We cashed in our 401K to buy season passes to Dollywood.  No not really, but we could have. It isn’t cheap, but my hope is that by the end of the season (December) the passes will have been well worth it. We have unlimited access to Dollywood as well as Splash Country, which will come in handy on those 95-degree/100 percent humidity days in July and August. The passes also gain us discounted entrance to other area attractions, like the Knoxville Zoo, and a small discount on food inside the parks as well.

Our first trip to Dollywood was yesterday and it really was a lot of fun. Lines were wonderfully short (or non-existant) and there were plenty of rides we could all enjoy. Of course, there’s an entire string of roller coasters and other rides that are only for bigger kids and adults, but that’s okay. There are plenty for the little ones to ride. (And my hope is that Splash Country will more than make up for the difference.)

To save money on the first trip, I packed our lunches and it was only a quick trip on the tram back to our car to eat. Sure, it was out of the way but not entirely undoable. However, after smelling the fragrant temptation of fair food throughout the park, Chuck was the first to remark, “Those better be some good ham and cheese sandwiches in the car.”  No doubt.

Overall, it was a good day. The boys expired around 4 p.m., a good six hours after we arrived, and once they realized we can go back as many times as we want throughout the summer and fall, they were really thrilled and thankful they have such amazingly cool parents.