Memories To Keep For A Lifetime

• Guest Author

By Jen Kinsella, Guest Blogger from Pensacola Mom Collective

Our kids are all-in when it comes to roller coasters. They love the thrill of every drop, twist and turn. They also enjoy making ridiculous faces at the ride cameras. Every time we exit a ride and see the pictures at the photo kiosk, we always have a good laugh. The kids are laughing or striking funny poses, my husband has a look of both fear and excitement on his face, and I usually have my eyes closed!

We always have a good family laugh but never purchase the photos because, really, what would we do with them? We’ll probably not go to the trouble of framing them for display in our home (our walls are full enough as it is!). And goodness knows, I don’t need to spend money on photos of my kids making funny faces, because my phone is full of those already!

But what I realized is that I’ve been looking at it the wrong way. We’ve been missing out on the MEMORIES of those incredible moments. We remember the ride (“Oh, that’s the one where our feet dangle, and we go upside down”), but not how we felt in that moment - the excitement, the adrenaline rush or how much we laughed afterward.

And that is precisely why the photo pass at Dollywood is called a Memory Pass!

We took advantage of the Memory Pass on our most recent trip to Dollywood and are so happy we did!

One memory that could have easily slipped my mind was when my family and I were standing in line to ride Lightning Rod. There was a father and son in line right behind us, and the little boy, who couldn’t have been more than eight years old, looked at us and exclaimed, “This is my first time riding Lightning Rod, and I’m SO excited!” His energy was contagious! We chatted with him for a few minutes and shared how much we loved this roller coaster and that it was our favorite ride at Dollywood. He and his dad ended up sitting directly behind us on Lightning Rod, and we heard his laughter, shrieks and excitement throughout the entire ride, which truly added to our experience and enjoyment.

But the best part?

He and his dad are in our ride photo! And now, I will never forget that little guy and his contagious excitement. Whenever I see that picture on my phone, I think about his pure joy and enthusiasm, which makes me smile!

Imagine having all those great Dollywood memories at your fingertips - saved to your phone or computer so you can pull them up and relive those fun moments whenever you want. Not to mention the convenience of the Memory Pass - no more standing in line at the end of the day to view your photos.

Like most moms, I’m always trying to save a few dollars when we travel, but I will tell you that the Dollywood Memory Pass is the “extra” worth splurging on! We now have our days at Dollywood documented - everything from the posed family photos at the park entrance to the funny roller coaster action shots.

Not to mention that sweet little boy from Lightning Rod!

Editor’s note: Keeping memories with a Memory Pass has never been easier at Dollywood; new photo kiosks located at Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country create an even more convenient way to choose and download the memories you make around both Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country.