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If you are trying to stretch your vacation budget but don't want to forego a trip to Dollywood, check out these ways to save money while you're there.
1. If your group has fewer than eight people try parking at the trolley stop at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge and riding the Pigeon Forge trolley to Dollywood. The trolley only costs $1 per person round trip and drops you off at the front gate. Parking at Dollywood costs $8 per car and you still have to wait (and sometimes it's a looong wait) for a trolley to take you to the front gate.
2. Consider drinking water instead of soft drinks while at Dollywood. Water is much better for you (especially in the heat of summer), it actually tastes good, and best of all it's free.
3. If you must drink soft drinks, tea, etc., consider purchasing a refillable sport bottle. If you plan on drinking at least 4 drinks while at Dollywood it will save you money to purchase a refillable sport bottle for $6.99 plus tax. The sport bottle can be reused as often as you like all season and costs $1.99 to refill with any beverage of your choice (including lemonade and icees). In contrast a large soft drink is $3.49.
4. Bring your own disposable ponchos. If you want to ride the water rides but don't want to get soaked bring your own ponchos. You can purchase them at Walmart for about a dollar. Plus if a summer rainstorm hits you won't have to buy an overpriced Dollywood poncho.
5. Bring a few zipper baggies to protect cell phones and cameras when you ride water rides. If you forget to bring waterproof bags, they can also be bought for $.50 near most water rides.
6. Bring your own camera if you think you will want a photographic reminder of your trip.
7. Plan ahead how much you will spend on souvenirs - then stick to your plan.
8. If you have children, set a limit on how much you will spend on games and souvenirs per child. Then help your child(ren) choose items within their budget.
9. Using the Dollywood food menus listed here, plan how much you will spend on food and where you will eat.
10. If you have more than one child, split an adult meal between children instead of buying the overpriced children's meals. The children's meals usually come with a souvenir Dollywood train box which is too small to serve any useful purpose that I've found, so unless your child "needs" the train box you're better off buying a adult meal to share between children.
11. Plan in advance how much you will spend on games . Games cost anywhere from $1 to $3. Before playing ask yourself if the prize is really worth the cost of the game. In most cases it just isn't.
12. If you plan on riding the new River Battle ride, wear a swimsuit under your clothes. I've never seen anyone exit River Battle less than completely soaked. Dollywood has installed "family dryers" near the ride for $3.00 (they fit up to five people). But you can save yourself the cost and the discomfort of being soaked in street clothes if you'll wear a swimsuit just for this ride.
13. For a cheap souvenir, bring several quarters and shiny pennies for the pressed penny machines. My children love these, and I would much rather spend $.51 on a pressed penny than several dollars on a stuffed animal I'll donate to charity next month. Not to mention they're much easier to carry!
14. The best-priced snacks at Dollywood are found at the Spotlight Bakery as you enter the park. It's a great place to sit and relax after walking around for several hours.
15. If you plan on visiting Dollywood more than twice, definitely get a Season Pass.
16. If your family or group has season passes, consider getting one season pass upgraded to a gold pass. The gold pass costs an extra $30 and you save the $8 parking fee each time you visit and also get 20% off all food.
17. If you only plan on buying a one-day ticket, plan your trip so that you can also go after 3 p.m. the day before your planned visit. You can use a one day ticket to get into Dollywood after 3 p.m. one day and also go the entire next day as well.
18. If you plan on visiting both Splash Country and Dollywood, you can buy a three day ticket for both for $82.50 (ages 12+, tax included) or $65.80 (child, tax included). The ticket must be used within 7 days of first usage. The ticket gives you entrance to either or both parks on each of the three days you use it within the seven day period. So if you want to visit both Splash Country and Dollywood on all three days you can.
19. Don't forget to apply sunscreen before you get to Dollywood. The park is well shaded, so many people won't even need sunscreen, but if you do need it you don't want to buy it inside Dollywood.
20. If you need a stroller and have a reasonable way of getting it to the park, bring your own. Stroller rentals are available at Dollywood, but they are $10 for a single and $14 for a double. Strollers are easy to transport on the parking lot trams. The trams have space for strollers at the front of the first tram car. Just make sure a seat gets saved for the person who is stowing the stroller.
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