Dolly Parton Partners With Tennessee Tourism For A Magical Family 'Playcation'

Kids have a big say when it comes to family travel, and that's why Dollywood's "Dreamer in Chief" Dolly Parton has teamed up with Tennessee Tourism to inspire the ultimate Playcation. Together, they're inviting kids—and kids-at-heart—to plan their perfect Tennessee adventure with the Tennessee Playcation Kid's Guide. Available now for pre-order at DollyPlaycation.com, the 90-plus page guide sparks creativity and pure imagination, helping families map out their dream getaway.

Ten Butterfly Tickets will be hidden randomly amongst the mailed guides offering a once-in-a-lifetime VIP Dollywood Experience. The lucky recipients will win a VIP celebration at the park's 2025 season opening (timed with its 40th season), including a two-night stay at one of Dollywood's luxury resorts for a family of four, season passes to Dollywood, a signed Dolly-inspired guitar and an activity pass to explore more of Pigeon Forge's family-friendly attractions.

"I love making dreams come true, and this is a chance for families to dream big and plan their perfect Tennessee vacation at one of my favorite places – Dollywood," said Dolly Parton. "I'm tickled to be part of this adventure and help create some memories that will last a lifetime. There's nothing quite like spending time with family, and I'm just thrilled to give folks a little something special with these Butterfly Tickets!"

The free Tennessee Playcation Kid's Guide is available for pre-order starting October 29 at DollyPlaycation.com, with guides arriving in mailboxes by November 25. Featuring kid-friendly activities and real Tennessee destinations, the interactive guide turns trip planning into a fun, family affair. Kids can also submit their own artwork for a chance to be featured on a Tennessee-sponsored billboard.

More than 250,000 printed guides are available upon request at TNvacation.com. The Playcation campaign, first launched in 2023, has become a year-long initiative to engage families and inspire kids to play an active role in vacation planning. The guide features over 45 family-friendly Tennessee destinations, such as Dollywood, the Memphis Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, Grand Ole Opry, and more.

Join the conversation on social media with @TNvacation using hashtag #TNSoundsPerfect.

Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival Is In Full Bloom April 23 Through June 7. More Than Half A Million Flowers And New Dining Pass and Inspirational Entertainment Are Highlights

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee -- Springtime visitors to Dollywood, the world-famous theme park located in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, will find more than half a million flowers blooming throughout the park from April 23 through June 7, all part of the spectacular “Flower & Food Festival.” The air is filled not only with the scent of fresh flowers, but also the smells of some of the best food in the amusement industry (made even more appetizing thanks to a new dining pass) and the sounds of inspirational music.

The park is always noted for its incredible landscaping, but the Flower & Food festival takes that up several notches, delighting guests with lavish landscaping and massive floral sculptures created from more than half a million vibrant flowers. Guests can find fun around every corner, thanks to expansive displays that include a vivid butterfly umbrella, scenes featuring mischievous animals, and even a depiction of Dolly’s mother quilting the Coat of Many Colors. These “Mosaicultures” were developed in partnership with Mosaicultures International, a Montreal-based company that has gained international recognition for its one-of-kind floral creations.

“When I was a little girl, I loved springtime because everything seemed so bright with color,” Dolly Parton says. “It started to get warm outside and you just felt like you could finally get out of the house after being cooped up in there for so long, which is something I know we’re all feeling right now. But the thing I remember most about those spring days were the flowers that would start blooming all over the hills. So, the Smokies really were the inspiration for this festival.

The flowers are only half the story, though. This festival, now in its second year, also celebrates the culinary creations for which this park has won countless awards. The food and beverage team has been busy developing a range of new menu items especially for this event, including these delicious offerings:

Cuban sandwich with plantain chips Fish and chips Mountain paella Summer succotash featuring pan-seared chicken Lobster rolls Beef bulgogi nachos Blueberry and blackberry mini funnel cakes Lemon curd and blueberry Liege waffles

Thanks to the introduction of a new Flower & Food Festival Dining Pass, guests can partake in multiple items at a variety of locations around the park. The dining pass, which is available online or at the park, is just $29.99 plus tax (or $27.99 plus tax for season passholders). With the dining pass, guests can sample five meals at any of the Flower & Food Festival culinary locations.

