"Half a cup of Love... a teaspoon of Caring... and a dab of Humility... topped with Compassion" - This is Dolly Parton's Recipe for Life, originally handwritten on a napkin, and now proudly displayed in the Song & Hearth Southern Eatery at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort & Spa. I loved hearing the story of how the quote hanging over one of the buffets, exuding Dolly's spur of the moment, from-the-heart creativity, came into existence. From the moment I turned onto the resort's long and beautiful driveway, until I hugged my hosts and fellow publishers good-bye, I felt the presence of one of America's most cherished musical icons. What surprised me, though, was that presence was more about family fun, kindness and following your dreams, than country music.
 Dolly Parton's "Recipe for Life" |
The Rooms
Crystal clean, comfy and clearly family-friendly. That was the impression I got from the rooms at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort. When I bring my family back to visit the area, we'll want one of the rooms with a bunk bed! Usually on vacation, the hubs and I are each sharing a bed with one kid, but at this resort, they'll want to be bunking it.
Nearly every time I go out of town, those little shampoos and conditioners remind me of the impact single-use plastics have on the environment. So I LOVE seeing hotels and resorts that are taking steps to reduce harmful environmental impacts. At DreamMore, you'll find refillable bath products in the shower.
 Cabin-comfy rooms will make the kids super excited for this vacation! |  Eco-conscious refillable bath products |
So many of our favorite vacation memories come from spending time with each other doing activities that just happened to be going on wherever we happened to be. These unplanned opportunities abound in and around the DreamMore resort. Upon arrival at the resort, you will get a printed schedule of family-friendly activities going on during your stay, including everything from s'mores around the firepit to painting to live music to storytime to national park ranger talks. Check out the impressive and diverse range of activities at "Camp DM."
The Amenities
Set against a beautiful mountain backdrop, the resort features an outdoor pool, hot tub, splash pad and playground. But if you like to vacation in winter, or bad weather threatens, there's an indoor pool and family game room (with foosball, air hockey, board games and more), cozy book nooks and fireside reading chairs. While Dad takes the kids swimming, be sure to book a massage or spa treatment at the resort's on-location salon and spa.
 The view from my room was gorgeous both night and day. |  Enjoy the outdoors through the picture windows surrounding the indoor pool. |
Oh. My. Word. I am not usually impressed by hotel restaurants. The food always seems to be expensive and unimpressive, and the decor a non-factor. Not so, at the DreamMore Resort! We walked into Song & Hearth Southern Eatery and were immediately captured by the donut bar. What?! A DONUT bar?! Yaaassss. Then there was the soaring dining room, with quilts depicting the seasons. And the breakfast burrito bar. And the omelet bar. So much eye candy. So many delcious breakfast and brunch options. I can't wait to go back and try dinner.
 Donut bar! |  Gorgeous dining room |
The Location
Situated right next door to Dollywood's Splash Country and within five minutes of Dollywood itself, the resort is the obvious place to stay when the parks are your main attraction. PLUS, TimeSaver passes, early Saturday entry and door-to-door transportation to the parks are included with your stay! The resort is also super close to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and all the adventures and activities associated.
Nearby Attractions
This was my first trip to the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area. If you've ever visited, you will understand why I was seriously overwhelmed by the choices of things-to-do. I'm certain you could come here, year after year, and never do the same thing twice! Here are two do-not-miss attractions for the area (besides Dollywood of course!).
| The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge Filled with stories, life-sized recreations of portions of the ship and hands-on exhibits, this place is amazing. I especially liked the touchable ice berg and 28 degree chilled water for really making these stories and the tragedy come to life. We had a guide who told stories that brought me and many others to tears (like when the son of one of the survivors came to the museum and hugged the actor portraying his father and said "hi Dad!). Don't miss the to-scale LEGO model of The Titanic (at right), created by a 10-year-old Icelandic boy with autism. |  |
 | Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies So, I'm a bit partial towards aquariums, having once been an aquarium biologist in a former life. I've been to lots and I love them all. So of course, I had to check out this one. Never have I seen a touch jellies exhibit, where you can get up close and personal with real, live moon jellies! COOL! There was lots more to be excited about, check out this short video of what else you can see at this aquarium. |
Disclosure: Thank you to Dollywood's DreamMore Resort for hosting Macaroni Kid publishers and facilitating the writing of this review. All opinions are my own.
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Macaroni Kid South Birmingham is a free weekly e-newsletter and website focused on fun family events and things to do with kids in the South Birmingham region. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in downtown Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Pelham, the Oak Mountain and 280 area, Helena and Alabaster.
