Brothers Pete, left, and Jack Herschend with Dolly Parton after they were named 2023 Golden Ticket Legends. The Herschends’ partnership with Parton led to the creation of Dollywood theme park, which opened on May 3, 1986. (Dollywood Photo)
Via Dollywood
Dollywood guests were surprised Saturday when globally-known entertainment icon—and the Smokies’ own—Dolly Parton arrived onstage in Showstreet Palace Theater during the 25th annual Golden Ticket Awards presented by Amusement Today. Not only did Parton receive her own award during the event, her namesake park earned a record five Golden Ticket Awards.
Parton, along with her business partners Jack and Peter Herschend, were honored with the Industry Legends Golden Ticket Award. It was the unique partnership between Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment that created Dollywood from the former Silver Dollar City Tennessee theme park in the mid-1980s. The park opened as Dollywood on May 3, 1986, and doubled its attendance in its first season of operation.
Dollywood received finalist placement in ten total categories and won more Golden Ticket awards than any other park in the world. The awards ceremony takes place at a different theme park each year, with Dollywood last hosting in 2012.
Dollywood took top honors at the Golden Ticket Awards by claiming the award for Best Park, an award held the last eight years by Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. The impressive designation follows several years’ worth of recognition of Dollywood’s top status within the theme park industry. The Best Park award is significant because it continues to reinforce what Dollywood guests have been saying for some time; that the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, park is considered one of the top family vacation destinations in the country and, perhaps now, the world.
Dollywood continued its clean sweep of the Best Guest Experience category, which was first created in 2019. This marks the fourth-consecutive Best Guest Experience award for Dollywood. Golden Tickets were not awarded in 2020. The Best Guest Experience award combines several attributes—including friendliness, cleanliness and value—into the judging criteria for the award. Dollywood is the only park to ever win the award, a nod to its friendly and welcoming hosts, as well as its clean appearance and overall atmosphere.
Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove also earned its fourth consecutive award for Best Kids’ Area. The park first won this award in 2019 after that season’s opening of the expansive new area. Wildwood Grove cemented its status for the award this year thanks to the addition of the Big Bear Mountain roller coaster which opened this May.
With its new-found fame among Dollywood guests, Big Bear Mountain appropriately earned the newly-created Golden Ticket Award for Best Family Coaster. Guests who have experienced the new ride have applauded its unique attributes, impressive ride length and immersive theming.
One of the park’s stalwart events, Smoky Mountain Christmas, earned its 15th consecutive win for Best Christmas Event. Dollywood remains undefeated in the Christmas category.
“We’re so proud to have the Golden Ticket Awards here at Dollywood this year,” Parton said. “This award ceremony is so very special and I think Dollywood is special too, so I think it’s great we were able to host the event here. We don’t do what we do to earn awards, but we’re not going to turn them down either.
“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.
“I think the Smoky Mountains are one of the most beautiful places in the whole world, so I hope more people will come visit Dollywood and the Smokies to see what makes this one of those places that I believe you can’t match anywhere else!”
Due in large part to its idyllic location in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood earned the runner-up position for Most Beautiful Park, while the park’s creative and talented culinary team took home a second-place finish for Best Food thanks to their varied and extensive menus of high-quality items. The park also finished third in the Best New Coaster category for Big Bear Mountain, and Dollywood’s thrilling Thunderhead remained ranked in the Best Wooden Roller Coaster category, finishing as the fourth best wooden coaster in the world. Big Bear Mountain earned a fifth-place finish in the award for Best New Attraction Installation.
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Dollywood’s Harvest Festival featuring Great Pumpkin LumiNights takes place Sept. 20- Oct. 30, while Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas —now the 15-time winner of Best Christmas Event—is slated for Nov. 4- Jan. 6.
2 Responses
I was there that day with my 6 daughters, we were there the day before, and heard that she might be in the park so we went back the next day. Got another ticket waited in the rain for an hour we had to leave because we had tickets to the dolly stampede or we would’ve gone in the theater….. a big congratulations to Dollywood such a fabulous fun Park. I’m so sad to miss Dolly, I’m a big fan for sure.
That’s a great story Brenda. Big Dolly fan here,too
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