Selecting a park

[diamondhawk]

I am going this summer. I have different options and can basically choose two of the following: Six Flags Over Georgia, Carowinds, and Dollywood. Can you please tell me the best parks and tell me tips, highlights, and must-rides for each one. Thank you!

[The Interpreter]

Assuming you've never been to any of the three, I'd choose Six Flags Over Georgia and Dollywood. Great coasters, great shows and great fun. At SFOG, don't miss Goliath, Mindbender, and the Georgia Cyclone. Show-wise, iLuminate is the big thing this year.

Dollywood has incredible shows, lush landscaping, Wild Eagle, Thunderhead, Mystery Mine, Blazing Fury, incredible food, great water rides and fantastic customer service.

Enjoy!

[TheCrypt]

I've never been to Carowinds or Six Flags over Georgia, but I have been to Dollywood!

Dollywood is a fun little park, but you will probably get bored after you've done Thunderhead, Mystery Mine, Wild Eagle, Barnstormer, Blazing Fury, even Veggie Tales' Sideshow Spin, and the like. Also, if you're one of the people who want fun, long ride time coasters, you'll get dissappointed by Tennessee Tornado. Now, I know other enthusiasts are screaming "BLASPHEMY!" at my post, BUT I am typing from my sisters' perspectives! They said it was boring, not I!

My personal opinion? I loved the park. I went twice, one night then the whole day the next day. I went on all the "big rides", as did my sisters. I loved every aspect of the park, and took in every bit of scenery and architecture like there was no tomorrow. I appreciated the park for what it was, not for what it had. Dollywood is essentially a family park with some thrill rides thrown in. For me, I never got bored, but my sisters did. Quick.

So, if you're in to big bad roller coasters, Dollywood may not necessarily be the place for you. But if you're in to a more laid back, pretty atmosphere, then you might want to seriously consider Dollywood.

Also, at least to me, the park is kinda confusing, and you get quite the workout from the mountainous landscape.

Hope I could help!

[jbt]

Dollywood is a great park. What they lack in quantity of coasters, they deliver in quality. Haven't been to Six Flags Over Georgia, but I've been to Six Flags Over Texas. Given the choice, I'd probably choose Dollywood. Mystery Mine and Thunderhead are both top-notch. Wild Eagle was being built when I was there, so I'm looking forward to trying it myself.

That said, I'm really interested to see how Carowinds compares to Kings Island.

[kblanken]

Go to SFoG and Dollywood.

Carowinds ride lineup is just too similar to Kings Island.

Six Flags Over Georgia was the first SF park I realized that telling someone to have a 'six flags day' wasn't an insult. Be sure to ride Monster Mansion if you go.

[The Interpreter]

And don't, like Terpy did the first time he went, pass it by thinking it was a restaurant! It's well worth riding!

[gad198]

I'd agree with the others and would recommend SFOG and Dollywood. The other posters have covered the must-rides for each park. I do want to expound on strategy for getting around SFOG on a tight schedule.

Get there early, as you'll want to be in the park at least 15 minutes prior to the rope drop. The last few times I've been there they allow you to go all the way up to the train tracks where they'll have the rope drop. They will from time to time open up Georgia Scorcher shortly before the official rope drop so you may be able to get in a ride on that quickly (perhaps the Interpreter can verify if this is still accurate). You'll want to head to Dare Devil Dive immediately after the rope drop as the waits will become unbearable pretty quickly if you're not among the first in the queue. I would go to Monster Mansion next and then Superman: Ultimate Flight for the same reasons (popular rides with lower capacity whose lines will get long quickly and stay long).

Just a couple of quick food recommendations in around both Atlanta and Knoxville:

Atlanta:

Nancy's Pizza (either location, although I think the one in Buckhead is a little better) - I normally shy away from chains while traveling but the food (particularly the pizza and wings) here is quite good. If you go to Half Off Depot you should be able to find certificates to save you a few bucks. They also sell Cake Cafe cakes here so I award them bonus points for that.

http://nancysbuckhead.com/

Bagel Meister (about 10 minutes from the park) - this is a really nice breakfast spot. The bagel sandwiches there are the bomb and everything is reasonably priced

http://www.thebagelmeister.com/

Big Shanty Smokehouse (Kennesaw) - a nice BBQ spot. Their brisket and their sauce is among the best I've tried. Very good ribs as well. http://bigshantybbq.com/

Pino Gelato (Marietta) - excellent gelatos and sorbettos (particularly their pistachio).

http://pinogelato.com/

Knoxville:

Puleo's Grille (multiple locations) - my favorite casual dining spot anywhere in the US. Excellent food and reasonable prices. You can't really go wrong here no matter what you order.

http://puleosgrille.com/

Cities Cupcake (just west of downtown Knoxville) - the best cupcakes anywhere, period. If their store is open it's the only must-stop place for me in town. I'd call ahead and place your order as that will save you some time when you pick it up.

http://citiescupcake.com

[diamondhawk]

Thank you all, this is very helpful information. I was already leaning toward Dollywood, but I wasn't sure wether to go to SFOG or Carowinds. I didn't have a great experience at the last Six Flags I went to, but it seems like SFOG is a good park. I'll let you know how everything went with a trip report after I go!

[jbt]

Have fun! Mystery Mine is a good time.