Dollywood
Amusement park · Pigeon Forge ·
Theme park with roller coasters, live music, and Southern food
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:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23627716/Aunt_Granny_s_Spread_1990.jpg "Dollywood by Dollywood")
Theme park with roller coasters, live music, and Southern food
"“Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas festival is truly a sight to behold. The park looks like a winter wonderland with Christmas lights throughout, plus an incredible lineup of Christmas shows, amazing food, and the park’s award‑winning rides.” “My insider tip: get two loaves of the park’s fabulous cinnamon bread. You’ll want to take that second loaf home with you.”" - Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel is a writer with more than eight years of experience editing and writing for both brands and online publications—with a particular focus on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She’s also the founder of the travel site justpacked.com. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Recognized by Tripadvisor as the top theme park in the United States and ranked No. 11 worldwide, this Smoky Mountain destination in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee blends family-friendly charm with thrill-ride offerings and live entertainment. Visitors praise its numerous roller coasters—including several scaled for smaller children that still excite adults—stunning grounds and generally affordable prices. The park traces its roots to a 1961 attraction on the site and was expanded in 1986 through a partnership with Dolly Parton and the Herschend family. For guests, it also offers promotions such as two-for-one adult tickets and a Weather Guarantee that provides complimentary return admission when rain forces closures or restricts attractions." - Michael Cappetta Michael Cappetta Michael Cappetta is a travel writer with over 10 years of experience in journalism and television news. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A lively, family-friendly entertainment destination that doubles as a music-focused stop on Tennessee road trips, offering theme-park attractions and a connection to the region's musical heritage." - Travel + Leisure Editors Travel + Leisure Editors Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A large amusement park located about 15 minutes from a mountain resort town, presented as a premier day-trip destination for families who love rides and shows." - Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"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
