Many families make a visit with Santa at Dollywood a part of their special holiday tradition. Dollywood's hard-working team created the perfect solution for that all-important chat. Santa’s List…Naughty or Nice is the best way to see Santa this year and we know families are going to embrace this new take on a cherished classic. Bernard, one of the elves who traveled with Santa to Dollywood—shares what guests will experience this year.
For the kids—and kids at heart—wondering what the Jolly Old Elf is up to this year, Dollywood shines a little light on Old Saint Nick’s home away from home. When he isn’t hard at work at the North Pole, Santa likes to visit East Tennessee and his favorite Smoky Mountain songstress, Dolly! Thanks to this brand-new experience, guests literally can see inside Santa’s cabin in the Smokies as he reviews…the list! Kids discover whether their name is on the naughty or nice list, and they even have their photo made as they peer through the window during this once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch Santa at work.
This season’s Christmas event at Dollywood features more than five million lights, the return of indoor entertainment including the guest-favorite Christmas in the Smokies, and seasonal culinary offerings like the new Blue Ribbon Buffet. For more information about this year’s festival and a park operating calendar, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.
She has a new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, she is starring in a new Netflix musical, Christmas on the Square and she just announced the premiere of a new documentary about her global book gifting organization called, The Library That Dolly Built. We know she is always working but even while managing all these facets of her life, Dolly took time to sit down and talk about a few of the things that matter most to her. Here Dolly shares a few of her most treasured Christmas memories from her childhood. She also explains why Christmas at Dollywood is so important to her and how she loves seeing families enjoying themselves at the park and making great memories.
Dolly recalls two of her most precious Christmas memories from her childhood in East Tennessee. In one, she talks about her brother Randy and why they consider him their "Christmas Baby." Dolly explains how Randy is the inspiration behind, "You Are My Christmas," a new song from her holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. Dolly also retells the story about the family's plan to buy her mother her first wedding band one year. Her father had devised a scheme to award a prize to the child who found the ring which he had hidden on Christmas Eve. One might imagine the chaos caused by the kids as they frantically search for the special gift for their mother. Dolly said,
"I swear that I found it. My brother Denver swears he found it. So we 'bout tore the house down, fighting, trying to get the ring."
Dolly goes on to say,
"Truth be told, Daddy had got a big box of candy for the one that found the ring. But it was so big that we had to share it with everybody else so it really was a gift for all of us."
In reflecting on the true meaning of the holiday season, Dolly says,
"Well Christmas, personally to me, means the birth of Jesus Christ. Who I'm so happy every year to say 'Happy Birthday dear Jesus.'"
She also finds joy in celebrating Christmas with the same traditions that many of us hold dear.
Over the years, Dollywood has garnered a grand reputation as offering one of the biggest and brightest Christmas celebrations in the country. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas boasts over 5 million glistening lights, award-winning shows, culinary delights and, for the first time ever this year, nightly fireworks. The park brings families together for a magical holiday celebration, year after year all to Dolly’s delight. She said,
“I love the fact that Dollywood is now known for a tradition...It's just like a wonderland."
Finally, Dolly shares her favorite thing about Dollywood’s Christmas season. You might be surprised by her answer. Watch the video clip below to learn what Dolly looks forward to every year.
Visit Dollywood this holiday season and celebrate with your family. Smoky Mountain Christmas runs through January 3, 2021.
A Holly Dolly Christmas
Christmas on the Square
The Library That Dolly Built
As Dollywood gears up for Saturday’s (Nov. 7) opening of the family tradition that is the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival, it’s also beginning to feel like Christmas at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa. Throughout the holiday season, guests to the resort can enjoy live entertainment and holiday meals, along with festive fun and excitement. Special events include breakfast with Santa’s Elves in December and the dancing tree show that takes place on the swimming pool deck each evening. For those looking for sweet treats, the resort even offers Dollywood’s world-famous cinnamon bread in the DreamMore Pantry.
The Christmas atmosphere welcomes guests as soon as they arrive at DreamMore Resort, and one of the people responsible for that is Bridget Farmer with the Resort Décor Team. Bridget said,
"My favorite part of the DreamMore decor is the lanterns in the trees... It is a design that comes from years and years past when people would put lanterns and candles in their trees."
Watch this behind-the-scenes look at the preparations made by Bridget and her team as they transform the resort for the season.
Book your stay at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa during the holidays and be sure to visit Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas beginning Nov. 7.
With Christmas approaching and the calendar set to turn from 2020, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas (Nov. 7 – Jan. 3, 2021) is poised to wrap guests in the warm light of timeless family traditions, new memories, and joyous time spent together. Thanks in part to the glow of more than 5 million gleaming Christmas lights and a dazzling new holiday fireworks show, guests can bask in the memories of yesterday while embracing the hope of tomorrow.
Dollywood guests are immediately enveloped in the illumination of millions of holiday lights, which create a festive Christmas atmosphere that has become a cherished family tradition for generations. While the lighting itself remains familiar to guests, brand new area-based themes and lighting designs throughout the park provide a sense of wonder and discovery around each turn. Guests will find themselves strolling through a literal winter wonderland, as more live lighted Christmas trees will adorn the park than during any Christmas festival before.
“Christmas is so precious because of the time we take to gather with friends and family to share the light of love and hope with each other. It’s so good to be able to laugh about old memories and traditions, and even start a few new ones,”
said Dolly Parton.
“Some Christmases are more memorable than others, and I think this year is certainly one we won’t forget. I want families to feel the warmth and comfort of all the great things they remember about Dollywood at Christmas, with a few new experiences that will become the memories they share years from now. In twenty years, when someone says, ‘Do you remember 2020?,’ of course they’ll think about how strange this year has been, but I also hope they’ll stop and say, ‘Yes, but remember that special time we had at Dollywood during Christmas that year.’”
