PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (WATE) – The “Dolly Parton Experience” is open at Dollywood, but the East Tennessee icon had a surprise in store for the official opening ceremony.
The new attraction features some of Dolly’s most famous costumes and memorabilia from her touring years. The attraction’s grand opening drew attention from people from miles away. One family from Augusta, Georgia, said the new addition to the park is great.
“It’s so beautiful, everything at Dollywood is so well-maintained,” said Alayna, Daniel and Lacey of Augusta, Georgia. “It’s so clean, well-maintained and really like a diamond.”
The “Songteller” attraction and many of the performances in “Behind the Seams” won’t always be the same as Dolly continues her career.
“However, the artwork in ‘Behind the Seams’ and ‘Songteller’ give us a great opportunity to change the story arc,” said Dollywood president Eugene Naughton. “It’ll be really fun for us to add to it for different seasons of the year. It’s also a nice way of saying this is a living exhibit. It’s not static.”
For an Augusta family that loves Dolly and Dollywood, witnessing this history was an experience unlike any other.
“It was really wonderful to see all the different pictures of Dolly throughout her life, hear the music in the videos and see how she grew up and became a star,” the family said.
The Dolly Parton Experience includes a room called “Songteller” that shows a six-minute video of Dolly’s life, beginning with her upbringing in the Smoky Mountains and ending with the song ‘I Will Always Love You.’
Friday’s debut wasn’t the only surprise from Dolly. She also announced a new album called: ‘Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA.’ Dolly says the album will take listeners on a journey through her family’s musical history.
