For generations of travelers, a trip to Dollywood has been about more than roller coasters, shows and cinnamon bread. The park has always felt deeply connected to Dolly Parton herself—to her East Tennessee roots, her faith, her generosity and her belief that families should have a place where they can spend time together and make memories.

Now, following Dolly’s passing, Dollywood Parks & Resorts is preparing several new experiences designed to ensure those connections remain part of a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains for generations to come.

Over the coming months and into 2027, guests will begin seeing additions throughout Dollywood that celebrate different parts of Dolly’s life and legacy, from a peaceful new setting at the Robert F. Thomas Chapel to an interactive experience encouraging children to dream big.

The changes are not intended to turn Dollywood into a memorial. Instead, they offer a glimpse at how the park plans to move forward while keeping the values of its Dreamer-in-Chief at the center of the guest experience.

“Many of us had extensive conversations with Dolly through the years about how she would want us to carry her vision forward,” Dollywood Parks & Resorts President Eugene Naughton said.

“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.”

A quiet place to reflect in the Smokies

One of the most meaningful changes will come to the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, already one of Dollywood’s quieter and more reflective places.

Named for the doctor who delivered Dolly, the small country church provides a striking contrast to the roller coasters and attractions surrounding it. That sense of peacefulness will become even more pronounced with the addition of a cascading mountainside waterfall outside the chapel’s front steps.

New stained-glass windows also will be installed, drawing inspiration from both Dolly’s faith and the changing seasons of the Smoky Mountains.

The windows will reflect Ecclesiastes 3:1, a Bible verse that held special meaning for Dolly: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

For visitors, the result should create another reason to slow down during a busy day at Dollywood. Rather than rushing from one attraction to another, guests will have a place to sit for a few moments, listen to the water and reflect in surroundings inspired by the mountains Dolly called home.

Dolly’s belief in dreaming big comes to Wildwood Grove

Another addition will introduce younger visitors to a different part of Dolly’s legacy.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed more than 330 million books to children around the world, turning her belief in literacy and imagination into one of her most far-reaching accomplishments.

Beginning in 2027, that spirit will have a new presence inside Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove.

A new character called the Dream Maker will interact with children through stories and experiences centered around dreaming big, believing in themselves and treating others with courage and kindness.

Accompanied by a Dream Wagon, the Dream Maker will invite children to share their own dreams and hear stories inspired by Dolly.

Special kiosks throughout Wildwood Grove also will allow visitors to leave messages about how Dolly inspired them to pursue dreams of their own.

It should fit naturally into Wildwood Grove, an area of Dollywood already built around imagination, exploration and the idea of seeing the world through a child’s eyes.

The Dolly Parton Experience will get a new entrance

Visitors also will notice a change at The Dolly Parton Experience, the park’s collection of exhibits, stories, costumes and memorabilia devoted to Dolly’s life and career.

A new entrance portal is planned for the attraction, creating a more distinctive gateway into the experience.

For travelers interested in learning about Dolly beyond the music and celebrity, The Dolly Parton Experience has become an important stop during a Dollywood visit. It traces her journey from growing up in a large family in the Smoky Mountains to becoming an internationally recognized entertainer, songwriter, businesswoman and philanthropist.

The redesigned entrance should further establish the area as one of the park’s central destinations for understanding the woman behind Dollywood.

Guests visiting now also will find a memorial in Dollywood’s welcome plaza. The space gives visitors an opportunity to remember Dolly, reflect on her life and celebrate the impact she had on people around the world.

Visitors will be able to follow Dolly’s footsteps through Sevierville

Dolly’s story, of course, extends well beyond Dollywood’s gates.

Travelers interested in exploring more of her East Tennessee roots soon will have another reason to spend time in nearby Sevierville.

A new program called “In Dolly’s Footsteps,” developed by the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, will place walking-tour markers at locations Dolly and her family frequented during her youth.

The experience will give visitors an opportunity to connect the internationally famous Dolly Parton with the young girl who grew up in the Smokies and whose surroundings would influence her music, personality and worldview throughout her life.

That could make a Dollywood vacation part of a broader Dolly-focused trip through Sevier County rather than simply a day at the theme park.

Dollywood’s next chapter remains rooted in Dolly

Dollywood has changed considerably since Dolly Parton became involved with the former Silver Dollar City Tennessee and the park reopened under her name in 1986.

Today, the 165-acre theme park is part of a destination that includes Dollywood’s Splash Country, DreamMore Resort and Spa and HeartSong Lodge & Resort. Dollywood has grown into one of the country’s most recognized theme parks while still emphasizing the music, crafts, food and hospitality associated with East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.

That combination always reflected Dolly’s influence.

The coming additions suggest Dollywood isn’t trying to preserve her legacy by freezing the park in time. It intends to continue building and changing while using the values she established as a guide.

For travelers who have visited Dollywood for years, some of these new experiences will provide places to remember Dolly. For children visiting for the first time, they may provide an introduction to what she believed in.

And that may ultimately be the most fitting way for Dollywood to honor its Dreamer-in-Chief—not simply by remembering what Dolly Parton accomplished, but by encouraging another generation to dream about what they might accomplish next.

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(Photos courtesy Dollywood Parks & Resorts)