Dollywood

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: For decades Dolly Parton has entertained millions with her music. From growing up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennesse through stardom in Nashville, there hasn’t been a country star more recognizable as Dolly Parton. Her legacy and career are idolized through a theme park in the Foothills of the Smoky Mountains called Dollywood.

This vision of Dollywood really took off in 1986 when Dolly bought into Silver Dollar City Tennesse, a small theme park in Pigeon Forge. At the time the park had been open since 1961 as several different parks ranging from a Civil War park (Rebel Railroad) through Silver Dollar City and even a stint under ownership of Cleveland Browns owner Art Model. Under Dolly’s leadership, the park doubled in size and became the biggest ticketed attraction in Tennessee, entertaining over 3 million visitors each season.

In addition to attractions dedicated to Dolly’s life and career, the park is packed with thrills around every corner. The park features 27 rides, including 8 roller coasters, several great shows, fantastic food and much . They are spread throughout the 150 acre park into ten distinct areas:
  • Showstreet 
  • Rivertown Junction 
  • Craftsmen’s Valley 
  • The Village 
  • The Country Fair 
  • Timber Canyon 
  • Jukebox Junction 
  • Owen’s Farm 
  • Adventures in Imagination 
  • Wilderness Pass 
Dollywood host special events throughout the year include a very popular Christmas event.

Dollywood continues to grow both inside the park and beyond with the addition of a water park and a resort hotel.  The water park called Dollywood's Splash Country opened in 2001.  Then in 2015, Dollywood's DreamMore Resort opened helping transform Dolly's park into a full service resort.

We visited Dollywood at the beginning of our Summer Road trip. We had originally planned on spending a day at the park but our plans changed last minute and we ended up staying at the adjoining Dollywood DreamMore Resort and got two days at the park. This was a really good deal because even with two days at the park, we still did not get to see and do it all.  We plan on coming back to Dollywood in the future and look forward to another great time in the park.

Click on the photo above to view my Dollywood photo gallery or enjoy the slideshow of photos below.

FireChaser Express

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