Entertainment is at the very heart of this park, and therefore also a major component of this year’s festival. Several performances and shows take place each day of the event, and a new concert series, Melodies of Spring, features contemporary Christian artists, Southern gospel groups and other inspirational acts appearing inside DP’s Celebrity Theater every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the festival. All shows are included with park admission and a full schedule of performances can be found at Dollywood.com.

Dollywood is a destination unto itself, complete with its own family-friendly hotel. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa is celebrating the Flower & Food Festival with its own series of special activities and events designed to bring the fun of the theme park straight to the doors of the resort. Here are some of the programs in place during the festival:

Special floral designs have sprung up around the property, including potted flowers at the entryway and vibrant flowers around its fountain. Camp DW, the resort’s kids camp, is offering special festival-themed projects, from painting your own flower pot to designing a birdhouse. Featured festival performers also appear at the hotel.

The resort is serving a family-friendly “drink of the day,” from 4 to 6 p.m. These “agua frescas” are light and full of flavor, and the resort is giving out recipe cards so guests can recreate these refreshing drinks at home.

The Spa is offering treatments fused with lavender, honey, pomegranate, blackberry and other fresh, springtime ingredients. On select days, the resort chefs offer lunchtime cooking demonstrations at Song & Hearth: A Southern Eatery.

Song & Hearth also offers a special Spring Celebration menu. The resort is partnering with Biltmore Winery for a Winemaker’s Dinner on Saturday, May 22, pairing festival-inspired dishes with exemplary wines from Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dollywood specializes in creating exceptional experiences all year round, with each season unlike the next. After the Flower & Food Festival has finished ushering in spring, guests can enjoy Summer Celebration from June 25 through July 31, which this year will feature a new evening drone show and dance party every night. From September 24 through October 30, thousands of pumpkins glow to life as part of the Harvest Festival, and Smoky Mountain Christmas will celebrate the spirit of the season from November 6 through January 2.
For more information about Dollywood, please visit dollywood.com or download the Dollywood App.

Dollywood Adds World’s Fastest Wood Roller Coaster

PIGEON FORGE, TN - Dollywood today announced the addition of Lightning Rod, both the world’s fastest wood coaster and the world’s first launching wood coaster. Set to roll to the starting line in March 2016, Lightning Rod adds another groundbreaking roller coaster to the park’s already impressive portfolio of world-class attractions. The thrilling $22 million ride also marks the single largest attraction investment in The Dollywood Company’s history.

Themed after a tricked out 1950s-era hot rod, Lightning Rod launches riders from zero to 45 mph more than 20 stories up its lift hill to one of the ride’s first airtime moments. At the crest of the hill, riders face twin summit airtime hills before tackling the daring first drop. Lightning Rod races down the 165-foot drop and propels guests along its 3,800-ft. track to a top speed of 73 mph, the fastest speed for a wood coaster in the world.

“Lightning Rod reminds me so much of those colorful cars cruisin’ up and down Main Street in downtown Sevierville back when I was in high school. I remember all those souped up cars; but what I remember most were those good lookin’ boys behind the wheel with those flat top and ducktail haircuts,” Dolly Parton said with a laugh.

“I’m truly excited about this ride because it will let our guests experience something just as fast as those hot rods I remember,” she continued. “Even better, it’s the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, so I think we’re going to see a lot of people coming from all over to peel out on the Lightning Rod.”

Located in Dollywood’s Jukebox Junction, Lightning Rod rockets riders around its massive wooden structure on an adrenaline-charged lap through the trees in the hills and valleys surrounding Dollywood. During the ride, guests experience nearly 20 seconds of airtime. The coaster train is comprised of 12 cars, carrying two passengers each, for a total of 24 people per train.

Dollywood’s development team has tapped Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) as the ride manufacturer. RMC is no stranger to out-of-the-box coaster projects, having designed a number of innovative attractions around the world. Lightning Rod employs several unique features including the lift hill launch, twin summit airtime hills, a 90+ degree banked breaking wave turn, a 90+ degree outside banked turn, and a non-inverting half loop.

