Dolly Parton is more than just a music icon; she has built a legacy that extends far beyond the stage.
The 1999 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee helped elevate a small attraction into one of America’s premier amusement parks.
Known as Dollywood, it is a 165-acre theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which the “Jolene” hitmaker and Herschend Family Entertainment co-owns.
Originally operating as Silver Dollar City Tennessee, the theme park was once a small regional attraction, but it became a world-class destination on May 3, 1986, after it underwent rebranding, thanks to the partnership with the music icon, and later became a premier tourism hub in her home county.
Now, Dollywood has been named the number one amusement park in the United States, as cited by Tripadvisor as part of its prestigious Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best.
The ranking placed the Tennessee theme park among the top attractions in the world, surpassing the iconic Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios in Florida, mainly due to the large number of positive reviews and high ratings that Dollywood received from visitors over a 12-month period.
Dolly Parton at Dollywood's Mountain Magic Christmas.Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images
Beyond the nostalgic charm of its natural woodland setting, Dollywood offers entertaining rides, from family-friendly favorites to heart-pounding roller coasters.
As mentioned by USA Today 10 BEST, it has the world’s fastest wooden roller coaster ride, the Lightning Rod. It also won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best New Attraction in 2016.
A fan favorite, the Dollywood Express, offers a 20-minute ride through the picturesque foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Dollywood park while aboard an authentic 110-ton coal-fired steam engine.
Apart from the entertaining shows and excellent rides, the Tennessee theme park is also celebrated for its cuisine, highlighting southern comfort food.
It not only offers authentic Appalachian recipes but also includes recipes from the country star’s personal kitchen.
Some of the must-try foods are their signature items like the cinnamon bread at The Grist Mill, the 25-pound apple pie at Spotlight Bakery, the pulled pork served at Hickory House BBQ and the Big Skillet Meals at Market Square.
While Dollywood is very dear to Parton’s heart, she revealed that the reason she created it was to give back to her home region.
“I dreamed of making it in the music (industry) and, of course, if you make it in whatever your dream may be, then you're fortunate enough to be able to do so many different things,” she told Knox News in 2023, as cited by USA Today “(I hoped to) come back and build something to make my parents proud, and make the people that I grew up with, my family and my neighbors (proud)."
For Parton, it is clearly more than a theme park but also a labor of love and a tribute to her roots.
Related: Dolly Parton, 79, Commands Attention Despite Skipping Awards Show Due to Health Issues
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