I stayed at Dolly Parton's new resort in a $500 mountain-view room. Being close to her theme park wasn't even the best part.
I stayed at Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort, a new resort in the Smoky Mountains.
My room had a mountain-lodge feel with modern furnishings that felt welcoming.
It's now one of my favorite theme-park resorts — and I loved all the Dolly Parton touches.
I've been visiting Dollywood regularly for more than 10 years.
It remains one of my favorite theme parks, even though I've visited dozens of them all over the world. Earlier this month, the property debuted Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort.
My husband and I booked a king-bedroom stay with views of the Smoky Mountains. Here's what it was like.
Business Insider paid a media rate of $200 for this king-bedroom stay. The full rate was about $500.
The resort is next to the Dollywood theme park.
Dollywood consists of a theme park, a water park, and two full-service resorts. The park opened in 1986 and is undergoing a $500 million expansion.
Its latest addition is the HeartSong Lodge & Resort, which is around the corner from the theme park and next to DreamMore Resort and Spa.
HeartSong is an elevated take on a classic American lodge.
The resort is reminiscent of a classic American mountain lodge, and its elegant, rustic look seamlessly fits into its Smoky Mountain surroundings.
Its 4,000-square-foot lobby is gorgeous, with high ceilings and ornate woodwork. It felt cozy and inviting and had tons of seating.
Its grand windows brought in a ton of natural light and helped the space blur the line between the outdoors and indoors.
I enjoyed exploring the resort, especially the Dolly Parton memorabilia room.
The resort sticks to its Smoky Mountain themes but has tributes to Dolly Parton.
My favorite part of the resort is the lounge-style seating room called the Acoustic Lobby. The purple space is adorned with her memorabilia and a collection of instruments on loan.
The Acoustic Lobby's highlight is the guitar chandelier.
At the center of the room is a guitar-shaped chandelier made from hot-pink Gibson guitars.
It creates such a cool vibe in the space.
I especially loved the handwritten song lyrics on the wall.
Although there was so much fun Dolly memorabilia to explore throughout the room, my favorite piece was the handwritten lyrics from Parton's iconic song "9 to 5."
There are other touches of the singer throughout the resort.
From painted quotes on the wall to sprawling murals, there were tons of the musician's touches throughout the resort.
Even the elevator was inspired by the sight and sounds of nature.
The HeartSong elevators featured large seamless video screens that depicted scenes from nature, including gurgling creeks.
The entire resort truly felt like an extension of the surrounding Smoky Mountains.
I stayed in a 350-square-foot king bedroom with a mountain view.
The resort features a range of rooms and suites that can accommodate up to six guests.
I stayed in a standard room that sleeps up to four and comes with views of the surrounding mountains.
My visit was on a Saturday in November when one night in this type of mountain-view room was listed for about $500.
The room had a lodge feel with modern furnishings.
Our space featured a king bed, a Murphy bed, and plenty of storage.
It also had a small fridge, safe, coffee machine, handheld steamer, and workspace desk.
There were also plenty of charging stations around the room for all of my electronics.
I found even more special details once I pulled down the Murphy bed.
The Murphy bed was easy to pull down and featured a special message from Dolly on the wood. It had a queen-size mattress that could sleep an additional two guests.
Even with the Murphy bed open, the room felt big enough to accommodate four people comfortably.
We had a nice view of the whole resort from our window.
Our view offered a peek at the resort's outdoor spaces, including the fire pits and pool, with the mountains looming in the distance.
I loved the in-room sound machine.
The room came with a sound machine featuring sleep noises and ones that fit the mountain setting, including a roaring fire.
I loved using this during my visit, but even without it on, I didn't hear neighboring guests.
The bathroom felt luxurious but cozy.
The bathroom felt large and had a separate space with a well-lit, detailed mirror that made getting ready easy.
The shower seemed nice and modern.
The rainshower felt modern and was outfitted with white subway tiles and built-in shelving.
There were several community spaces on the property.
I've stayed in hundreds of hotels around the globe, and I haven't seen quite this many shared spaces in one place.
I was especially surprised by how many community spaces there were, given the resort only has 302 rooms.
Featuring an indoor game room and cozy outdoor fire pits lined with chairs, this felt like a resort you could spend the entire day at without leaving.
The resort has a hot tub, indoor pool, and outdoor pool.
The resort features a heated indoor pool, kids' splash pad, and an outdoor zero-entry pool with ornate stonework.
Although the outdoor pool was closed during my visit, there was a large hot tub that stays open even in the colder temperatures.
I found live music around the property.
The overall inviting feel of the resort was enhanced by live musicians.
I heard a violinist playing in the lobby and found a strolling singer while coming out of an elevator.
There's also a gift shop on the property with plenty of Dolly-inspired merch.
I enjoyed shopping around the resort's on-site merchandise shop, Honeysuckle & Pine.
I found resort-themed attire and plenty of Dolly-inspired goodies, from beaded pouches to bags.
The property has several dining spaces, including a bar and quick-service market.
During our visit, I explored the several dining options on the property, including a bar and grab-and-go-shop, Songbird Market.
I also discovered that Dollywood's iconic cinnamon bread is served in this shop. No need to head into the theme park to get it.
We dined at the resort's signature restaurant, Ember & Elm.
Although there were several dining options, we enjoyed a meal at the resort's flagship restaurant, Ember & Elm.
Open for breakfast and dinner, its atmosphere is Southern-inspired with modern touches and features a menu inspired by the region.
I ordered a twist on Dollywood's most iconic dish.
We visited Ember & Elm for breakfast, which offers both a buffet-style continental breakfast and à la carte options.
As a big fan of Dollywood's iconic cinnamon bread, I had to order it in French-toast casserole form, which is new and exclusive to this location.
The bread was soaked in milk custard and baked in a cast-iron skillet. This amplified the already delicious flavors of the cinnamon bread and featured a crystalized exterior and soft, pillowy interior.
I absolutely loved it and will be back to have it again.
We also took advantage of the resort's theme-park perks, such as easy access to Dollywood.
As a resort guest, we got several Dollywood perks, including access to a trolley that brought us to the theme park's gates in minutes.
We also received a free Dollywood TimeSaver pass, the theme park's version of expedited attraction access.
My stay exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to return.
I love Dollywood's first resort, DreamMore Resort & Spa, and HeartSong exceeded all my expectations.
The lodge-like feel was fitting of its setting in the Smoky Mountains, and the modern furnishing and upscale amenities were exactly what I desired for a luxurious weekend vacation.
The resort had amazing dining, community spaces, pools, and just about anything you would need without having to leave the property. It even has a theme park around the corner.
The HeartSong ranks high on my list of theme-park resorts — and I've stayed at every Disney World resort and Universal resort.
Overall, I think it's worth splurging on a stay when visiting the Smoky Mountains, especially if you plan to visit the neighboring theme park.
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