Ride / Dollywood

Love Every Moment

An Appalachian-themed Theme Park owned by Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, it was technically founded as Rebel Railroad in 1961, before changing ownership to then-Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, who renamed the park to Goldrush Junction, in 1970. It changed ownership again in 1976, when the park was bought by the Herschend brothers, who shortened the name to simply Goldrush that year, then renamed it again to Silver Dollar City, Tennessee the following year. In 1982, the brothers saw an interview with Dolly Parton by Barbara Walters. Parton indicated her interest in opening a theme park in her native Smoky Mountains. The Herschends, understandably not wanting to compete with Parton, contacted her and offered to go into business together. Thus, in 1986, the park officially opened its gates as Dollywood. Attendance doubled in that year.

Dollywood has been recognized as one of the best theme parks in the United States, winning multiple awards. It is the biggest ticketed attraction in the state of Tennessee.

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Dollywood has examples of the following tropes:

• Christmas Special: The Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration at the park has won the Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event several years in a row. Starting in 2013, the park prominently features Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer alongside Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, and Bumble including an indoor section dedicated to the classic 1964 Rankin/Bass Special.
• Cool Train: The Dollywood Express
• Country Music: A theme park owned and partially themed after Dolly Parton. In the past, the show, Country Crossroads, showcased a medley of traditional and current country music hits. Today, the park has a show called Forever Country, featuring country music hits from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s.
• Music of the 1950s: The Dreamland Drive-in show features hits from the 1950s and 60s.

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