Dollywood’s Splash Country

Why go: Thirty-five acres of slides, wave pool and lazy river built into a shaded mountain hollow, anchored by the only water coaster in Tennessee.

About Dollywood’s Splash Country

Dollywood’s Splash Country opened in 2001 next door to the Dollywood theme park, and instead of leveling the ground the builders dropped it into a wooded mountain hollow. The theme comes straight out of Dolly Parton’s childhood summers swimming in Smoky Mountain creeks, and the attraction names follow: Mountain Waves, Downbound Float Trip, Raging River Rapids, Little Creek Falls.

More than fifteen slides and water attractions fill the 35 acres, and they span the full range of nerve. RiverRush is the first and only water coaster in Tennessee, using uphill blasts of water to shove a four-person raft through banked turns. Mountain Waves is a 25,000 square foot wave pool with a gradual entry and waves that build from ripples to swells worth body surfing. On the other end, The Cascades and Little Creek Falls are shallow interactive play areas built for kids who are years away from a speed slide.

Splash Country runs on its own gate, its own parking lot and its own ticket, separate from the theme park, though two-park tickets and season passes cover both. It has been voted a Top 10 Outdoor Water Park by USA Today readers and named America’s Must-See Park by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Getting to Dollywood’s Splash Country

Splash Country sits at 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd, sharing the Dollywood property off Veterans Boulevard and about 35 miles southeast of Knoxville. Coming in on I-40, take Exit 407 and follow the brown attraction signs. The water park has its own entrance and its own lot, so point your navigation at the water park rather than the theme park or you will end up parking a tram ride away from where you want to be. Parking is paid for standard vehicles and oversize vehicles alike, and free for Gold and Diamond season passholders. Complimentary parking lot trams shuttle between the two parks for anyone doing both in one day, and guests staying at DreamMore or HeartSong have trolley service that drops at the loop by the water park entrance.

Why Choose Dollywood’s Splash Country

There is more than one big water park within a short drive of Pigeon Forge, so the useful question is what this one does that the others do not.

• It was built into the mountain, not onto a parking lot. Mature hardwoods shade a large share of the walkways and lounge areas, which matters more than it sounds like in late July when the concrete elsewhere is hot enough to hurt.
• Everything inside the gate is included. Every slide, pool and play area comes with admission. There are no per-ride charges and no limited-activity ticket, so a nonswimmer pays the same as a thrill rider and nobody gets nickeled at the top of the stairs.
• The lifeguard program is the strongest in the region. Hundreds of lifeguards certified through Ellis and Associates train annually and again every week, and the team holds the only Platinum award in East Tennessee. Audits use weighted mannequins and live drowning simulations.
• Accessibility goes deeper than most water parks. Water transfer wheelchairs are stationed at five attractions, inner tubes with built-in seats are available free at the wave pool and lazy river, and a gated calming area with sensory equipment sits near SwiftWater Run.
• The footprint is compact. Attractions cluster close together, so families move between the wave pool, the lazy river and the kids areas without long hikes, and one adult can keep eyes on two different age groups.

Must Do

If you only get one day, these are the things worth building the day around.

• RiverRush. The state’s only water coaster. Four riders share a raft that gets driven uphill and slung through open banked curves before dropping out the bottom.
• Mountain Waves. The wave pool, and the natural home base for a group. Grab a tube, ride the swells, then retreat to the covered chairs along the perimeter when someone needs a break.
• Downbound Float Trip. A 1,500 foot lazy river loop that takes roughly fifteen to twenty minutes per lap. Most people do more than one, and most people fall asleep on the second.
• Big Bear Plunge. A family raft ride down a whitewater-style channel, and the rare thrill attraction that a mixed-age group can actually ride together.
• TailSpin Racer. Head-to-head mat racing down parallel lanes. Settles arguments.
• Mountain Scream. A steep speed slide serious enough that footwear, shirts and cover-ups all have to come off before you are allowed on it.
• Neon Nights. New for the 2026 season and separately ticketed. On select Fridays and Saturdays the park reopens from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM with neon lighting, glow installations, a DJ and access to select attractions after dark.

What to Expect

A water park day has more logistics than a theme park day, and a few of the rules here catch people off guard at the gate.

• Supervision rules are enforced at the entrance. Guests must be 13 or older to enter on their own. Children 12 and under have to be with a supervising companion who is at least 16, and unescorted children are turned away.
• Get the kids measured before you get in any line. Height minimums vary by slide. The Centralized Measuring Station sits next to the first bridge inside the gate and issues a color-coded wristband that matches the signage at every attraction, which saves a long climb followed by a hard no.
• The park is cashless. Cards and mobile wallets only. If you show up with cash, kiosks throughout the park will load it onto a prepaid card at no charge.
• No outside food, drinks or coolers. One unopened bottle of water per person is allowed, plus items for medical needs. Get your hand stamped and keep your parking receipt if you want to leave for lunch and come back.
• Tubes and life vests cost nothing. Both are first-come, first-served inside the park. Personal tubes, floats, inflatable rings, water wings without an accompanying vest, water guns and full face masks are all turned away.
• Bring your own towel. Towels are not provided, though they are sold on site. Lockers in three sizes and single or double strollers rent first-come, first-served.
• The dress code is specific. No denim or corduroy, nothing with buckles, zippers or rivets, and no cotton shirts on any body slide. Swim shirts and religious headwear have to be tight-fitting, and several slides do not allow footwear at all.
• Weather runs the day. Attractions close when lightning registers within ten miles and reopen once it has been clear for fifteen minutes. If rain shortens your visit, stop at any ticket booth before you leave for a complimentary return ticket good the rest of the season.
• There is no accessibility line pass here. TimeSaver H2O is a paid line management service rather than an accommodation, and staff are not permitted to physically lift or assist guests onto attractions, so anyone who needs help boarding should come with a companion.
• Plan on a full day and arrive early. Lounge chairs are free but first-come, first-served, and the shaded ones go first. Retreats and canopies book out well ahead on summer weekends.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction. A four-course meal served in a 35,000 square foot arena while horses, riders and trick performers compete in front of you.
• Rowdy Bear’s Smoky Mountain Funpark. Snow tubing on manufactured snow year round, plus a mountain glider and an alpine coaster on the same hillside.
• Titanic Museum. A half-scale recreation of the ship’s interior where each visitor follows the story of a real passenger from boarding to the final list.
• Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. A gravity-driven track that runs more than a mile down the mountainside with a hand brake you control yourself.
• Dollywood Theme Park.  Tennessee’s #1 attraction is right next door. Voted the “#1 Theme Park in America” by TripAdvisor.

Explore More

My Smoky Mountain Guide Pigeon Forge is a great resource for finding things to do and places to eat.

• Pigeon Forge Food & Beverage Guide. Restaurants, dinner shows, breweries, distilleries, and eateries throughout Pigeon Forge, from sit-down meals to grab-and-go stops.
• Pigeon Forge Outdoor Adventure. Mountain coasters, UTV rentals, rafting, helicopter tours, and other ways to experience the Smokies from outdoors.
• Pigeon Forge Attractions. Museums, escape rooms, mini-golf, arcades, and other family-friendly stops across the city.
• Pigeon Forge Entertainment. Dinner shows, live music, comedy, magic, and theater experiences throughout Pigeon Forge.