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Introduction
Born in the Tennessee mountains of Sevierville, Dolly Parton has never forgotten her roots despite her meteoric rise to country music stardom. Her deep connection to her hometown inspired her to create something meaningful that would benefit her community.
In 1986, she established Dollywood as a heartfelt tribute to her Appalachian upbringing. What began as a passion project has blossomed into the region’s largest employer, providing livelihoods for nearly 4,000 individuals and attracting approximately 3 million tourists annually.
As Dollywood celebrates its remarkable 40-year journey, Parton made a surprise appearance at the March 14th season opening festivities. Speaking with genuine emotion to Knox News, she reflected on the park’s tremendous impact: “When Dollywood opened and we started our dinner theaters, it attracted so many more visitors, encouraging others to develop businesses and hotels. The area had some establishments before, but nothing compared to what emerged after Dollywood’s arrival.”
“Being part of this entire community fills me with pride,” she added warmly. “Dollywood truly shines as a beacon, not just for me, but evidently for countless others too. I’m simply thrilled to have contributed to this wonderful growth.”
Dolly Parton Shares What the Future Holds For Dollywood
Of course, Parton is the face and leader of Dollywood, and she receives help from the park’s president Eugene Naughton. Everything they, along with their team, have planned over the past 40 years has been very intentional, with careful thought behind every decision.
“We have a great, great team and we have a lot of dreamers, a lot of doers,” said Parton. “We just dream and think, what do we want? We don’t want things that’s just going to last a season or two…we want things to be lasting.”
As long as the community continues to support it, the park is aiming for another 40 years of business. Parton has even said that after she is no longer here, Dollywood will remain open and continue to improve.
“Even after I’m gone, we’ll still grow. We’ll still be going,” she stated. “As long as we grow with the public and keep our ears open and our eyes (open), we’re going to find out what they want and we will grow accordingly.”
The 40th season of Dollywood will feature the park’s famous festivals that everyone knows and loves, including the I Will Always Love You Music Festival, the Flower & Food Festival, the Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival, and Smoky Mountain Christmas.
Along with that, the park will unveil new additions during its official anniversary in May. A new show called “Play On” will premiere, alongside a new restaurant and the conversion of the Heartsong Theater into the Imagination Playhouse.