Dolly Parton Says Dollywood Theme Park Was Inspired by ‘The Most Perfect Place That God Has Created’ (Exclusive)

Dolly Parton lifts the veil behind Dollywood’s inspiration.

The singer “Jolene”, who was honored for National Geographic’with travelers of the year 2024, shared exclusively with PEOPLE what makes the Dollywood theme park so special.

“Well, we’re lucky to be in a part of the world that I believe is the absolute most perfect place God made, so we just look out the window and those big, beautiful Smoky Mountains provide all the inspiration we could ever dream of finding,” he says. Parton in an exclusive quote.

Along with the environment, Parton says the people are at the forefront of Dollywood’s charm.

“The Smokies — and the wonderful people who work here — is what makes Dollywood different from many other theme parks around the world,” she adds. “We’re right on the doorstep of the most visited national park in the country, so we take what God gave us and use it to dream the big dreams we want our guests to experience while they’re here driving and making memories.”

Dolly Parton at Dollywood.

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She also favors her new resort, HeartSong Lodge & Resort, which she says is “designed so that our guests can be close to nature; it almost seems like the Smokies have found a way to go right in.”

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When it comes to her personal travel philosophy, the legendary singer says she follows the Golden Rule.

“Treat others the way you want to be treated. Whether you’re hosting someone in your home—we call our Dollywood employees hosts because they host our guests every day in our ‘home’—or you’re a guest in their home, you should always treat them with love and compassion whether you’ve known them for 50 years or 5 minutes,” she says. “I also think everyone should enjoy the trip. It’s where some of your best memories are made and where you usually find inspiration for your next big dream!”

As life has gotten busier, Parton says she no longer travels for pleasure as much as she used to.

“Carl and I used to drive our camper across the country when I had more free time, but these days I’m so busy with my movies, my new Broadway play about my life and all my musical possibilities, I just don’t get a chance to do it that often ,” she says.

On the special occasion that she has time to chase her personal dreams of wandering, the “9 to 5” singer says she prefers the road to any other mode of travel.

Dolly Parton Theme Park, Dollywood.

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“I love traveling by road because you get to see and experience places you might not be able to see while flying above everything,” she says. “Flying, of course, gives us the opportunity to visit so many different places that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to, but for me, just a good old-fashioned trip gets the mind moving.”

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And it was during her travels that she wrote some of her most famous works.

“I can’t tell you how many hundreds of songs I’ve written on the road, but it’s pretty safe to say that if you sang it, I probably wrote it on the road!” she reveals.

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Of course, two of her retired tour buses are now located at Dollywood “for guests to enjoy.”

“One of them is in a theme park so everyone can look around, and the other is at our DreamMore Resort and Spa so guests can stay and see what it’s like to live like me on the road!” she says. “I wrote dozens of songs on that bus, so maybe now it will inspire someone else.”

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Source: HIS Education