Dolly Parton saw Dollywood as more than a theme park, viewing it as a way to celebrate her roots, create jobs, and give back.
Singer Dolly Parton dies at 80
Music legend and singer songwriter Dolly Parton has died, according to a statement from her family.
Dolly Parton didn’t ride the thrill rides at Dollywood.
“I think I’d lose my hair. I think I’d lose my nerve before even going on it,” she joked when her namesake theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, opened its Big Bear Mountain coaster in 2023.
She was quick to joke and laugh, even at her own expense. It’s part of what made her so relatable despite being a big star. But she was even quicker to smile her big, bright smile — especially when talking about Dollywood and the region she long called home.
“I’m proud of all of it,” she told me in 2025 when Dollywood celebrated its 40th anniversary.
As she now rides what she called “the big roller coaster in the sky,” here’s a look back at how Parton saw her legacy there.
A dream come true
Dollywood was Parton’s dream.
“When I was growing up here in the Great Smoky Mountains, we used to come every now and then down to this area,” Parton said during a 2023 interview at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa.
With perfectly coiffed hair, long pink-and-red manicured nails and clothes tailored to her petite frame, she was a far cry from the little girl who was teased for the patchwork coat of many colors her mother made. But she recalled her humble childhood as vividly as she has in songs over the years.
“When it was the county fair, we’d come to town, and I used to think if I make it big, if I get rich like I was dreaming I might, that I’d love to do something special, to come back home and build a park of my own,” she said.
Parton co-owned Dollywood with Herschend Family Entertainment and served as “Dreamer-in-Chief.”
Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton said in a statement following Parton’s death:
The greatest privilege of my life has been helping Dolly bring her dreams to life at Dollywood. … Dolly’s heart was as vast as the mountains she cherished, and her compassion knew no bounds. She inspired generations to dream boldly and love deeply. While we grieve her loss, we are honored and committed to carry her light forward. Her legacy will continue to shine in every melody sung, every smile shared and every dream kindled within these gates.
Just about everything in the park circles back to her. Guests can walk through one of her old tour buses, see a replica of her childhood home, and marvel at the big wigs and flamboyant clothes she wore over her storied career.
“We try to, as they call it, Dollyize it,” she laughed in 2023, but she took real pride in sharing her roots through the park’s music and crafts.
“I love that because this is who we are. This is what we do. And this is what my people have done, the way they’ve made a living through the years,” Parton said. “I feel like all the people here are my people, in this area. I even wrote a song, you know. ‘These are my mountains, my valleys. These are my rivers flowing like a song. These are my people.’ All these multicolored rainbows, these are my people. This is my home.”
Dollywood’s impact
Last year, Parton called Dollywood more than she imagined it could be, and it’s still growing.
Earlier this month, the park opened its newest attraction, NightFlight Expedition, an indoor family water ride. The attraction is the latest project in a planned half-billion-dollar investment across Dollywood properties over a decade.
Dollywood itself is credited with creating 23,000 jobs for the region and an annual direct economic impact of $1.8 billion, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation case study. It’s become the biggest employer in Sevier County and has been ranked among the best in the country.
“I was just dreaming of having a wonderful place for people to come, have a good time, having all kinds of things to enjoy and providing jobs for my family and the kin folks around here and the good neighbors. And sure enough, we’ve got all that now,” Parton said in 2025.
“Plus, not to be selfish with just my own, but there’s so many great businesses around here, so many great things for people to see,” she added, crediting Great Smoky Mountains National Park as the area’s original attraction. “This, to me, is sincerely one of the greatest places that anyone could visit. This part of the country, right here in Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg, and in this general area, there’s just so much.”
Dollywood’s reach
Asked what she’d like folks to know about Dollywood in 2025, Parton was quick to reply, with a chuckle, “Well, I want them to know they should get here, and do whatever you got to do to get here because once you’re been here you’re going to love it.”
Countless families who’ve never visited Dollywood also benefit from it. Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library has given away more than 300 million books for free to encourage early literacy.
“All those books in the hands of all those children, that’s one of the things I’m proudest of here at the park with the Dollywood Foundation and what we do here,” Parton said at Big Bear Mountain’s opening ceremony. “Because not only do we make good money here – and we appreciate you for that – we also give back. We do a lot of wonderful things through the foundation, and the Imagination Library is one of the things I’m proudest of and want to be remembered for as much as anything I’ve ever done when I’m up there on the big roller coaster in the sky.”
Parton gave to numerous other causes over the years, including supporting wildfire victims and funding the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I believe in keeping my heart open above everything else and keeping my mind open in case some good thought might run through there now and then,” she said in 2023. “But I just love people, and I just think if you do wind up in a position where you can help, you should help. I mean there’s always somebody you know to be helped.”
Dollywood has directed folks who want to honor Parton to consider donating to the Imagination Library.