When beloved country star Dolly Parton died on August 25, she left behind not only albums, accolades, and mourning fans, but also an entire urban project where her legacy lives on—not just as a faint memory, but as a tangible transformation of Tennessee.
“She’s alive and well here,” Eugene Naughton, president of Dollywood Parks & Resorts, said in an emotional message posted to Instagram and TikTok. “We are all gonna keep her alive here,” he continued, calling Parton “our dreamer in chief.”
For fans of the singer, the park is a go-to destination. And for thrill-seekers, its roller coasters are a must-ride. But beyond the touristy attractions, Dollywood’s success is rooted in something deeper—it serves as a tribute to the region’s heritage, Parton’s glitz, and her devotion to the locals. The theme park transformed a city, becoming a lesson in how entertainment-oriented development can help shape a thriving community when done right.
In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just a 15-minute ride from Parton’s hometown, the singer created Dollywood. Though many doubted the project in the beginning, it has become one of the most popular theme parks in the country (voted No. 1 in Tripadvisor’s annual readers poll), a place where over 10,000 people visit daily.
Parton purchased the existing grounds—which already had some attractions in place—in 1985. Partnering with the city to expand the park, she built her team using local residents and family members. And 40 years later, the park is not only still standing but looking to expand.
Dollywood spans 165 acres in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Inside, the smell of cinnamon bread, the park’s signature snack, fills the air.
The theme park features a variety of contrasting structures that not only call on Parton’s distinct aesthetic—think a store’s entrance veiled with a giant sparkly pink butterfly—but also highlight the region’s architecture and past. This includes a theater with a rustic farmhouse design, a working heritage railroad, and a replica of the electricity-free childhood home Parton shared with her 11 siblings.
Mixed all into one, and anchored by Parton’s devotion to her home state, the park becomes its own Appalachian city and serves as an inspiration to urbanists far and wide.
“What Dollywood does unusually well is root a large-scale destination in the identity of its region,” says David Kooris, executive director of the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority. “The crafts, music, landscape, and architecture make the experience specific to East Tennessee.”
According to Kooris, anchoring the project around a shared identity is what matters when it comes to urban planning.
He added: “The strongest development begins with the history, culture, and physical assets already present in a place, and builds around them. That is a lesson that applies just as much to the revitalization of a downtown or waterfront, making sure that new investment feels ‘of the place.’”
While Parton is the heart of the park, its true core is the people who work there—a human focus that experts say directly drives its success.
“Dollywood has things like on-site workforce housing and an on-site family health center,” says Moses Gates, vice president of housing and neighborhood planning at Regional Plan Association. “It also has education benefits and leadership training to help with career tracks. Approaching the workforce holistically, instead of simply as ‘clock-in, clock-out,’ is a big lesson on how these types of projects can benefit communities.”
The impact was widespread. Estimates point that Dollywood employs over 4,000 people, making it the largest employer in Sevier County. Meanwhile, the theme park has generated around 23,000 jobs in the region.
“It wasn’t built as an economic development project, but that’s what it became—a single business whose gravity helped organize an entire regional visitor economy around it,” says Thomas Jansen, a principal at HR&A Advisors, a real estate consultancy. “The town itself has grown in population, visitation, and prosperity.”
Dollywood’s influence spans across to the rest of Tennessee, playing a role as a significant tourist attraction for a booming state. In 2024, the state’s tourism industry broke records for the fourth consecutive year, bringing in $31.6 billion in direct visitor spending statewide.
Beyond Parton, Dollywood endures. And in enduring, it keeps her spirit alive in the state that made her—still drawing fans to Tennessee and still speaking the values she never stopped believing in, which are the very values that made her business successful in the first place.
“Don’t be afraid to care more about others, because that’s exactly what she’d want us to do,” Naughton said. “The show must go on.”
