Navigating Dollywood Ride Wait Times Using the App

Are you wondering if the Dollywood app is a useful tool for your next trip to the theme park? Features of the app like ride wait times and interactive maps really help out once you are inside the park.

But, I also like to use the app to help plan and organize my itinerary before a visit to the Dollywood Theme Park. In this post, I will discuss how to use the Dollywood app to plan your theme park tour. This way you don’t miss out on any of the fun!

Dollywood App Features

The best thing about the Dollywood app is that it’s absolutely free to use! And we all love free, right?!? I downloaded the app on my iPhone, but I believe it’s available on Android devices as well. In addition to the app, the official Dollywood website is an incredibly helpful tool when planning your vacation. After opening the app on your phone, you will want to create an account to make things easier for future use.

blue buttons with words like rides, dining, and shops

You will then see the main screen with available features. Notice the different categories like tickets, rides, etc. are easily available for you to click. If you have not yet purchased your theme park tickets, you can do that directly on the app. If you are a season pass holder, you can easily enter your membership number and the app will display your pass.

Interactive Map

If you scroll down past the above-mentioned categories, you will see an icon for the interactive park map. This is a super handy feature, and it really reminds me of the Disney World app. You can filter the map to show specific categories of interest to you. For example, I chose to only include “rides” on the map pictured above.

Dollywood Map on App

However, you can select to have other places in the park displayed on your map. These are some of the categories you have the option of seeing on the Dollywood interactive map:

  • rides and attractions
  • dining
  • shopping
  • crafts
  • restrooms
  • first aid
  • accessibility
  • guest services
  • theatres and venues
  • parking and transportation
  • smoking/vaping areas

The interactive map gives you a sense of what the Dollywood Theme Park is like before you even visit. Once you enter the park, this app feature makes it really easy for you to navigate through Dollywood.

Rides and Wait Times

As shown in the example pictured above, the Dollywood interactive map allows you to filter by rides and attractions. However, you are able to narrow down your search even more. The app allows you to display only certain types of rides if you prefer. Some of the options for rides you can choose include thrill, children, and water.

Dollywood rollercoaster with pumpkins around it

In addition, you can select to only have certain height requirements appear on your map. This way if you are only looking for rides that your toddler can experience, you can filter out the larger rollercoasters. One of the best features of the Dollywood app is that you can see the wait times for the rides and attractions. You can also use this as a filter when looking at the map. If you are interested in only seeing rides with 30 minute wait times or less, just choose this option on your interactive map.

Shows

The Dollywood app helps you plan and stay organized because it includes the daily show schedules at the park. The Dollywood calendar allows you to choose the day you plan to visit the park. Once you pick your day, you will see a list of the shows available along with a description and show times. Can I just say that I LOVE that the app includes the running time of the shows!! I have a toddler who has an attention span of a……well, a toddler.

guitar with cowboy boots and hat

Sometimes I struggle with planning itineraries because a place we visit doesn’t include the length of the shows. It’s so nice to know ahead of time whether the entertainment is twenty minutes long or an hour long. We could sit through (most of) a 20-30 minute show; but, there is no way my daughter would make it through an hour. So, thank you Dollywood for including this information!

Food

Similar to searching for rides and shows, finding dining locations via the Dollywood app is super simple. You can view available dining on the map or in list form. If you have someone in your family with a food allergy, note that you are able to filter your dining results to include only gluten-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free.

soft pretzel with salt

In addition, you can select specific dining types for your search:

  • concession stand
  • family style
  • full service
  • quick service

The only addition I would like to see on the app is dining menus included. Since my husband has dietary restrictions that really narrow down what he’s able to eat, it’s nice to know a restaurant’s menu ahead of time. With the amount of information the Dollywood app includes, I’m going to guess that this is something they are working on.

Touring Plans

The Dollywood app makes it super easy to plan out your itinerary for your park visit. You are able to create lists via the app of attractions, shows, etc. that are of interest to you. This is a great way to organize all of the activities that your family wants to experience!

I have included recommendations for touring plans with little kids below. You will possibly need to tweak these plans depending on Dollywood’s park hours for the dates of your visit.(Please note that show options and ride availability are subject to change.)

