Dollywood Earns 6 Prestigious Golden Ticket Awards

Dollywood continued its impressive run of Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award wins, earning five world’s best awards along with a sixth award which bestowed “legend” status on the park’s unmatched Smoky Mountain Christmas festival.

The Golden Ticket Awards, the theme park industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony, took place Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Kennywood amusement park just outside of Pittsburgh. Dollywood received finalist placement in eight total categories and won more Golden Ticket awards than any other park in the world. 

“I’m so proud of what our folks at Dollywood do to make sure our guests have the best time when they are visiting us,” Dolly said. “With all of the awards we’ve won the last few years, I think we’re going to have to get a larger trophy case,” she added with a laugh. “Awards are nice to receive, but we don’t do what we do to win awards. We want to be the place where families want to return time and time again to make new memories they will always treasure.” 

Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee — about 4 hours north of Atlanta — making it perfect for a weekend getaway.

One of the park’s most loved events, Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana, earned a Golden Ticket Legend Award. After 15 consecutive wins in the Best Christmas Event category, the Golden Ticket Awards staff opted to retire the award and name the event as a legend within the industry. Dollywood’s Christmas festival is so prevalent that it has been showcased in several movies, including Hallmark’s Christmas at Dollywood and Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.

Other awards Dollywood won included…

• Best Guest Experience. This marks the 5th consecutive Best Guest Experience award for Dollywood!

• Best Kids’ Area. Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove also earned its 5th consecutive award for Best Kids’ Area.

• Best Family Coaster. New in 2023, Big Bear Mountain earned its 2nd consecutive win in the Best Family Coaster category.

• Most Beautiful Park. The natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains creates a stunning backdrop for guests during their time at Dollywood. The park last won the award in 2021.

• Best New Show. A new category win for Dollywood this year was Best New Show. Dollywood’s entertainment team created a new show for this season’s I Will Always Love You Celebration called “From the Heart – The Life and Music of Dolly Parton.”

Dollywood also placed in several additional categories. Dollywood finished #2 for Best Park to Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, effectively making the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, park the top park in the U.S. Dollywood’s thrilling Thunderhead remained ranked in the Best Wooden Roller Coaster category, finishing as the fourth best wooden coaster in the world. Dollywood’s Splash Country earned a fifth-place finish in the award for Best Water Park.

Calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, the industry’s leading trade publication, the Golden Ticket Awards are the results of a detailed survey sent to a database of hundreds of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans, industry journalists and ride manufacturers around the world in balanced geographical regions. Voters are asked to rate the “best” in a number of categories such as best parks, roller coasters, water rides, food and more. The pool of eligible voters changes every year to ensure the same votes are not cast each season.

With two great festivals ahead this year, there’s plenty of fun still to have during Dollywood’s 2024 operating season.

Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana featuring Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health begins today and runs through Oct. 28, while Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana—now officially considered a legendary event within the industry—is slated for Nov. 1- Jan. 5.