Dollywood's Splash Country Announces Slick Rock Racer as New Ride for 2010

Dollywood's Splash Country in Pigeon Forge will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2010 by giving its visitors a present - a new, $1 million waterslide that will allow four riders at a time to race each other to the bottom.

The new attraction, named Slick Rock Racer, was announced this week by park officials. The 300-foot, multilane attraction will offer a unique experience to Splash Country guests, as the park does not currently offer any slide rides of this nature.

Riders will travel down the chutes on their bellies while laying head first on a foam mat. The slide will start with an initial dip to give speed and will include several more bumps throughout the course to allow for additional momentum.

Construction on the new attraction will begin after the 2009 season ends, which is September 7, 2009. The location of the new attraction will be between the Mountain Twist and Raging River Rapids, and it is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2010 Dollywood Splash Country season.

Save on Dollywood Tickets with Money-Saving Lodging Packages

Dollywood is offering a great way to purchase your Dollywood tickets and Dollywood’s Splash Country tickets while saving on a variety of area hotels and lodging, including the family-favorite, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. These Dollywood Packages are available in a variety of combinations to fit any traveler's vacation and budget:

• Dollywood Smoky Mountain Splash & Play Combo Package
• Dollywood Vacation Package
• Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Adventure Package
• Dollywood & Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Vacation Package
• Dollywood’s Splash Country & Dixie Stampede Vacation Package
• Dollywood Park Combo & Dixie Stampede Vacation Package
  

These packages are not offered anywhere else but through Dollywood’s website, so make sure you book now and save.

Dollywood Opens this Weekend, March 28th

Dollywood is set to open this weekend, with opening day occurring on March 28th. The park expects this season to be great, and with “Festival Of Nations” kicking off their season, they are giving park goers plenty of reasons to attend the park this spring.

Festival of Nations will feature performers from around the world, giving the relatively small town of Pigeon Forge a big dose of international culture. A few of the scheduled performers include Dainava, a Folk art group from Southern Lithuanian, the Jennifer Roland Band, a Canadian fiddle player, and Atahualpa, a rhythmic group representing different areas of the Andes. Imagine, presented by Le Grand Cirque, is set to take the stage as well, and will feature daring acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, clowns and high wire artists.

Dolly Parton will be in Pigeon Forge the weekend of May 8, when she takes part in the annual Dollywood Parade in the city of Pigeon Forge.

As summer arrives in Sevier County, Splash Country will open with a new large-group pavilion and Dollywood will premiere Sha-Kon-O-Hey, its largest single production ever.

The show was written by park entertainment coordinator Paul Couch, while Parton added eight original songs to the production. The script tells the story of the last family in the Smokies as they leave their home at the creation of the park. Tracing roots all the way back to the Cherokee, it involves a huge stage set including a waterfall that parts to teach the lead character the park's creation will allow everyone to share the wonders of the Smokies while they live forever in his heart.

Special Dollywood Packages are available.

Pigeon Forge Vacation Packages Perfect Way to Save

ReserveDirect has joined forces with Dollywood to offer some of the best ways to save on your Pigeon Forge vacation. By combining the family-friendly theme parks in the Dollywood Theme Park family, Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country, with affordable yet comfortable lodging options has enabled ReserveDirect to offer customers some of the best Pigeon Forge deals around. Plus, their website, ReservePigeonForge.com, is a valuable resource where customers can create their own package in a secure, convenient and reliable manner.

As mentioned earlier, the Smoky Mountain Adventure Packages currently be offered by ReserveDirect and Dollywood allow guests to choose how many parks, how many days and which lodging option is the best to them, all at a discount rate. These packages are a great way to top off the summer for your children, but will continue to be available throughout the year. So, if your family has always wanted to experience a Smoky Mountain Christmas, get in on one of these great deals today and by Christmas time, you and your family will be enjoying the crisp mountain air of winter in the Smokies.

Other packages we offer feature a homegrown family of entertainers, The Smith Family, as well as Country Tonite and Wonderworks.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is a great place to vacation any time of year. This year, make sure your family gets in on the fun!

Dolly Parton's Dollywood And ReserveDirect Encourage Travel By Offering Discount, Lodging-Inclusive Vacation Packages To Save Customers Money

Earlier this spring, Dollywood introduced their new vacation packages program to aid families during difficult economic times. These money saving packages, developed by reservation technology company, ReserveDirect, were created to combine the award-winning theme parks, Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country, with an assortment of approved Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area lodging, allowing guests to reserve their vacation package with a twenty percent discount in comparison with walk-up prices.

The all-inclusive design of the Dollywood vacation packages allow customers to reserve park tickets and lodging in one convenient, money-saving package— something Tim Berry, Marketing Director of the Dollywood Company, was searching for. “We needed a system to communicate directly with our in-house ticketing system to provide seamless transactions. So, now that ReserveDirect’s system is speaking to ours, we are able to provide our customers a great added value of money-saving, lodging-inclusive packages.”

