BIG Changes in 2023: Everything You Need to Know About Dollywood Season Passes

Are you visiting Dollywood soon and can’t decide on what type of ticket or pass to buy? Here’s the scoop on everything you need to know about Dollywood Season Passes including the all new 2023 Dollywood Season Pass options!

It’s a question that I often got asked when I was an inaugural Dollywood Insider and especially now that I’m a Dollywood Insider again – should I invest in buying a season pass? Locals know that a season pass is always the way to go, but what if you’re just visiting for a few days? Is it still worth buying a season pass?

Today I’m going to tell you everything you need to know!

**Dollywood Season Passes are changing in 2023!
Find out ALL the NEW INFORMATION below!**

Why are we talking about 2023 Dollywood Season Pass in 2022? Because Dollywood does things a little different! They actually reward those of us that love the park so much that we’re ready to buy our next season pass early!

In fact, now is the BEST time to buy a 2023 Dollywood Season Pass because if you buy on Oct. 31st, you’ll get all of the Christmas season in 2022 for free! More on that below!

What is a Dollywood Season Pass?

Since every theme park handles passes a little different, it’s important to know how Dollywood treats their season passes. Dollywood’s pass runs for an operating season. A 2023 Dollywood Season Pass is good for the entire 2023 operating year.

Dollywood will open on March 11, 2023 and will end the season on January 6, 2024. Be sure to read all about the important dates of 2022-2023 and Dollywood hours before you visit!

What types of Dollywood Season Passes are there?

There are a few different types of Dollywood season passes, which might confuse you at first glance, especially with the brand new changes for 2023. I’ll break them all down below and help you decide which is best for your family.

• Dollywood Silver Season Pass – This is the lowest priced season pass for 2023. It is definitely the best economical choice of a season pass that Dollywood offers. One of the biggest changes for 2023 is the blackout dates. PLEASE be sure to read all the information below to understand exactly what this means.
• Dollywood Gold Season Pass – This is similar to the Gold Pass of previous years, but does have some changes. We’ll discuss those below as well!
• Dollywood Diamond Pass – The ultimate Season Pass – it sparkles with benefits as bright as Dolly’s favorite dresses! It’s the BEST pass of all and we’ll check out the perks below.
• Splash Country Season Pass – You can still add a Splash Country Season Pass to your regular Dollywood Silver or Gold Pass, for $55 more. Splash Country comes automatic with the Diamond Pass. More on that below!

Benefits of the NEW 2023 Dollywood Silver Season Pass:

• Unlimited Visits to Dollywood Theme Park EXCEPT for Blackout Dates, which run November 24th – January 6th.
• Dollywood has announced that the Silver Kids’ season pass will NOT have blackout dates!
• There are also Blackout Dates on the Silver Splash Country Pass, which include July 3rd – July 9th.
• Friends & Family Discount – $5 off regular 1-Day admission for friends to the Season Pass’ respective Park; Passholder must be present and purchase at the Dollywood front gate.
• 10% off Dollywood Cabins overnight accommodations (Passholder only); Subject to availability.
• 2 Bring-a-Friend Free Tickets – The Silver BAF Tickets do have some blackout dates. Be sure to check the website for those dates!

Benefits for the 2023 Dollywood Gold Season Pass:

• Unlimited Visits to Dollywood Theme Park – NO BLACKOUT DATES!
• FREE General Parking every operating day for either park. How much is parking at Dollywood? $25 a day! This is a HUGE benefit as you get FREE PARKING ALL SEASON!
• Preferred or Valet Parking Discount – $5 Off
• TimeSaver Discount – $5 Off
• Golden Hours: TimeSaver Access First Hour Each Operating Day
• Golden Events: Exclusive Gold & Diamond Passholder Events
• Friends & Family Discount – $10 off regular 1-Day admission for friends to the Season Pass’ respective Park; Passholder must be present and purchase.
• 15% off Dollywood Cabins overnight accommodations (Passholder only); Subject to availability.
• 15% Off Food, Merchandise, and select Rentals at the Gold Pass’ respective Park. Another benefit that can really add up on meals and souvenirs purchased at the park. *This has decreased from 20%*

• Souvenir Refill Mug – One-Day Unlimited Refill Mug. These are ONLY available for a limited time so they may not come with passes purchased next year – but you will get them now!
• 2 Bring-a-Friend Free Tickets – The new Gold BAF Tickets do NOT have blackout dates!! They can be used ANY time!

Dollywood Insider Expert Tip: I always used to only encourage 1 person in the family to buy a Gold Pass, but with the BIG changes to 2023 Season Passes, I would definitely encourage everyone in the family to have the same style pass.

Benefits for the NEW 2023 Dollywood Diamond Season Pass:

**Please note, there are only a limited number of Diamond Season Passes being sold and they DID sell out in 2022. Order these asap. **

• Unlimited Visits to Dollywood Theme Park AND Dollywood’s Splash Country.
• FREE General Parking every operating day for either park. How much is parking at Dollywood? $25 a day! This is a HUGE benefit as you get FREE PARKING ALL SEASON!
• Preferred or Valet Parking Discount – $10 Off
• Golden Hours: TimeSaver Access First Hour Each Operating Day
• Golden Events: Exclusive Gold & Diamond Passholder Events
• Friends & Family Discount – $15 off regular 1-Day admission for friends; Passholder must be present and purchase.
• 20% off Dollywood Cabins overnight accommodations (Passholder only); Subject to availability.
• 20% Off Food, Merchandise, and select Rentals. Another benefit that can really add up on meals and souvenirs purchased at the park.

