What it's like to stay at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort

When traveling down Veteran's Boulevard in Pigeon Forge, it's hard to miss Dollywood's DreamMore Resort. 

The large white building, which sits on 20 acres and has 300 rooms, stands out among all the green from the Great Smoky Mountains.

It has occupied its spot next to Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country since its opening on July 27, 2015. Though it's been around two years, several people I talked to recently didn't know much about the resort or what it had to offer guests. 

On Tuesday, July 18, News Sentinel photographer Brianna Paciorka and I got the opportunity to stay one night at the resort, and we chronicled our experiences. 

After trying out everything I could at DreamMore in the span of 19 hours, I realized the resort and all it offers had a touching effect on myself and other guests. It makes you enjoy vacation like a kid again.

Starting off the stay

My time at the resort started with something that would become a recurring theme throughout the trip. After I drove up to check in at 4 p.m., DreamMore staff members were immediately welcoming and helpful, and I didn't encounter an employee there who acted differently.

Once I checked in, it was time to take stock of my surroundings. My first thought was, "Wow, this place is massive." Almost every area at DreamMore is spacious. I don't think I felt cramped anywhere while I was staying there, and that's not always the case while staying at hotels or resorts on vacation.

I explored the upper lobby area, which houses a restaurant, two lounge areas and a shop, before heading to my room. 

DreamMore has eight types of rooms with varying layouts. In addition to these, the resort offers the Dolly Parton penthouse suite with details and decor inspired by Parton. 

Paciorka and I stayed in a room with two queen beds. When we arrived, the room was clean and comfortable with a mostly blue and white interior. It also featured small details that reminded me of Parton, including butterflies on the bathroom mirror and beds, and a photo of guitars on the wall.

The spa and restaurant

While DreamMore offers several amenities to its guests, a few of them are also available to people not staying at the resort, including its spa and restaurant, Song & Hearth. Keep in mind their offerings cost extra to DreamMore guests and others.

I didn't plan it this way, but after I left the room, these were the first two places at the resort I visited. 

DreamMore's spa is on the resort's first floor and provides massages, facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures, haircuts and hair styling.

Depending on what service you choose, you'll experience a different atmosphere. The salon area where you would get your hair and nails done features colorful walls and decor, while the massages take place in adjacent rooms with a more neutral, calming color scheme.

I didn't try out any of the spa services because I had limited time to see all I could at DreamMore, so I moved on to one of its restaurants, Song & Hearth: A Southern Eatery.

Out of its three restaurants, Song & Hearth is the most like a sit-down restaurant. It offers a breakfast buffet from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, and a dinner buffet 5:30-9:30 nightly.

Song & Hearth's large dining area wasn't super crowded when I arrived a little after 5:30 p.m. The restaurant's dining area reminded me of a comfortable Southern home complete with low lighting, relaxing music and quilts hanging on the walls. 

The Southern theme continued with the food. The dinner buffet, which costs $20.95 for adults and $10.95 for kids ages 4-11, featured Southern staples including fried chicken, shrimp and grits, mashed potatoes, green beans and pot roast. It also had prime rib, salad, and a kids section with chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and tater tot casserole.

Sweet lovers would feel right at home at the buffet, too. It had almost as many dessert options as it did entrees, including cobbler, bread pudding, brownies, cookies and an assortment of cakes and pies.

Paciorka and I divided and conquered when it came to trying out these options. We felt that the meat offerings were good but didn't stand out much on their own.

The side items, however, were the best part. Paciorka's favorite was the mashed potatoes, which included the skins and tasted like they included a good amount of sour cream. Even though it was technically a kids option, the tater tot casserole won out for me. It was cheesy, well seasoned and an unhealthy guilty pleasure I couldn't resist.

A busy night

After eating way too much at Song & Hearth, it was time to work off some of those calories by exploring more of DreamMore. 

I visited the Parton hallway, which showcases each of Parton's albums along a few walls, and made my way to the resort's game room.

The game room has a collection of popular arcade games, including air hockey, racing games, basketball, foosball and more. I didn't stay here long, but while I was there, an equal amount of adults and kids were having fun with the various games.

I spent the rest of the evening outside in the areas around the resort's large outdoor pool, the Watering Hole. The pool has a waterfall and is 3 to 5 feet deep in most places.

From 7:30 to 9 p.m., guests can roast marshmallows and make s'mores around a fire pit just outside the pool area. I was too full from dinner to make any, but it was fun sitting near the fire and watching guests try it out.

The area outside the pool remained busy in the evening. Kids and their parents played corn hole, climbed on the playground and gathered in the barn for storytime.

The resort offers storytime every night for guests, and though it's simple, I thought this nightly event was so sweet. The storyteller for the night kept the audience of mostly children engaged with her reading, and she took the time to ask the kids questions about themselves, too.

The resort also holds movie night on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" was shown the night I was there. The evening's events ended with a viewing of Dollywood's fireworks from the resort's porch and pool area.

Most of those events in the evening seem like they're centered toward children, but I noticed something different while I was staying at DreamMore. I never saw children eating s'mores, listening to the bedtime story and watching the movie by themselves or just with other kids. Their parents and guardians were sitting right beside them and having fun.

I think the real purpose of these activities is not to entertain kids but to offer experiences you can share with your loved ones no matter how old you are.

A more relaxed morning

My Wednesday morning at DreamMore had a bit less going on compared to the night before.

I visited the resort's fitness room, which offers free weights, treadmills and elliptical machines, and grabbed breakfast at another DreamMore dining option, the DM Pantry.

The DM Pantry is a faster dining option compared to Song & Hearth. It features Starbucks coffee, an assortment of muffins, pastries and breakfast sandwiches, sandwiches, salads and snack options including chips and granola bars.

As far as events go, the mornings and early afternoons at DreamMore have less going on. Maybe it's to give guests time to just hang out at the pool or visit Dollywood or Dollywood's Splash Country during the day.

DreamMore provides free trolley rides from the resort to the parks, and guests can purchase tickets for the parks and Dixie Stampede in the resort to avoid lines. Those who buy Dollywood tickets also get a free TimeSaver pass.

I finished up my time at DreamMore sitting in the pool area for a little while under one of its many umbrellas before checking out.

Final impressions

My stay at DreamMore flew by, but I managed to get a feel of the resort and what it has to offer in that time. Here are a few takeaways I had.

• If you're going, stay longer than a day. While DreamMore's activities and amenities kept me busy, it would make for a more relaxing vacation to experience them within the span of a few days or a week instead of one day.
• Don't think the activities are just for kids. I mentioned this earlier, but seriously, go to storytime and make s'mores. You may have more fun than you think.
• Keep in mind what costs extra. Not everything at DreamMore is included in your room price, including food from the resort's restaurants and its spa services.
• Expect kind staff and plenty of space. Every DreamMore employee I came in contact with was polite and helpful during my stay, and I never felt cramped at the resort either. Both of these aspects really made my stay more enjoyable.

Other offerings

Staying at the resort for a day didn't allow me to check out everything it had to offer, so these are some amenities and activities I didn't get to experience. 

• Camp DW: Kids can make a craft 4-5 p.m. daily at this DreamMore activity. The crafts range in cost from $5 to $15.
• Live music: On Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, the resort has live music from different bands.
• Ranger talks: Retired Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger Butch McDade comes once a week on Sunday to speak to resort guests.
• Pokeberry Lane: The resort store offers several Dollywood-themed items for guests.
• The Lounge: Outside Song & Hearth, this DreamMore eatery focuses on drinks, snacks and meals.