Dollywood celebrates a Star-Spangled Summer as part of its ongoing Summer Celebration (now-Aug. 5) which features extended park hours—10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily—as well as a nightly fireworks extravaganza and a number of patriotic events to help guests enjoy family, fun and freedom during their time making memories at the park.
Thursdays in July, Dollywood and WIVK team up to present America’s New Faces of Country, a special concert series featuring several country music stars on the rise. These shows provide park guests a special opportunity to catch these artists as they begin working their way up the country charts.
At Dollywood’s shows during Star-Spangled Summer, the park plans to recognize service members in the audience for their dedication to protecting our country. Additionally, several of those same shows will include a number of patriotic songs for guests to enjoy.
Thanks to the American Eagle Foundation (AEF), park guests also have the opportunity to meet one of America’s greatest symbols of freedom, the bald eagle. On select days in July, staff members from the AEF host meet-and-greet sessions throughout the day with several of their featured bald eagles at the Plaza at Wilderness Pass.
During the day, guests can enjoy the talents of iLuminate, a thrilling show with dazzling lights and color by way of electrified glow-in-the-dark costumes which create a unique fusion of dynamic dance routines and illusions. By night, visitors can enjoy a light show of a different kind as each evening during Summer Celebration ends with Dolly’s Nights of Many Colors, a stirring fireworks extravaganza synchronized to music.
iLuminate, finalists on "America’s Got Talent" in 2011, performs July 7-21. In addition to their third place result on AGT, iLuminate has toured the world from Egypt to Malaysia and has appeared on shows like "Dancing with the Stars", "X-Factor", "Good Morning America" and "Ellen". The group launched in 2009 and patented the mesmerizing technology used in their shows. They’ve performed alongside stars like Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta and more, and are excited to bring their talent to Dollywood.
While Dollywood guests have an amazing amount of entertainment options to enjoy during their visit, they also can experience the park’s award-winning rides in a completely different environment. Once the sun sets, Dollywood’s trademark attractions, like Wild Eagle, Lightning Rod and Thunderhead, provide a unique experience for those who climb aboard. These rides thrill guests who race through the summer night with no idea which way the track will turn next!
Star Spangled Summer from Dollywood on Vimeo.
For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit Dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
The festival features a stellar lineup of bluegrass music’s best artists as well as expertly-prepared barbeque from Dollywood’s Golden Ticket Award-winning foods team.
The opening weekend of the festival kicks off with The Gibson Brothers (May 25) and the “Queen of Bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent & The Rage (May 26-27). Dailey & Vincent (May 29-30), Molly Tuttle (May 31) and The Seldom Scene (June 5) are among the headliners during the festival. Seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Vocal Group of the Year Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (June 7) also makes an appearance during the event.
“When I decided this would be the Season of Showstoppers,” Dolly Parton began, “I couldn’t wait to see what kind of talent our folks would be able to round up to perform during my Barbeque & Bluegrass festival. Well, I’ll tell you they definitely did me proud, because it’s quite the lineup. It’s always a real treat to have these performers with us, folks like Doyle Lawson and my good friend Rhonda Vincent. All these performers are the best in the business.
“Plus our foods team—which won a pretty big award last year—is cooking up some great barbeque to go along with all that good music. You know how much I love their ribs! I suggest everyone sit down with a big plate of them and take in those beautiful bluegrass sounds.”
Doyle Lawson is a regular during this festival. He counts Dollywood among the best places to perform. He said,
“Just as Dolly is an exciting entertainer, Dollywood is an exciting place to entertain! Great venue, great audience.”
An impressive calendar of bluegrass talent performs throughout the festival with more than 350 individual concerts—all included with park admission—scheduled during the festival.
Groups Performing In Celebrity Theater:
The Grascals (May 28)
Blue Highway (June 2)
Flatt Lonesome (June 3)
Darin and Brooke Aldridge (June 10)
Groups Performing In Showstreet Palace Theater:
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (May 25)
Phil Leadbetter’s Bluegrass All-Stars (June 9)
America’s Got Talent semi-finalists Mountain Faith (May 30)
For a complete lineup of concert performances and show times, please visit Dollywood.com or view the Dollywood App.
Darin and Brooke Aldridge make their first trip to perform at Dollywood and eagerly anticipate performing at the place they’ve grown up visiting for years.
