It’s time for you to vote for your favorite theme park, Dollywood, and let the world know why it is continually nominated for USA Today 10Best Awards. A leader in the theme park industry, Dollywood once again has been selected as a nominee in a variety of categories in USA Today’s 2021 10Best Readers’ Choice awards.
A panel of experts and USA Today 10Best editors selected Dollywood Parks & Resorts properties and attractions in six categories. The nominations include:
Voting opened Monday, May 24, and runs through Monday, June 21. A page with links to each voting page can be found at www.dollywood.com/vote. Results will be revealed on Friday, June 25. Anyone is eligible to vote and may do so once per day, per device. Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA Today, editors from 10Best.com, relevant expert contributors, and more.
For more information about Dollywood’s 2021 season, operating calendars and more, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.
As the summer heat arrives in the Smoky Mountains, the region’s friendliest and most-trusted water park opens for its 21st season. Dollywood’s Splash Country offers its guests a resort-style getaway—with a splash of new menu and entertainment offerings. Opening day is Saturday, May 15.
On the heels of a successful first year, the Water Park Dining Pass is back for season passholders in 2021. For a one-time price of $40, passholders may select a meal and a snack every time they visit the water park this season. They also have the option to upgrade a Basic Water Park Dining Pass to a Deluxe Pass which allows unlimited free drink refills (valid at both Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country throughout the 2021 season) for $60. Vice President of Park Operations Jason Boothe said,
“Because season passholders have unlimited visitation, the value of our Water Park Dining Pass is hard to pass up. Our culinary team is excited to offer even more options for water park guests to enjoy this year including items like Nashville hot chicken sliders, walking tacos and an exclusive dining location for those with a Dining Pass. We received rave reviews about the Dining Pass last season and we know it’s only going to gain popularity as the program grows.”
Throughout Dollywood’s Splash Country’s two-decade history, water park guests have been treated to an immersive experience embodied through the Dollywood brand. Visitors know to expect more than pools and slides. Beyond a family environment full of theming, guests often enjoy live entertainment at the wave pool (Too Hot Tuesdays, May 25 – Aug. 17 and Splash Bash LIVE, Saturdays, July 3 – Aug. 21). Families should also mark their calendars for Water Safety Day (June 17) when guests are invited to participate in a day of activities and giveaways in an effort to raise awareness about safety in the water.
Thanks to being nestled into a mountain hollow, mature trees grow throughout the property. Unlike other water parks, natural shade and landscaping set Dollywood’s Splash Country apart. Here, guests find established native plants and flowers as they walk from slide to slide. The atmosphere is an attraction of its own. During the off-season, the landscaping team worked to make it even more impressive in 2021.
“From upgrades to bathroom floors to new water pumps at some of our most-popular attractions, we did a lot of work at Dollywood’s Splash Country this off-season,” Boothe explained. “Guests may not even notice some of the improvements, but that’s because our visitors have high expectations, and we prioritize the guest experience because it has become synonymous with the reputation we’ve built over the last two decades.”
Dollywood’s Splash Country opens the weekend of May 15-16. Daily operation begins Friday, May 21 and continues through Aug. 8. After that, the park shifts operations to Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends through Aug. 22. Splash Country opens for two final weekends Aug. 28-29 and Sept. 4-5 with the last day being Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 6). Capacity is limited. Season passholders are encouraged to make reservations to guarantee entry.
For more information about Dollywood’s Splash Country or any of The Dollywood Company properties, please visit Dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
Featured photo courtesy of Curtis Hilbun
Good Morning America filmed from Dollywood this week. Robin Roberts and Dolly Parton discussed everything from Dollywood’s Flower and Food Festival to the impact of the pandemic and vaccine plus Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The park, like all industries, was shaken with closures during the pandemic; however, Dolly credits her staff, or as she refers to them her family, for making it through the tough times:
“People here are like family, so anytime you have a crisis of any kind, you just kind of pull together and get it done.”
It’s Dollywood’s 36th season, and Robin greeted Johnnie Crawford, a Dollywood employee that has worked at the parks since the beginning. Dolly credits her partners, meaning all the employees, for making Dollywood such a success.
Beautiful flowers and delicious food is around every corner for the Flower & Food Festival at Dollywood. Last year, the closure pushed the Flower & Food Festival to the summer months, but this year it is in full bloom for the springtime.
