The History of Dollywood by:Bob Foster
Situated across 150 sprawling acres in Pigeon Forge
, Tennessee, not far from where Ms. Parton herself was born and raised, lies Dollywood. Much more than a theme park, Dollywood is home to roller coasters, museums, live music shows, festivals, fried food emporiums, and homage to the history and culture of the Great Smoky Mountains. But long before Dolly attached her name and dollars, the area just north of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park already began its interesting journey. As Dollywood celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, let's take a moment to reminisce about how it all got here.In 1961, "Rebel Railroad" opened as a small tourist attraction devoted to Civil war themes. Here, visitors enjoyed the steam train named Klondike Katie, a general store, the old time saloon, civil war reenactments, and a blacksmith shop. "Tennessee's Million Dollar Attraction" originally opened as a sister park to the Wild West park "Tweetsie Railroad," in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
"Rebel Railroad" changed its name to "Goldrush Junction" in the late 1960s, and abandoned the Civil War for the Wild West. Here, visitors could ride the train and witness a "real" train robbery. During the ensuing gunfight where the robbers would fall down "dead," the train conductors would hand out miniature fake rifles to children so they could take part in the fight.
Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns football team, purchased "Goldrush Junction" in 1970. Although not much changed from the Rebel Railroad days, Modell expanded the park with a log flumeoriginally exhibited at the New York World's Fair and then viewed as a nod to the logging history of the areaand several other small rides. In 1973, the Robert F. Thomas Church was built on the site in recognition of the Christian heritage of the Appalachian community. Robert F. Thomas was a well-regarded family doctor who delivered the fourth of twelve children born to Lee and Avie Lee Parton
In 1976, brothers Jack and Pete Herschend, already successful owners of Herschend Enterprises in Branson, Missouri bought the park from the Cleveland Browns and the next year changed the name to "Silver Dollar City, Tennessee," as a sister park to the Herschend's original Silver Dollar City in Branson. They invested millions of dollars into renovating and transforming the park into a showcase for Smoky Mountain craftsmanship and culture. After the addition of blacksmiths, wood carvers, soap makers, artists, and musicians, the park experience significant growth. With the completion of the Silver Dollar Grist Mill in 1983the first working gristmill built in Tennessee in more than 100 yearsoperations ran at full speed with great success and attendance only increased more.
When Eastern Tennessee's own Dolly Parton joined the Herschend brothers in 1986, she bought into the theme park and redeveloped it as Dollywood. Her entertainment experience and love of the area only improved the Herschend's vision and the new and improved Silver Dollar City opened on May 3, 1986 featuring more rides, restaurants, and mementoes and recreations of the life of Dolly herself. Dollywood has added more attractions in the following years, but Klondike Katie still carries visitors around the park as it did when it roamed the mountains in 1943.
Dollywood welcomed 1.3 million visitors the first year; now about 2.5 million come annually, equaling more than 30 million visitors in the past 25 years. Dollywood is Tennessee's number one tourist attraction and employer in Pigeon Forge with 30,000 people on the payroll. When asked why she wanted to get into the theme park business, Dolly said," I 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."
After investing more than 210 million dollars, the Dollywood franchise has grown to include water park Dolly's Splash Country, the Dixie Stampede dinner theatres, and the Southern Gospel Music Museum and Hall of Fame. Dollywood continues to give back to the community, not only via the salaries of the hard workers, but to various local charities, including the Dollywood Foundation, Dolly's Imagination Library, and the American Eagle Foundation.
In 2010, when speaking about the 25th anniversary, Dolly said that she would like to open more Dollywoods across the country devoted to the local culture of the specific area. So who knows? Maybe your hometown will soon feel the love of the one and only Dolly Parton manifested in roller coasters, local cuisine, and family fun.
Learn more about the fabulous Dolly and the fun Dollywood at our website: www.PatriotGetaways.com, just click to the blog when you get there.
About the author
Born and raised in the Smoky Mountain region, Bob Foster became a passionate expert on this part of the country even as a child. Years later Bob turned that childhood passion and expertise into a profession when Bob became a general manager for the family business that specializes in rentals of Gatlinburg cabins and Pigeon Forge cabins, both towns being in the heart of the Smokies. The company motto is "Creating guests for life by offering an experience of a lifetime" and it is with that thought in mind that Bob started a blog fully dedicated to information about the Smokies, which can be found at blog.patriotgetaways.com. Where to Find the Best Outdoor Bars on the Strip by:Natalie Brient Verizon Recommended Apps for Summer Travel How to Find Premier Promotions and Cheap Vegas Rooms by:Natalie Brient Take a Hike in Howth, Ireland by:Wilfredo Rivera Choosing the Right Weekend Getaway is Great Fun by:Wilfredo Rivera Paris Las Vegas: Value - Adds At The Heart Of The Las Vegas Strip by:Wilfredo Rivera Forgotten By The Travel Industry - Over 100 Million German Speaking Travelers by:Wilfredo Rivera Time For A Relaxing Vacation? Book A Holiday Apartment In Florence! by:Wilfredo Rivera Sin City, Cirque Du Soleil, Peanut Butter and Jelly by:Wilfredo Rivera Blarney Castle in Ireland by:Wilfredo Rivera Seaside Romance in Barcelona, Spain by:Wilfredo Rivera Hotels Cost 300% More Per Person Per Day Than Vacation Rentals: I'll Prove It! by:Wilfredo Rivera There Is More To Hershey, Pennsylvania Than Chocolate by:Wilfredo Rivera