Credit: Smoky Mountain Park, X Dollywood has announced an alliance that will benefit all its guests days after the theme park was forced to close.
As if being a country music legend wasn’t enough, Dolly Parton decided to completely change the game in the 1980s when she invested in a little theme park called Silver Dollar City Tennessee.
Parton’s vision was to create a destination that celebrated the culture and heritage of the Smoky Mountains. She contributed significantly to the park’s development, from inspiring attractions to incorporating elements of Appalachian culture. As a result, the park was renamed Dollywood – reflecting Parton’s personal connection to the region and her commitment to providing an authentic, family-friendly experience.
Fast forward 38 years and the theme park is a firm favorite with diehard Dolly Parton fans and roller coaster fanatics alike. Its thrill ride lineup rivals that of Six Flags or Universal Studios, with the likes of Lightning Rod (the steel-wood roller coaster that recently underwent a huge renovation after its former launch took its toll on the ride), Tennessee Tornado, and Big Bear Mountain all proving to be firm fan favorites.
Beyond roller coasters, the Pigeon Forge park is renowned for its more family-friendly rides, musical performances, and themed areas reflecting the region’s traditions. The park is also known for its seasonal festivals and events, which celebrate everything from Christmas to the harvest season. These often include live music, craft demonstrations, and special food offerings, drawing visitors all year round.
In addition to the theme park, Dollywood has expanded to include its own water park, Splash Country, and two hotels: Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort.
It’s also doubled down on Dolly Parton’s (who the park refers to as its “Dreamer-in-Chief”) role within the theme park, replacing the Chasing Rainbows Museum with brand-new exhibits dedicated to Parton’s life and career – the Dolly Parton Experience – earlier this year.
Related: Piece Flies off Dollywood Attraction, Hits Child Mid-Ride
As the resort continues to grow, so does its fanbase. Attendance has soared in recent years, even outperforming the projections implemented in Dollywood’s 10-year plan as it attempts to transition from a regional park to a full-blown tourist destination à la Walt Disney World Resort.
This week, however, the park suffered a slight blow as it was forced to close for an entire day due to a water main leak. While Splash Country and the hotels were unaffected, guests were unable to visit the park on Wednesday.
Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved, and the East Tennessee park reopened to guests on Thursday. It’s since been praised for its customer service, offering guests refunds and the opportunity to visit the park on another day. We wish we could say that this is the standard response from a theme park, but we’ve seen several locations be extremely resistant to refunds in the past.
As if that’s not enough reason to visit Dollywood, the theme park just introduced a new deal to encourage new guests. According to Yahoo, it’s teamed up with select Chick-fil-A stores to offer $10 off one-day Dollywood tickets for up to four people with any purchase at the fast food outlet’s Knoxville, Asheville, Chattanooga, and Tri-Cities restaurants.
This isn’t the first time Dollywood has partnered with Chick-fil-A for a summer offer. In fact, 2024 marks the seventh year of this partnership. This time around, the deal is valid from July 22 to August 25. However, if you can get to one of these restaurants during this time, you have a whole day of Dolly-approved fun ahead.
What’s your favorite thing about Dollywood?