Dollywood Earns Three Golden Ticket Awards

Pigeon Forge, TN (September 9, 2019) — Dollywood has earned a number of major accolades in recent years, and the Smoky Mountain theme park won three more on Saturday night during Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards ceremony. The Golden Ticket Awards are the most sought-after awards in the business of amusements and attractions. This year, Dollywood earned finalist placement in seven total categories and won more awards than any other park.

Dollywood is the very first winner in a new category—the Best Guest Experience award. The park’s expansive new Wildwood Grove also won Best Kids’ Area for the first time, while the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival earned its 12th consecutive win for Best Christmas Event. Dollywood is the only park in the world to ever win the Christmas award.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here since we opened Dollywood in 1986,” Dolly Parton said. “First, we’ve been able to provide so many jobs to the great people who live here in the Smokies. Second, I wanted the world to know how beautiful this area truly is. I’ve been able to travel the world and see so many great things, but in the end, the Smokies are where my heart sings. I wanted to give folks the world over a reason to come here and see it for themselves.

“We don’t do what we do to win awards,” she continued. “They are nice, but we do it because we want to provide families an escape to a beautiful place where they can forget about all the things going on in their daily lives and truly enjoy each other.”

“It has been fascinating to observe the results over the past two decades. I have watched Dollywood ascend from a great regional theme park to a world-famous destination,” says Amusement Today’s Tim Baldwin, Golden Ticket Awards Communications Coordinator. “That continual climb has been the result of offering an outstanding product at all levels — food, shows, innovative rides, and a fantastic atmosphere. Dollywood is just the complete package!”

This fall, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival features the return of an even larger Great Pumpkin LumiNights, which includes new experiences in Wildwood Grove. Additionally, more than 600 Southern gospel concerts take place throughout the festival.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas features the second year of Glacier Ridge, as well as the first year of Christmas in Wildwood Grove. Now boasting five million spectacular lights, Smoky Mountain Christmas puts guests in the holiday spirit with stunning lights displays, tantalizing food options, traditional shows and fun experiences like the Parade of Many Colors and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends.

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