“We are so excited to make our very first appearance at Dollywood this June,” Brooke Aldridge said. “It’s been a theme park we’ve always loved and attended since we were kids. The shows there are always stellar, and we can’t wait to showcase our musical talents in Dollywood’s family-friendly environment.”
Fresh off Amusement Today’s 2017 Golden Ticket Award for Best Theme Park Food, Dollywood’s foods team offers dining options that create a sweet harmony with the music from the finest in bluegrass. Traditional items, including hickory-smoked ribs, slow-smoked pulled pork and beef brisket, highlight the menu, while a number of new favorites make their debut.
Dollywood chefs took advantage of the park’s new partnership with BUSH’S® Beans to create several tantalizing new recipes, including Cowboy Kettle Beans. BBQ pork nachos, pork belly mac & cheese, and the BBQ bowl—featuring pulled pork atop Dollywood’s famous BIG SKILLET potatoes—are new this year. Chicken and waffles funnel cake, Dollywood’s twist on chicken & waffles, appears for the first time as well. Grilled watermelon salad and a bacon-wrapped hot dog on a pretzel roll also are new in 2018.
For more information, show times and food information for Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass presented by BUSH’S®, please call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD, visit Dollywood.com or download the new Dollywood App.
At Dollywood’s Splash Country, summertime is playtime! Children are out of school and families have the opportunity to spend more time together making memories. In celebration of the water park opening on May 19, Dollywood is offering a weeklong sale to kick off the season: purchase a two-day Dollywood ticket and upgrade to a two-day, multi-park ticket for free! Guests can take advantage of this online offer until May 18 and the tickets can be used through June 3.
A special ticket offer isn’t the only exciting news. For its 18th season, Dollywood’s Splash Country is delighted to showcase park upgrades. The water park is introducing Too Hot Tuesdays with a DJ on the wave pool deck and lots of new menu items. Guests won’t know which way to look first!
From new landscaping and additional shade to new paint and theming, Dollywood’s Splash Country is hoping to treat water park guests to a mountain oasis getaway. Guests will find new lounge chairs throughout the park this season, and now they can rent Luxury Loungers in addition to Retreats and Canopies for guaranteed shade and comfort in between splashing and playing. The water park also has made improvements to wait times including self-serve ticket kiosks and opportunities to save 90% of the ride wait time with new TimeSaver H2O options—perfect for those hot days when you want to be in the water as much as possible.
“We love combing through guest feedback and delivering solutions to those requests,” explained Dollywood’s Splash Country General Manager Janet Dawson. “This season we’re pleased we can provide so much added value including Platinum TimeSaver H2O, new shade structures over queue lines, and new aquatic wheelchairs.”
Building on the response to the water park’s calming area and accessibility tubes, Dollywood’s Splash Country also is adding aquatic wheelchairs and adult changing tables for families to utilize this season. It is Dollywood’s Splash Country’s desire to make the water park fun for everyone, and simple additions like aquatic wheelchairs can make a big difference for families who have never been able to enjoy water attractions before.
“Our lifeguards and hosts can’t wait to welcome guests back to Dollywood’s Splash Country in 2018,” Dawson continued. “We are so proud of the work we accomplished in the off-season and we know our guests are going to love the upgrades, too. Splash Country will be the place to be this summer!”
New this season, guests can look forward to Too Hot Tuesdays featuring a DJ on the wave pool deck noon – 3 p.m. (Tuesdays May 22 – June 26). Expect family-friendly summer hits and interactive games to enhance the experience.
When it’s time to take a break and enjoy a meal or snack, there are plenty of new offerings for guests to try! Trailhead Tacos is a newly-rethemed eatery that will feature a Tex-Mex menu, while other venues will boast new menu items. Make 2018 the year to try Loaded Tots, a new BeaverTail flavor featuring MoonPie, and a Cookie Dough Dream flavored gourmet milkshake. If guests need more reasons to be excited about topping off their water park day with refreshments, they also can enjoy Splash Country’s new Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Dollywood’s Splash Country opens Saturday, May 19. Daily operation continues through Sunday, August 12. After that, the park shifts operations to Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends with the last day being Labor Day (Sept. 3). For more information about Dollywood’s Splash Country or any of The Dollywood Company properties, please visit Dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
As Dollywood’s Season of Showstoppers continues, a refreshing new performance group visits during May, but as talented as they are, it’s their instruments that may catch guests’ attention.
