Dollywood

History

Pre-Dollywood

The park opened in July 1961 as a small tourist attraction owned by the Robbins brothers from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, named Rebel Railroad; it included a steam locomotive (the former WPY 192), a general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon. With a theme inspired by the centennial 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. The Herschends spent about $1 million upgrading the park upon purchase and added other improvements over the years. 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.

Opening of Dollywood

I always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area.

In 1982, Dolly Parton discussed plans to open a Tennessee theme park called Dollywood, envisioned as counterpart to Disneyland that she described as "a fairy Smoky Mountain". In 1985, Parton, who grew up in the area, entered into a partnership with Silver Dollar City to bring Dollywood to fruition, and bought an interest in the park in 1986. The park reopened for the 1986 season as Dollywood.

Dollywood has approximately four thousand people on its payroll – the largest in the community. From 1986 to 2010, the park doubled in size to 150 acres (61 ha). On November 16, 2010, Dollywood earned the Liseberg Applause Award, which Dolly Parton accepted during a ceremony at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2010 in Orlando.

On May 3, 1986, Silver Dollar City Tennessee reopened as Dollywood. The new Rivertown Junction area included Smoky Mountain River Rampage, a whitewater rafting ride; Back Porch Theater; Aunt Granny's Dixie Fixins' Restaurant; and Dolly's Tennessee Mountain Home, a replica of the cabin that was Parton's childhood home. Also new was "Rags to Riches: The Dolly Parton Story", a museum displaying articles and mementos from Dolly's life and career. "The Butter Churn" (a Trabant ride) was removed at the end of the season. Park attendance doubled to more than a million guests during the first season as Dollywood.

In 1987, the Daydream Ridge area opened and included the Mountain Slidewinder water toboggan ride, Mountain Dan's Burger House, Sweet Dreams Candy Shop, The Rainbow Factory blown glass shop, and Critter Creek Playground. Engine #70 was restored to operation. In 1988, the 1,739-seat Celebrity Theater, featuring the "Showcase of Stars" celebrity concert series, was constructed adjacent to the entrance of the park. Five new children's rides were added to the Fun Country area, including a Zamperla Balloon Race. The Dollywood Foundation was established to provide books and schools supplies to the children of Sevier County. Thunder Express, a steel mine train coaster, was built adjacent to Blazing Fury in 1989. The ride was relocated to the park from Six Flags Over Mid-America. The 1989 season was the last for the National Mountain Music Festival, which was a carryover from the Silver Dollar City years.

Areas

Dollywood is organized into 11 themed areas: Showstreet, Rivertown Junction, Craftsman's Valley, The Village, Country Fair, Timber Canyon, Wilderness Pass, Jukebox Junction, Owens Farm, Adventures in Imagination and Wildwood Grove reflect the historical eras and culture of East Tennessee, while Owens Farm and Adventures in Imagination explore Dolly Parton's life and imagination. Many attractions focus on the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region.

Showstreet

Attractions include Showstreet Palace Theater and the Celebrity Theater.

Rivertown Junction

Attractions include Dolly's Tennessee Mountain Home, Back Porch Theater, and Smoky Mountain River Rampage whitewater rafting ride.

Craftsman's Valley

Attractions include Dollywood Grist Mill, Valley Theater, Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, Wings of America Theater, Robert F. Thomas Chapel, Calico Falls Schoolhouse, Tennessee Tornado coaster, Blazing Fury coaster, Daredevil Falls flume ride, and craft exhibits.

The Village

Attractions include the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Dollywood Express steam train, Imagination Playhouse, Village Carousel.

Country Fair

Rides include The Amazing Flying Elephants, Lemon Twist, Shooting Star, Sky Rider, The Waltzing Swinger, Piggy Parade, Busy Bees, Lucky Ducky, Dolly's Demolition Derby, and The Scrambler.

Timber Canyon

Attractions include the Mystery Mine coaster, the Thunderhead coaster, Drop Line, Whistle Punk Chaser, and Lumberjack Lifts.

