Dollywood Earns Three Golden Ticket Awards For Entertainment, Friendliness And Christmas Event

Dollywood continued its winning ways on Saturday night, racking up three more “best of” awards at Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards ceremony held at Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri. Dollywood earned finalist placement in eight categories.

“I’ve said it before, but back when I started Dollywood, I remember just prayin’ that people were going to come visit us that very first year,” Dolly Parton said with a laugh. “Here we are in our 33rd season, still earning some of the biggest awards and honors you can get, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of what we’re accomplishing. I started Dollywood because I’m proud of the Smoky Mountains and wanted more people to come experience the beauty God has put right here in our back yard. We’re adding Wildwood Grove next year, and I know it’s going to give families more room to explore, imagine, play and spend time together here in the Smokies.

“The other reason I started Dollywood was because I wanted to hire the good people of Sevier County to work in the park. I knew when folks came and met the people who live and work here, they’d want to come back year after year because they would feel like part of the family. It must be working; we just won Friendliest Park for the seventh year! I’m so proud of the job our people do treating our guests well and going above and beyond to give them a truly memorable experience.”

Dollywood’s three Golden Ticket Awards include:

• Friendliest Park, for the seventh consecutive year;
• Best Shows, Dollywood’s 10th consecutive win;
• Best Christmas Event, the only park to ever earn this award, Dollywood celebrates its 11th consecutive win.

Dollywood also had Top Ten (finalist) positions in five additional categories:

• Best Food, second place;
• Cleanest Park, third place;
• Best Water Park for Dollywood’s Splash Country, fourth place;
• Best Park, fifth place;
• Best Wooden Coaster for Lightning Rod, sixth place;
• Best Wooden Coaster for Thunderhead, 10th place.

“Over the two decades that Amusement Today has honored parks with the Golden Ticket Awards, it has been incredibly impressive to see Dollywood continue one successful move after another,” said Tim Baldwin, Golden Ticket Awards Communications Coordinator. “The park’s presence spread through all the categories is undeniable. They seem to hit the key ingredients to creating a wonderful guest experience—the food, the staff, the entertainment and rides are all top notch.”

Calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, the industry’s leading trade publication, the Golden Ticket Awards are the results of a detailed survey sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world in balanced geographical regions. Voters are asked to rate the “best” in a number of categories such as best parks, roller coasters, water rides, shows, kids’ area, landscaping and Christmas events.

“I think our voters, along with any guest that enjoys a visit to Dollywood, are moved by the wonderful experience,” Baldwin continued. “The environment is fun and welcoming which makes it so memorable. I think each of us embraces those times when family or friends just have a wonderful day together. That’s Dollywood.”

The Golden Ticket Awards are the most sought-after awards in the business of amusements and attractions. The awards have become the subject of much discussion by park aficionados the world over and garnered mentions in such notable media outlets as USA Today and the Chicago Tribune, and by the late radio newsman Paul Harvey. The awards also were the topic of a one-hour Travel Channel documentary.

Fall Features At Dollywood

A number of memorable moments are in store for Dollywood guests in the coming months. Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana features the return of an even larger Great Pumpkin LumiNights with double the displays and double the fun! Additionally, more than 625 Southern gospel concerts take place throughout the festival.

Christmas Favorites

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana, now the 11-time winner for Best Christmas event, grows with the addition of Glacier Ridge, an immersive new experience that adds more than one million lights to the park. Now boasting five million spectacular lights, Smoky Mountain Christmas puts guests in the holiday spirit with stunning lights displays, tantalizing food options, traditional shows and fun experiences like the Parade of Many Colors and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends.

Coming In 2019

In 2019, Dollywood opens Wildwood Grove, an extraordinary new land that features 11 thrilling experiences for guests, comprised of six unique ride attractions—including a suspended family roller coaster called The Dragonflier— the 55 ft. tall Wildwood Tree, live entertainment, various indoor and outdoor play areas for families to enjoy, a new restaurant and more.

For more information about Dollywood, visit Dollywood.com, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or download the Dollywood App.