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.
The winningest park in Amusement Today’s Golden Tickets history, Dollywood again this year earned more category wins and finalist positions than any other park in the world. During the magazine’s 2017 awards ceremony, Dollywood picked up four "best of" awards. The park also placed in the top-ten in six additional categories.
The Golden Ticket Awards are the most sought after awards in the business of amusements and attractions. Dolly Parton said,
“You all know how very proud I am of my Dollywood and the special folks who work there. It makes me feel so good to know that our guests feel the same way about the park when they come visit us. It’s the perfect place to help them make those memories they’re always going to hold close. Our people do a great job of doin’ just what my mama always used to say—they treat our guests just like they’d want to be treated. And isn’t that what really makes the difference?”
Dolly continued,
“Families can feel the love our folks have for them by the effort and attention they put in to every single detail of the park. They want to make sure every guest leaves with a smile on their face. Dollywood will continue to grow, but I’m thankful my team will never forget what got us to where we are: going above and beyond to give our guests experiences they’ll always remember.”
Tim Baldwin, Golden Ticket Awards Communications Coordinator for Amusement Today said,
“It has been incredibly exciting to watch Dollywood — which was a relatively unknown contender when the Golden Ticket Awards started in 1998 — become this theme park industry powerhouse. Dollywood not only places as a finalist in more categories than any other park, it has taken top prize in four categories — again, more than any other park. Dollywood is setting the bar, and other parks would be wise to look at their example. It’s certainly a park to watch.”
Tim went on to say,
“Dollywood is the whole package — great food, entertaining shows, friendly hospitality and great rides. It’s little surprise to see them capture the attention of our voters. Each year, our selected panel has an incredible amount of worldwide experience, so to be honored on a worldwide scale in so many categories is an amazing accomplishment.”
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. The survey asks voters to rate the "best" in a number of categories. Categories include best parks, roller coasters, water rides, shows, kids’ area, landscaping and Christmas events. The Golden Ticket Awards were held on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Lake Compounce amusement park in Bristol, Connecticut.
USA Today’s 10Best recognized Dollywood as the third best theme park in the country. And the organization also named Dollywood’s Splash Country the eighth best water park. The National Amusement Park Historical Association also named Dollywood as their “Favorite Theme Park” this year. Dollywood edged Walt Disney World for first, a position the Florida attraction had held for thirteen consecutive years. The NAPHA also honored Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas as their "Favorite Post-Summer Season Amusement Park Event." Fox News recognized the park as the top Small Town Theme Park thanks to its location in the foothills of the Smokies.
Learn more about Dollywood’s Year of the Family
On Ronald McDonald Day at Dollywood’s Splash Country, the first 600 guests who mention this fantastic charity can purchase tickets for half-price.
End the summer with a splash and in the process support sick children and their families. Dollywood’s Splash Country and WIVK are partnering once again to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Knoxville. Ronald McDonald House’s mission is to aid families with critically-ill children who are being treated in area hospitals. The first 600 guests who mention Ronald McDonald House at the water park before noon on Saturday, Aug. 26 will receive 50% off a regular or child admission ticket.
One-hundred percent of the funds raised from this special event benefit Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville. It serves as a home away from home for families during their time of treatment. Dollywood’s Splash Country General Manager Janet Dawson said,
“The Dollywood Company believes strongly in being a great community partner. As a water park, we look forward to our partnership with Ronald McDonald House every year. Splash Country is all about family time and that’s what Ronald McDonald House is trying to restore—they’re supporting families through tough times and trying to get them back to normalcy. What a great mission.”
Sue Beverly, Director of Ronald McDonald House added,
"Thousands of lives are impacted each year by the services we offer at our wonderful house—services that are a direct result of the loving support so graciously offered by our community and our friends at Splash Country."
Since 2003, Dollywood’s Splash Country has donated more than $347,000 to the non-profit through special events, promotions and monetary donations.
This season, Dollywood’s Splash Country extended its operating calendar with several additional days. The remaining open days this season are Aug. 22, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 31, and Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4.