Dollywood's Culinary Director Aaron Banks joined Dolly and Robin for one of the Good Morning America segments. Aaron taught them how to make the Lavender Honey Mini Funnel Cakes, a featured dish during the festival. He also detailed several of the delicious dishes you can find at the park, including the Barbecue Brisket Sliders with brisket that has been smoked for more than six hours. Dolly commented:
"We cheer him [on] all the time here at Dollywood because he makes sure all the food is great. Everybody loves it. He's a great boss and has a lot of talent -- we're lucky to have him."
This marked the first visit for Dolly since last year when the park had to close due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020. The festival features a depiction of Dolly’s mother quilting the Coat of Many Colors. Dolly was quite emotional upon seeing this in person and knowing how the coat has impacted her life and career, detailing in the interview:
“Just having that big thing there that represents who I am as a person, who my parents were and the kind of mother that I was lucky enough to have and that that little coat has carried me so far. It’s kind of like a little signature thing. My life has been a life of many colors, not just the coat.”
Dolly performed “Coat of Many Colors” during the Good Morning America broadcast.
The Imagination Library is on its way to gifting 200 million books to children. This program was created to help childhood literacy by gifting one book a month to children from birth to age five.
Originally started in Sevier County, TN, the program has since grown globally to include programs in all 50 states as well as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and Canada. Robin and Dolly discussed the impact this program has brought to little ones worldwide.
Dolly was inspired to create the program because of her father’s inability to read and write. Even though he was brilliant, she saw the struggles this created and wanted to help others avoid them. In the interview Dolly said:
“I’m the Book Lady. My dad took great pride in that. He got to live long enough to see the Imagination Library doing well. He got such a kick out of them calling me the Book Lady.”
With summer quickly approaching, Dollywood’s Splash Country is looking for friendly faces to join the team with a special stay-and-play hiring event. Anyone looking for a fun and exhilarating place to work is invited to swap their traditional suit and tie for their favorite swimsuit on Thursday, May 13, from 3-7 p.m.
During the event, interested applicants should be prepared to interview on-the-spot for positions including culinary service, lifeguards, park operations and more. After the interview, applicants are encouraged to enjoy the slides and pools that make Dollywood’s Splash Country the most trusted water park in the Smokies. Applicants also will enjoy delicious food items and receive a complimentary one-day admission ticket for a future visit.
The Dollywood Company employees receive a variety of unique benefits including access to the Dollywood Family Healthcare Center, along with complimentary Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country admission for family and friends. Employees also take part in Dollywood’s Park Perks program which provides free or reduced admission to a large number of regional attractions, theaters and experiences. A comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision, is available for qualified full-time employees. Numerous development opportunities also are available to help employees develop leadership skills.
Voted one of the best outdoor water parks as part of USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards, Dollywood’s Splash Country’s fun, friendly and engaging environment makes it an excellent place for anyone who desires to be part of helping water park guests create lifelong memories.
A highly-awarded and widely-recognized leader in the amusement industry, The Dollywood Company consists of the 150-acre Dollywood theme park, the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa and Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Cabins. 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 more than 35 Golden Ticket Awards and recipient of 26 Brass Ring Awards for Live Entertainment (more than any other theme park in the world).
The park is located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which celebrated record attendance in 2017. Dollywood was named a top three US theme park by USA Today in 2014 and 2017. Dollywood is open nine months a year (late 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 and named 2009’s Must-See Waterpark by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, operates from mid-May to Labor Day.
Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, which received the 2017 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, provides guests spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Cabins offers luxurious cabin accommodations overlooking Dollywood. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
As spring continues to blossom throughout the Smoky Mountains, guests to Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival presented by Covenant Health can enjoy more than half-a-million blooming flowers, a new dining pass that provides an unforgettable culinary journey, and a warm spring atmosphere filled with the sounds of inspirational music emanating from stages throughout the Pigeon Forge park.
Held April 23-June 7, the Dollywood Food & Flower Festival delights guests with lavish landscaping and massive floral sculptures that are brought to life by an array of more than half-a-million bright and vibrant flowers. Fun and discovery are around every corner, thanks to expansive displays which include a vivid butterfly umbrella, various scenes featuring mischievous and friendly animals, and even a depiction of Dolly’s mother quilting the Coat of Many Colors. These “Mosaicultures” are developed in partnership with Mosaicultures International, an internationally-known company from Montreal that specializes in these one-of-a-kind creations.
