Tour of Tennessee {Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort}

For the Dollywood leg of our trip we had the amazing opportunity to stay as guests of the DreamMore Resort.  In just pulling up to the white gates I knew we were in for a real treat!

We were greeted by an extremely friendly group of bellmen and excitedly stepped inside.  My jaw quite literally dropped to the floor. DreamMore is GORGEOUS!!  It was large and spacious, but felt like you were walking right into Dolly’s home.  It was welcoming and homey and perfectly appointed.  I mean, I would take this exact room (minus Dolly’s portrait) and put it in my house!

Check in is at 4PM but we arrived around 3.  Our room was ready so we dropped our bags and then went out exploring.  You absolutely cannot miss the pink lemonade served in the lobby each afternoon.  It was SO yummy!

Okay, so back to the tour.  On either side of the lobby are more “living room” type community spaces.  It really was laid out like you were in someone’s home, not like your typical hotel lobby.  All of them were beautifully decorated and immaculately maintained.  Notice the butterflies on the curtains in here.  I loved them!

This space was opposite the one above and mirrored it in decor.  Many guests used this as a sort of dining space with the quick serve food available right next to this.  We also loved the checker and chess boards and made great use of them during our stay.

Speaking of the quick serve, the Market Pantry is just across from this space.  They had Starbucks coffee, soft drinks, breakfast pastries, pizzas, salads and such.  On the evening after going into Dollywood we got a pizza and big salad and a table in the space above.  We ate, played cards, watched basketball and really enjoyed ourselves.

There are quite a few porches with rocking chairs around the resort.  The weather was absolutely amazing and I so enjoyed having morning coffee right here.

On the lower level of the lobby you will find more dining and places to explore.

The Lounge offers a full menu as well as a full bar.  We didn’t eat here but we did have a few drinks.

Song and Hearth is the sit-down Southern-style restaurant open for all meals.  We absolutely loved the breakfast buffet.

It is quite lovely inside, just like the rest of the resort.

I loved the little dining nooks tucked around the main dining spaces.  They were just so pretty!!

We made a 9AM breakfast reservation and it worked perfectly for being in the park at 10AM.  The selection was really great, with everything from oatmeal bars to heart shaped waffles to an omelette station,  and we all enjoyed our meal.


I loved this display tucked at the base of the stairs with Dolly’s own Dream Box.

And this hallway was like taking a walk down memory lane.  There is also a spa (which I would LOVE to visit), fitness center, arcade and Camp DW on this floor.  (Camp DW is a children’s program that looks to have a fun variety of activities for ages 4-10.)

The outdoor pool was opening the following week, but this gorgeous indoor pool suited my boys just fine.  Honey and I relaxed in lounge chairs and let them swim to their heart’s content.  There were two lifeguards as well.

Now, the outdoor pool did look amazing and we were sad to have just barely missed it.

The sidewalks wind you around the exterior of the resort and it really is a lovely walking path.  Here is Dolly’s Butterfly Garden.

I was so impressed by the variety of activities at the resort.  There was nobody on the playground during the day, but with the park closing at 7PM, the resort really came alive in the evening.  This playground was FULL at 8PM :-)

My boys had a fabulous time on the corn hole court at night as well.  They found other kids to play with and Honey and I parked ourselves at the nearby fire pit with glasses of wine.  Perfection!

Staff members use one of the fire pits for making s’mores each evening.  Kits include everything you need for two smores and are $5 each.  You can charge them to your room.

There is a charming “Barn” space in the same area as the fire pits, playground and corn hole.

In the evening you would find the fire going and families gathered in the rocking chairs.

That is until it was time for the bedtime story <3  I loved this SO much!  Whit was eager to gather with the other children, many freshly bathed and in their jammies, around the fire and intently listen to the staff read two darling stories.

The one evening that we had to soak it all in was just lovely and I really could have stayed for so much longer.  Like I said, the resort came alive at night.  There was music, kids playing, adults cozied up around fire pits.  I really felt a sense of peace and calm and family during our stay.

 

I also want to give y’all a peek in our room.  It was absolutely immaculate and in perfect condition.  We had a king bed with bunks for the boys (everyone was pleased!)  The room was light, bright and spacious.  It had really tall ceilings, crown moldings and wonderful details.

 

Every room has a safe and mini-fridge under the TV as well.

I loved the bathroom and how, like the rest of the resort, it felt like home!  Oh, and I also loved that they had a steamer for your clothes rather than an iron.  It’s the little things, y’all.  :-)

You can see a full video tour of our room here!

 

There weren’t balconies on most of the rooms but we had a wonderful picture window overlooking the pool.  It was so very pretty all lit up at night!

If you go:

  • Leave time in your agenda to truly enjoy the resort activities and amenities.  In my opinion, DreamMore rivals every Disney resort (except Grand Floridian) in its offerings and for a fraction of the price.
  • Parking is included.
  • Check in is at 4PM.  We arrived just before 3PM and they said they couldn’t even check to see if our room was available until 3PM.  It was literally only a few minutes to wait but I mention this because I don’t think you can arrive at noon and plan to get in your room.
  • By staying at DreamMore, you get complimentary TimeSaver wrist bands ($35 each normally) that will get you short (or zero in our case) wait times at up to 10 rides in the park!
  • A trolley will take you from the resort to Dollywood every 15 minutes or so.  It was always prompt and literally took you right up to the resort guest only gate of the park.
  • Check into the patio poolside rooms as they looked really nice and were the only ones that had an outdoor space.  Would be wonderful in the fall!
  • You can purchase your theme park tickets and get your TimeSaver wrist bands right in the resort, rather than at the park.
  • Consider having breakfast at Song & Hearth before heading to the park.  It was a great way to fuel up before a big day.  You can make a reservation on Open Table, although we didn’t need one the morning we dined.

DreamMore would make an absolutely lovely vacation for our extended family and I hope I can get them all to join us there soon.  It was a magical stay and one of the highlights of our Tour of Tennessee!  DreamMore provided us with our room but asked for nothing in return.  This review is completely my own.  As I said yesterday, we loved every moment at Dollywood!

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Dixie Delights Tour of Tennessee

in collaboration with
Dollywood  |  Visit Nashville  |  Memphis Travel

Chattanooga
Part 1 – Read House, Ruby Falls, Rock City + More
Part 2 –  Wild Cave Expedition, Tennessee Aquarium + More

Dollywood
Part 3 – Dollywood + Dixie Stampede
Part 4 – Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort

Knoxville
Part 5 – a quick morning in the city

Nashville
Part 6 – Hattie B’s, Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame
Part 7 – Hermitage Hotel, Wildhorse Saloon, Draper James

Memphis
Part 8 – Peabody, Beale Street, Graceland
Part 9 – BBQ, Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio

DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED
[madmimi id=246857]

4 thoughts on “Tour of Tennessee {Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort}

  1. My kids are wanting to stay at DreamMore the next time we go to that area. We love everything about Dolly. My kids received her “Books From Birth” book program and it was wonderful. She is truly the most kind hearted and generous person I’ve ever (not really) known.

    1. It is really wonderful. I just learned about her books program on this trip and it is really amazing. She is truly amazing and she is SO well loved in Tennessee.

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