7 Reasons You Should Stay at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort

I have been visiting Dollywood since as long as I can remember. Really, I even visited when I was just a toddler and it was still Silver Dollar City.

So it’s natural that once we had children, we would continue visiting with them. In fact, Dollywood is one of my girls’ favorite places to visit AND one reason that Sophia is absolutely in love with Dolly Parton [and the free books that she received every month until she was 5 – hope you have Imagination Library where you live!].

So when I learned that Dollywood would be adding an on-property resort in the Smoky Mountains, I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t stop talking about it with my hubby. I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like!

Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort opened just this past July and ever since that day I’ve wanted to visit. Since we live only about 2 hours away from Pigeon Forge, we often just make our trips “day trips”, but with a week off school for Fall Break, I convinced Rob to let us check out DreamMore for a couple of nights and I can’t wait to share with you the 7 reasons that YOU should stay at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort too!

The Beauty

Driving up to the resort I was in awe – if you’ve ever seen Dollywood, you know that it’s absolutely amazing – decorated to the 9’s with every season. DreamMore was the same – it was expansive, so much bigger than I imagined, and even though it’s built right on Dollywood Parkway, it truly feels like your up in the mountains.

The thought that has went into every.tiny.detail [I mean, every tiny detail like the DreamMore logo embossed on the toilet paper and butterflies on the mirrors!] makes this resort one of the nicest places I have ever visited. From butterfly benches to beautiful flowers, the grounds, along with the indoor decor, are just amazing.

Comfort of Home

Now perhaps if you’re visiting from an apartment in the city, you won’t exactly feel like DreamMore offers the comforts of home, but that’s because the resort offers you a feel of what it’s like to live in the Smoky Mountains. If you’ve ever dreamed of sitting on your front porch in a rocking chair, enjoying the beauty of the mountains and changing fall foliage… well, you can achieve those dreams by a stay at the DreamMore.

In fact, the resort was designed with that in mind. Dolly Parton has always been vocal about her upbringing and where she’s from and the resort does a beautiful job of sharing this with it’s guests through architecture, decor, and amenities.

Accommodations

We’ve stayed in quite a few hotels now as a family of four and this was one of all of our favorites for a few different reasons. The girls loved the bunk beds that were a part of our Family Suite. I loved the fact that we were so close, just separated by the bathroom in the middle, but separated enough that it was a mini vacation that I was actually able to sleep with my husband instead of being kicked all night long by two sets of little legs!

If you love Dolly [and let’s face it, who doesn’t love Dolly!?], then you are going to absolutely love this resort. From beautiful pictures of Mrs. Parton, to memorable quotes, to butterflies adorning just about everything, the hotel really embodies all that is the Southern Star.

Celebrity Sightings

You might be surprised to know that celebrities seem to love Dollywood [and the DreamMore] as much as us regular folk. Katy Perry was seen visiting the amusement park just last year. Dollywood has also reinstated their Showcase of Stars concert series, which means lots of musicians are coming through the Smokies. In fact, an employee told me that when Kenny Rogers was in town for his Dollywood concert he stayed right at the DreamMore Resort!

Now, unfortunately we didn’t see Katy or Kenny while we were in town, but we did catch a bit of a glimpse of this lady…

Yes! That’s Dolly herself! She was in town as they were filming the upcoming made-for-television movie Coat of Many Colors, which will air on NBC on December 10th. We caught a glimpse of the resort’s First Lady as she was interviewed right inside DreamMore by Today show anchor, Willie Geist.

Bed Time Stories

Although seeing Dolly in her own resort was certainly the highlight of my stay, the girls said their highlight was Bed Time Stories [although they were quite enamored with her beauty too].

I mentioned the Imagination Library above [a foundation started by Dolly to provide books monthly to children free of charge, read more about the foundation and how to get them for your child here] and I imagine that it inspired the idea of Bed Time Stories at DreamMore. Each night, by the lobby fireplace, an employee reads a few books to all the children that gather. Both nights there were about 15-20 children gathered and they all seemed to enjoy the time so much. I know my girls did!

Speaking of daily activities, there were plenty of activities going on at the resort including – roasting s’mores by the fire pits outside, Camp Dollywood Kids Activities, a full service Spa, Game Room, Fitness Center, and much more!

The girls also really enjoyed the large playground area onsite and of course, those pools!

DreamMore Resort offers plenty of water play with a splash pad beside the huge outdoor pool, a very large outdoor hot tub, and then an indoor pool so you can swim no matter what time of year you visit.

The Food

You can’t talk about anywhere in the South without bringing up the food and DreamMore has plenty to offer in this area too. On the main floor of the hotel, you’ll find a quick service restaurant called The DM Pantry which is a great place to grab a bagel in the mornings or a sandwich for lunch.

But during your visit, be sure you head down to the first floor and treat yourself to a magnificent meal [I definitely recommend the breakfast buffet!] at Song & Hearth: A Southern Eatery.

The beauty alone makes this a restaurant that shouldn’t be missed, but the food was just perfect. The girls enjoyed specialty pancakes… yes, Sprinkle Pancakes are how every kid should start their day, and I enjoyed a made-to-order omelet and a magnificent fruit bar.

DreamMore Resort Perks

Lastly, one of my favorite reasons to stay at DreamMore Resort [and why you should too] are the perks offered to guests. Not only do you have the opportunity to stay at one of the nicest resorts in the Smoky Mountains, you’re just minutes from Dollywood.

As a DreamMore guest, you get to board a [free] trolley just for you and be dropped off at your own, private Dollywood entrance. This is a big deal, as you’ll be entering through a way shorter line, no need to pay for parking, and no lines for trams or walking the parking lots!

As if that’s not enough, as a DreamMore guest you get a FREE TimeSaver pass to hold your place in line at Dollywood [that’s a $25 value per family member] AND early Saturday entry to the park.

These two perks are huge, especially if you’ve never visited Dollywood before… giving you more time to play and less time to wait! Honestly, as much as we loved everything about the resort, these were huge perks to me and one of the main reasons that I will always choose to stay at DreamMore over another resort in the Smokies.

As you can see, there are lots of reasons why I would choose to stay at DreamMore Resort, and there are even more than 7, in fact… the friendliness of the staff, the family friendly atmosphere, free Wi-Fi, complimentary resort parking… I could go on and on. But I encourage you to see DreamMore for yourself and come back and tell me what your favorite part of your stay is!

Book your next Smoky Mountains vacation with DreamMore resort and be sure to check out their Specials when you do. You’ll always get the best rate by booking online at https://dollywoodsdreammoreresort.dollywood.com/.

Stay tuned because in the next few days I’ll be sharing what you need to know when you plan to visit Dollywood!

What would be your favorite thing about DreamMore that I wrote about?