Dollywood at 40: Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Theme Park Is All Grown up

What started as a small roadside attraction in 1961—a simple train ride through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains—has now become an innovative force within the theme park industry. The attraction that now sits on that same ground has blossomed to become a place known around the world as the home of authentic family fun and memory making. Since its opening in 1986, Dollywood Parks & Resorts has grown to become a complete family destination; a beloved powerhouse within its industry, much like its namesake Dolly Parton has become to generations of fans worldwide.

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Dolly was at the park Friday to celebrate the anniversary of Dollywood’s original opening day, May 3, 1986. During an exclusive event for media and season passholders, she, alongside her Dollywood business partner Peter Herschend, as well as Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton, explained how their partnership came into existence and has grown in the decades since. They also shared some of their favorite moments and treasured memories from Dollywood’s 40 seasons.

In addition to hearing from the park’s founders and executive leadership, event attendees were treated to a preview of Dollywood’s 40th anniversary season retrospective show, “Play On,” which debuts tomorrow. Additionally, those guests left with a cupcake—a nod to Dollywood’s 1st birthday when Dolly posed atop a giant cake—and a code to stream an exclusive new album of previously unpublished songs Dolly has written about her Dollywood theme park. Anyone can stream the music—called The Dollywood Collection: Celebrating 40 Years of Music & Memories—for free by visiting https://dolly.lnk.to/Dollywood40thAlbum.

Dolly thanked guests for their part in making Dollywood one of the most recognized and awarded parks in the world. While it may have seemed farfetched to many when they heard her 1982 interview with Barbara Walters, her dream for “’Dollywood USA,’ a fantasy city…like a mountain Disneyland” displayed a true visionary mindset that allowed her to create a family destination experience in her home county, a place she calls “one of the most wonderful places in the world.”

“I’ve always believed the Smoky Mountains are one of the most beautiful places God ever made, and I feel blessed to call them home. When I first dreamed of creating Dollywood, I had two simple hopes. I wanted to build a place that would bring people from all over to see the magic of the Smokies and, hopefully, fall in love with them just like I did,” Dolly said.

“And I knew that when they came, they’d meet the folks who live here and feel the kindness and hospitality that make this place so special. I think that’s why Dollywood keeps being named one of the best theme parks in the world—it’s not just the beauty of the mountains, it’s the heart of the people who welcome you here.”

Dolly’s visionary status certainly sets her among the biggest dreamers of the theme park industry. Naughton said the opportunity to work alongside the Dreamer-in-Chief is the highlight of his nearly four-decade career.

“I’m lucky to have been able to work alongside the biggest names in the industry during my career,” Naughton said. “But when I was approached with the opportunity to work with Dolly and to help her put wings on her dreams, it really was the opportunity of a lifetime. Her ability to create and dream, along with her ability to inspire others, has shown me that she really does need to be considered as one of the greatest names within our industry.”

During the event, Dolly also shared details about a new opportunity created in partnership with the Tennessee Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to offer children in foster care a complimentary one-time visit to experience the fun of Dollywood. The offer is available to Tennessee families fostering through DCS or one of their providers.

Dollywood is more than just beautiful landscaping, world-class attractions, award-winning entertainment offerings and craveable culinary creations that line its picturesque pathways. What makes it tick are the more than 4,000 hosts, 13 of which have been employed at Dollywood prior to or since its opening in 1986, who make this place different. It’s the reason why the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, park has risen to prominence, with guests often listing the feelings they experience at Dollywood as the reason they want to return so often. While the park continues to innovate and find new ways to celebrate family, its most important way—through making one-on-one guest connections—is refreshingly simple.

Dollywood Parks & Resorts’ recent accolades underscore its emergence as a premier destination on the international theme park scene. With surveys and guest comments pointing to the park’s one-of-a-kind atmosphere, it comes as no surprise the park has earned one of the most impressive lists of awards within the theme park industry in the last decade.

