PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.—Marking a milestone 25th anniversary season, Dollywood opens on March 27, 2010, with the addition of Adventure Mountain, America’s largest challenge course.
“Everyone knows that I’m a dreamer, and the 25th anniversary of my Dollywood theme park is the continuation of a country girl’s dream of a special place where families can experience and enjoy all that my Smoky Mountain home has to offer,” Dolly Parton said. “I’m inviting everyone to join us all season long as we celebrate the dreamer in YOU, too!”
Plans to honor the silver anniversary pay tribute to the park’s rich history while saluting this season’s guests. A daily entertainment showcase will take place in the park’s Adventures in Imagination area along with photographic exhibits in Valley Exhibition Hall which trace the park’s growth from 1986 to today. In addition, appearing via multi-media presentations, Parton shares her most heartfelt memories with guests visiting this season.
Set for unveiling on opening day, Adventure Mountain covers two acres of outdoor mountainside terrain and includes four entirely different adventure courses that range from easy to expert. Designed exclusively for Dollywood, Adventure Mountain features more than 140 obstacles, including swinging rope bridges, net ladders, rugged trails, flying islands, moving beams, and a tire traverse that must be navigated to complete each course. The attraction’s summit reaches a staggering 100 feet above the park’s Wilderness Pass area. Located at the base of Adventure Mountain, Camp Teachittoomee offers a variety of ground-based experiences for younger guests.
Dollywood’s 2010 season opens with the first of the park’s four annual festivals, Festival of Nations presented by Humana. Imaginé presented by Le Grand Cirque returns to headline the monthlong festival with an international cast of world-champion acrobats performing a 45-minute showcase of pole climbing, contortionists, hoop diving, unicycle, silk ropes, the diablo and more. The lineup includes three new shows. DRUM! from Nova Scotia features 20 musicians, dancers, drummers, and singers from four principal cultures—Aboriginal, Black, Celtic and Acadian—combined in a heart-pumping fusion of music, dance, poetry, video, rhythm and song. Jallmay showcases Peru’s South American rhythms, from ancient mountain civilizations to modern street beats, created by 28 dancers and musicians. Lively island rhythms take the spotlight in Invaders, an ensemble steel orchestra performing the sounds of Trinidad and Tobago with gospel, salsa, calypso, pop, reggae and American big band tunes.
This summer, a new spin on a familiar favorite is in store for KidsFest (June 11-Aug. 1, 2010) as a different headliner appears each week in the park’s new Adventure Theatre. Special family entertainment includes The Paper World Show by Mimirichi, comedic juggler Mark Nizer, extreme magician Curtis Adams, master ventriloquist Kevin Johnson, Fan Yang’s Gazillion Bubble Show and The Passing Zone.
Fall brings the annual National Gospel & Harvest Celebration presented by Humana (Sept. 29-Oct. 30). The event gets under way on Sept. 29 with the Southern Gospel Music Association’s annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The festival includes more than 200 free concerts by the genre’s most popular artists, including The McKameys, The Crist Family, The Isaacs, The Perrys and many more. Plus, the country’s best crafters visit the park to share their unique artistry.
Dollywood’s 25th anniversary season concludes with the Smoky Mountain Christmas (Nov. 6, 2010-Jan. 1, 2011) festival presented by Humana. Along with a display of four million lights, the return of the Polar Express 4D Experience™ and more than 20 rides and attractions, the festival bids farewell to the award-winning Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland show, which premiered in 2006. The park’s renowned entertainment lineup also includes Christmas in the Smokies, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, An Appalachian Christmas, O’ Holy Night, and Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs.
Dollywood’s operating days and hours vary. Visit www.dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD for more information.
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