Dollywood Theme Park

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The park's roots trace back to July 1961 when the Robbins brothers from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, opened it as Rebel Railroad. Inspired by the Civil War centennial, visitors rode a steam locomotive (former WPY 192) through "attacks" by Union soldiers and train robbers while being protected by Confederates. In 1964, Art Modell bought the park, renaming it Goldrush Junction to adopt a wild west theme similar to its sister park, Tweetsie Railroad. By 1975, the name shortened to Goldrush until Jack and Pete Herschend purchased it in April 1976. The Herschends renamed it Silver Dollar City Tennessee in 1977, investing $1 million in upgrades and adding locomotives #70 and #71 from the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. In 1986, Dolly Parton, who grew up nearby, bought an interest to "come back to my part of the country and do something great," reopening the park as Dollywood.

In Their Own Story

On May 3, 1986, Silver Dollar City Tennessee reopened as Dollywood with a doubled attendance of over one million guests. The new Rivertown Junction area featured Smoky Mountain River Rampage and Aunt Granny's Dixie Fixins' Restaurant, while "Rags to Riches: The Dolly Parton Story" museum opened. By 1987, Daydream Ridge added the Mountain Slidewinder water toboggan ride. In 1988, the 1,739-seat Celebrity Theater hosted the "Showcase of Stars" series. The 1990s saw massive growth: a 1924 Dentzel Carousel arrived in 1990, and Showstreet opened in 1992 with WDLY-FM, pushing attendance past 2 million. In 1996, Dollywood Boulevard introduced Thunder Road, a turbo-simulator ride based on the 1958 movie. The year 1999 brought the Tennessee Tornado steel looping coaster and the Southern Gospel Museum. By 2004, Thunderhead Gap opened with the Thunderhead wooden roller coaster, utilizing a new valley for expansion after removing many older rides.

Reader's Guide

Visitors can explore distinct eras of park development through specific areas. Showstreet serves as the main entrance since 1992, featuring The Butterfly Emporium and Backstage Restaurant. For thrill-seekers, the park offers steel coasters like Tennessee Tornado (1999) and Thunderhead (2004), alongside flume rides like Daredevil Falls, which opened in 1998 with a 62-foot drop billed as "The Highest and Fastest Waterfall Ride in America." Families can enjoy interactive play areas such as the Daydream Ridge renovation into Dreamland Forest in 2000 or the Imagination Station converted to Celebration Hall in 2003. Music lovers should visit the 1,739-seat Celebrity Theater for concerts or the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame established in 1999. Seasonal visitors can attend the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival, which premiered in November 1990 to extend operations into December, or the Festival of Nations international music festival starting in April 2001.

Did You Know?

• The park originally opened in July 1961 as Rebel Railroad, featuring a steam locomotive where riders experienced 'attacks' by Union soldiers and train robbers.
• In April 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend bought the park, which had been renamed Goldrush Junction in 1964 and later shortened to Goldrush in 1975.
• On November 16, 2010, Dollywood earned the Liseberg Applause Award, accepted by Dolly Parton at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando.
• The park employs approximately 4,000 people, making it a major employer in the community, though it has not been the largest employer continuously from its founding as Dollywood through 2010.
• In 1998, Daredevil Falls opened with a 62-foot drop and was billed at the time as 'The Highest and Fastest Waterfall Ride in America'.