2 Day Itinerary for Toddlers (under 36 inches)

For the two day visit to Dollywood, you will notice I recommend around two activities per hour. This is because toddlers are often on their own time schedule and can easily be distracted by their surroundings.

strollers parked against a fence

This two day touring plan allows time for your little one to enjoy the sculpted plants and decorations at the park. It also allows your toddler to explore the walkways on their own when they don’t want to ride in the stroller as you rush to the next attraction. (I’m including that one from personal experience!)

Day 1

  • 10:00 Treetop Tower/ Frogs & Fireflies
  • 11:00 Wildwood Creek Splash Pad/ Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground
  • 12:00 Lunch Break/ Eagle Mountain Sanctuary
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap feature to take turns riding roller coasters.)
  • 2:30 Snack
  • 3:00 Wings of America Show Birds/ Dollywood Express Train
  • 4:00 Rockin’ Roadway/ Re-ride Favorite Rides
  • 5:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

Day 2

  • 10:00 Village Carousel/ The Amazing Flying Elephants
  • 11:00 Lemon Twist/ Piggy Parade
  • 12:00 Lunch Break/ Carnival Games
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap feature to take turns on big rides.)
  • 2:30 Snack
  • 3:00 Busy Bees/ Lucky Ducky
  • 4:00 Re-ride Favorite Rides
  • 5:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

2 Day Toddler Itinerary (above 36 inches)

This 2 day itinerary is ideal for those kids who have reached 36 inches in height. If you are visiting Dollywood with a tall two year old or with a 3 year old, this itinerary would most likely work for you.

Day 1

  • 10:00 Treetop Tower/*Black Bear Trail
  • 11:00 *The Mad Mockingbird/ Frogs & Fireflies
  • 12:00 Lunch/ Wildwood Creek Splash Pad/Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap to ride big rides.)
  • 2:30 Snack
  • 3:00 *Great Tree Swing/ *Whistle Punk Chaser
  • 4:00 Wings of America Show Birds/ Eagle Mountain Sanctuary
  • 5:00 Dollywood Express Train/ Dinner
  • 6:00 Back to Resort

Day 2

  • 10:00 The Amazing Flying Elephants/ Village Carousel
  • 11:00 *Shooting Star/ The Scrambler
  • 12:00 Lunch/ Carnival Games
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap to ride big rides.)
  • 2:30 Snack
  • 3:00 Piggy Parade/ Lemon Twist
  • 4:00 Busy Bees/ Lucky Ducky
  • 5:00 Rockin’ Roadway/ * Smoky Mountain River Rampage
  • 6:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

*denotes 36 inch height requirement

2 Day Itinerary for Preschoolers (39 inches and taller)

This touring plan is great for those visiting with kids around 4 years old. It includes a mixture of the bigger rides and the toddler favorites!

Day 1

  • 10:00 Arrive at park/ Dragonflier/ Whistle Punk Chaser
  • 11:00 Treetop Tower/ Black Bear Mountain/ Black Bear Trail
  • 12:00 Lunch/ Great Tree Swing
  • 1:00 The Mad Mockingbird/ Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground
  • 2:00 Snack/ Wildwood Creek Splash Pad/ FireChaser Express
  • 3:00 Wings of America Show Birds/ Eagle Mountain Sanctuary
  • 4:00 School House/ Dollywood Express Train Ride
  • 5:00 Dinner/ Carnival Games
  • 6:00 Re-ride Favorite Rides
  • 7:00 Back to Resort

Day 2

  • 10:00 The Amazing Flying Elephants/ Village Carousel
  • 11:00 Shooting Star/ The Scrambler
  • 12:00 Lunch/ Carnival Games
  • 1:00 Piggy Parade/ Lemon Twist
  • 2:30 Snack/ Busy Bees
  • 3:00 Lucky Ducky/ Show
  • 4:00 Rockin’ Roadway/ Smoky Mountain River Rampage
  • 5:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

Can you do Dollywood in one day?

Dollywood Theme Park is full of exciting rides, attractions, and entertainment. Even though you will find lots of things to do and see at the park, you can easily experience Dollywood all in one day.

Dollywood with text overlay Best Ways to Use the Dollywood App

If you are visiting with a toddler or a child who still naps, you may struggle to fit everything in to a one day visit. I recommend sorting the rides and attractions by level of importance to you. This way if you have time for only two attractions per hour, you can skip the third attraction knowing it wasn’t high priority.

