No. 4 theme park pick: Dollywood

Located just up the road from both the tourist town of Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Dolly Parton's theme park has been drawing fans, and raves, for more than two decades. Visitors will find a lively mix of roller coasters, family rides and musical shows, clustered together in a scenic mountain setting.

Dollywood includes a variety of personal touches from the country music superstar, including a chicken dinner restaurant named for her mother and a chapel named for the doctor who delivered the singer. There's also a one-room country schoolhouse and a gospel music museum and hall of fame, for folks looking for a different kind of inspiration than you can find on a 100-foot roller coaster.

Visitors also will find many Appalachian craftsmen and artisans inside the park, helping make Dollywood a prime destination for visitors seeking a healthy dose of "retail therapy," along with a heap o' country cooking and a thrill ride or two.

AGE APPROPRIATE

Dollywood offers something for everyone in the family. The Country Fair section of the park has a selection of rides for younger kids, and all ages can enjoy the park's musical shows.

TOO MUCH FUN

Listen to live country, pop and show tunes at the park's theaters or climb aboard the award-winning Mystery Mine roller coaster. Watch the park's eagles and other birds of prey in a 30,000-square-foot aviary. Or chow down on a country-style fried chicken dinner at Miss Lillian's Chicken House.

BEST ATTRACTION

Thunderhead, a wooden roller coaster that drops riders 100 feet and hits a top speed of 55 mph, is the park's top thrill ride. The track even sends riders flying back through the loading station in mid-ride, giving waiting visitors a sneak peek at what's in store.

KEEP 'EM HAPPY

The park's new ride for 2008, River Battle, gives each rider his or her own squirt cannon, to aim at other riders and even at folks along the shore. Waiting visitors can return fire, too, with shore-mounted water cannons. Look for lots of soaked kids when this ride debuts in the spring.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Dollywood closes from just after New Year's until mid-March (ski season in nearby Gatlinburg). The park offers several popular festivals throughout the year, including Barbeque & Bluegrass in September and Smoky Mountain Christmas in November and December.

AVOID THE CROWDS

Buy your tickets online and arrive before the park opens to beat the crowds to the park's top rides. Thursday tends to be the least busy day at the park. Or take Parton's Web site at her word when she wishes that the "wonder of the Great Smoky Mountains will touch" visitors' hearts. Nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the nation's most popular and scenic.

CAN'T MISS

Mystery Mine is the park's newest thrill ride, an adventure through an abandoned mine that kicks off with a 95-degree, 85-foot plunge into darkness.

BARGAIN LODGING/DINING

You'll find a slew of affordable chain hotels in both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The Comfort Inn & Suites at Dollywood Lane is one of the options that are closest to the Dollywood entrance.

INSIDE TRACK

You can get a few extra hours at Dollywood, at no cost, by buying a pass that allows you into the park after 3 p.m. one day and all day the next, for the price of a one-day ticket.

-- Robert Niles, founder/editor of ThemeParkInsider.com