Dollywood

Dollywood, the Smoky Mountain family adventure, is Tennessee’s number one attraction with more than 130 acres of incredible rides, spectacular shows, heritage crafts and fun for the whole family.

Enjoy the variety of rides, from thrilling roller coasters and daring water excursions to family rides and things for the little ones. Experience the Smoky Mountain way of life through heritage crafts made on site. You’ll love the award-winning entertainment and toe-tapping music.

There’s a new festival each season, so come back to enjoy them all. Dollywood’s Festival of Nations offers five weeks of international cultural events. Come hungry for Barbecue & Bluegrass in May and June, featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music and the country’s tastiest barbecue. The whole family will enjoy fun-filled days at Dollywood’s Great American Summer. Southern gospel music and master craftsmen demonstrate their skills at the National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. Bring the entire family to make new memories at Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas.

I have heard that there is so much more to Dollywood than an amusement park. I have not made it there yet, but we plan on going to Dollywood to see the shows and entertainment. There is even a kennel for your dogs. I read somewhere that Dolly Parton wanted to give back to her home town by building this amusement park. I believe the park is closed January – March.

While the Robert F. Thomas Chapel inside the Dollywood theme park isn’t really that old, it does pre-date Dollywood.  It was dedicated in May of 1973 as part of Goldrush Junction. But, and this is really interesting, it isn’t exactly new either.  The windows were donated from Sevier County’s first second school, Nancy Academy, which was open from 1806 to 1890.  The doors are from the Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church and were made by a church trustee in 1891.  The pews are from the Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church and the old Sevier County Courthouse. They date back to the late 1800s.  And those aren’t the only antiquities in the church.  The bell is from Williamsburg School.  The stained glass behind the carved image of Jesus as the Great Shepherd (created by Dollywood craftsmen), is from the early 1900s.  The official Dollywood Parks Blog reports “the piano is a restored 118-year-old instrument … it was donated by former Dollywood host Michael Stinnett, who now owns Antique Piano Shop.”  And so, while the church itself isn’t a relic of the past, the spirit of an old mountain church is very much alive within the more modern walls.  The chapel is named after Robert F. Thomas, the mountain doctor who made a house call to deliver one Dolly Rebecca Parton on Jan. 19, 1946.

Address – 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd. Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
Website – http://www.dollywood.com/

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