PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. – Dolly Parton and her Dollywood team were recently recognized during the 25th annual Golden Ticket Awards.
The awards are the result of a survey sent to hundreds of amusement park fans, industry journalists, and ride manufacturers across the world.
Parton and her business partners, Jack and Pete Herschend, received the Industry Legends Award, and the Dollywood theme park itself received a record five awards. In all, Dollywood received 10 finalist placements.
“We don’t do what we do to earn awards, but we’re not going to turn them down either,” Parton said regarding the honor with her signature humor. “Seriously though, our teams work hard to make sure our guests enjoy their time at Dollywood, and these awards honoring what they do sure make me happy … because they are getting the recognition they deserve.”
From Sept. 20 through Oct. 30, the theme park will host Dollywood’s Harvest Festival. Guests will be greeted by an autumn atmosphere including more than 12,000 pumpkins; a new “Harvest Sky” featuring thousands of shimmering leaves strung above the park’s Showstreet; an interactive honeybee exhibit; harvest-themed culinary options; live music featuring more than 1,740 individual performances; artisan demonstrations; Great Pumpkin LumiNights, a nighttime event; and the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains draped in fall colors.
On Nov. 3, The Dollywood Company will celebrate the grand opening of its new 302-room HeartSong Lodge & Resort.
Dollywood will end the year with its award-winning Smoky Mountain Christmas festival, which runs from Nov. 4 to Jan. 6, 2024. For these two months, the park transforms into a colorful wonderland with more than six million lights, dozens of Christmas trees, holiday shows, festive food and drink, and Santa Claus himself.
