{"id":7051765,"date":"2026-08-30T12:13:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/planning-a-trip-to-dollywood-and-the-smoky-mountains-with-friends\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T12:13:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:13:57","slug":"planning-a-trip-to-dollywood-and-the-smoky-mountains-with-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7051765","title":{"rendered":"Planning a Trip to Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains with Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"


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You know those friends you can go years without seeing, then all show up in one place and immediately it\u2019s as if no time has passed? That\u2019s the Footlight Fannies for me. So when the sole male fanny proposed a weekend in the Smokies\u2014or rather, I think his words were, \u201chow do you feel about church lady hats, Dolly and speaking with a drawl?\u201d which I took to mean he wanted a Dollywood getaway of epic proportions, I didn\u2019t hesitate. I started looking for us a cabin, pieced together an itinerary and made sure they were serious about planning a Dolly-themed trip to Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

August 2026 update:\u00a0Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80. I originally wrote this story in 2018 after one of my favorite weekends in the Smokies\u2014a trip planned largely around our shared love of Dolly and a day at Dollywood. I\u2019ve kept that original story intact below, while updating the practical information for anyone planning their own trip to East Tennessee and Dollywood. Dolly\u2019s impact on this corner of Tennessee is impossible to overstate, and I feel especially lucky to have so many joyful memories tied to the place she built.<\/em><\/p>\n

How this trip to Dollywood came to be<\/h2>\n

I met the Fannies exactly seven years before our fall retreat in the Smokies. The four of us were confined to a floating office that couldn\u2019t have been more than 200 square feet in size, so let\u2019s just say we got to know each other\u00a0intimately<\/em>. We sang show tunes, we competed in Sea Olympics somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, we dressed up as various iterations of Lady Gaga, we drank way too much at a BBQ joint in Vietnam, we even choreographed our own haka dances. These are the people with whom I can be hopelessly silly and\u2014on the flip side\u2014totally, unabashedly real. We actually garnered the name \u201cFootlight Fannies\u201d from the program\u2019s South African theater director who said we were a quartet who always needed to be in the spotlight. I mean \u2026 he\u2019s not wrong.<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

And though two of us live in New York, one in Sacramento and the other in Tennessee, we still manage to convene at least once a year, three times of which have now taken place in Tennessee. (You can catch up on our Nashville birthday weekend celebration<\/a> for Josh a few years back.)<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

So, they booked their tickets, and I moved forward with the logistics.<\/p>\n

Where to Stay in the Smokies<\/h2>\n

One thing those who don\u2019t frequent the Smokies grapple with is where to book a cabin. Well, it all depends on what experience you want because even though Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are all located along a 15-mile stretch comprising Highway 441, the traffic is horrendous. In other words, decide where you\u2019re going to spend your time and then\u00a0<\/em>book your lodging.. If you\u2019re a couple who wants close access to the park, I recommend being around the perimeter of Gatlinburg<\/a>, not in town, but close enough to drive when you have a hankering for a good breakfast. If you\u2019re a family who wants easy entrance to Dollywood and all the attractions along the parkway, Sevierville is a great choice for you.<\/p>\n

\"Dollywood<\/p>\n

Because fall is high season in the Smokies and I was booking within a two-month window, our options were limited. We wound up just off the parkway a bit north of Sevierville in one of Old Mill Lodging\u2019s older cabins. In a more ideal world, we would have been off of Wears Valley Road\u2014a short drive to everything, but in a place that still feels like you are in the mountains. On SVV\u2019s and my last Smoky Mountain getaway, we stayed in a great Sevierville cabin complex<\/a> that I highly recommend. But sometimes you have limited options and for the Fannies\u2019 intents and purposes, this cabin, while dated, was comfortable enough, the perfect size for the four of us and worked just fine!<\/p>\n

\"Cabin<\/p>\n

Paula, Trina and Josh arrived at various times on Thursday morning and night, so I booked us an Airbnb in Knoxville for our first evening, rather than drive to the Smokies under a veil of darkness. This wound up being a smart move as Trina and Josh\u2019s flight was so delayed that they didn\u2019t land until after 1am. Paula and I were snoozing by the time they made it to our rental in Fourth and Gill.<\/p>\n

\"Staying<\/p>\n

After sleeping in, we got up and tooled around my former college town and checked off a few things on my Knoxville itinerary for every first-time visitor, then we hit the road for Sevierville in time to miss the weekend traffic. Knoxville McGhee Tyson airport is just 30 minutes to an hour from the Smokies, depending on which side of them you\u2019re staying on.<\/p>\n

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\"Knoxville<\/div>\n
\"Knoxville<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What to Do in Pigeon Forge<\/h2>\n

Once we arrived at our Sevierville cabin, we wasted no time uncorking the wine and starting a dance party as we all got ready to take the town by storm. Josh surprised us with\u2014Dolly Parton wigs, what else?\u2014and we used Trina\u2019s bright red lipstick and bandanas we purchased in Knoxville to accentuate our looks. We were ready to hit the parkway!<\/p>\n

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\"Smoky<\/div>\n
\"Smoky<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But what we didn\u2019t expect when we arrived at the parkway, with its giant Godzilla, replica of Mount Rushmore, overturned museum and other curiosities, is that we <\/em>would be the attraction. Despite the county\u2019s huge rod run going on that weekend, many bikers stopped to ask to get their photos with us\u2014and one vendor even asked if we were a band. I can\u2019t imagine why we turned heads. But we rolled with it!<\/p>\n

