Our Family Visit to Dolly Parton’s Stampede

A magical (and delicious) experience the kids are still talking about

During our trip to Pigeon Forge, one experience stood out above the rest — the Stampede.

In fact, it ended up being Sister’s favorite activity of the entire trip, with the pig race pushing it straight into first place. 🐷💨

We attended the 11:00 AM show and arrived around 10:03 AM, having purchased our tickets online in advance. That timing worked well, but there are a few things I’d absolutely do again — and a few I’d do differently — if we go back.

🐎 Arrive Early If You Want to See the Horses

Tip: If you’re attending the first show of the day, make time to see the horses before the show.

When we arrived early, there was almost no one around, making it easy for the kids to see the horses up close. However, once our show ended, the outgoing crowd and the incoming group overlapped — and it got very crowded very quickly. Seeing the horses beforehand made for a much calmer experience.

🚗 Getting There (and Leaving) Without Stress

Tip: Turn at the light and come in via River Road.

Cutting across traffic was nearly impossible when we visited, and navigating busy roads with excited kids after the show isn’t ideal. Coming in — and leaving — via River Road and returning to the light made everything smoother and lowered stress levels significantly.

Highly recommend this route if you’re traveling with kids.

🎟️ Seating Together: What We Learned the Hard Way

We met up with our extended family — the Mountain Birds — but we had purchased our tickets separately. When I looked this up ahead of time, it sounded like as long as both groups chose either North or South seating, we’d be together.

That wasn’t the case.

We were seated in J2, while the Mountain Birds were in M2, even though we had all purchased Value Tickets. Thankfully, the box office staff was incredibly helpful. After explaining the situation, they were able to rearrange things so we could all sit together, which truly saved the day.

Ironically, I had chosen Value Tickets hoping to sit farther back due to my allergies — but we ended up in the second row with no one in front of us. The kids absolutely loved it.

Tip: If sitting together is important:

• Have one person purchase all tickets at once, or

• Call ahead or buy tickets in person if possible

📸 Pre-Show & Photos

After ticket check-in, each family gets a professional photo taken, followed by about a 15-minute preshow.

Photo pricing (approximate):

• $35 for the main photo

• $25 for a flyer version

• $45 if you buy both

Also important to note: no video recording is allowed during the show.

One small detail I loved — when we ordered drinks, our server folded or placed the tickets in a unique way to remember everyone’s drink order. A small touch, but very thoughtful.

🍽️ The Food: What We Loved (and Didn’t)

Let’s talk food — because this is a big part of the experience.

The chicken? Absolutely excellent. So good that Papa Bird declared it his favorite part of the entire show.

The BBQ? Honestly… unnecessary. I tried it plain and with sauce and didn’t need more than two bites.

Drinks: The soda was flat, so next time I’d definitely choose sweet tea, lemonade, or water instead.

Dessert choices: You choose between:

• 🍎 Apple turnover

• 🥥 Chocolate coconut cake

Our server highly recommended the apple turnover — and they were right. Most of the family chose it, and everyone loved it. Little Brother enjoyed the crunchy topping on the coconut dessert, but the turnovers were the clear winner.

Everyone agreed: the soup was delicious. Brother Bird, who was initially skeptical of the chicken, ended up loving the mashed potatoes — and even stole some from Papa Bird’s plate. 😄

🎭 The Show Highlights

There were so many memorable moments throughout the show, but Sister and Little Brother both agreed on their favorite part — the piglets racing and jumping. 🐷💨 That segment had them completely locked in, cheering and laughing from start to finish, and it quickly became the moment they talked about the most afterward.

A big part of the excitement came from the ongoing competition between Team North and Team South, which runs throughout the show and keeps everyone engaged. Each event added to the anticipation, but at the very end, it all came down to the candy cane pass — where the audience gets to participate.

The goal was simple: pass the candy cane through the crowd as fast as possible. This meant the audience wasn’t just watching the finale — we were part of it. The kids were thrilled to be involved, cheering and watching the progress closely. In a dramatic finish, Team North pulled ahead right at the end and won the overall competition, sending our section into full celebration mode.

Earlier in the show, during the barrel racing portion, Sister caught the flower that was tossed into the crowd, which instantly became one of those core memories she’ll never forget.

Big Brother’s favorite moment came when the comedy performer appeared in a chicken costume and joked about how his knee shouldn’t “bend like that,” which had him cracking up. Papa Bird stayed consistent — his favorite part was definitely eating the chicken.

One of my personal favorite moments was the nativity scene during the Christmas show. I was genuinely amazed by the live animals — sheep, goats, and even camels — and how seamlessly they were worked into the performance.

The horsemanship throughout the show was incredible. During the fire jump, one rider handled a tricky situation with total professionalism when one horse clearly wasn’t feeling it that day. She adapted instantly, riding one horse while leading the other, and still completed the jump through the ring of fire. It was a powerful reminder that even animals have their “nope” days — and that skill and experience truly shine in those moments.

By the end of the show, it was clear this experience had something special for every member of our family — especially the kids, who loved being part of the competition rather than just watching it.

🤍 Final Thoughts

This was a fantastic experience, especially getting to share it with our extended Mountain Bird family and letting all the cousins enjoy it together.

I truly appreciate how accommodating the Stampede box office was in helping us sit together — it made all the difference.

Would we go again? Yes — especially to see the regular show. Next time, I’d likely:

• Call ahead about back-row seating due to allergies

• Skip soda and go straight for sweet tea

Overall, it’s an experience full of fun, food, laughter, and memories — and one our family will definitely remember for years to come.

📸 Photo Disclaimer

All photos shared in this post were taken by our family during our visit. To protect our children’s privacy, some images have been artistically enhanced or stylized while still being based on the original photographs.