Curtis Hilbun/Dollywood
Dolly Parton and Eugene Naughton
Dolly Parton and Eugene Naughton, President, The Dollywood Company, at the 2023 Golden Ticket Awards held at the Showstreet Theater at Dollywood on September 9, 2023 in Pigeon Forge, TN. © Curtis Hilbun/Dollywood
Dollywood guests were surprised Saturday as the Smokies’ own Dolly Parton arrived onstage in Showstreet Palace Theater during the 25th annual Golden Ticket Awards presented by Amusement Today. Not only did Parton receive her own award during the event, her namesake park earned a record five Golden Ticket Awards.
“We’re so proud to have the Golden Ticket Awards here at Dollywood this year,” Dolly said. “This award ceremony is so very special and I think Dollywood is special too, so I think it’s great we were able to host the event here. We don’t do what we do to earn awards, but we’re not going to turn them down either,” she said with a laugh. “Seriously though, our teams work hard to make sure our guests enjoy their time at Dollywood, and these awards honoring what they do sure make me happy because they are getting the recognition they deserve.”
Parton, along with business partners Jack and Peter Herschend, were honored with the Industry Legends Golden Ticket Award. It was Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment that created Dollywood from the former Silver Dollar City Tennessee theme park in the mid-1980s.
Dollywood received finalist placement in 10 total categories and won more Golden Ticket awards than any other park in the world.
Dollywood took top honors at the Golden Ticket Awards by claiming the award for Best Park, an award held the last eight years by Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. The designation follows several years’ worth of recognition of Dollywood’s top status within the theme park industry.
Dollywood continued its clean sweep of the Best Guest Experience category, which was first created in 2019. This marks the fourth-consecutive Best Guest Experience award for Dollywood.
The Best Guest Experience award combines several attributes — including friendliness, cleanliness and value — into the judging criteria for the award. Dollywood is the only park to ever win the award.
Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove also earned its fourth consecutive award for Best Kids’ Area. The park first won this award in 2019 after that season’s opening of the new area. Wildwood Grove cemented its status for the award this year thanks to the addition of the Big Bear Mountain roller coaster, which opened this May.
“I think the Smoky Mountains are one of the most beautiful places in the whole world, so I hope more people will come visit Dollywood and the Smokies to see what makes this one of those places that I believe you can’t match anywhere else,” Dolly said.
Dollywood was awarded several other Golden Ticket Awards.
Eugene Naughton, president of Dollywood Parks & Resorts, says the record number of awards, including the nod for Best Park in the world, shows why Dollywood has become the rising star of the theme park industry.
“These awards are helpful for us to understand where we rank in comparison to our peers because those with voting rights represent some of the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals and enthusiasts within the industry,” he said.
“We have spent a lot of effort the last several years focused on our guest and host experience. We want everyone who comes through our turnstiles to have an experience which provides them with happy memories for years to come. We’ve also been very thoughtful with the attractions, entertainment offerings and culinary creations we provide to our guests every single day. I’m very happy to see the results of our hard work recognized by the Golden Ticket voters.”
The park opened as Dollywood on May 3, 1986, and doubled its attendance in its first season of operation.