Dollywood Reveals Plans to Honor Dreamer-in-Chief Dolly Parton

Last week, the world lost a true icon with the passing of Dolly Parton. To the theme park community, Dolly was known and beloved for her 40-year involvement with Dollywood. Now, the park celebrating Dolly will honor her in numerous new ways.

What's Happening:

• Over the coming months, Dollywood will honor is Dreamer-in-Chief Dolly Parton with several new experiences and installations that honor her remarkable contributions, enduring values and love for the people and places of the Great Smoky Mountains. 
• These additions will provide guests with meaningful opportunities to reflect on Dolly’s life, her faith and her influence while experiencing the joy, imagination and togetherness that have always been at the heart of her vision for Dollywood.
• We begin at the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, which will receive a cascading mountainside waterfall will be added just outside the chapel’s front steps, creating a peaceful setting for guests to pause, reflect and enjoy the natural beauty that inspired so much of Dolly’s life and work.
• The chapel also will receive new stained-glass windows commissioned to reflect Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV), the Bible verse that resonated deeply with Dolly:
  • “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Inspired by Dolly’s love for the Smokies and the many seasons of her life and career, the windows depict the changing seasons of the mountains."

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, her program that has gifted more than 330 million books to children around the world, will be celebrated with the addition of a new character to Wildwood Grove in 2027 – the Dream Maker.
• Through stories and interactive experiences, the Dream Maker will encourage guests to dream big, believe in themselves and lift others up through courage and kindness. The Dream Maker and her Dream Wagon will give children an opportunity to share their own dreams, hear stories inspired by Dolly and discover that dreams can become even more meaningful when they are shared with others.
• Special kiosks also will be located throughout Wildwood Grove, giving guests a place to share their own thoughts and notes about how Dolly inspired them to dream their own big dreams.

• A new portal into The Dolly Parton Experience will welcome guests into the attraction’s immersive collection of moments, stories and memorabilia. The new entrance will provide a fitting gateway to the area dedicated to celebrating the life and work of Dollywood’s Dreamer-in-Chief.

• Guests visiting Dollywood in the near future can pay their respects to the memorial in Dollywood's welcome plaza – serving as a special place for all who would like to reflect on her life, honor her profound contributions and celebrate the joy she brought to so many people around the world.
• Beyond the gates of Dollywood, “In Dolly’s Footsteps,” a new program developed by the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, will debut soon. Special walking-tour markers will be placed at locations throughout Sevierville that Dolly and her family frequented in her youth, offering visitors an opportunity to learn more about the places and experiences that helped shape her.
• Finally, Dollywood has shared a beautiful one-minute-long "Love Letter to Dolly" that you can watch below.

What They're Saying:

• Eugene Naughton, Dollywood Parks & Resorts President: “Many of us had extensive conversations with Dolly through the years about how she would want us to carry her vision forward. Dollywood will always be a place where families find fun, kindness and joy—a place where they can make memories that last a lifetime, just like she would have wanted. We will carry her dreams forward by continuing to grow, welcoming even more guests, and sharing the warmth and hospitality of which she was so proud.”