Visit Dollywood.com for more information about Dollywood’s Splash Country or any of The Dollywood Company properties or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
June is a particularly important month for water safety especially as it relates to children. That’s just one reason why Dollywood’s Splash Country is committed to water safety education and awareness. It’s also why the water park hosted Water Safety Day in conjunction with the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL). This eighth annual event was held on Thursday, June 22. Area partners LeConte Medical Center, The Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, WVLT Local 8 News and Star 102.1 joined with Dollywood’s Splash Country to host the event.
Water park guests visited vendor booths to learn about staying safe in the water and sun. They also joined the attempt to set a new record for the world’s largest swimming lesson!
This worldwide swim lesson happens at pools and water parks around the globe on June 22. Dollywood’s Splash Country is one location where swimmers of all ages and abilities come to take part in the lesson in hopes of breaking the world record. Last year, more than 40,000 kids and adults from 24 countries participated in setting the Guinness World Record for largest swim lesson.
"LeConte Medical Center is proud to partner once again with our friends at Dollywood's Splash Country and the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation for Water Safety Day," said LeConte Medical Center President/CAO Gaye Jolly. "Opportunities to provide health education to the families in our community are very important to us. We want to do all we can to promote a healthy and safe summer for the children of our region."
Time in the water can be dangerous for children because drowning remains the leading cause of unintended injury-related death for kids ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children younger than 14. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children ages 1 to 4.
“We love our community and we want everyone to be safe in the water this summer,” explained Dollywood’s Splash Country General Manager Janet Dawson. “This event is an opportunity for us to lead the way in awareness and education about water safety, so we’re proud to host it.”
Visit Dollywood's Splash Country In 2017
As the days grow longer and the sun a little warmer, lifeguards at Dollywood’s Splash Country become more eager to open the gates for another season of Smoky Mountain water park fun.
In 2017, the park will celebrate its 17th season by debuting its new family racing slide, TailSpin Racer! Also, new this year visitors will notice attraction upgrades, new parking options and a new calming area. In addition, Dollywood’s Splash Country also has newly-recognized Platinum Award-winning lifeguards.
TailSpin Racer is a five-story slide complex that offers six people the opportunity to race each other in a thrilling rush. From its unique spiraling, high-speed AquaTubes to its splashdown finish, it’s an all-out competition to see who can get to the end first. TailSpin Racer matches riders in a head-to-head race with the fun of a traditional mat racer-style slide and the tight turns and daring drops of an enclosed slide. Guests will immediately spot the new attraction near the front of the water park, which only adds to the excitement. Dollywood’s Splash Country General Manager Mike Brown said,
“TailSpin Racer is our first new attraction since we opened our water coaster, RiverRush. This is something our guests have been asking for and we are thrilled that we’re delivering a family slide that gives six people the chance to race at the same time.”
Dollywood’s Splash Country also is thrilled to welcome back its team of lifeguards which recently earned the prestigious Platinum International Safety Award from Ellis & Associates. These water park guards are the only team in the state of Tennessee to receive this recognition. Dollywood’s Splash Country is independently audited by a third party several times each season. E&A, a firm specializing in international aquatic safety and risk management, presented the award. In 2016, E&A had 355 clients who qualified for an award; only 10% earned the Platinum Award. Both Dollywood's Splash Country and Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort lifeguards were honored with Platinum for their vigilance in guarding the water. Brown commented,
“Of all the things we’re proud of at our water park, our lifeguards deserve the highest praise. Our guests trust us to keep their families safe as they splash and play with us; our guards take their roles seriously. We expect them to be alert and aware of everything happening in their zones. They do that, and more. We have the best lifeguards in the business.”
Additionally, Dollywood’s Splash Country guests can look forward to several upgrades throughout the park. Refreshing upgrades sure to enhance guest’s comfort include the new option of Preferred Parking, misters on walkways to cool feet, and new equipment to help streamline food purchases. And, based on the response to Dollywood’s calming room, Dollywood’s Splash Country will offer a new calming area for guests who experience sensory overload. The area provides an opportunity for individuals to take a break in a private area of the park.
Dollywood’s Splash Country opened Saturday, May 13 with daily operation beginning on Saturday, May 20. Daily operation continues through Sunday, Aug. 13. The park opens Aug. 15 and 17 and on weekends through Labor Day weekend until Sept. 4.
