Dolly Parton Reveals The Future Of Dollywood After She’s Gone
Dolly Parton Celebrates 40 Years Of Dollywood
Dolly Parton has always been proud of her rural upbringing in the Tennessee mountains of Sevierville. When she left her small town and became a country music superstar, she never forgot her humble beginnings.
In 1986, parton opened dollywood to show her appreciation for where she grew up. She wanted to create something that would give back to the community that shaped her.
Today, Dollywood is the largest employer in the region, providing jobs for nearly 4,000 people. It has also become one of the most popular amusement parks in the country, drawing around 3 million visitors to the area each year.
Now, Parton is celebrating four decades of bringing people from all over the world together at Dollywood.
On March 14, the amusement park’s 40th season was kicked off with a celebration and a surprise appearance by Parton herself. While there, she opened up about Dollywood’s success over the years and how it unexpectedly sparked the growth of other businesses in the once-vacant area.
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When Dollywood did open and when we started opening our dinner theaters it just brought so many more tourists in, and other people started building other businesses and hotels and all that,” Parton said to Knox News. “There were some things here, but not near like it was after Dollywood opened.”
“I’m just proud to be part of this whole community. And Dollywood is a shining star, certainly to me, but evidently to a lot of other people, too,” she continued. “I’m just happy to be part of that growth.”
