Dixie Stampede is an arena style dinner show that is actually a good old fashioned ho down.Living in Orlando I’ve experienced many of these types of dinner shows and Dixie Stampede was able to keep me entertained the entire time. I want to preface this entire review by stating that we visited the 8:30 PM show with our children which made it difficult for me to review the show properly. My kids go to bed at this time and they were tired and over it before we even arrived. I really think the show was great and that your whole family would love it, but if you have children be sure to visit at a time when they are not exhausted.
Dixie Stampede started out as a dream for Dolly Parton:
“I wanted to recreate the family fun of my childhood, when we’d gather for a friendly competition and enjoy a more-than-filling meal,” says Dolly Parton. “With the grand entertainment of our horses and performers, along with a delicious meal, Dixie Stampede is the most fun place to eat anywhere.”
When you arrive you get a family picture taken and are escorted into the pre show entertainment area. Inside is a boxing ring type 
set up is a two man show entitled Mountain Rukus that will keep you singing and laughing. At The Carriage Room Opening Act you can purchase refreshments if you are hungry as well. Be sure to get there early if you want good seats because this room fills up quick! You or your children may even be asked to come up on stage to join in on the fun. Pre show entertainment is always a welcome treat when you have small children who don’t do well “bored”. Also, if you arrive at Dixie Stampede an hour before the show you can walk past the open air stables so that your children can see the horses.
About 10 minutes before the show you can go into the 35,000 sq ft arena and find your seat. As I mentioned above, this is arena style seating and you actually sit in a type of bleachers. Rather quickly your server will come and take your drink order so that they can be sure and have you eating when the show begins. The Dixie Stampede dinner is amazing. I can not say enough good things about it. The soup was so good I wanted to ask for seconds. Luckily you can purchase it in the gift shop, which I did. On the picture to the right you can see all you get for dinner and let me assure you, each and every piece is delicious. However, this is what everyone 
gets (there is a vegetarian option). My 2 year old and 5 year old did not eat anything but the roll. For a family experience, Dixie Stampede really needs to create a children’s meal. You don’t get utensils so a simple chicken nugget meal with tater tots would suffice. It’s really disappointing when you pay that much for a ticket and your children can’t eat anything. Also, the only beverages available are Pepsi, Tea and Coffee. My little kids don’t drink any of those things. When I asked if they could get water they were able to honor that, but it was quite a production to do so.
Once the Dixie Stampede show starts it’s all you can concentrate on. Good thing the dinner offers doggie bags. The show MC comes out and explains that this will be a good natured duel between the North, on one side of the arena and the South, on the other side of the arena. Throughout the show different competitions take place in order to earn winning ribbons. For example, two women race their horses and you and your family could even be chosen to come down and compete for your side! Little kids got to take part in a rooster race (maybe it was chickens but you see where I’m going with this) where they actually had to run behind the bird to get it to the finish line first! I can’t imagine how excited the parents of those kids were to see them down there!
There are some other great acts as well. They throw in some comedy relief with a “not so smart” country bumpkin who is always getting himself into sticky situations. There is some amazing pageantry too. At one point a gazebo comes down from the ceiling and beautiful Southern Belles with dresses that light up come out to dance and sing. That was one of my favorite parts of the show.
At the end there is a great big showdown to crown the real winning territory. One competition after the other and tons of feet stomping and hand clapping (if you are done eating of course) is had all around. At the end you are welcome to walk down to the arena and take pictures with the stars of the show.
As you leave Dixie Stampede you have the ability to walk through the gift shop. This was a great gift shop. It doesn’t just have Dixie Stampede merchandise, it has tons of horse related merchandise as well. If you or one of your children love horses, this is a can’t miss stop on your trip. They also sell some food that is served during dinner. As mentioned above I purchased the soup and now I’m left wanting more! It is really that good.
As I’d mentioned above, this isn’t the most in depth review because we were busy dealing with very unhappy children the entire show. Also cameras were not allowed so I don’t have many pictures. In the tradition of honest reviews I wanted to be upfront about that. So be sure and book your tickets to visit Dixie Stampede and see what it is all about. Or, be the lucky winner of this full vacation prize package!
To Participate In Today’s Extra Credit Entries please visit http://dixiestampede.com/pigeonforge.php and have yourself a look see!
Then, go back to the entry page by clicking HERE and tell me the following:
1. What food item at dinner are you most interested in trying (worth 3 separate entries)
2. What aspect of the show are you most excited to see (worth 3 separate entries)
3. Would you root for the North or the South (worth 3 separate entries)
DO NOT LEAVE ENTRIES HERE!!! Remember you must click HERE to enter!
*This review was written by Lee Allport. We received tickets to Dixie Stampede in order to provide review. All opinions are obviously my own.