Jukebox Junction

Attractions include the Rockin' Roadway car ride and Pines Theater. Also featured is Lightning Rod, a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid roller coaster.

Owens Farm

Attractions include Barnstormer, a barn and plane styled giant swing attraction. It also includes soft play areas and a splash pad.

The Dolly Parton Experience

Attractions include the Behind the Seams and Song-teller Museums.

Wilderness Pass

Attractions include The Plaza at Wilderness Pass, Wild Eagle – America's first winged coaster – and FireChaser Express, a dual-launch coaster that launches forward and backward.

Wildwood Grove

Opened in 2019; attractions include Dragonflier, a suspended family coaster; Big Bear Mountain, a family launched coaster; The Mad Mockingbird, a flying scooter ride; The Wildwood Tree, a 50-foot-tall (15 m) lighted tree; and Till & Harvest Food Hall, a Smoky Mountains-inspired restaurant. In 2023, Big Bear Mountain, a launching steel family roller coaster, was added.

Festivals and annual events

Dollywood hosts six of the South's largest festivals between the months of March and December:

Running normally from mid-March to mid-April, Festival of Nations offers cultural events by performers from around the world. This festival has been retired since the COVID-19 pandemic and was replaced with The I Will Always Love You Festival, which started in 2023.

From late April until mid-May, the Barbeque & Bluegrass presented by Bush Brothers and Company is a bluegrass music and barbecue festival.

Starting in 2021 (originally 2020), and scheduled to run from mid-May and running until early June, is the Flower and Food Festival.

Summer Celebration (formerly Great American Summer) includes Night of Many Colors, a nightly fireworks display set to music; 3D Light and Drone Show, Night Experience, night performances and rides in the dark; and new shows, such as DRUMLine Live! and iLuminate.

Harvest Festival presented by Humana features Southern Gospel music, professional craftsmen, and Great Pumpkin LumiNights.

Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana features seven holiday performances, five million Christmas lights, Glacier Ridge (in which part of the park has frozen over), and a nightly parade.

Accidents and incidents

Dollywood Express

On April 14, 2004, a female passenger fell out of one of the train's carriages while it was in motion. An investigation determined that a drink was spilled on the woman, who then lost her balance and fell out of the train. The attraction was closed after the incident but was re-opened the next day after it was determined to be operating normally. The passenger was taken to UT Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was released a day later.

On October 18, 2020, Locomotive No. 70 was being prepped for service when a grease fire started on the side of the engine, the fire was quickly put out and there were no injuries that occurred.

On October 1, 2023, one of the steam locomotives was hauling a passenger train around the park when one of the passenger cars derailed due to a mechanical issue of a track switch. There were no injuries and the passengers were safely evacuated.

FireChaser Express

On April 23, 2019, forty passengers were stranded for twenty minutes when the safety sensor tripped.

On May 22, 2021, at approximately 2:50 P.M, two full trains of passengers were stranded for two hours after a flywheel was flung from the switch track just outside of the ride's station.

Lightning Rod

On June 13, 2016, after grand opening, the coaster was shut down temporarily due to a nation-wide mechanical recall.

Mountain Blown Glass Shop

On July 12, 2020, a craftsman suffered injuries while working on a project inside the shop. It was the second incident that occurred at the park during that year, occurring only a day after a themed decoration fell on top of three people.

Parking lot

On June 29, 2019, a parking lot tram collided with another, injuring at least 22 guests. Six people were taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Thunder Express

In 1989, on opening day, an incoming train bumped a second train parked in the station, slightly injuring 18 people.

Timber Tower

On June 18, 2007, 44 people were stuck on Timber Tower for several hours.

Waltzing Swinger

In December 2013, a woman suffered a brain injury after falling from the ride.

Wilderness Pass

On July 11, 2020, three guests were injured when a chain decoration fell on top of them as they were walking in the themed area of the park near the Mystery Mine attraction. Two of them were taken to the hospital while another person, who was also involved in the incident, declined transport.