Honoring Dolly Parton

Dollywood will be honoring Dolly Parton with new, permanent tributes across the park, including additions at the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, a new character and kiosks in Wildwood Grove, a new experience portal for the Dolly Parton Experience area and a new community walking tour in Sevierville, Dolly’s hometown. Dollywood remains open on its regular schedule, and tickets and Season Passes are unaffected. Below, you will find what Dollywood is adding, when guests can expect to see it, and direct answers to the questions many families are asking right now.

Dollywood at a Glance

• Status: Dollywood is open on its regular seasonal schedule.
• Tribute locations: The Robert F. Thomas Chapel, Wildwood Grove and the Dolly Parton Experience.
• New character: The Dream Maker, inspired by Dolly's Imagination Library, debuting in Wildwood Grove in 2027.
• Community program: In Dolly's Footsteps, a free, self-guided walking tour from the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, opening in October 2026 in downtown Sevierville, Dolly’s hometown.
• Tickets and Season Passes: valid and unaffected by these announcements.
• Source: Dollywood's official announcement, published September 2, 2026.

Is Dollywood Closing?

No. Dollywood is not closing. The park continues to operate on its regular schedule, and Dollywood has announced new, lasting tributes to Dolly Parton that will be added to the park in the coming months and in 2027. Claims circulating online that Dollywood is shutting down are false.

Since Dolly Parton's passing on August 25, 2026, misinformation has spread online, including false claims that the park has burned down or is being sold to another company. Dollywood’s own press release makes clear the park's plans are focused on honoring Dolly, not closing.

What Is Dollywood Adding to Honor Dolly Parton?

Dollywood is adding tributes in three places: the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, Wildwood Grove and the Dolly Parton Experience. An additional tribute is located nearby in the surrounding community of Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly’s hometown.

At the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, Dollywood is adding a cascading waterfall along the mountainside outside the chapel, along with new stained glass windows featuring Ecclesiastes 3:1, a Bible passage about the changing seasons of life. The additions reflect Dolly's Christian faith and her lifelong connection to the Smoky Mountains that shaped her.

In Wildwood Grove, Dollywood is introducing a new character called the Dream Maker, inspired by Dolly's Imagination Library. Interactive kiosks throughout the area will invite guests, including kids, to share how Dolly's story and music inspired dreams of their own.

A new entrance portal will also lead into The Dolly Parton Experience, welcoming guests into the attraction’s collection of moments, stories and memorabilia from Dolly’s life.

Beyond the park, the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce is launching In Dolly's Footsteps, a free, self-guided walking tour with markers at nine downtown locations significant to Dolly's youth. It opens in October 2026. It is a community program, not a Dollywood attraction, and it extends the tribute into Sevierville, Dolly’s hometown, and the wider Smoky Mountains region Dolly called home.

A Tribute Rooted in Dolly's Own Words

The choice of Ecclesiastes 3:1, a Bible verse about the changing seasons of life, echoes a theme Dolly returned to often: that the mountains, the seasons and the people of home stay close no matter how far you travel. The new waterfall and windows at the Robert F. Thomas Chapel sit at the edge of the same Smoky Mountains that raised Dolly.

In Wildwood Grove, the Dream Maker character carries that same idea to families and children. The Imagination Library, the book gifting program Dolly founded for children worldwide, is the direct inspiration for the character, and Dollywood's interactive kiosks invite the next generation of Pigeon Forge and Smoky Mountain visitors to add their own dreams to hers.

What Dollywood's Leadership Has Said

Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton spoke to what these tributes are meant to carry forward: "Dollywood will always be a place where families find fun, kindness and joy, a place where they can make memories that last a lifetime, just like she would have wanted."

Visiting Dollywood Right Now

If you are planning a visit to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, here is what to know while these tributes take shape.

• Hours and schedule: Dollywood is open as usual. Check Dollywood's hours page before you go.
• Existing tickets and passes: Honored exactly as purchased. No action is needed.
• Seeing the tributes: These tributes are not in place at Dollywood yet. The Dream Maker arrives in Wildwood Grove in 2027, and Dollywood will share timing for the chapel and Dolly Parton Experience additions as they take shape.
• Sharing memories: Dollywood has not announced a formal guest tribute or memory-sharing program beyond what is described here.
• Getting updates: Dollywood's own news and press page is the most reliable source for what is confirmed and what is still to come.