

The Apple Barn is no mere restaurant; the complex boasts of several apple-themed establishments, including a winery, a deli, a cider distillery, and more!

Good morning Dollywood! Always great to be here. :}

I'd say that morning is the best time of day to be at Dollywood. 

Light crowds and perfect weather!

The resident House of God at Dollywood looks quite serene on this lovely Sunday. :}

Reading this out load made me LOL so hard, but it's kind of a shame that someone had the nerve to vandalize a Bible verse. Or anything in the park, for that matter. 

After morning rides on Eagle and Fire Chaser, we decided to play some Plinko!

Prizes for Dollywood Plinko include coupons for 20% off food or merch and Wild Eagle exit passes!

It got pretty warm pretty quick, so another ride on Daredevil Falls was in order. :}

Pretty much every view of Wild Eagle is fit for a photo!

Next we went to Reds for lunch. This was one of the few Dollywood food establishments that I'd yet to visit, but the boys and I were pleasantly surprised by the restaurant's quick service and good food (although, this is Dollywood, after all. It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise). I had myself an excellent root beer float!

This duck has made her nest in a tulip planter. Tell me this is not just the cutest thing ever. :}

You know what's next, right?

That's right! It's time for a ride on old #192!

As usual, Dollywood's train provided a relaxing excursion through the Smokies.

Oh Lord Jesus, it's a Fire Chaser Express! :D

The boys and I discussed Dollywood's soon-to-be-developed upper train turnaround area.

Everybody wave!

Bye-bye, duckie! Have a lovely Spring. :}

After a final ride on Thunderhead, the boys hit the road so that they could make it back to Alabama at a decent hour. I, of course, decided to stay for another ride on Mystery Mine.

And, of course, I couldn't leave before saying goodbye to the eagles!

"Don't leave us!" cried the eagle.

"But he must," said the other eagle. "He has Banshee Media day in just 4 short days!"

I stopped at China's merch booth on my way out to sniff out some keychains. I was successful! :}

I ended my weekend with another visit to Big Top, the best arcade in the Smokies!  Seriously, if you're at all into redemption games, check this place out. The games are great and the prizes are interesting and well-priced.

What a great weekend! I just love Dollywood and Pigeon-burg, don't you? :}

…also...

Something new and exciting has occurred at Thrillography just in time for Banshee Media Day…

…A BRAND NEW CAMERA!!!

That's right! My Nikon S3600 10x zoom point-and-shoot is being retired, and in its place is a new Nikon S9600 22x zoom point-and-shoot!!!

Get ready for Thrillography's Banshee Media Day and Scream For A Kid Again Trip Report featuring SUPER-HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS!!!!!

:D :D :D