Hooray for Dollywood!

Dubbed the "biggest ticketed event in Tennessee", Dollywood is a theme park like no other. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and is home to a plethora of thrill rides and shows. Dollywood hosts over three million guests a season and people come from all over the world just to experience this one-of-a-kind park.

Dollywood started as "Rebel Railroad" by the Robins Brothers in 1961. It was a modest tourist attraction that featured a steam train, general store, blacksmith, and a saloon. Guests on the train would be "attacked" by robbers, union soldiers and Indians. Through the years the park was bought and renamed by several people and eventually became "Silver Dollar City, Tennessee".

It wasn't until 1986 that country music superstar Dolly Parton, who grew up in Pigeon Forge, decided to buy a portion of Silver Dollar City with the stipulation that it would reopen as "Dollywood." Dolly Parton's interest stemmed from her wanting to give back to the community. She stated that she "always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area." Indeed she did: Dollywood employs over 3,000 local people.

The park is constantly expanding. It currently has seven roller coasters and is planning to unveil "Drop Line", a free fall attraction later this year. Guests can also jump over to Dollywood's Splash Country, which opened its doors in 2001. This is the water themed sister park open May through September..

Dolly Parton has stated that she wants to open Dollywoods in other locations around the US and the world

If you find yourself in need of some great southern adventure, then look no further than Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!

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