Scripps Network property, Great American Country (GAC) is one of the fastest growing cable networks. GAC and Dollywood partnered to create the park’s newest live stage show. This new show featured original programming, special musical performances and live concerts by country music’s most popular stars and legends.
Thirty-foot-wide video screens above the stage allowed hosts from GAC’s most popular shows to introduce each show segment and interact with the stage shows performers. Various GAC cable programs define the performance segments including GAC’s "Top Twenty" hosted by Nan Kelley; "Edge of Country" hosted by Kylie Harris; "The Year" hosted by Mark Wills; and "Master Series" host Bill Cody.
Dolly’s love for the Smoky Mountains was shown again at Dollywood with the addition of the Mystery Mine steel coaster. Dolly, dressed as a mountain miner, announced to crowds that through a first rider auction more than $35,000 was raised to benefit her Imagination Library.
The new Mystery Mine ride takes riders through an abandoned mine and tells the story of superstitions believed by Smoky Mountain miners. Dolly said,
"I've had to keep my big mouth shut about the Mystery Mine, but I can tell you, it's the most exciting thing to come out of these hills in a long, long time. And I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve for this ride that I'm not telling you about, but I can guarantee you they're well worth the wait!"
The "tricks" Dolly referred to are a 1,811-foot track featuring a hair-raising 95-degree, 85-foot vertical drop as one of its many maneuvers.
Wrapped in more than three million holiday lights, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas festival opens Nov. 4, headlined by the park’s new holiday show "Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland." Dolly said,
"Our new 'Dollywood's Babes in Toyland' show will fill every member of the family with wide-eyed wonder. Believe me, Santa and I both have a few surprises up our sleeves this Christmas!"
A never-before-seen adaptation of the family classic, "Dollywood's Babes in Toyland" became the most elaborate stage show in the park’s history. The show unfolds in a small East Tennessee village on Christmas Eve and features a fully-orchestrated score highlighted by lush musical arrangements and heartwarming lyrics.
Dollywood enjoyed a bountiful harvest during the theme park’s 2006 National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. The park welcomed a host of Southern gospel legends along with 49 visiting crafters. Dollywood’s Southern gospel roots run deep, as does the talented roster for this year’s festival. Award-winning artists Dottie Rambo, the McKameys, the Crabb Family, the Isaacs, the Florida Boys, Karen Peck & New River, the Kingdom Heirs and many more graced the stage. And don’t forget the food! The Apple Market offered a variety of Southern heirloom apples, apple fritters and fresh-baked biscuits.
At the Appalachian Cooking Booth, guests enjoyed Southern cuisine at its finest with Smoky Mountain Spoon Bread and Granny Ogle’s Specialty Cornbread, both served with fried okra and skillet-fried corn, while The Grill offered chicken and steak kabobs. Finally, Dollywood’s National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration offered guests one of the country’s most prestigious gatherings of artisans.
Guests felt the thunder and they like it! For the second year in a row, Dollywood’s Thunderhead roller coaster was named the number one wooden coaster in the world by the voters of the 2006 Golden Tickets Awards. It edged out The Voyage at Holiday World, Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce, and Hades at Mount Olympus Theme Park for the prize.
Voters described the smooth ride, unpredictability and re-rideability of the coaster, as reasons for its success. In 2004, Thunderhead was the highest debuting wooden coaster in the history of the awards. While Thunderhead received rave reviews, that’s not the only thing people are talking about at Dollywood. The theme park placed in six additional categories at the Golden Tickets Awards.
