Dollywood, the incredible themed park of Dolly Parton in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, quickly became a lighthouse for fans of the theme park to experience a taste of the south. The destination of rapid expansion vacation is home to a theme park, a water park and two beautiful hotels, making it a vacation place for several days for families in the south and the country. This year, Dollywood celebrates its 40th anniversary, which brings even more notoriety to the regional theme park which continues to obtain a national renown.
The big celebration started in March, but the 40th anniversary season of Dollywood takes place on the first weekend in January 2026. Between styling attractions, incredible entertainment offers and succulent food, Dollywood really has something for everyone in the family. After visiting the park for its launch weekend of the season, I learned valuable advice and tips to give a day in Dollywood for its 40th birthday easier and more fun. If you are going to the park this year, keep reading to learn to get the most out of your day in Dollywood.
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What’s new in 2025, the dollywood 40th anniversary season
This year, there are a multitude of new offers and favorites back in Dollywood. You can catch everything, a new show on stage that celebrates the story of the park to a new drone show that honors the 40th anniversary of the summer. The Park’s campaign fair district is newly refreshed.
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Later this year, the brand new Wilderness Pass restaurant will open. The restaurant will serve as a delicious roasted chicken meal, smoked meats, macaroni and cheese, and more.
Choose your Dollywood hotel judiciously
Regarding your hotel, there are many options around Dollywood, and there are even hotels belonging to Dollywood. During my last visit to the park, I opted for a shared stay between an off -site hotel and one of the Dollywood hotels.
I spent my first two nights with a forge pigeon at the Inn Pigeon Forge residence. I loved the hotel seven minutes by car from the park. The hotel was clean and the staff were exceptionally sympathetic (we call this southern hospitality here). The completely constant hotel includes separate living and sleeping spaces and a fully equipped kitchen to prepare meals if you wish. I love this complex for families on a budget that want more amenities in their rooms.
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The third and fourth nights of my trip were spent at the Heartsong Lodge and the Dollywood complex. The atmosphere of the luxury lodge of the complex made it feel a world far from the excitement of the theme park. There are a lot of areas around the station to sit and spend time. I particularly liked the outdoor homes. The 302 rooms and suites are perfectly decorated with mountain lodge themes, but all the modern amenities that we need. I stayed in one of the family suites of the complex with a balcony, which has a King bed and double -sized bunk beds in a separate area. It is an excellent option for families with small children who want separate spaces and themed rooms.
What day you go to Dollywood count
Dollywood is a popular vacation spot for residents of the South in search of a fun themed park holidays which are not as expensive or difficult to plan as some of the large national theme parks in Orlando, Florida. But when you go to Dollywood, just as it does to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort.
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The weekends in the park will be busy than on weekdays. You will also want to plan public holidays and national holidays. To make it even more convoluted, the park has a few days in April, May, August, September, October, November and December when it is closed during the week. You can consult the Dollywood Park calendar here.
Do not jump the dolly parton experience
One of my favorite things in Dollywood is to explore the Dolly Parton experience. It is right next to Showstreet, the main road of the park. Here, you can enjoy live music in the Dreamsong theater, go through the Songteller exhibition to walk in the life of Parton, see an organized collection of its style behind the seams and enter one of the old Tourist Bus of Parton. Do not forget to stop in the Dolly fans shop, where you can find everything, t-shirts and cups with Christmas ornaments and makeup on the theme of parton.
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This area tends to be less busy in the morning when everyone rushes towards their first rides of the day. If you want to read most of the museum’s signs, you will want to book about an hour to go through the whole area.
You can see Dolly visit the park from time to time
Yes, rumors are true that Parton appears from time to time in his homonymous park. If you want the best chance of seeing the American icon, you will want to be in the park on opening day or when new attractions open. You can also catch it in the park during its birthday day on May 3. When she is at the park, there is generally a short cavalcade where she drives in an outdoor outdoor car taking into account the guests. Park hosts can give you more details on timing and itinerary if Parton is, in fact, at the park. She is also known to go on stage for a performance, so you really never know where she will appear.
Save money on parking at Dollywood by taking the Pigeon Forge shuttle
Parking in any theme park can put a key in the morning. The car parks are huge and the trams can be rare, which makes the park even more difficult. If you are staying in an out -of -site hotel or a day trip from your visit to Dollywood, plan to jump a parking lot in the park and use the Pigeon Forge shuttle. You will park in Patriot Park, then go up the shuttle continuously. The journey lasts about 15 minutes. Transit begins to run 30 minutes before Dollywood opened and stops once everyone returned to Patriot Park. The prices are $ 2.50 per person, one way. You can also get a day-to-day pass that costs $ 3 per person, which is a better deal.
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Measure your children before heading for rides
If you go to Dollywood with children, you can visit the centralized measurement station on Showstreet between the driving accessibility center and rental services. Here, children will be measured by a Dollywood host and will receive a color code to wear at the park. The bracelets tell your child and that the attraction hosts walks large enough to do and not have to be measured whenever they enter a line. Although this is absolutely not necessary for your children to be able to put up attractions of the park, it makes a little more easier which is a blow and what is not immediately.
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