Just one of the new experiences guests can enjoy this season is an end-of-the-evening event that will add a little sparkle to the “Dolly-days” this year. A Christmas fireworks display called Merry & Bright! celebrates the season with a colorful and energetic show featuring a number of contemporary holiday songs that will add a little cheer for guests. Performance dates will be available on Dollywood.com and the Dollywood app.
The spotlight also shines brightly on the park’s award-winning entertainment this season. Christmas in the Smokies—a heartwarming tradition that families have enjoyed for 30 years—returns indoors to center stage at DP’s Celebrity Theater. Guests also can enjoy a new show, called Heart of the Holidays, which features several members of Dolly’s family and includes a mix of some of her holiday favorites alongside songs from her new Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. Heart of the Holidays takes place in the DreamSong Theater. Another returning guest favorite, Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs, can be found at the Pines Theater.
Heartfelt entertainment abounds during the festival, including O’ Holy Night, Appalachian Christmas with the Smoky Mountain String Band, Holiday Wild Roots, The Mistletones and the Candlelight Carolers, a new choral group who can be found performing on the steps of the Robert F. Thomas Chapel. More than 40 holiday performances currently are scheduled to take place each operating day during Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Glacier Ridge presented by Goo Goo Cluster fills Dollywood’s Timber Canyon, Wildwood Grove, Wilderness Pass and Upper Craftsman’s Valley with an expansive arctic experience sure to inspire and delight guests. Wilderness Pass Plaza serves as one of the highlights of Glacier Ridge thanks to the Wonderful Christmas! tree show, which features a 50-ft. tall animated tree that sparkles to life to present a fully-synchronized, dazzling light show throughout the evening. Inside Wildwood Grove, the Wildwood Tree tells inspirational Christmas stories each evening as guests explore this captivating area.
For the kids—and kids at heart—wondering what Santa is up to this year, Dollywood will shine a little light on Old Saint Nick’s home away from home. When he isn’t hard at work at the North Pole, Santa likes to visit East Tennessee and his favorite Smoky Mountain songstress, Dolly! Thanks to a brand-new experience, guests literally can see inside Santa’s cabin in the Smokies as he reviews…the list! Kids discover whether their name is on the naughty or nice list, and they even have their photo made as they peer through the window during this once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch Santa at work.
And for those looking to celebrate the holidays with the perfect family meal, Dollywood’s team of chefs have a menu full of culinary surprises sure to delight. At Front Porch Café, diners can enjoy beef tenderloin medallions with a cabernet demi reduction, seared trout with sweet Cajun glaze, or a glazed ham steak with pineapple chutney. New this year, the Blue Ribbon Buffet is an unparalleled all-you-can-eat menu with buffet service, featuring roasted pork loin, herb garlic roasted chicken, carved prime rib and spiral ham, served alongside roasted sweet potato wedges, herb potato puree, baked macaroni and cheese, and more.
For those with an appetite on the go, Market Square offers a variety of options to tempt the taste buds thanks to a number of hearty sandwiches and soups. Guests can choose from a three-cheese panini, a shaved ribeye panini, or a panini with heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella, which can be paired with tomato bisque, beef barley soup or the soup of the day. Specialty treats include s’mores bread pudding and hot chocolate.
Spotlight Bakery feels like Christmas at grandma’s with so many rich, sweet baked goods. Guests can choose their favorites from a variety of beautifully-decorated holiday cookies, gingerbreads and cupcakes or warm up with a cup of hot chocolate. Families also can take some of the holiday fun home with a gingerbread house or family-size cookie kit, both complete with icing and decorations!
As always, guests can experience Dollywood’s world-class rides amidst the hustle and bustle of the park during the holidays, as most rides are operational during the Christmas season. Nothing compares to racing quickly through the night sky with millions of lights twinkling below.
No matter what activities are on the Christmas list this year, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas is sure to shine a familiar light on holiday traditions that families will share and cherish for years to come.
For anyone searching for the perfect gift of unlimited family fun and memories, a Dollywood season pass is the solution! A season pass purchased during Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas provides unlimited admission to this year’s Christmas festival along with unlimited admission for Dollywood’s entire 2021 season. Guests should purchase their 2021 season pass online now or upgrade their paid one-day admission ticket on the day of their visit. Ticket purchasers receive credit for the value of a regular one-day ticket toward the purchase of a 2021 season pass.
For more information and a park operating calendar, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.
Reminiscing about her childhood days in the Smokies brings back fond memories for Dolly Parton. She recalls the excitement of gathering around a bonfire, built by her father, and cooking their supper of potatoes and corn within the ashes under the fire. Even as a young child she had an appreciation for the vibrant colors on display in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee during autumn. She recalls seeing the beautiful leaves changing colors in the hills and hollows she called home.
Today, Dolly is very proud to bring a little bit of her childhood to guests who visit Dollywood. The park is all aglow with the sights and sounds of fall. Live music fills the air and mixes with the enticing aromas of delicious fall foods. At night, guests are treated to an amazing display of artistic elegance as meticulously carved pumpkins light the park’s paths in unique and creative displays. Dolly said,
"I just remember all of us kids loving playing the fun games. Mama making pumpkin butter and Mama making pumpkin pies and just doing all sorts of things with apple cider. We just loved the autumn and we'd find ways to celebrate it in our own way."
Visit Dollywood.com to plan a visit and experience some of what made Dolly's childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains so special.
