Dollywood

Callie turned 10 this year, which meant we hit the road for the celebration.  We had tossed a few ideas around in the months leading up to it and finally settled on a regional treasure known simply as Dollywood.  Just a couple of hours drive from Lexington is the amusement park built by and dedicated to the one and only Dolly Parton.  We were all excited to see what the hype was all about.

Reese got to drive a car, so that wasn't a bad start.  Our plans were to spend one full day at the park and then spend another part of a day checking out Pigeon Forge.  The weather was good and we got to experience all of the rides we wanted to.  Dollywood is definitely a place that has to be seen to be understood.

Callie got to map out our path and prioritized what rides we needed to tackle first.  And to John's dismay, many of the early rides included speed and spinning.  He's smiling in this picture because he is happy to be with his daughter, but inside he is looking forward to the moment the ride is over.  Callie is smiling because she loves this kind of thing.

On the other hand, the Sarah-Reese duo was fired up and ready to be spun, twisted, and thrown in all sorts of directions.  Inside their minds they were already thinking about how much fun the next ride was going to be and if there would be enough time to get a sugary treat without the Enemy of Fun intervening.

And the going in circles at high speeds only continued, this time at a higher elevation.  And although Callie enjoyed the ride, she was a little bit grumpy because her mom was breaking the rules by trying to take photos while the ride was in motion.  Poor thing is conflicted inside - loves the speed like her mom but also wants to follow the rules like her dad.

Oh look - more spinning!  And this time they get you to inflict the pain yourself because you have the option to turn the wheel and make things spin faster.  And when you are on the ride with Reese, there is only one speed she likes to go, and that is fast.  Fortunately John had not eaten much before this one.  The teacups are a menace to society.

Dollywood was all decked out for Halloween, so there were pumpkins and cute little photo ops like this all over the place.  And there were huge pumpkin displays that lit up at night - they were pretty amazing.  We capture a good family shot before the crowds descended at night for the big illumination aspect of the evening.

This is just a small taste of some of the night time displays they had in the park.  The overall day was a great one and the second amusement park experience under our belt.  The foundation continues to be set for bigger and more famous amusement parks for future birthday celebrations.  Stay tuned.