• Souvenir Refill Mug – All-Season Unlimited Refills Mug. These are ONLY available for a limited time so they may not come with passes purchased next year – but you will get them now!
• $10 Off a TimeSaver Pass Purchase
• 4 Bring-a-Friend Free Tickets – The new Diamond BAF Tickets have NO blackout dates!!

Extra Benefits [outside of Dollywood]:

You may not be aware, but being a Dollywood season passholder can get you some great savings outside of Dollywood also. This applies to ALL Dollywood Season Passes [Silver, Gold, and Diamond]

Be sure to check the Dollywood website for exact details on extra savings for visits to:

• Biltmore – Passholders can get $10 Off Regular Adult Tickets
• Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, Pirate’s Voyage, The Comedy Barn – Passholders can save $5 off Adult Tickets and $3 off Children’s Tickets
• Ripley’s Attractions located in Sevierville & Gatlinburg – Passholders get 20$ off Admission to certain Ripley’s attractions
• Silver Dollar City – Passholder receives 50% off 1 Day Admission Ticket
• Stone Mountain Park – Passholder receives 50% off 1 Day Admission Ticket
• Tennessee Aquarium – Passholders can save $5 off Adult Tickets and $3 off Children’s Tickets
• Titanic – Passholders can save $5 off Adult Tickets and $3 off Children’s Tickets

2023 Dollywood Season Pass Prices:

Now here’s the information that everyone wants to know, right? Here’s the easiest breakdown you’ll find anywhere of Dollywood Season Pass prices:

• Dollywood Silver Season Passes:
  • Regular [ages 10-61] – $149
  • Child [ages 4-9] – $139 [NO BLACKOUT DATES!]
  • Senior [ages 62+] – $139

• Dollywood Silver + Splash Country [2 Park] Season Passes:
  • Regular [ages 10-61] – $204
  • Child [ages 4-9] – $194
  • Senior [ages 62+] – $194

• Dollywood Gold Pass
  • Regular [ages 10-61] – $214
  • Child [ages 4-9] – $204
  • Senior [ages 62-99] – $204

• Dollywood Gold + Splash Country [2 Park] Season Passes:
  • Regular [ages 10-61] – $269
  • Child [ages 4-9] – $259
  • Senior [ages 62+] – $259

• Dollywood Diamond [2 Park] Season Passes:
  • Regular [ages 10-61] – $314
  • Child [ages 4-9] – $304
  • Senior [ages 62-99] – $304

Things to keep in mind when purchasing Dollywood Season Passes:

• Children under the age of 4 do NOT need a pass or ticket. They are FREE!
• 2023 Silver Dollywood Passes will NOT get you into the park from November 24th – January 6th. This is the biggest change in Dollywood Season Pass history, in my opinion. You definitely need to weigh this when choosing which season pass to purchase for your family.
• If your child is 4-9, definitely consider buying them a Silver pass this year. Dollywood has announced that they REMOVED BLACKOUT DATES for kids’ Silver passes.
• Only 1 person in your family needs to have a Gold or Diamond Pass to use the benefits of Free Parking and Food & Merchandise Discounts, but they MUST be present at the park.
• You can add on the Water Park Dining Pass [$50 + tax] to any Season Pass that includes 2 Parks.

Dollywood Pre-K Pass

Did you know that there’s a Dollywood Pre-K Pass? Just like a Season Pass, it will get your Pre-K aged child in the park unlimited times during the operating year. And the best part? It’s FREE!

While Dollywood advertises that all kids 4+ need to buy a Season Pass, you can get a Pre-K Pass for FREE if your child was born in either 2018 or 2019!

But this pass is only available for a limited time – you can’t get it just anytime! Registration for the Dollywood Pre-K Pass opens on November 1st! Be sure to register your child if they were born in either 2018 or 2019!

Still looking for more ways to save money at Dollywood? Check out my newest post below!

When is the best time to buy Dollywood Season Passes?

The answer is EASY – NOW… for a few reasons:

1. The Diamond Season Pass is still available! It really is the best way to save money if you plan to visit both parks in 2023.
2. The Payment Plan! Dollywood gives you the option to spread your payments out over 10 months – with no interest charged!
3. The Souvenir cups are still available – these are a huge way to save money in the parks [and come with a Diamond Pass or a Day cup with a Gold Pass purchased now].
4. Gold and Diamond Bring a Friend Passes have NO blackout dates for 2023 – this is huge! They are basically FREE Dollywood tickets now!

But really any time is a good time to buy a Dollywood season pass. One day Dollywood tickets cost $89 for a regular adult ticket. Purchasing a Silver Dollywood season pass is only $149. Even if you only visit twice, you’ve saved enough to justify buying season passes!

Dollywood Insider Expert Tip: I definitely recommend buying your season passes BEFORE you get to the park. It will save you time and money, especially if you purchase a Gold or Diamond season pass. Otherwise you’ll have to pay to park on your first visit.

I hope this has helped you understand buying Dollywood season passes a little better. While I think the benefits speak for themselves, if you want my opinion, I always encourage visitors to upgrade to season passes. At a cost of less than 2 days to the park, with ALL the extra benefits, you definitely get your money’s worth.

Visit Dollywood.com to purchase your Dollywood Season Passes today.

Want to know even more about Dollywood? Check out some of my other posts here:

This post was originally published in May 2017 – latest update – October 17, 2022.