Dollywood Is Celebrating 40 Years of Cinnamon Bread Fame

"Reopened for its 40th season in Pigeon Forge, the theme park is best known to many visitors for its iconic cinnamon bread, described here as “almost as popular as Parton herself” and a must-get item. According to representatives from both parks, cinnamon bread was first served around the same time at the Missouri and Tennessee parks after the Herschend family purchased the original park on this property in 1977 (they later added the celebrity partner in 1986). The treat itself is “a sweet bread that’s a unique mix of a cinnamon roll and monkey bread.” At the park, slits are cut into the top of unbaked bread loaves, then the entire thing is drowned in butter, sugar, and cinnamon before being baked in massive ovens; the baked breads are then served to guests with their choice of icing or the park’s famous apple butter. During the off season, from January to March, more than 200 jars of apple butter are made in-house a day to supply the year. Asked whether she prefers icing or apple butter, Parton answered simply, “Yeah.” She elaborated, “I do love it all, and everyone talks about the cinnamon bread. I even took some back to the folks in Nashville working on my Broadway musical.” Practical tips from visitors include keeping loaves in a hotel mini-fridge and a cooler bag for travel, using the QR code on the box for reheating directions, and packing a loaf in carry-on luggage inside a zip-close bag so the sweet cinnamon butter syrup doesn’t make luggage sticky." - Megan duBois