Lightning Rod puts riders in the driver’s seat of Johnny Rev’s newest hot rod. After months of tinkering, Johnny invites Dollywood guests to step behind the wheel for the first test drive of his flashy new creation. Like any proper hot rod, massive header pipes and an imposing injector scoop peer out from the train’s flamed bodywork.

Lightning Rod is the newest member of The Dollywood Company’s collection of award-winning attractions. In March 2012, Dollywood opened the $20 million Wild Eagle, the country’s first wing coaster. The company introduced RiverRush, Tennessee’s first and only water coaster, at Dollywood’s Splash Country in 2013. FireChaser Express, the nation’s first dual-launch family coaster, was added at Dollywood in 2014. Dollywood mainstays Thunderhead, consistently among the world’s top five wood coasters, Mystery Mine, Blazing Fury and Tennessee Tornado round out the park’s list of innovative coasters.

Dolly Parton Opens New Resort After $300M investment

Dolly Parton has formally opened the doors of the latest addition to her growing Dollywood theme park empire, the "DreamMore" resort, which offers fans of the existing theme and water parks a Dolly-themed place to stay.

Parton told CNBC that she has been dreaming of having her own hotel for years, and the opening of the DreamMore resort on Monday forms part of the group's plans, announced in 2013, to invest $300 million in the complex over the next 10 years.

Jim Dyson | Getty Images

Dolly Parton

"We've been trying to build the resort ever since we started Dollywood 30 years ago. I've been wanting to have a resort. But there are great places in this area that have great rooms an' all and we didn't want to compete with them either so we tried not to be hoggish about it, we want everybody, but it was time. It was time we had our own place," Parton told Tania Bryer, host of CNBC Meets.

Along with the opening of the new hotel, Dollywood CEO Ted Miller also hinted at another large addition to the park next month.

"Dollywood's DreamMore Resort will be included in the investment as will our announcement on August 7 which will reveal the largest single attraction added to Dollywood in its history," Miller told CNBC, without revealing the details of the announcement.

Having put off the building of the hotel complex for a number of years after the global financial crisis, construction of the 307-room DreamMore, which will be is next door to Dollywood, started over two years ago.

Ron Galella Ltd I WireImage | Getty Images

Musician Dolly Parton attends the Opening Weekend Celebration of Dollywood on April 24, 1993 at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

"We almost did it several times. We were just about to build the resort when the economy went down the tubes and so we had to pull back again. So now, it was just the right time. But it's always a risk, you never know what the economy's going to be but you can't live in fear," she said.

The legendary country singer and entertainer is reported to be worth between $450 million-$500 million during her career which spans 50 years covering singing, acting, writing and business launches including the theme park.

The songwriter joined forces with Herschend Family Entertainment group in 1986 to rebrand their existing "Silver Dollar City" theme park into the Dolly-inspired "Dollywood".

Parton said the lawyers and accountants that were advising her at the time thought she had "lost her mind".

"I had such a burning desire to do it, I thought -- I'm doing it I don't care how smart you think you are. I know you're my Hollywood lawyers and accountants and all that, but I think I know a little bit more about me than you do. And so I went ahead and done it. Got rid of them. And it proved that I was right to go ahead with my plans," she said.

Dollywood is now Tennessee's most visited tourist attraction, drawing more than two million visitors every year.

Part of the singer's vision for the complex was to provide employment for local people, but she puts her success partly down to her faith.

"I pray every day that God will put all the right things, all the right people and the right projects in my life and to take all the wrong things and the wrong people out, and I really pray and believe that he does so I have to swallow my pride and take those things as answers," she added.

From Jenny Cosgrave | @jenny_cosgrave

CNBC.com

Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort™ Accepting Reservations.

