Dollywood’s got a new attraction for Dolly Parton fans
By Marnie Hunter, CNN
(CNN) — There’s a new reason for Dolly Parton fans to make the pilgrimage to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
A new attraction called The Dolly Parton Experience opens on Friday at Dollywood, the beloved entertainer’s theme park in the Smoky Mountains.
Parton’s journey from her childhood in a tiny cabin in Locust Ridge to stages all over the world is chronicled in interactive displays across three buildings and a retired tour bus.
The Songteller exhibit focuses on Parton’s music, movie and television pursuits, with a feature that allows visitors to hop on the bus she took to Nashville a day after graduating from high school.
Behind the Seams displays all things glitz and glam from hair and jewelry to spangled dresses and sky-high heels. Visitors also have a chance to decide how to dress Dolly.
In the DreamSong Theater, an exhibit called Precious Memories looks at the importance of friends and family in Dolly’s life and career. There’s also a new show, co-written by Dolly and her niece, called “Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends.”
And one of Parton’s former tour buses is back on display. Timed entry for The Dolly Parton Experience can be reserved online for the attraction’s early days, which are expected to be busy. The new experience replaces the former Adventures in Imagination area.
The new Dolly-focused attraction is the latest in a string of new offerings at Dollywood.
The $25 million Big Bear Mountain roller coaster opened last spring, and the new HeartSong Lodge & Resort, the second hotel attached to Dollywood, opened in the fall.
Parton told CNN Travel at the time that she was proud to be part of the region’s tourism community.
“I’m so proud of every business, every hotel, every motel – all the people around here,” she said, “because this is my home.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
