Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 million guests in a typical season from mid-March to the Christmas holidays, Dollywood is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee.[2] It has won many international awards.
For the Deccani language film industry sometimes referred to as Dollywood, see Deccani film industry.Location
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, U.S.
Operating
1961
Dolly Parton Productions (50%)
Herschend Family Entertainment (50%)
The life and music of Dolly Parton, Appalachia, the 1950s (Jukebox Junction)
Love Every Moment
March – January
3 million annually
150 acres (0.61 km2)
50 rides and attractions
9
2
In addition to standard amusement park thrill rides, Dollywood features traditional crafts, food, and music of the Smoky Mountain area. The park hosts a number of concerts and musical events each year, including appearances by Dolly Parton and her family as well as other national and local musical acts.
The theme park is the anchor of Parton's 150-acre (61 ha) Dollywood amusement destination, which also includes the 35-acre (14 ha) sister water park Dollywood's Splash Country, the 20-acre (8.1 ha) Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa,[3] and the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction.
History[edit]
Rebel Railroad[edit]
The park opened in early 1961 as a small tourist attraction owned by the Robbins brothers from Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Named "Rebel Railroad," it included a steam train, general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon.[4] With a theme inspired by the centennial anniversary of the Civil War, the train ride let visitors experience "attacks" by Union soldiers, train robbers, and Native Americans. The train and its riders were protected by Confederates who fought off the attacks. The park was modeled after the Robbins brothers' first successful theme park, Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock.
Goldrush Junction[edit]
For the 1964 season, the park was renamed "Goldrush Junction". A special announcement was made in the May 24, 1964 edition of Knoxville News Sentinel. As part of the name change the park switched to a wild west theme similar to its sister park Tweetsie Railroad.[5]
In 1970, Art Modell – who also owned the Cleveland Browns football team – bought Goldrush Junction. The park retained the railroad and added an outdoor theater and the Robert F. Thomas Chapel.[6][7]
Goldrush[edit]
For the 1975 season, the park name was changed to "Goldrush". In April of 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend, owners of Silver Dollar City, bought Goldrush. The park continued to operate as Goldrush for the 1976 season.
Silver Dollar City[edit]
In 1977, the Herschends renamed Goldrush to "Silver Dollar City Tennessee," making it a sister park to their original Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.[8] The Herschends spent about $1 million upgrading the park upon purchase and added other improvements over the years.[6] Also in 1977, the train ride added two new steam locomotives, the #70 and the #71, plus the remains of engine #72 for spare parts, from the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad.
Dollywood hosts six of the South's largest festivals between the months of March and December:
Rankings and awards[edit]
In 2017, Dollywood won Golden Ticket awards from Amusement Today for Friendliest Park, Best Christmas Event, Best Food and Best Show.[41]
In 2018, Dollywood received a Golden Ticket award from Amusement Today – a leading trade publication for the amusement park industry – in the Best Food category, marking the park's fourth win in seven years.[42] In addition to three dinner show options, more than 25 vendors serve meals and snacks, ranging from barbecue ribs, pizza, corn dogs, and pork rinds to cinnamon bread, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and banana pudding made using Dolly's recipe. The park also received Golden Tickets for Best Shows, Friendliest Park, and Best Christmas Event and was ranked the third best park in the world.[42]
In the 2018 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards – awards voted on by the general public – Dollywood was ranked as the sixth Best Amusement Park in the U.S.[43] Additionally, Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa was ranked first in the Best Amusement Park Hotel category, and Aunt Granny's Restaurant was ranked first in the Best Amusement Park Restaurant category. DreamMore focuses on the themes of family and storytelling and has a zero-entry (beach-style) pool, transportation to the park, and a splash pad. Aunt Granny's opened the first year the park operated as Dollywood. It uses an all-you-can-eat buffet format with comfort foods like chicken and dumplings, tacos, and steaks along with a salad bar and health-conscious choices.[44]
Dreamland Drive-In was ranked third in the Best Amusement Park Entertainment category,[45] and Dollywood's Splash Country was ranked sixth in the Best Outdoor Water Park category.[46]
In 2019, Dollywood won Golden Ticket awards for Best Kids' Area, Best Guest Experience, and Best Christmas Event of 2018.[47]
In 2019, Coaster101.com named Lightning Rod "Wooden Roller Coaster of the Decade".[48]
In 2021, Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas won the Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event for the 13th straight year.[49] In June of 2022, Tripadvisor named Dollywood the number one theme park in the U.S.[50]