Dollywood kicked off its 40th anniversary season this weekend with a special appearance by Dolly Parton and a slew of updates and upgrades across the theme park.
The highlight of the weekend was Dolly’s visit to the park. It was her first public appearance since losing her husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, on March 3. She thanked the crowd in attendance at the media event inside the Celebrity Theater for the outpouring of support she’s received since her husband’s passing. Dollywood Parks & Resorts president Eugene Naughton later joined her to share Dollywood 2025 details about what guests can expect to see this season and beyond.
Dolly Parton and Dollywood Parks & Resorts president Eugene Naughton
Dollywood 2026 Teaser
During the event, attendees were treated to a teaser for the park’s yet-to-be-announced 2026 attraction, which will be the most ambitious and expensive to date:
While not an enhancement for the 2025 season, the Dollywood Express train will grant guests a nearly unobstructed view of the construction site, which occupies a huge plot of land behind Big Bear Mountain.
Dollywood 2025 Updates and Upgrades
In addition to the I Will Always Love You Music Festival, which runs through April 13, 2025, there are exciting updates and upgrades found across the park. Below are some of the Dollywood 2025 changes and updates guests will see at the theme park this year:
1. Wilderness Pass Restaurant
The park’s new Wilderness Pass Restaurant is nearing completion.
The restaurant occupies the space previously home to the Plaza at Wilderness Pass — and before that, River Battle.
The construction walls have been moved closer to the building to allow for picnic tables to be placed on the patio area. This is one of my favorite areas of the park for sitting and relaxing (with great views of Wild Eagle and FireChaser Express), so I’m looking forward to new culinary offerings to enjoy while admiring the view.
The restaurant will seat 400 guests and serve smoked meats, rotisserie chicken and braised beef along with classic sides.
I’ll miss the Plaza space, but I can’t wait to try the restaurant’s menu offerings.
2. The Village and Country Fair Refresh
Two of Dollywood’s older areas — The Village and Country Fair — received a refresh over the off-season.
Upgrades in Country Fair include a new splash pad and an expanded seating area in addition to enhanced facades and other aesthetic improvements.
3. Imagination Playhouse
Inside The Village area, the former Heartsong Theatre has officially been reimagined as the “Imagination Playhouse,” offering guests plays based on books from Dolly’s Imagination Library.
To date, Dolly’s Imagination Library program has gifted more than 270 million books to children around the world under the age of 5.
Heartsong: The Movie, which was previously shown in the Heartsong Theatre, has been remastered and moved to Dreamsong Theater inside the new-for-2024 The Dolly Parton Experience area.
4. Tennessee Tornado Repaint
Less buzzworthy but still exciting and eye-catching is Tennessee Tornado’s new coat of paint.
As of opening weekend, the new paint job was still in progress (kudos to the park for pausing it so the coaster could operate!).
The juxtaposition of the newly painted next to the unpainted track shows how much the track had faded.
While I liked the rusty/faded look, the bright red is sharp and will look even better against a green backdrop once the trees have bloomed.
5. Expanded Parking Lot
Dollywood’s new 750-space parking lot won’t open until later in the spring, but it was coming along very nicely.
New parking lot area – courtesy of Dollywood
The additional capacity is much-needed as the theme park continues to see record attendance.
New parking lot area – courtesy of Dollywood
The theme park’s current lots were completely full by the afternoon of season passholder preview day on Friday (another reason to always arrive early!). Guests were being directed to park at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge and ride a trolley to the park.
6. Iconic Hollywood-style Dollywood Sign
The park is installing a Hollywood-inspired Dollywood sign in Rivertown Junction.
While not installed yet, you can see how visible the sign will be from the midway.
Dolly Parton changing the “Hollywood” sign to “Dollywood” back in 1985 – courtesy of Dollywood
The sign will pay tribute to the Hollywood-inspired Dollywood sign as seen in 1985 during the park’s construction.
New Dollywood sign – courtesy of Dollywood
Once complete, the sign will make for an excellent photo opportunity.
7. Blazing Fury Refurbishment
Blazing Fury is closed but will reopen later this season with new enhancements and the return of guest favorites.
While you wait for the coaster to return, relive our lights-on backstage Blazing Fury tour.
To learn more, visit the Dollywood website.
Are you planning to visit Dollywood for its 40th anniversary season? Share what Dollywood 2025 updates you’re most excited to see in the comments section below.
Recent Discussion