\"Pigeon<\/p>\n

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\"Pigeon<\/div>\n
\"Pigeon<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We had a big evening planned at one of Dolly\u2019s dinner shows\u2014you may remember that SVV and I went to Pigeon Forge in the spring for the show\u2019s opening\u2014so it made sense to migrate to that general vicinity. Old Forge Distillery<\/a> is right there, so we parked at the Old Mill, poked around its various buildings including the pottery studio, then bellied up to the bar to taste our way through Old Forge\u2019s spirited offerings.<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

That included a full flight of moonshine, so I only took a few sips as I was driving, while the Fannies full-on indulged. By the time we left Old Forge and made it to the dinner show, they were\u00a0real happy<\/em> if you get my gist.<\/p>\n

\"Old<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

Luckily, Celebration! wasn\u2019t far\u2014just a five-minute drive if that. What I love about the dinner shows in Pigeon Forge is that they cook up a full Thanksgiving-level feast that\u2019s served to you before and during the main event.<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

This cirque-style show is no longer\u2014it\u2019s now changed to Pirates Voyage\u2014but lucky for you, there\u2019s no shortage of dinner shows in Pigeon Forge. Best of all, they tend to start around 6:30pm and the whole shebang is over at 8pm, so plenty of time to add another activity on after that. For us, that was hot-tubbing with wine back at our cabin. Smoky Mountain life, am I right?<\/p>\n

\"Dolly<\/p>\n

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\"Dolly<\/div>\n
\"Dolly<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Dolly<\/p>\n

The following day, we had a date with my friends Steph and Tim and, of course, Dolly\u2014after all, Dollywood<\/a> is very much why the Fannies wanted to come to the Smokies in the first place\u2014and I\u2019m glad we got there right as it opened (after a quick stop for breakfast at Courthouse Donuts because we\u2019re only human), as the skies opened up and poured on us after lunch.<\/p>\n

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\"Smoky<\/div>\n
\"Smoky<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We waited it out a bit, before the park got shut down and we were ushered out. But not before we took plenty of photos in our Dolly wigs\u2013obviously!<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

\"Dollywood<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

\"Dollywood<\/p>\n

Even with the rain thwarting our plans, we still had plenty of time to go on a couple of rides, eat some BBQ and greasy meat-and-threes and, of course, take a peek into her former tour bus. Just a half-day at Dollywood is worth the trip for the magic that is Dolly Parton.<\/p>\n

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\"Smoky<\/div>\n
\"Smoky<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Where to Eat and Drink in Pigeon Forge<\/h2>\n

Rained out, we headed to the nearby Island in Pigeon Forge<\/a> as I read they had a new outpost of Yee-Haw Brewing Company, a Johnson City-based brewery whose beer I love (that Dunkel, though). Parking was atrocious, but we eventually nabbed a spot and splashed our way over to Yee-Haw as the rain soaked our clothes. I was a little disappointed in Yee-Haw, to be honest, as it didn\u2019t have nearly the beer offerings I\u2019ve seen at other bars\u2014and many of those brews of theirs that were on tap that I wanted to try weren\u2019t available. We downed a quick pint and went to our next stop: Paula Deen\u2019s Lumberjack Feud<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Now if you\u2019ve done an Alaskan cruise, you\u2019ve likely seen a replica of this show\u2014two families \u201cfeuding\u201d to become the ultimate victor by tackling a series of lumber-related challenges; I know my family and I went to one in Ketchican many years ago. In fact, I\u2019d venture to say several of the \u201clumberjacks\u201d (actors) even did their time in Alaska. This new show was a bit cheesy but definitely fit the Pigeon Forge mold. I\u2019d say the four of us 30-somethings weren\u2019t exactly the target demographic\u2014kids are likely to love the concept\u2014but we had fun nonetheless and even took home our own \u201ccookie\u201d (a piece of the tree the lumberjacks sliced off for us)! After all, we\u2019re the Fannies and kitsch is totally our jam.<\/p>\n

\"Lumberjack<\/p>\n

The Lumberjack Feud backs the complex that houses Smoky Mountain Brewery, so after the 90-minute show, we were able to walk right over to dinner.<\/p>\n

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\"Lumberjack<\/div>\n
\"Lumberjack<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Let me just start with the bad: Y\u2019all, the beer at Smoky Mountain Brewery was\u00a0terrible<\/em>, so don\u2019t waste your calories if that\u2019s something that matters to you. And now, the positive: The food is really good, particularly for Sevier County standards (this is not an area known for fine dining). I always love their pizza, and we frequently order takeout from here when SVV and I are visiting the Smokies. Just don\u2019t go for the beer\u2014or do, but don\u2019t say I didn\u2019t tell you so. There\u2019s also now a Casual Pint in Sevierville<\/a>, so finally you can have the ultimate craft beer experience without leaving Sevier County.<\/p>\n

\"Smoky<\/p>\n

A couple of my favorite places to eat in the area that have both great food\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>beer are the Roaming Gnome Pub and Goats on the Roof. We didn\u2019t get a chance to go there on this visit, but I put together a little map for those of you wanting more eating and drinking experiences on your own fall vacation to the Smokies.<\/p>\n