Dollywood, the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., branded by country music queen Dolly Parton, is open for the holidays with its decade-running Smoky Mountains Christmas festival, now through Jan. 6. During an all-day visit on Black Friday, we roamed the Americana-themed park's pleasant grounds, which wrap around the foothills of the Smokies.
At nightfall, the Christmas quotient turns up to 11, with holiday lights of many colors streaming from the trees, best viewed from an ethereal ride on the Dollywood Express coal-fired train at dusk. At 8:30 p.m., the day ends with a drone-powered holiday light show, which resembles silent, stationary fireworks. Striking holiday images such as a Christmas tree and a nativity scene appeared in the sky over the Wildwood Grove section of the park, culminating with a giant "Merry Christmas, Love Dolly" in cursive.
Parton herself usually has a light presence in her park — which sits just miles from her hardscrabble childhood home — but all over Dollywood were signs of her quirky, folksy benevolence, with country- and holiday-themed musical performances and countless eclectic food and gift shops. We scored a Dolly coffee mug with a guitar for a handle and a vintage portrait of Parton. Thrill rides include a full slate of state-of-the-art roller coasters, but on a busy holiday we should have planned ahead and purchased TimeSaver passes to make the most of rides.
If you go: We recommend flying two hours nonstop to Asheville, N.C., and driving two more hours to Pigeon Forge. (Nonstop flights from Minneapolis to nearby Knoxville, Tenn., will resume in June 2024.) Lodging in the tourism-heavy Pigeon Forge ranges from mountain cabin rentals to Parton's brand new HeartSong resort at the park.
