I first heard about Dollywood over 10 years ago, and was immediately intrigued and confused. Dollywood is a theme park created by Dolly Parton near her home town of Pigeon Ford, Tennessee. I viewed Dolly Parton through the lens of queer culture, and the star of such campy 80s classics as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. In my mind, I assumed Dollywood would be a park dedicated exclusively to Dolly Parton. I was thinking Dolly Parton themed food and ice cream, every attraction would be a riff on Dolly Parton’s name. There would be Dolly Parton tribute shows at every turn, some of them drag shows of course. I was imagining all of this with small town charm and a splash of John Waters style weirdness that I associate with niche pockets of American culture.
I had never been anywhere close to Tennessee until I moved to Atlanta three years ago, so the enigma remained and grew in my mind from the seed of baseless assumptions and an ignorance of southern culture.
Thinking back on it, once I planned the trip I must have gone to the website to buy tickets before leaving, so why did I not do any research to see where I was actually going? Why am I like this? I just assumed the image I had built up in my head would be the reality.
What I learned during my trip is that no small part of her success is that Dolly Parton is many things to many people. In Pigeon Ford, as I assume many other people could have predicted, those people are mostly conservative christians. Dollywood is actually a very successful, unironically Appalachian themed Six Flags. There was a Dolly museum, replica of the house she grew up in, and the opportunity to see the inside of her old tour bus, Most importantly to me, I was greeted by a Dolly hologram during my stay. But the majority of the park was dedicated to rides, fried food, and country music. But this enjoyment was tampered by the growing depression and fear of being surrounded by so many MAGA shirts and hats. Not exactly the improbable, nay impossible, over the top fantasy I had created for myself.
After this experience, I did not learn my lesson. I continue to make assumptions and not do any real research, I don’t know why I don’t stop to question if what I want to occur is based in reality. This results in a lot of surprises. Sometimes the reality ends up being worse, such as Dollywood. But it can also end up being much better. What works best for me, in travel and life, is to try move through it without expectations. This is a process I am still working towards. When I keep myself open to what things could be, I continue to explore, and expand my horizons, regardless of my value judgement on the outcome.
This ties to my recent trip to Rio de Janeiro because I wanted to see a Samba show. A friend who had lived in Rio told me to look for a Roda de Samba. A simple google image search would have quickly revealed what I ended up finding. Instead, I built up in my mind what I thought a Roda de Samba should be. Maybe it was from the tango show I saw in Argentina earlier this year, maybe it was because I think of Brazil as a never ending carnival, but I assumed that Samba is alway a spectacle. I was thinking a mini carnival song and dance show for tourist. However, what I ended up discovering is that Samba is also type of music that can be danced socially with a partner. The place we ended up going to had a basement party vibe in a semi-abandoned building space. It was fun, chill, and fortunately, not at all what I had been expecting.
The Rio A List
I had to start the trip with the classics, the Christ the Redeemer statute and Sugarloaf mountain. All I can say is, plan ahead. If you do not get a guided tour make sure to purchase your tickets in advance. I went during low season in the middle of the week and the crowd was still absolutely wild. I opted to take the train to the statue, which I think is worth it if there is good weather. There was another long line and I heard mixed things about taking the gondola to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, so I opted to take photos from the base of the mountain and go to the nearby Urca beach instead, where there are several nice bars where you can get drinks and typical Brazilian snacks.
El centro
My favorite day in Rio was the day I spent in the city center. I started with the Museo de Amanhã. There are some murals within walking distance worth visiting.
Real Gabinete Portugués de Lectura is a hidden gem that is free and worth a quick stop if you are nearby.
The famous Escadaria Selarón are also nearby as well as the Arcos de Lapa and the Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião.
I highly recommend going to El Centro on a Saturday, when you will find the Rio Antigo fair from 10am to 7pm right next to the cathedral. I picked up most of my souvenirs here. In addition to things to buy, there was live music and a ton of bars with outdoor seating to grab something to eat and drink and take a break from walking.
Zouk
I was surprised that it was hard to find information for dancing Zouk in Rio, even with knowing people. Most information is siloed in WhatsApp groups. However, I did find a long standing social every Friday in Copacabana. I went and had an absolutely wonderful time, people were friendly and welcoming even though the skill level was high.
For the zouk dancers, I have great news. There is a store in the city center where you can buy Tygras for about $15-20 a pair. It is called TygraRJ and they are currently open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30am -4pm and Friday 1:30pm-7pm.
Nature Spots
São Conrado
I went paragliding for the first time and I was nervous about getting nervous. Before my rock climbing accident, I had assumed I would check off all the usual thrill seeking bucket list items. Sky diving, bungee jumping, hang gliding, all of it. But after my injury I developed an intense fear of heights to the point of not being able to control my heart rate even when just walking or standing near a drop off. Time and therapy heals all wounds however and this I was a good step towards enjoying high altitude adventures again. It was actually a very relaxing a calm experience, and lasted less than 10 minutes. I recommend the company I used, Tandem Flight. They are a patient and lovely couple that own their business, so you won’t be spending money on any middle men. After that I decompressed by spending the rest of the day enjoying the view of the ocean and tiny Brazilian bikinis at nearby Praia do Pep.
Tijuca
I spent just a few hours hiking in Tijuca, but you could easily spend days. This sprawling national park sits in the middle of the city and is full of beautiful trails.
Pedra Branca
On my last day, I booked a tour in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca and I had a great experience. We spent time at several quiet, undeveloped beaches. It was amazing to me the variety that exists within the city limits of Rio. I was able to see a different side of Rio without having to rent a car. This was one of my favorite things that I did it Rio. You can book a tour directly with Rio Secret Spots.
Jardim Botânico
The botanical garden in Rio is huge. It consists of over 130 acres and houses over 6,000 species of plants. It was created in 1808 by the king of Portugal, and was clearly created to replicate European palace grounds. The botanical gardens are relatively close to Christ the Redeemer, and this would be a good spot to go for a relaxing stroll after fighting the crowds and elbowing people out of the way for a picture.
Food
Lastly, there is no shortage of good options, but I just wanted to mention a few favorites that I recommend trying.
Copacabana
This fun and kitschy spot serves northeastern food and had live music the Wednesday I went.
This is a more pricey and aggressively garish seafood buffet and churrascaria, absolutely delightful.
Here you pay per gram, it was mostly seafood, all of which was very cheap and very good.
Ipanema
Restaurante e Bar Garota de Ipanema
The best Brazilian food I tried in Rio was here, and the portions are huge.
This place is well known locally for caipirinhas. What it lacks in ambiance it more than makes up for in quality .
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