For me, all the best stuff happens in the summer time. I love a good outdoor barbecue party, outdoor concerts, tubing down the river, summer vacation; these are all things that make summer fun! Cooling off can be a challenge on a hot summer day. A great way to spend quality time as a family and stay cool in the process is a trip to Dollywoods Splash Country Water Park. Whether you love the zips and curls of a water slide, or the peace and quiet of a lazy river, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
Splash Country located in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, is the sister theme park to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood. The southern hospitality and beautiful scenery around the park invite you in, but it’s the fun that keeps you coming back for more. We started our day taking the long walk down into the park. Splash Country was built inside the Smokey Mountains and sits like a secret down in the valley surrounded by hills. The tall trees seclude you, making you forget that you are spending time at a busy theme park. Once you enter the heart of the park there are plenty of amenities to help you prepare for your time in the sun. Family changing rooms so you don’t have to juggle getting your bathing suit on and keeping your little ones close by. Restrooms with plenty of stalls and lots of space for applying your sunscreen, and just in case you forgot sunscreen, there is a large shop where you can purchase sundries and souvenirs.
One of the best amenities Dollywoods Splash Country Water Park has to offer is their retreats. The older I get the less I care 
what other people think, however, I’m not exactly a fan of putting on my bathing suit and parading around in public. The private retreat gave our family privacy as well as a place to meet up after separating to go ride our favorite water slides. The retreat included an indoor area complete with a 27” satellite flat screen television, a large table with 6 comfortable chairs and a ceiling fan to keep the area cool. This area was surrounded by a heavy screen to keep the sun and the bugs at bay. Adjacent was an outdoor area with chaise lounge chairs for anyone who wanted to soak in some sun while reading a book. Each is 14 X 21 square feet and fits up to 12 people. They are a little pricey at $150.00 per day, but are so worth it! Each unit has a secure area where you can store your belongings and comes with a phone so you can order lunch or snacks and have an employee of the park bring them directly to you. My father, who has bad knees and is not a big fan of the water, was able to come with us for the day and enjoy himself just staying in the retreat.
A water park would not be worth its title if it was not for the water slides, and Dollywood’s Splash Country does not disappoint. 
Although I really wish someone would devise a way to get me to the top of the tower without having to climb 10,000 stairs, I was able to experience a couple slides including the Big Bear Plunge family slide. My sister, nephew and I all climbed in the raft and away we went. Two big drops and several high energy turns later we were sliding down a large drop that put us in a wading pool. After we howled with laughter, we made our way out to the bridge that showed us exactly what we had just experienced when the next family came shooting out of the tunnel. Some of the other water slides included the new Slick Rock Racers where you can race each other to the bottom. The Fire Tower Falls features a fall straight down a 70 foot drop and then cruise 140 more feet until you stop. Not for the faint of heart. The Raging River Rapids and the Mountain Twist are big fun for the 36” tall members of the family.
My nephew Spencer always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to family outings. He’s 2 years old and typically has to sit out while everyone else has fun. Not at Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park, where fun awaited Spencer around every corner! Little Creek Falls offered all the water fun a toddler could stand, with a zero entry pool and an abundance of water fou
ntains. This section of the park is made just for your littlest love, no crazy teenagers to get in the way and everything was just his size. For Jason, who’s 5, there was nothing like the Bear Mountain Fire Tower. This multi level attraction is filled with wet fun. Climb around and explore all the water cannons and hoses, then slide to the bottom using a water slide or a sliding pole. When the bell sounds look out below, because a huge bucket dumps 1,000 gallons of water over the structure soaking everything and everyone underneath.
If you’re not a slide enthusiast, no worries, Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park has a several special places for you too. The Down Bound Float Trip is a 15,000 foot lazy river where you can relax and take in the beauty of the great Smokey Mountains around you. For a little more fun, take a tube and ride the 
Mountain Waves, a 25,000 square foot wave pool. My favorite place to spend some time was the Cascades. A lagoon surrounded by a rock grotto where you could swim in the 8,000 foot pool or spend time playing with the kids in the geyser area. The pool in the Cascades is deep enough to submerge yourself in and the atmosphere is extremely laid back and calm. The Cascades gave new meaning to the term “cement pond”.
Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park is peppered with place to find food; you can stop to grab a treat any time throughout your day. My son Jake loves the mini-melts icecream and thought it was quite funny that I asked what the birthday cake flavor tasted like. Jake enjoys any opportunity to make fun of me, did I mention that? He was able to fill up on mini-melts at the Cascades Concessions and sampled several flavors of Icee Drinks at the Mountain Waves Slush Factory. In our retreat we had a menu that included burgers, salads and sub sandwiches. Unfortunately we were not thrilled with the food. It was explained to us that in order to keep everything hot upon transit to our retreat, they have few choices as to where they could bring us food from. The burgers were kind of blah, you may want to stick to the cold meat sandwiches if you opt for the retreat service.
Our family had a great day at Dollywoods Splash Country Water Park. The staff was extremely helpful and pleasant. The rides were fun and the variety of places to spend your time was ample. The park was kept very neat and clean, not once during my time in the park did I get that Cootie feeling you sometimes get when walking barefoot at a water park. People are so busy today, so family vacation time is important. Dollywood gets that and does everything possible for you to really enjoy each other while having a blast!
To Participate In Today’s Extra Credit Entries Please Visit http://www.dollywood.com/splashcountry-q10281-c10036-Explore.aspx and have a look around the website. Then, go back to the entry page by clicking HERE and tell me the following:
1. Which water attraction would you be most excited to try out? (worth 3 separate entries)
2. Which attraction looks fun but would terrify you too much to try? (worth 3 separate entries)
3. Which dining experience would you think sounds tasty? (worth 3 separate entries)
DO NOT LEAVE ENTRIES HERE!!! Remember you must click HERE to enter!
*This review was written by Jackie “quit lollygagging” Pletsch, who I assure you, enjoyed the theme park the most in our family. We recieved tickets to the park in order to provide a full review. All opinions are our own.
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Looks like a blast! glad you and Lee had fun!