We decided to take a couple of days and visit Dollywood again, before it got too hot, so Stu could ride all the ones he loves. Yeah, the best laid plans…but he did have a good time.
Day one we slept in a little too long and got a late start, arriving at Dollywood just after noon. The park was busy and the wait time for rides was horrible. Stu finally got into line for one he liked, waited over an hour and they were told the ride was shut down for maintenance. We still needed to eat lunch so tried to do that. The lines were as long as the ride lines. We did stop by the Blacksmith Shop to ask about the new knife-making activity they were offering. We discovered you had to sign up the day-of and no earlier.
By now we were getting pretty hot and tired in addition to being hungry. We stopped for an ice cream on the way out of the park, then headed to our hotel (Best Western, Kodak TN). After cooling down, resting, and checking out the local restaurant scene, we decided to try The Diner in Kodak, not too far from us.
We enjoyed it – good food, good prices, and HUGE servings. We were both too full for dessert, that will be saved for our next visit.
We talked about using the hotel’s pool but opted to stay in and crash. I hadn’t slept the night before and needed the rest. We woke early and refreshed. Being season passholders, we decided to try the rope drop we’d heard about – getting in an hour before anyone else.
But is was not all it was cracked up to be. All we accomplished was Stu getting in line for the first ride – the rides don’t open until 10am. We even tried to get to the Blacksmith Shop to sign him up and that area was blocked off. Sigh…you can’t win them all. Fate was against us once again.
After spending 45 minutes in line for the most popular coaster in the park, they told them it was shut down and wouldn’t open on time. It was now after ten so we jogged (not really – walked) to the Blacksmith Shop and got Stu registered for a 1pm spot.
Stu managed to get a couple of rides but two of his other favorite coasters were closed for maintenance. Soon it was time to grab some lunch so he would be able to arrive at the Blacksmith Shop on time. We lucked out with a short line at the BBQ place just across the street from the forge and had plenty of time to spare.
Here are a few pics of the process – you can see all our Dollywood trip pics HERE.
Getting his instructions
Heating the railroad spike
Hammering to flatten starts…
It’s working!
Next flattening technique employed
It’s time to twist the handle grip.
Use those muscles!
Looking awesome!
Before grinding, sharpening and cleaning up.
This is the one step that required the expert!
This step, too.
Stu’s new knife that HE made! (No, those aren’t bandages on his fingers, that’s his shoes.)
For anyone interested, there are three knives you can make. The biggest is made from a railroad spike and costs $99. The middle one is made from a horseshoe and is $59 to make. The smallest is made from a bolt and costs $29. (These were the prices in June 2021 and are subject to change.)
You arrange to pick up your package as you leave the park. We were pleased to see the knife came with a sheath and since we are gold season passholders, we got a little gift in lieu of the discount we would normally have received with a purchase.
All in all, it was a good visit but for now we will stick to Oct-Dec and April-May visits to avoid the crowds. LOL!
2 thoughts on “Dollywood, Stu, and knives…”
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Cool, you took some good pictures. I love working with metal, hope Stu enjoyed making his knife.
Glad you enjoyed it and yes, he loved the whole process!