Dollywood: Undamaged and celebrating a Smoky Mountains Christmas
It’s a bit eerie that Dollywood offers two roller coasters with a firefighting theme. One of them, the indoor Blazing Fury ride, simulates a 19th-century town about to be engulfed in flames. Fantasy came perilously close to reality in late November when wildfires erupted in the region and threatened Dolly Parton's Tennessee theme park.
Dollywood escaped without any damage and resumed operations of its annual Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration a few days after the fires subsided. Visitors, however, may be wary of making their way to the park given the circumstances.
“If you were planning a vacation to the Smokies, please come,” says Pete Owens, director of media relations for Dollywood. “The best way to help the county and its people recover is by enjoying all we have to offer. Tourism is our primary industry.”
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To those who do make the trek, a Santa bagful of goodies awaits. Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas is often recognized as one of theme parkdom's best holiday events. The park is brimming with Broadway-caliber shows, a dazzling display of lights, a colorful new parade, private audiences with Rudolph characters from the classic TV special as well as Old St. Nick, seasonal treats, and an abundance of good cheer. It will run on select days through January 1.
Some of the lands have tailored decorations, such as the retro displays in the 1950s-themed Jukebox Junction. No words could do justice to the sight of Dollywood's 4 million – 4 million! – Christmas lights (not that I won't try). The park's buildings and trees come alive each evening with a blaze of eye-popping radiance. They provide a stunning backdrop for the nightly Parade of Many Colors.
The procession's title is a variation of Ms. Parton's recent Christmas of Many Colors TV movie. Parade performers wear patchwork coats similar to the one made famous by Dolly. Bedecked in festive lights, the floats resemble the ones in Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade, albeit on a smaller scale.
The park's Craftsman's Valley even gets into the Christmas spirit. At the Rainbow Blown Glass Factory, for example, you could purchase tree ornaments made on site or create your own with assistance from the shop's artisans.
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The festival's signature show, "Christmas in the Smokies," is nearly an hour-long musical production filled with country, pop, gospel, and traditional holiday favorites. The ebullient cast, accompanied by a live orchestra, delivers soaring harmonies.
The show has been a mainstay since Dollywood introduced its Christmas festival in 1990. The highlight is a goose bump-inducing scene with Mary, Joseph, and an angel performing a haunting ballad. Like much of the park's holiday event, it is unabashedly religious. Returning to the show this year is Tom Hacker, one of its original cast members. His rousing finale solo is another high spot.
A musical adaptation of the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life is a new show this season. It repurposes familiar songs such as "From a Distance" and, oddly, Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." The performers are, well, wonderful, including the male lead who channels a young Jimmy Stewart.
Other shows include " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas," "O' Holy Night," and "My People," whose cast includes members of Dolly Parton's family performing the country legend's songs. The presentations are superb and reflect the park's well-deserved reputation for high-quality musical performances. "When Dolly is an owner of your business," Owens says, "obviously entertainment is something you aspire to."
Dollywood is known for its food as well, and the park offers plenty of seasonal treats. A Bananas Foster milkshake combines snow cream ice cream with bits of banana and spiced brown sugar that is topped with caramel sauce. It is scrumptious without being cloying. Candy Cane hot chocolate includes a dollop of whipped cream, crushed pieces of peppermint, and a peppermint stick that slowly melts into and sweetens the frothy brew.
You might want to grab a cup of hot chocolate after braving Dollywood's great collection of coasters and other rides, most of which are open during the festival. Lightning Rod, a wonderfully out-of-control, airtime-crazy ride that debuted this year is the world's only launched wooden coaster. It also holds the record as the world's fastest wooden coaster. Its 73-mph speed delivers a considerable wind chill factor, particularly after the sun sets and the mercury dips in the Smoky Mountains park.
Located next to Dollywood, the DreamMore resort is marking the holidays with an enormous Christmas tree in its lobby and other decorations decking its halls. Each evening in its pool area, the hotel presents a Christmas light show synchronized to carols piped outdoors and indoors.
The Dolly Parton Company also operates two nearby dinner attractions, Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure. Both are offering Christmas versions of their shows. The Lumberjack Adventure, which reopened this past July under the Parton umbrella, features competitive logging events interspersed with music and acrobatics. Think Cirque du Soleil with a Southern accent, and served with heaping plates of fried chicken and barbecued pulled pork. The show is about feuding families and a down-on-his-luck sawmill owner who receives a Christmas miracle.
Dollywood recently announced three new rides in 2017. Drop Line will be a 200-foot-tall, 24-seat drop tower ride. Whistle Punk Chaser will be a toned-down, "family" coaster. Both of the rides will be located in the park's Timber Canyon land and will feature a logging theme. The adjacent Dollywood's Splash Country water park will introduce TailSpin Racer, a multi-lane, mat-racing slide.
Through her Dollywood Foundation, Parton has established the My People Fund to aid people displaced by the wildfires.