John Johnson, President of ReserveDirect, added “Even though these are tough times, economically speaking, we felt that by partnering with Dollywood, we could offer families a way to save money and still go on vacation. With our service, you can get your Dollywood tickets and hotel for a lot less money and have the same amount of fun.”

ReserveDirect has been providing online reservation technology since 2001 with the launch of their destination website, ReserveBranson.com. In 2004, ReserveDirect also launched ReservePigeonForge.com and ReserveGatlinburg.com to service the Smoky Mountain family vacation destinations.

A St. Louis based company, ReserveDirect has provided similar solutions for lodging associations and destination marketing organizations in markets like Branson, Missouri; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee; and Orlando, Florida. ReserveDirect also operates its own consumer booking engines in each of these destinations, as well as services for Polk County, Florida, Table Rock Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, and Springfield, Missouri Convention and Visitors Bureau.

7 Ways to Save on your Pigeon Forge Vacation

The summer season has arrived, ushered in with warm weather days and endless play for children throughout the country. Many families choose this time of year to hit the open road and enjoy the always needed family vacation. Even though gas prices are high, and budgets are tight, there is still one vacation destination making it easy for families to get away together. The Smoky Mountains, home to both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, provide the perfect way for outdoor fun to combine with family entertainment, creating a one-stop, have-it-all type destination. So fill up the family car, stock your cooler with drinks and snacks and gear up for a vacation full of memories.

Here are 7 ways to save while visiting Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg:

1) Use the Trolley System. The Pigeon Forge Trolley system has over 100 stops throughout Pigeon Forge and the Parkway, including Dollywood. It’s a good way to see all of Pigeon Forge’s attractions and sights, without having to pay for gas. The Trolley fare is only 50 cents. Plus, there is a new addition, connecting Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg, a convenient connection making both destinations easily accessible.

2) Cut corners by cutting into Pigeon Forge Coupons. Coupons for Pigeon Forge are available, as well as Coupons for Gatlinburg, for restaurants and shopping. A few of the restaurant coupons featured are Hard Rock Café, Great American Buffet, Alamo Steakhouse and Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que. The shopping coupons include discounts at Tanger Outlet, Belz Outlet, The Old Mill and Christmas Place.

3) Discover our Direct Deals page on our websites ReservePigeonForge.com and ReserveGatlinburg.com. There are discount Pigeon Forge tickets and discount Gatlinburg attractions available, including deals on Country Tonite, The Smith’s Show, The Track, Ripley’s Museum, RainForest Adventures and Ober Gatlinburg.

4) Pigeon Forge Vacation Packages and Gatlinburg Vacation Packages are also great ways to save on your family getaway. On ReservePigeonForge.com and ReserveGatlinburg.com there are several discount packages available featuring Country Tonite, WonderWorks, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and Tennessee Shindig.

5) Reserve a Dollywood Package. The 2008 Dollywood Adventure Packages allow guests to conveniently one-stop shop. Families can book their Dollywood Tickets, Splash Country Tickets and lodging all in place and one great price! Only Dollywood and ReserveDirect offer these great Dollywood deals!

6) Explore the Great Smoky Mountains! While in the area, discover the most visited National Park in America, the Great Smoky Mountains. Full of things to do for the whole family, take advantage of the hiking trails, waterfalls, scenic views and wildlife for a truly memorable experience. It’s a free and fun way to enjoy the outdoors and your family.

7) Take advantage of discount Pigeon Forge show tickets for children. Shows like Country Tonite, The Smith’s Show and Black Bear Jamboree are offering deals where children get in free with a paying adult! With prices like that, families can’t afford not to go!

Dollywood Hosts Thrills in the Hills Event June 6-8

Roller coaster fans from across the country will converge on Dollywood this weekend for the theme park’s first-time Thrills in the Hills event set for June 6-8.

“Thrills in the Hills is a much-anticipated opportunity to see some very unique rides from a really up-close perspective that isn’t ordinarily available,” said Matthew Lambert, American Coaster Enthusiast member, “but everyone is really looking forward to enjoying the warm Southern hospitality that Dollywood is known for.”

Approximately 70 attendees will enjoy exclusive ride time and behind-the-scenes tours of the park’s coasters, including Thunderhead, twice named the best wooden coaster in the world by the Golden Tickets Awards, and Mystery Mine, Theme Park Insider’s 2007 best new themed attraction, as well as the Tennessee Tornado and Blazing Fury. Participants also will see two of Dollywood’s award-winning stage shows—the 2006 international Heartbeat Award winner Dreamland Drive-In and the 2007 winner, The Great American Country Show. The weekend’s itinerary also offers opportunities to visit Dollywood’s Splash Country and Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner attraction.

“It’s an honor for Dollywood to host Thrills in the Hills and showcase all that our properties have to offer,” said Pete Owens, Dollywood Public Relations Manager. “We hope Thrills in the Hills is the first of many events of this type.”

Dollywood is a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open nine months a year (March 21, 2008-Jan. 3, 2009), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region.

Information & Image courtesy of Dollywood