Country star Dolly Parton is celebrating the 40th anniversary of her beloved theme park, Dollywood.
On Friday, the “Jolene” singer made a special appearance at the family-friendly attraction, which first opened its doors on May 3, 1986, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
“I used to think, ‘If I am successful, I want to go back home and build something and do something that will be a wonderful thing for my area, for my family, and for all my friends and neighbors, and a place for other people to come and share that.’”
During a video montage about the park’s history, Mark Ezell, Tennessee’s tourism commissioner, expressed gratitude to Parton for supporting the local community.
“We are so grateful for all that Dollywood means to the state of Tennessee,” he said. “On behalf of Governor [Bill] Lee and the 7 million Tennesseans, we ... thank you, and congratulations on this 40th anniversary.”
Parton added: “This was a dream of mine and it actually happened.”
To mark the milestone, the 10-time Grammy Award-winner debuted “The Dollywood Collection: Celebrating 40 Years of Music & Memories.” The compilation album features nearly a dozen of the singer’s songs played at the theme park, including an orchestrated version of her 1974 single “Love Is Like a Butterfly.”
Parton has also partnered with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and Every Child TN, a statewide initiative that aims to support those in foster care, to offer foster kids throughout the state a free trip to the park to “experience the fun at Dollywood,” the singer said.
Dollywood, which is located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, officially kicked off its 2025 season on March 14, just shy of two weeks after Parton’s longtime husband, Carl Thomas Dean, died at the age of 82.
The couple dated for two years before marrying in a private ceremony on May 30, 1966.
