Dollywood's recent theme park awards make Dolly Parton proud of her town

For the seventh consecutive year Dollywood has been named the Friendliest Park during the recent Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards.

Dollywood also won the Best Shows award for the 10th consecutive year and the Best Christmas Event for the 11th year, something no other theme park has won from Amusement Today.

"I've said it before, but back when I started Dollywood, I remember just prayin' that people were going to come visit us that very first year," Dolly Parton said in a news release.

"Here we are in our 33rd season, still earning some of the biggest awards and honors you can get, and I can't tell you how proud I am of what we're accomplishing," she said. "I started Dollywood because I'm proud of the Smoky Mountains and wanted more people to come experience the beauty God has put right here in our back yard."

Dollywood also placed in the Top 10 in five other categories, taking second place for Best Food, third place for Cleanest Park, fourth place for Best Water Park for Dollywood's Splash Country, fifth place for Best Park, and sixth and 10th place for Best Wooden Coaster for the Lightning Rod and Thunderhead, respectively.

Upcoming events at Dollywood include the Harvest Festival followed by Smoky Mountain Christmas, which will featuring Glacier Ridge for the first time, adding more than 1 million lights to the park.

In 2019 Dollywood will open Wildwood Grove, a new feature to include six ride attractions including the Dragonflier, a suspended family roller coaster.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, by Mary Constantine

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Published September 20, 2018