08/28/2026
Adam's Adventures
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🦋 DOLLYWOOD PLANNING A PERMANENT MEMORIAL TO DOLLY PARTON
News Source: WJHL
As guests continue to remember and honor Dolly Parton, Dollywood is already thinking about how her memory can have a permanent place inside the park she loved so much. ❤️
A temporary memorial has been established at Dollywood where guests can leave flowers and notes, but Dollywood President Eugene Naughton says the park plans to create a permanent place where generations of guests can remember its Dreamer-in-Chief.
While the final plans are still being developed, Naughton shared some early details—and they sound incredibly meaningful.
⛪ Because Dolly’s faith was such an important part of her life, Dollywood is considering incorporating the Robert F. Thomas Chapel into a permanent place of reflection.
💧 A new waterfall is planned for Craftsman’s Valley, designed to arch and curve toward the chapel. Naughton explained that water represents life, and he wants the area to provide a place where guests can reflect on Dolly and everything she represented.
🎸 A sculpted guitar with stained glass is also planned for the bottom of the nearby stream.
Perhaps the most powerful part of Naughton’s comments was his message that while Dolly may be gone, her presence at Dollywood isn’t going anywhere.
“She’s alive right here on this ground, and we’re carrying her forward.”
Naughton also said Dolly helped create Dollywood’s master plan through 2026 and emphasized that she will remain at the center of the park’s plans and future growth.
For a place that was so deeply connected to Dolly’s faith, family, music, dreams and love for the Smoky Mountains, creating a peaceful place where guests can stop and remember her feels incredibly fitting. 🦋
❤️ Dolly helped create Dollywood, but more importantly, she gave the park its heart. That is something future generations will continue to experience every time they walk through those gates.
👇 What would you like to see included in a permanent memorial to Dolly at Dollywood?
See less
🦋 DOLLYWOOD PLANNING A PERMANENT MEMORIAL TO DOLLY PARTON
News Source: WJHL
As guests continue to remember and honor Dolly Parton, Dollywood is already thinking about how her memory can have a permanent place inside the park she loved so much. ❤️
A temporary memorial has been established at Dollywood where guests can leave flowers and notes, but Dollywood President Eugene Naughton says the park plans to create a permanent place where generations of guests can remember its Dreamer-in-Chief.
While the final plans are still being developed, Naughton shared some early details—and they sound incredibly meaningful.
⛪ Because Dolly’s faith was such an important part of her life, Dollywood is considering incorporating the Robert F. Thomas Chapel into a permanent place of reflection.
💧 A new waterfall is planned for Craftsman’s Valley, designed to arch and curve toward the chapel. Naughton explained that water represents life, and he wants the area to provide a place where guests can reflect on Dolly and everything she represented.
🎸 A sculpted guitar with stained glass is also planned for the bottom of the nearby stream.
Perhaps the most powerful part of Naughton’s comments was his message that while Dolly may be gone, her presence at Dollywood isn’t going anywhere.
“She’s alive right here on this ground, and we’re carrying her forward.”
Naughton also said Dolly helped create Dollywood’s master plan through 2026 and emphasized that she will remain at the center of the park’s plans and future growth.
For a place that was so deeply connected to Dolly’s faith, family, music, dreams and love for the Smoky Mountains, creating a peaceful place where guests can stop and remember her feels incredibly fitting. 🦋
❤️ Dolly helped create Dollywood, but more importantly, she gave the park its heart. That is something future generations will continue to experience every time they walk through those gates.
👇 What would you like to see included in a permanent memorial to Dolly at Dollywood?
