Dolly! Dolly! DOLLYWOOD!

We rolled into Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, yesterday afternoon and easily found our hotel. We are staying at the Vacation Lodge. If you ever visit Pigeon Forge....do NOT stay at the Vacation Lodge.

This town is not unlike a small Las Vegas. There are tons of themed hotels and attractions clustered along a strip. We spent a lovely evening in our "quaint" hotel and then went to bed excited by the knowledge that we would soon be seeing big blonde wigs, live shows, and roller coasters!!

Dollywood is set up as an old-time mining town, replete with old-fashioned buildings, spinning waterwheels, and discarded mining equipment. She has a museum of costumes from all her movies, like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias, and 9 to 5. She has a huge display case for all her awards, and it is exhilarating to see so many Grammy Awards, People's Choice Awards, and CMA Awards up close. Also, she has her Coat Of Many Colors on display and the original sheet of notepad paper upon which she scribbled out that incredible song.

Dollywood has so many attractions! They have their own version of Cirque du Soleil, called "Imagine' " by Le Grand Cirque. There is a Bald Eagle Sanctuary and even an authentic steam locomotive built in 1943, that is actually fueled with coal. One of my favorite spots is the rocker park -- a spot filled with rows and rows of wooden rockers for you to take a load off!