The Ultimate Guide To Dollywood by Erin K Browne

What a delightful way to either plan for a trip to the musical icon’s theme park or to just daydream about eventually going!

While this unofficial guide doesn’t go into the history of Dollywood, it’s certainly a loving look at the largest employer in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the birthplace of living legend Dolly Parton. The book occasionally alludes to the former incarnations of what is now Dollywood, but it’s clear that the amusement park as we know it today has been guided and stamped by Ms Parton’s vision. It’s actually pretty impressive how thoughtful, uplifting and inclusive a theme park can be — but that shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone who knows Ms Parton as more than a country music icon. With her early reading initiatives, investment in the poor and championing of equal rights for marginalized groups, she’s long been a quiet but firm backer of common sense approaches to making life better for everyone.

Thus, it’s a pleasure to read of all the ways in which Dollywood is a safe space for all of its visitors, from those with sensory issues to those with uncommon dietary needs. Erin K Browne makes a point of noting these little details and more in ways that make it easier for visitors to plan ahead, so that everyone going can have a good time. Divided into ten parts, this book focuses mainly on the sights of Dollywood actual, confining related attractions such as Splash Country and the Stampede Dinner Attraction to a single chapter at the end. It’s still a large amount of info, neatly distilled by Ms Browne so that visitors can make the most of their time in the area, assuming that they’re primarily there for the main theme park.

The first eight parts of the book each focus on an area of Dollywood, then further break that down by the individual attractions, whether they be rides, restaurants, retail or more. You get a What, Where and Expert Tip in the Fast Facts section that begins each of these attraction descriptions, then a Why You Should See It and Park Pointer. Each chapter gets a map, and little bits of Dolly Parton trivia are sprinkled throughout the text.

While there are lots of great overall points of interest as you’d find in any themed resort, I loved that there are so many attractions geared specifically to the Dolly fan. I’ve thought she was pretty cool ever since reading about her coat of many colors as a kid, and my respect for and admiration of her has only grown over the decades. That said, perhaps my favorite part of this book was the way it described all the local artisans who not only sell their wares in Dollywood, but frequently demonstrate their craft there, too. It really speaks to Ms Parton’s dedication to keeping local traditions and industries alive, and is of a piece with her good sense and enormous heart.

There are not, unfortunately, any fun trips planned for my family’s immediate future, but should we ever find ourselves close to Dollywood, we’re definitely making the trip over, with this guide in hand. Not because Ms Parton needs the money, but because it feels both like an homage to a terrific human being and a way to keep her efforts — of community building, promoting tolerance and education, and just delighting in the innocent joys of a theme park — going for even just that much longer.

The Ultimate Guide To Dollywood by Erin K Browne was published September 17 2024 by Adams Media and is available from all good booksellers, including