“When I was a little girl, I loved springtime because everything seemed so bright with color,” Dolly explained. “It started to get warm outside and you just felt like you could finally get out of the house after being cooped up in there for so long, which is something I know we’re all feeling right now. But the thing I remember most about those spring days were the flowers that would start blooming all over the hills. So, the Smokies really were the inspiration for this festival."
“And I just love we made that big, beautiful display of my mama with all those wonderful flowers. It’s special to me, and I know she would have been so proud of it. But something else I’m happy about this year is that not only do we have all the flowers, we’re also bringing in a lot of great music to the festival. I just know it is really going to make the whole park feel so joyful. It’s a special time of year, and I really think Dollywood is a great place to get outdoors and enjoy it all!”
In addition to the beautiful flowers, culinary creations abound with a menu full of items inspired by spring in the Smokies. Among the new offerings in 2021 is the Flower & Food Festival Dining Pass, which allows guests to partake in multiple items at a number of culinary locations during the springtime event.
The dining pass, which is available online or at the park, is just $29.99 plus tax or $27.99 plus tax for season passholders. With the pass, guests can sample five meals at any of the Flower & Food Festival culinary locations. Among the items featured on this year’s festival menu are a Cuban sandwich with plantain chips, fish and chips, mountain paella, summer succotash featuring pan-seared chicken, lobster roll, beef bulgogi nachos, blueberry and blackberry mini funnel cake, lemon curd and blueberry liege waffle, and much more.
Entertainment is a major component of this year’s festival, thanks to a number of performances and shows—as well as a new concert series—which take place during the event. The Melodies of Spring concert series features contemporary Christian artists, Southern gospel groups and other fresh and inspirational acts appearing inside DP’s Celebrity Theater every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the festival. Among the artists currently scheduled are Matthew West, Big Daddy Weave, I AM THEY, Rebecca St. James, Sidewalk Prophets, the Rhett Walker Band, Triumphant Quartet and more.
Guests also will enjoy a number of performances throughout the park from groups including The Voice contestants Worth The Wait, Willow City, The Hall Sisters and the 3 Heath Brothers. Music fills the air with the sounds of spring, thanks to Kelle Jolly at the Robert F. Thomas Chapel and roaming performer Stephani Ezatoff. All shows are included with park admission. A full schedule of performances can be found at Dollywood.com.
In addition to the visiting entertainers, several shows featuring Dollywood’s own performers debuted earlier this spring including Harmonies of the Heart—featuring Dolly’s family—and A Brighter Day, an inspiring show that delights guests with uplifting favorites at the Back Porch Theater. In The Village, Dollywood’s talented The Tones offer a fresh acapella take on today’s current hits.
Returning in 2021, the dazzling Umbrella Sky greets guests with a stunning visual upon arrival as hundreds of colorful umbrellas are suspended above Showstreet. The display proved to be an overwhelming hit with the bright umbrellas serving as the perfect “Instagrammable” backdrop for guest photos. A number of “Insta” opportunities are available throughout the park to help guests document the experience for their friends on social media. A new feature this year, chalk art dazzles guests with incredible displays in Adventures in Imagination. Every day, one of Dollywood’s talented artists creates uplifting works of art inspired by springtime in the Smokies.
Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa celebrates the Flower & Food Festival with a number of special events that bring the fun of Dollywood to the resort with blooming festival décor and floral designs. Families will find live entertainment from featured festival performers, festival-themed activities at Camp DW, as well as a special spring menu and chef demonstrations at the resort’s restaurant. The resort also partners with Biltmore Winery for a Winemaker’s Dinner on Saturday, May 22.
Dollywood celebrates a year full of exceptional experiences, with each season unlike the next. It’s the perfect year for a season pass, as guests will want to return throughout the year to enjoy it all. After the Flower & Food Festival, guests can enjoy Summer Celebration (June 25-July 31), which includes a new evening drone show and dance party every night. Thousands of pumpkins glow to life as part of the Harvest Festival presented by Humana (Sept. 24- Oct. 30), and Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana (Nov. 6- Jan. 2, 2022) celebrates the spirit of the season.
For more information about Dollywood, please visit dollywood.com or download the Dollywood App.
