I visited Dollywood for the first time. It was easier to enjoy, less commercial, and more thrilling than Disney parks.

19.02.2024 - 18:33 / insider.com / Disney World

Although we love our Disney trips, my wife and I recently changed things up by heading to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Our trip to the Dolly Parton theme park was thrilling and way easier to plan than any Disney trip. After all, my family's been to nine Disney parks worldwide, and each visit can feel like planning a military operation.

We watch countless videos, read blogs and forums, and carefully plan daily itineraries just to try to avoid large queues and long waits.

At Dollywood, however, we were able to take it easy and still have an amazing time.

When my wife and I visited Dollywood over Christmas, we decided to take a more laid-back approach and keep planning to a minimum.

Right off the bat, our day started less stressful as the park didn't open until 11 a.m. when we visited. We slept in and enjoyed a nice breakfast.

There were very few crowds when we arrived at Dollywood around opening time.

This was so different from Disney, where we sometimes get to the gates around 7 a.m. to join crowds trying to enter the parks right when they open at 8.

At Dollywood, we got Timesaver Passes — about $60 per person — which allowed us to skip the queues at five attractions and reserve seats at popular shows.

This saved us time and meant we weren't glued to our phones all day to check wait times for attractions. We could slowly meander around the park and enjoy the theming and surrounding landscapes.

Dollywood's Great Smoky Mountains backdrop made the park extra beautiful, and we had the time to appreciate the scenery rather than dash around from ride to ride.

Although we can purchase somewhat similar line-skipping services at Disney called Genie+, using them involves a decent amount of planning and being glued to our phones to use them in the park.

Disney has incredible animatronics and technology in its major rides, but Dollywood relies more on thrills.

As roller-coaster enthusiasts, we had a great time. Our favorite coaster was Wild Eagle, the tallest in the park. It made us feel like we were flying as we dropped 135 feet at 61 miles per hour.

There were a few kiddie coasters for the less adventurous, but most were fast and thrilling. We also rode some of the coasters at night, and they were even scarier in the dark.

Disney has impressive shows, but so does Dollywood. We even met several people who visit Dollywood just for the musicals.

They're well-produced, and many families visit to catch the special Christmas performances every single year.

We used our Timesaver Passes to secure front-row seats to watch Parton's family perform a Christmas concert. It felt like the next best thing to watching Parton sing live.

Almost every ride at Disney parks ends with an exit through a gift store. This