Vocal Trash, which performs in Dollywood’s new Plaza at Wilderness Pass May 9-11 and May 16-24, is best described as “music with a message.” This environmentally-minded cast combines high-energy singers, drummers and dancers to captivate Dollywood audiences with a meaningful experience they won’t soon forget.
“In a day and age where family entertainment is becoming more and more difficult to find, we feel Dollywood is the perfect opportunity to present a positive family-friendly experience for everyone,” group co-founder and performer Steve Linder said. “We are honored to be part of such an admirable brand for good, clean fun and have always considered Dolly herself to be a positive force for the community based on her history of giving back to those who need it.”
Vocal Trash has played to crowds across the nation, presenting their own unique take on recycling and conservation through their “upcycled” musical instruments. The group’s instruments all come from items that most people would consider refuse. Vocal Trash, however, wants to remind audiences that many items have a second useful life.
The Vocal Trash ensemble uses a toolbox bass and an upright milk urn bass. Their percussion section consists of metal trash cans, PVC pipes, pots and pans, and water bottles and jugs, among other landfill-rescued items. The group combines breakdancing, singing, comedy and more to create an experience guests have never seen before.
The band’s message also includes their THINK Program. Utilizing song and dance, the curriculum provides useful methods to teach young minds that their imagination can help them find meaningful ways to reuse items that normally would end up in a landfill. With the number of school groups traveling to Dollywood in the spring, Vocal Trash’s performances are perfect for visiting students.
“Vocal Trash encourages both children and adults to use their imagination in a meaningful and lasting way as it relates to ‘eco-friendly living,’” Linder explained.
For more information about Vocal Trash and Dollywood’s Season of Showstoppers, please visit Dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
Pam Tillis headlined Dollywood's Spring Mix concert series on April 16, 2018. She took the opportunity to spring a new song on her fans which she is including in her upcoming album. The song is inspired by the park's namesake, Dolly Parton and will be well worth the wait for fans of both ladies.
She was once known as the up-and-coming country singer with a famous last name. For years she hit the pavement, knocking on doors, singing demos and jingles. She worked as a staff writer for Elektra Asylum Publishing and later took a job writing for Warner Brothers Publishing.
Now, three decades later, she is a decorated artist with two Grammy wins, three CMA awards, including 1994’s Female Vocalist Of The Year Award, and has over 30 US Billboard charting singles. She long since established her place in country music and holds the title of the first woman invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in the 21st century. Now, the child of Country Music Royalty proudly showcases over half a century of some of country's finest songs, stories and artistry.
When asked her favorite Dollywood activity she first jokingly said "the buffet" and noted her fondness for beans and cornbread. And then added she is a big fan of the collection of crafts on display by Dollywood's resident artisans.
Here the "Queen of Denial" chats about songwriting and what it was like growing up around country icons like Dolly and her legendary dad Mel Tillis. She also talks about her current tour dates and appearances.
Q. "Your songs have been recorded by a variety of mainstream artists. Do you have a standout favorite cut by another artist?"
A. "I don't know if the album is still in circulation but it's cool that I had a Conway Twitty cut. I think I'm the only songwriter that has ever had a Conway Twitty cut and a Chaka Khan cut."
Q. "Do you have a favorite story or memory that captures Dolly's friendship and working relationship with your father?"
A. "Actually, I don't even know where to begin. I met her as a little girl. I was starstruck. Dolly played guitar and wrote her own songs. And there weren't a lot of women writing their own songs back then, I didn't feel like, so that made a deep impression on me. She was as talented as any man, if not more so. And then a dream come true, getting to sing on one of her records. And then she came and sang on one of mine. I just want to mention that she took the time to write me a letter when Daddy passed. And that says everything about her."
Q. "You are currently touring doing both your own shows and shows with Lorrie Morgan. You are also a part of the Chicks with Hits tour with Terri Clark and Suzy Bogguss. What about these types of collaborations with other female artists appeals to you?"
A. "I feel like it's such a neat part of my touring schedule. For so many years I found myself ‘the chick’ on a bill with so many dudes. It's just been so great to work with other female artists. They're seasoned pros. We've all got stories to tell and have so much in common as well. It's very comforting to be out there with sisters."
Dolly invited Pam to join her and a host of country stars on her 1993 release, "Slow Dancing with the Moon." And later, Dolly and Pam teamed up for some incredible harmonies on Pam's "Violet and a Rose" from "It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis” released in 2002.
