Tips for Traveling to Dollywood (win $500!)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Choice Hotels. The opinions and text are all mine.

Most of you know that we love Hilton Head, and we rarely travel to other areas. It is our home away from home.  Well, we decided to change things a bit and go to Tennessee. My mother-in-law always talks about how much she loves Dollywood, so we found a long weekend and took advantage of the kids being out of school. I’m so glad that we did. It was as great as she said it would be! It was great to feel like you were “back in the day” so you could really reconnect with your family.

First things first: The Hotel.

There are a lot of options when going to Dollywood. We found a lot that were close, but I am pretty picky about hotels and really prefer ones that are welcoming, clean, have premium bedding, free internet and free breakfast (for the kids). We found a Comfort Inn®, by Choice Hotels  right near there, and we love their new look, so we booked our hotel. It was sold out by the end of that week, so we were glad that we booked early (apparently other people have the same ideas as we do and want somewhere nice to stay).

It had a microwave, refrigerator and a lot of room (the suites even have pull out sofas- see my video on that!). We arranged to have two rooms that connected. We loved it. It was like a giant sleepover and trips like this always give us a chance to reconnect. (find out more about the hotel here or watch this video)

Where to go: 

We went to Dollywood and had a blast! It reminds me of a giant fall-festival. It was so pretty, decorated with fall pumpkins and wreaths at every turn. We had a blast on the rides and I think that we rode the carousel about 4 times (Allie’s favorite).

My favorite part? There are playgrounds next to all of the big rollercoasters. This was great, because when the younger kids couldn’t go on a ride, they go to explore a new playground.

The next day: 

On day #2, we went down the road a bit to WonderWorks (also commonly known as the UpsideDown House). It was so much fun, as well!

This was filled with different science rooms – there was a room about size, a bubble room, a bed of nails (that our son laid on)… and so much more! It was really fun.

At night: 

Every night, we went swimming in the Comfort Inn pool. It was a blast! The kids loved it. 

While I was there, I met another mom with kids our kids ages and she said “I only stay places where they have a Comfort Inn & Suites, because they are always so nice and the kids have a blast”. I told her that I was going to include her quote in this post, because it would help those traveling to Tennessee.

Here is a video to sum up our trip…

PS- We’ve partnered with Choice Hotel to offer a $500 gift card for one reader, to stay in a Choice Hotel, where you could reconnect with family?   Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Choice Hotels. The opinions and text are all mine.