A dream 30 years in the making is about to be realized: Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort is now open and guests can  book travel dates by visiting www.DollywoodsDreamMore.com or calling 800-365-5996.            Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort is the first resort created by Dollywood and Dolly Parton. The 100-acre ultimate Smoky Mountains vacation destination features more than 300 guest rooms and suites designed with family travelers in mind. Located next to Dollywood Theme Park and Dollywood’s Splash Country, this resort is inspired by Dolly Parton’s warm childhood memories of growing up on her family’s front porch in the Smoky           “Our goal is to bring new visitors to the beautiful Smokies and have Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort guests experience special privileges that aren’t available anywhere else,” said Kevin Osborn, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort’s general manager. “With rooms starting at $179, these benefits give families more of what they want in a Dollywood vacation – more play, more time and more value.”           Guest privileges unveiled today include the following:     MORE PLAY Front of the line access - Resort guests bypass lines at select Dollywood Theme Park rides, shows and attractions with a complimentary TimeSaver Pass that holds their place. This represents a value of up to $25 per guest per day.   Early Saturday entry - Resort guests experience some of their favorite rides first at Dollywood parks with early Saturday morning entry.     MORE TIME Door-to-door Transportation - Complimentary resort shuttles to Dollywood parks.   Exclusive Entry - Resort guests-only entrance at the parks.   Package Delivery - Complimentary delivery of parks shopping purchases to guest rooms.     MORE VALUE Best-price guarantee -Resort guests receive the lowest online price for Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort rooms as well as their park tickets.   Resort perks - Complimentary WiFi, exclusive resort entertainment and dining experiences and complimentary resort parking.   Special offers - Savings on attractions, tickets and more.           The resort is currently accepting reservations for travel dates starting August 18 and anticipates announcing an opening date later this spring. In addition to the guest privileges, amenities at the property include indoor and outdoor pools, a full-service restaurant, spa and salon, fitness center, conference center, and family activities center, all of which are enhanced by spectacular mountain views.           The resort is focused on giving families the opportunity to extend the fun they’ve had in the Smokies while relaxing together and reconnecting in a comfortable and stress-free environment. Storytelling spots, fire pits, kids’ play areas and a welcoming front porch lined with rocking chairs all become the perfect setting where guests can create lasting memories with loved ones. But beyond the down-home charm, what truly sets this resort apart is Dollywood’s philosophy on guest service, in which hosts care enough to treat guests like family and extend heartfelt hospitality at every turn.           The opening of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort coincides with the 30th anniversary of Dollywood and is the realization of a dream that singer, songwriter and actress Dolly Parton had from the opening of the park, an attraction that is now synonymous with the Smoky Mountains where she was raised. The award-winning Dollywood has come to embody all there is to love about Parton’s Tennessee mountain home, creating an entertainment venue that for three decades has been a treasured part of family vacations. As resort guests gaze out on the same mountains that inspired Parton, they’ll be able to enjoy the hospitality that has been the hallmark of the destination since the park opened its gates.           The Dollywood experience is about so much more than roller coasters and water slides; it’s also about great food, award-winning entertainment, and getting in touch with the culture of the area. Dollywood is located just minutes away from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States. These natural elements are balanced by a variety of entertainment offerings in the towns that surround the parks, making this a complete family destination in one of the most picturesque parts of the country. The 30th anniversary year at the theme park is the perfect time for families to discover – or rediscover – both the destination and the joys of time spent together.           For more information about Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort or to book a reservation, guests should visit www.DollywoodsDreamMore.com or call 800-365-5996.

About The Dollywood Company: A highly awarded and widely recognized leader in the amusement industry, The Dollywood Company consists of the 150-acre Dollywood theme park; the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country; Dollywood Cabins; and Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, scheduled to open in 2015. As unique as its namesake and owner Dolly Parton, Dollywood is the 2010 Applause Award winner, the theme park industry’s highest accolade; winner of nearly 30 Golden Ticket Awards; and recipient of 22 Brass Ring Awards for Live Entertainment (more than any other theme park in the world). In 2014, Dollywood was named a top three theme park by USA Today. Open nine months a year (late March through early January), Dollywood offers rides and attractions, shows, and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood’s Splash Country, recognized by the Travel Channel as one of the country’s most beautiful waterparks and named 2009’s Must-See Waterpark by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, operates from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Dollywood Cabins offers luxurious cabin accommodations overlooking Dollywood. Opening in 2015, the 307-room Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort will provide guests spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.