Since 2022, Dollywood has been named:

• Tripadvisor’s #1 Best U.S. Theme Park based on actual guest reviews (2022, 2024)
• Tripadvisor’s #2 Best U.S. Theme Park based on actual guest reviews (2023)
• Forbes’ Top 300 Best Customer Service (#27 out of all industries; one of only two theme parks on the list) (2024)
• Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards include Best Park, Best Guest Experience, the Legend of Christmas, Best Kids Area, Best Family Coaster, Most Beautiful Park
• Forbes’ America’s Best Midsize Employer (2022, 2025)
• USA Today National Top Workplace (2022, 2025)
• Travel + Leisure: Best Parks in the World
• National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA)- Favorite Theme Park (2023, 2024)
• Southern Living: Best Attraction in the South (2024)
• #1 attraction in the world “Guests Want to Return To” (2024)
• Dollywood’s Splash Country awarded Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence Award by the World Waterpark Association (2024)
• Newsweek Top Customer Service Award (2024)
• Newsweek Greatest Workplaces for Women (2025)

Following a year of record attendance in 2024, Dollywood Parks & Resorts—the #1 U.S. theme park according to Tripadvisor reviews—has a lot to celebrate in 2025. Last year, the park added The Dolly Parton Experience—subsequently named by USA Today as one of the Top Five Best New Theme Park attractions in 2024—and celebrated the first full year of operation for the company’s second lodging property, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort.

Additionally, Dollywood’s Splash Country celebrates its 25th season—which media in attendance also were able to enjoy during the day—while Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa enjoys its 10th year of operation in 2025. In a year full of milestone anniversaries, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library marks its 30th anniversary, and as of today, has gifted more than 270 million books to children around the world under the age of 5.

Two of the largest projects in 2025 include the Wilderness Pass Restaurant—which opened in the park today—and a new 750-space parking lot which opened in mid-April. Projects like the new parking area and Wilderness Pass Restaurant are important pieces of the company’s half-billion dollar, 10-year expansion plan announced by Dolly and Naughton in 2021.

Guests currently can enjoy Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival (now-June 8) which features iconic Mosaiculture displays throughout the park. Vivid larger-than-life flower sculptures create an immersive atmosphere for park guests with more than half-a-million blooms during this award-winning festival. Dollywood’s culinary team showcases their world-class abilities during the event with a menu full of delicacies to highlight the tastes of spring in the Smokies.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration presented by Food City (June 14-August 3) is everyone’s favorite summer tradition and once again includes Dollywood’s Sweet Summer Nights drone and fireworks show each night. Even more drones take to the skies this year to present a mesmerizing show that honors Dollywood’s 40th season. “Gazillion Bubble Show: Evolution” and “Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience” provide popping bubbles and playful pooches to help every guest feel like a kid this summer.

A family tradition for many, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana (Sept. 12- Oct. 27) celebrates the beauty of fall with thousands of carved pumpkins, spirited performances from talented singers and the fun of Great Pumpkin LumiNights. Great Pumpkin LumiNights, previously named the best theme park harvest event in the world, features elaborate displays that are fun for every member of the family. Creative culinary items, accomplished artisans and fall fun in the Smokies make this a picture-perfect time to enjoy Dollywood.

The industry’s Best Theme Park Christmas event—Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana (Nov. 1- Jan. 4, 2026)—concludes the park’s 2025 season with six million lights, festive holiday shows and the warm Christmas atmosphere guests have come to expect during this joyous time of year.

For more information about Dollywood’s 40th season, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.

About Dollywood Parks & Resorts: A highly awarded and widely recognized leader in the amusement industry, Dollywood Parks & Resorts—which celebrates its 40th anniversary season in 2025—consists of the 165-acre Dollywood theme park; the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country; and two award-winning resort properties: Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort. As unique as its namesake and owner Dolly Parton, Dollywood is the 2010 Applause Award winner, the theme park industry’s highest accolade; winner of 64 Golden Ticket Awards; and recipient of 28 Brass Ring Awards for Live Entertainment. The park is located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park and earned the Golden Ticket Award for the Best Park in the world in 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Dollywood was named by Tripadvisor as the #1 theme park in the country based on actual guest reviews. It also has been recognized as a top U.S. theme park by USA Today on multiple occasions. Dollywood is open mid-March through early January and offers rides and attractions, shows and crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood’s Splash Country, recognized by the Travel Channel and Tripadvisor as one of the country’s most beautiful water parks, operates from mid-May to mid-September. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa as well as Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort provide guests with spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. For more information, visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.

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