1 Day Toddler Itinerary (under 36 inches)

This touring plan includes a one day visit to Dollywood with time for a nap. My toddler typically falls asleep in her stroller while at the theme park. You can tweak the touring plan to match your family’s preferences.

  • 10:00 The Amazing Flying Elephants/ Village Carousel
  • 11:00 Piggy Parade/ Busy Bees/ Lemon Twist
  • 12:00 Lucky Ducky/ Lunch/ Eagle Mountain Sanctuary
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap to take turns riding big rides.)
  • 2:30 Snack
  • 3:00 Dollywood Express Train/ Rockin’ Roadway
  • 4:00 Treetop Tower/ Frogs & Fireflies
  • 5:00 Wildwood Creek Splash Pad/ Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground
  • 6:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

1 Day Toddler Itinerary (above 36 inches)

This itinerary is geared toward those kids who meet the 36 inch height requirement. If you are running low on time, the attraction in parentheses is the one my family would skip if we had to choose. We always try to hit them all though!

  • 10:00 *Shooting Star/ The Scrambler/ (Busy Bees)
  • 11:00 The Amazing Flying Elephants/ Village Carousel/ (Lucky Ducky/ Piggy Parade)
  • 12:00 Lunch/ Lemon Twist/ Dollywood Express Train
  • 1:00 Nap (Use parent swap to ride big rides.)
  • 2:30 Snack/ Eagle Mountain Sanctuary/ (Wings of America Show Birds)
  • 3:30 *Black Bear Trail/ *Whistle Punk Chaser/ (*Great Tree Swing)
  • 4:30 *The Mad Mockingbird/ Treetop Tower/ (Frogs and Fireflies)
  • 5:30 Dinner/ Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground/ (Wildwood Creek Splash Pad)
  • 6:30 Rockin’ Roadway/ *Smoky Mountain River Rampage
  • 7:30 Back to Resort

*denotes 36 inch height requirement

1 Day Preschooler Itinerary (above 39 inches)

If you are trying to squeeze all of the rides and attractions into one day, this touring plan works well for preschoolers or those kids who are 3 to 4 years old.

  • 10:00 Dragonflier/ Whistle Punk Chaser/ Black Bear Mountain
  • 11:00 Treetop Tower/ Great Tree Swing/ Black Bear Trail
  • 12:00 Lunch/ The Mad Mockingbird
  • 1:00 Wildwood Splash Pad/ Hidden Hollow Indoor Playground/ Firechaser Express
  • 2:00 Eagle Mountain Sanctuary/ Wings of America Show Birds/ School House
  • 3:00 Snack/ Shooting Star/ The Scrambler
  • 4:00 Lemon Twist/ Amazing Flying Elephants/ Carousel
  • 5:00 Dollywood Express Train/ Rockin’ Roadway/ *Smoky Mountain River Rampage
  • 6:00 Dinner/ Back to Resort

Final Review of the Dollywood App

Overall, the Dollywood app is a great benefit to families planning a trip to the Dollywood Theme Park. It’s super easy to use, and it provides so much information at your fingertips when you are inside the park. It also helps you stay organized while planning your family vacation to Dollywood!

dollywood dreammore resort hotel
Dollywood DreamMore Resort

If you are wondering where you should stay when visiting the Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge area, this is my full review of the family friendly DreamMore Resort and Spa! Do you find the Dollywood App’s ride wait times feature helpful? Comment below and let me know how you use it!

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7 Comments

    1. Hi Caleb,

      Thanks for reaching out. Try clicking on the “My Dollywood” tab while inside the app. You should be able to sign into your account and have your tickets linked.

    1. Hey Jennifer,

      Thanks so much for reaching out. I believe the Dollywood Wait Times are only available on the app when you are actually on property. This was a big adjustment for me as I’m used to the Disney World app, which shows wait times no matter where you are located. Hope this helps and have a great trip!

    1. Hi Dick,

      Thanks so much for reaching out. If you are looking for an airport near Dollywood, you can look into the Knoxville airport. I know Allegiant Air flies into Knoxville, and I think they have good prices.

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